As she spoke, she wondered how the mothers would react if she came clean about the threat in the Christmas card. Would they panic and flee the village with their children? Would they demand to know why they had been kept in the dark for so long? Would they condemn Annie for toeing the police line despite her own reservations?

These questions were still causing her pulse to race as she headed home a few minutes later. And she only stopped thinking about them when something caught her eye as she was approaching the village square.

It was a shiny white Range Rover that had slowed down to allow an elderly woman to cross the road.

Annie spotted her Uncle Bill in the front passenger seat. Her first instinct was to rush forward and wave, to seize his attention.

But she stopped herself when she saw the face of the driver. Even after all this time, and even if he’d lost most of his dark, wavy hair, she couldn’t fail to recognise the man she had once been in love with – convicted child abuser Daniel Curtis.

As the old woman reached the other side of the road, the Range Rover picked up speed and drove off.

Annie was left staring after it, her heart banging against her ribcage.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

The briefing session in the village hall resumed shortly after DCI Tanner finished his phone conversation with the Chief Constable.

‘She told me that a press conference has been scheduled for seven o’clock,’ he announced to the team. ‘It’ll be at the constabulary headquarters in Penrith and she wants me to front it. So let’s get this done.’

James went back over some of the ground he had already covered and then provided an update from the crime scene in Willow Road.

‘Lorna Manning’s body has been removed and a thorough search of the property has taken place,’ he said. ‘No weapon has been found and forensics are confident that the only thing taken was the photo of Lorna from the living room. Meanwhile, all the neighbours have now been spoken to. None of them saw anything last night, but the woman who lives directly next door to Lorna’s house did hear what she thought was breaking glass.’

James consulted his notebook before continuing. ‘Her name is Doreen Sinclair and she told officers that she was lying in bed awake when she heard it at just after midnight. She’s sure it came from the rear of Lorna’s house but assumed it was an outside light or an ornamental feature that was blown over by the strong wind. She heard nothing more after that so didn’t bother to get up. We’ve checked the rear patio and garden, and the only thing that’s broken is the glass panel in the kitchen door. So it’s safe to assume that the intruder broke in and killed Lorna shortly after midnight.’

James went on to point out that the rear garden backed onto a narrow lane with only a few detached houses on it.