‘It makes no difference, we always seem to end up in seven spades.’

‘Hello?’ Suzie said, interrupting. ‘Elliot Howard?’

‘Of course, sorry,’ Brenda said, going over to the curtains and pulling them back an inch. ‘Because I must say, I’ve never quite liked him. Or his wife. They never say hello. And I can see into their house from up here. There’s something not right about the way they go about their lives. They’re rarely in the same room as each other. Never listen to music or the radio. There’s no joy in that house. Anyway, it was all normal up until today. I had nothing to report. Although I’ve been keeping an eye on them like you asked, Suzie. And then, I was up here getting ready for bridge and I saw … well, you can see for yourself. Go on, have a look.’

Brenda stepped to one side, and the three other women all sidled up to the gap in the curtains and peered through. From their position on the first floor, they could see over the laurel hedge into the garden of the grand house at the end of the road.

Elliot was standing alone, a small bonfire at his feet.

It looked like he was burning a square of canvas on a frame.

‘You’re right!’ Suzie said. ‘He’s burning a painting.’

‘That’s what it looked like to me,’ Brenda said. ‘And Suzie had said I should keep my eye out for anything strange. And burning a painting is very definitely what I’d call strange.’

As she said this, the four women watched Elliot head back towards his house. He then reappeared holding a few more canvases in his hands.

‘He’s not just burning one painting,’ Judith said as they watched Elliot throw the new paintings onto the bonfire.

‘Why’s he burning all those other paintings?’ Becks asked.

Before anyone could offer an answer, they saw a police car pull up outside Elliot’s house and Tanika get out.

‘About bloody time!’ Suzie said, letting the curtains close as she turned to Brenda. ‘Thanks for the tip-off, Brenda. You’re the best.’

Outside Elliot’s house, Tanika had no sooner pressed the entrance buzzer to the side of the gates than she saw Judith, Suzie and Becks bustle out of a nearby house and head towards her.

‘I could have guessed,’ she said as the women arrived.

‘It’s only because of us you know Elliot’s burning paintings in his garden,’ Judith said, a touch irritated at Tanika’s lack of a welcome.

‘Paintings?’ Tanika asked sharply. ‘You told me it was only one.’

‘We’ve been watching from my friend Brenda’s house,’ Suzie said.

‘Brenda?’

Suzie pointed to where Brenda was looking down at them from a window in her house. She waved a friendly hello.