‘A body’s been found,’ says Jack. ‘It’s all go here today, Sue.’ He glances at me, about to make a quip, no doubt, but I shoot him a look that says, Don’t make jokes. Not about this. And he closes his mouth.

‘What a story this is turning out to be,’ says Jack, as he strides down Park Street. He turns his collar up against the rain and I try to hold my umbrella over his head, but he’s way too tall and one of the spokes keeps jabbing him in the ear. ‘Here, let me have that,’ he says, taking it from me. I link my arm through his while he holds it over both of us. ‘This must be weird for you,’ he says.

I sip my coffee. ‘It is. When I first heard, I thought there must be some mistake, that Heather couldn’t possibly have shot those two people. But now … if Clive had killed Flora and she’d somehow found out, well, it makes more sense. It’s still extreme, don’t get me wrong, but more understandable somehow.’

He’s quiet for a few moments. Then, frowning, he says, ‘What doesn’t make sense, though, is why she’d kill his mother. Why did she kill Deirdre Wilson as well?’

Chapter 37

37

Jess

As soon as we arrive at the terraced road in Southville, with its row of almost identical Victorian houses, we spot Clive’s instantly. It stands out like a flamboyant wedding cake in a line of chocolate sponges. It’s been cordoned off with police tape, and a white forensics tent has been erected in the front garden, obscuring the entrance to the basement. A police officer is standing on the front steps, a notebook in his hand, assessing the small crowd of onlookers that has gathered on the rain-slick pavement, shivering in their coats. As yet I can’t see any other journalists or TV stations.

The house is a far cry from the well-kept Tilby cottage. Paint flakes around the window frames, the net curtains look grubby and the roof is missing a few tiles. I can see that the front garden is overgrown: no cute gnomes or umbrella stands here.

My recently digested latte curdles in my stomach as it hits me, again, that this is where Flora’s decomposing body was discovered. I glance at the tent. Is that the actual spot where they found her? Or are they using it to block out the view into the basement?

It’s stopped raining now, but there is dampness in the air and the sky is thick with grey clouds.