It was strikingly obvious from the gashes in her throat and abdomen that she had been murdered. The blood had pooled beneath her and spread across the lino floor. There were also splash marks on several of the kitchen units and the front of the dishwasher.

James dragged his eyes away from the body and the blood and looked around the room. Nothing appeared to be out of place until he noticed that a glass panel in the back door was broken. It was the one closest to the key that was sticking out of the lock.

James wondered if the killer had gained access to the house by smashing the glass and reaching a hand in to turn the key. He would look closer in a bit but, for now, he returned his attention to the victim and focused on her face. He’d met her a couple of times but needed to be sure who she was before he let Annie know whether or not the postman had made a mistake.

He hadn’t.

The woman lying on the floor was Lorna Manning, the headmistress of the village primary school.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Within an hour of James arriving at Lorna Manning’s house the scene in and around it had been transformed. Forensic officers were starting to sweep the rooms and gardens for evidence, and a small crowd had gathered in Willow Road.

While waiting for the team to arrive, James had carried out his own checks. He’d searched the house and confirmed that there was no one else in it, noting that it hadn’t been ransacked.

The place was comfortable and well kept, with smart, modern furniture and a few framed photos of a couple with a small child. An artificial Christmas tree was set up in the living room and there were some unobtrusive decorations.

James had also noted that Lorna’s bed had been slept in and the light was on. It led him to believe that she had probably been woken up by the sound of an intruder breaking the door panel in the kitchen. She’d then gone downstairs to investigate and was stabbed to death.

James called Annie at the first opportunity, and not just to tell her what she didn’t want to hear. He needed to extract some information from her about the woman who had been her boss.

His wife could barely speak, though, and he had to wait for her to get a handle on her emotions.

‘Lorna was a lovely woman,’ she said. ‘I can’t think why anyone would want to do this to her.’

Between sobs she told him that Lorna Manning had been single and aged fifty-eight. She had one son from a marriage that ended in divorce fifteen years ago. He was living in Southend, Essex, with his wife and daughter.

‘She moved around quite a bit and came here ten years ago when she was offered the head’s job at the school,’ Annie said. ‘She put her heart and soul into it and everyone liked and respected her. But the truth is she never seemed happy or settled. I put it down to the fact that the school has been threatened with closure, but others believe it went deeper than that and was rooted in something that happened to her in the past. But she rarely talked about her personal life, even on social occasions. As I understand it, she hadn’t been in a relationship for years. Her whole focus was always on the school and the kids.’