The police had been there too, searching Lorna’s office for clues and talking to her deputy, Francine Moore, and the school secretary, Tabitha Reynolds.

Annie had sobbed along with the others and it took every ounce of her willpower not to tell them about the threat contained in the Twelve Days of Christmas card.

Now she had arrived at the church and the scene was just as distressing. There were several uniformed police officers outside, along with two television news camera crews. A number of villagers were giving interviews, while others were wandering in and out of the churchyard as though in a semi-trance.

Inside, the service for Charlie Jenkins was about to begin, and forty or so people had turned up. Charlie’s widow, Sonia, was among them and was sitting in the front pew between two women Annie didn’t recognise. Others she did recognise included Maeve King, who was in her wheelchair, and next to her was her husband, Peter. Janet had stayed away and Annie considered that a wise move on her friend’s part.

The whispering among those present ceased abruptly when a fully robed Father Silver took up position in front of the altar. Even from a distance, Annie could see the strain etched into his features and she couldn’t help but feel sorry for the man. His beloved God had treated him cruelly after his years of devotion to the faith. There was the diagnosis of terminal cancer, the imminent closure of his church, and now these shocking murders in his own parish. It was a dreadful burden to carry during the final chapter of his life.

He held his head high and paused for about five seconds before speaking.

‘As you all know, I decided to hold this special service in order to bring people together following the tragic death of Charlie Jenkins,’ he said. ‘I wanted to give you all the opportunity to pay tribute to the man and to pray for his soul. But sadly, Charlie has now been joined in the hereafter by Lorna Manning, another much-loved member of our community.

‘I am therefore devoting this service to both of them. Their sudden, unexpected passing is a blow to us all and will test the strength of our faith in God. The devil himself has descended on our small village, but we must not let his dark shadow extinguish all the light in our hearts. We have to remain strong and resilient in the face of this despicable evil.’

Father Silver spoke about Charlie first and said he had left behind a wife and daughter who had loved him very much.

‘Sonia is here today and she knows that our thoughts are with her as she grieves for the husband she has lost,’ he said. ‘And I believe I speak for us all when I tell her that we will do what we can to help her through this difficult time.’

Annie looked over at Sonia and saw that she was leaning forward and weeping silently into her hands, while the woman to her right had an arm around her shoulders.