‘Yes, I wondered about that myself,’ Judith said. ‘But I’m sorry to say it doesn’t add up. Take the first murder, that of Stefan Dunwoody. Elliot was at choir practice, so can’t have been the killer. And Andy was in Malta, so he can’t be, either. No, there’s something we’re missing here. I can feel it. Something obvious, something “hidden in plain sight”. If we could only work out what it was!’

The door opened and Tanika entered, holding some printouts. Before she could speak, Suzie turned to her.

‘What links have you found between Andy Bishop and Elliot Howard?’ she asked.

‘None,’ Tanika said with a sigh. ‘We’ve cross-referenced Mr Bishop’s and Mr Howard’s phone records, emails and diaries, and they’ve never contacted each other as far as we can tell. All of our investigations suggest they’re complete strangers.’

‘Well, that blows that theory out of the water,’ Suzie said.

‘Now then,’ Tanika said, turning to Judith. ‘An officer’s searched Iqbal’s house. She found a copy of the most recent Borlasian magazine on a bookshelf. And page 74 is missing. Torn out. Just as you said it would be. I don’t know how you do it. Really, I don’t.’

‘Perhaps on this one,’ Judith said, ‘it’s best if you never ask.’

‘Okay, I won’t. But I went online and got up the magazine on the school’s website, and it’s like you said. Page 74 has a list of recent deaths in the Old Borlasian community, and two of the names listed are the two people who witnessed Ezra Harrington’s will. Spencer Chapman and Faye Kerr.’

‘Even though they were dead at the time.’

‘Which means we’ll be able to bring criminal charges against Andy Bishop for forging Ezra’s will. So well done, that’s a fantastic result. But more than that, the magazine in Iqbal’s house suggests Iqbal knew about the forgery as well, and if he was going to spill the beans, that’s a clear motive for Andy wanting Iqbal dead. But tell me, how did Andy kill Iqbal, seeing as he was in Malta at the time?’

‘Still working on that one,’ Judith said.

‘Then let me tell you about my phone call with Elliot Howard just now.’

‘You’ve spoken to him?’ Becks asked.

‘Of course,’ Tanika said as she gave the printouts in her hand to Judith. ‘I asked him to send through copies of his diary for every week since his argument with Mr Dunwoody at Henley.’

‘So what was he doing on Monday the fifth of August?’ Judith asked eagerly, flicking through the pages. ‘And how was he when you spoke to him?’

‘Fed up,’ Tanika said. ‘Like I was some stupid woman getting in his way.’