‘We’ll be visiting the school,’ James said. ‘And we’ll have to search Lorna’s office and interview some of the staff.’

‘Will that include me?’

‘It’ll have to.’

Annie shook her head. ‘I’m just finding it so hard to believe what’s happened.’

‘I just wish I could be there with you, hon. But I can’t.’

‘I know, but look, this must mean that the threat in the Christmas card you got wasn’t a hoax,’ she said. ‘There’s a fucking serial killer in this village, so surely it’s time people were told.’

She lost it then and began to cry.

‘Look, I’ll call you later,’ James said, and was gutted that he couldn’t go straight home to comfort her.

‘I’ll be all right,’ she replied. ‘Just do what you can to find the creature who did this.’

James kept thinking about what Annie had said as he kick-started this new murder investigation.

A serial killer stalking the streets of Kirkby Abbey was no longer such a far-fetched notion. Two people had been slain within twenty-four hours of one another. They’d both been stabbed and no effort had been made to conceal the bodies. In fact, the opposite was true – the killer had clearly wanted them to be easily found.

Charlie Jenkins was left in a field where the killer would have known that someone would soon come across his body. And the front door to Lorna’s house was left open, presumably so that her body would not remain undiscovered for long.

James spelled this out to DS Stevens and two other detectives from Kendal HQ when he briefed them outside the house.

‘We need to find out if the pair were connected in any way,’ he said. ‘Apart from living in the same village is it possible they were in a relationship or had a shared interest? Hopefully the neighbours and her colleagues at the school will help provide some answers.’

He told them what Annie had said about Lorna and explained that she had been due at the school this morning for an end of term tidy up.

‘I’d like one of you to contact her son as soon as possible,’ he said. ‘Break the news and see what he can tell us about his mum and whether she had any enemies.’

They were still deep in conversation when Gordon Carver turned up. The Cumbria Gazette reporter made his presence known by calling out to James from beyond the crime scene tape that had been set up.

‘I’d better have a word with him,’ James said. He told the detectives to organise a house-to-house in Willow Road and arrange for officers to visit the school. He then signalled for the uniforms keeping the growing crowd at bay to let Carver through.

The reporter’s first question to James was, ‘Is it true that Lorna Manning has been murdered?’

‘I’m not at liberty to—’

‘Don’t bother feeding me that line, Inspector,’ Carver said. ‘I’ve already spoken to the postman who found the body. So I know she’s the victim and I know about the blood. I’ve already filed a story.’