Page 113 of The Girl in the Woods

The room turned silent, and all eyes turned on her.

‘What makes you think that?’ asked Tom, surprised. ‘I thought the girl, Frankie, told you it was him.’

Ana shook her head. ‘She said it was a man wearing a balaclava. That doesn’t have to mean it was The Vigilante. Anyone can wear a balaclava. If it was The Vigilante, why didn’t he kill Laine with his machete? Secondly, all The Vigilante cards have been signed The Vigilante. This one was signed Vigilante. Why suddenly change his signature sign-off?’

Matt leaned across to her. ‘Good thinking, Sherlock.’

‘He could have panicked,’ said Tom.

‘I don’t think he’s the type to panic,’ disagreed Ana.

‘So you’re saying we’re looking for two people. The Vigilante and the person who killed Laine Lees?’

‘Yes,’ said Ana with certainty.

‘But it began as an accident,’ said Beth. ‘Maybe his original intention wasn’t to kill her, but when she fell–’

‘He gave her a large dose of Rohypnol,’ said Ana.

‘We don’t know how that got into her body,’ argued Tom. ‘Anyone at the fair could have spiked her drinks several times.’

‘No one else has complained of their drinks being spiked,’ said Matt. ‘So, it would be odd if she were the only one.’

Ana smiled at him gratefully. ‘It was an exceptionally high dose,’ she said.

Tom sighed and looked at the board with Laine’s photo and all the information they had gathered.

‘Right, question the social worker again and her friend Jassy. Laine was blackmailing someone. The question is who? That’s our main focus, and remember that The Vigilante and the murderer may not be the same person. Have you had any luck with the DNA?’

‘There were loads. She would have had contact with lots of people. One match that came up on the data was her brother. He was done for nicking a car once. But he was in a fight and being watched by us, so it wasn’t him,’ said Beth.

As chairs began to scrape back, Tom quickly added, ‘There will be a lot of speculation in the village about Luke Carpenter. Everyone knew him. The correct answer is “No comment”. It’s bad enough that the local rag is making the most of the case coming to court next month.’

Everyone nodded.

‘He was a good copper,’ someone said, looking directly at Ana.

Ana met his eyes and said, ‘No one is above the law,’ before leaving the station with Matt.

That night, Ana sat on her couch, the bottle of wine she’d bought earlier staring at her from the coffee table like the devil himself, tempting her to commit what to her would be the worst sin.

Tomorrow was the dinner at Sandy’s, or was it Sarah’s? She could never remember her name. Except now it would be a barbeque, and a few other people had been invited. She couldn’t imagine getting through it without a few drinks first.

‘DI Miller is coming,’ Beth had said. ‘And my brother-in-law has invited his colleague. It should be an interesting and fun evening. Sandy suggested you should bring your bloke Jonny.’

Jonny had agreed, but she’d made him vow not to tell anyone her secret. The problem was, could she trust him?

The prospect of tomorrow evening was the first time she had felt the need for a drink. She’d even considered packing a bag and going home. Right this minute, she could do it. God, how desperate she was to go home, to see all those familiar faces and smell those familiar smells that represented where she truly belonged. She scooped up the wine bottle and emptied its contents down the sink. She’d waited too long for this to blow it all now by falling off the wagon. She was that close, and best of all, he had no idea.

The dress was perfect. It was light, ideal for the humid evening. Ana had chosen it carefully. It took her ages to pin her hair into a French knot because her hands trembled so much. She tipped out the contents of her make-up bag, decided against mascara and applied a small amount of blusher and a touch of lip gloss. Then, finally happy with her appearance, she walked into the living room and re-read the letter confirming the early end of her tenancy. At that moment, the buzzer went.

‘Your carriage awaits,’ Jonny said into the intercom.

‘Coming,’ she said. She slipped on her shoes, picked up her handbag from the sofa, took a deep breath and opened the door.

‘I can’t remember if her name is Sandy or Sarah,’ said Ana.

‘It’ll work itself out,’ Jonny reassured her.

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