Kate lit a cigarette and drew the smoke deep into her lungs. She wished Patrick was with her, when he was near she had no doubts. No doubts at all. Then something occurred to her. How the hell did Kelly get them to agree to the blood testing? That’s why Flowers was so annoyed with her. Everyone knew she had been rooting for it since the word go, and somehow Patrick had made it possible. Suddenly, Kate was annoyed, very annoyed and the most annoying thing was, she wasn’t really sure why.

Elaine and George had finished their tea and were sitting in the lounge watching Thames News. Since George’s announcement about his redundancy, they had been living under an amicable truce. The murder of Leonora Davidson was the talk of Grantley, and Elaine was well aware that it had happened on a night when George was out walking. A hundred times a day she told herself that it was coincidence, that on the nights of the other murders he had been indoors with her - except for New Year and she was confident that he had been too ill to leave his bed then.

When the newsreader mentioned the Grantley Ripper Elaine’s ears pricked up. The screen went to an outside broadcast. Grantley Police Station was in the background as a young girl came on the screen. Elaine was watching George’s reaction as the girl spoke.

‘The Grantley Ripper case. It has been announced today that the police are going to take blood and saliva samples from all males in the area in the fourteen to sixty-five age group. This means that just over five thousand men and boys will be tested.

‘Wide-scale testing has been done only once before in 1983 at Enderby in Leicestershire, after two rapes and murders. The police hope that testing will eliminate as many people as possible in the hunt for the Grantley Ripper. Mobile units will be going around factories and offices, school and unemployment offices. Any man who refuses the test will be under suspicion. We shall be updating you on what happens during the course of the investigation.’

Elaine looked again at George.

‘I think it’s a good thing, don’t you, George?’

‘You’re absolutely right, my dear. Best thing that could happen if you ask me.’

For the life of him he was not sure how he managed to sound so normal. He was sweating.

‘I mean, George, whoever this man is, he’s a maniac, a sick maniac, and should be caught and locked away as soon as possible. Hanging’s too good for him. I reckon he should be tortured like he tortured those women.’

George nodded absentmindedly. His mind was racing. What was he going to do? He could not take the test. They’d be coming to his place of work. He would be forced to take it with his colleagues.

‘Would you like me to make you a cuppa, George? I’m having one.’

‘Yes, dear. That would be lovely.’