Gail was silent for a moment. ‘When my husband died in the car crash there were rumours that he’d been drinking. It wasn’t true and it’s dreadfully hurtful at a time when I’m still grieving for him. I don’t know who started that gossip either.’

‘But you think there might have been truth in the story about Tom and Anna?’ Perez remembered Gail talking in the cafe. It had seemed then that she believed the two had been lovers.

Gail shrugged. ‘They’ve been seen together and they seemed very close. Sarah obviously couldn’t stand Anna. Perhaps we’ve all jumped to conclusions, but it seems to make sense.’ She stood up. ‘I’ll get you back to Stonebridge. The kids will be coming out of school soon.’

As they drove through the open countryside and into the village, Perez felt a stab of dread. It was as if he was being taken back to prison after a brief period of home leave.

7

The School

Back in Stonebridge, Jimmy Perez went to his hotel room. He wanted to talk to Robert Anderson, the local police inspector, about the cleaned wine glass in the cupboard at Anna’s house. He also wanted to find out why Anna’s parents weren’t taking care of their granddaughter Lucy.

But Jimmy was told that Inspector Anderson was in a meeting and wouldn’t be available all day. Perez left a message for Robert to call him back.

He stood at his window and watched a flurry of snow blow across from the hills. Parents had collected their children from school and were hurrying home. He saw Gail’s Land Rover move away down the main street. Back outside, the light was already fading and it felt colder.

Perez left the hotel and made his way to the school. He found the main door still open. Some older children were practising Christmas carols in the school hall. A woman in reception took his name and showed him to the head teacher’s office.

Maggie Redhead was in her fifties, with fine grey hair pulled into a comb at the back of her head and bright brown eyes.

‘I thought this matter with Anna Blackwell was over and we’d be allowed to get back to normal,’ she said. ‘It was distressing enough for the kids when she died.’

Her office was cluttered, with children’s books on the shelves and brightly coloured paintings covering one of the walls. Perez decided she looked like an energetic granny.

‘There seems to be some question about the cause of death.’ That wasn’t quite a lie, Perez thought. He wondered what Robert Anderson would make of his meddling. ‘I’m just taking another look at the case with a fresh pair of eyes. You know how it is.’

‘Not really,’ Maggie snapped. ‘I don’t usually lose my staff like this. They don’t die suddenly, and if they do, the deaths aren’t followed by gossip and bad feeling. Usually my teachers retire. The children present them with a gift on their last day and we have a party in the staff room.’