She decided to stick roughly to the plan and pop along to The King’s Head to check on Bill. She’d tried calling his mobile, but as per usual he hadn’t answered. She’d stay with him for only a short time because she intended to drop in at the school before going to the church, even though James had advised her not to. She expected most of the staff to turn up there and she wanted to show her face as well.

On the way to the pub she was stopped three times by people she knew who asked her if she had heard about Lorna. The shock was evident in their expressions, and one woman who had a son at the school began to cry.

When Annie reached The King’s Head the landlady, Martha, was outside sweeping the snow away from the entrance. She acknowledged Annie with a curt nod instead of her usual warm smile.

‘I’m sure you would have been one of the first to hear about Lorna,’ she said. ‘It’s so terrible, Annie. I still can’t believe it.’

‘You and me both,’ Annie said.

‘Do you know how she was killed? Was she stabbed like Charlie?’

‘I’ve not been told,’ Annie lied.

‘But I heard that your husband is in charge.’

Annie nodded. ‘He is, but when it comes to police protocol, he treats me like any other member of the public.’

They talked about it for a couple of minutes and Martha told Annie that she last saw Lorna on Wednesday evening.

‘She came here and had dinner with Giles Keegan,’ Martha said. ‘I’d never seen them together before and they seemed to really enjoy each other’s company. She was telling him about life as a headmistress, and he was regaling her with stories about his years with the police before he retired.’

Annie expressed her surprise. ‘Were they an item? If so, then it wasn’t common knowledge,’

Martha shrugged. ‘I have no idea. But I thought it was nice to see her out with a man. Usually she came here by herself or with other women.’

Annie would have been happy to carry on talking for a while, but time was pressing so she asked if her Uncle Bill was still in his room.

‘I know for a fact that he isn’t because I just made it up,’ Martha said. ‘He left here about eleven after having breakfast and he didn’t say where he was going. He’s in and out of here more often than any guest we’ve ever had. And he told me about his car accident. That really shook him up.’

‘I just hope he managed to get a good night’s sleep,’ Annie said.

‘I’m not sure he did. He went out just before we closed up and I didn’t see or hear him come back in later.’

‘He’s always been a restless soul. I think he’s finding it harder to relax the older he gets.’

‘I know the feeling,’ Martha said with a laugh that sounded forced. Understandable, given all that had happened.