he didn’t turn up again this morning, I lost it and left him an angry message. There are plenty of builders looking to earn the good money that we pay. I’d rather give one of them the job.’
‘Thank you.’
As they left the Portakabin, Gina turned to Jacob before he got into his car. ‘Not only did Isaac lie to us about his whereabouts on the Monday, his girlfriend Joanna Brent confirmed that he was with her after he finished work at six. Was she lying too? Did he go home early or did he go somewhere else? Maybe he was busy digging a grave or moving a coffin. Does he have a van?’
Jacob flicked through his notes. ‘He certainly does.’
‘Call that one in too and have him brought into the station for questioning. After the vicar, we need to speak to him as a matter of urgency. I’ll message PC Smith about Tracy’s elimination prints.’
‘I’m on it.’
As she went to get into one of the pool cars, her phone rang. It was Briggs. ‘Hello.’
‘You need to check the papers. I have the full letter from the killer here. I’m about to email it through to you. There’s also another little perfect triangle at the bottom of the letter but that wasn’t published in the article.’
‘Thanks.’ She opened the file and read the letter.
I said I’d be in touch again. I know you believe that standing by and watching others suffer isn’t okay. We must protect the innocent. Anger, tension, fear – they never leave. Scratching at the walls of your prison, knowing there is no way out, thinking you might die… Maybe facing the fear is what it takes. ‘Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour’, but sometimes your enemy isn’t all they seem.
It made her shiver as she read her name at the top, then she saw the same Bible verse about the lion at the bottom of the page. She needed to get to the vicarage now and she needed to know what Sally Stevens knew. The lion on the casket was one thing but a direct quote; that was something else. The clues had been there all along.
Chapter Sixty-Two
Gina hammered on the vicarage door, hoping that Sally Stevens was in. She hadn’t answered when they’d called ahead.
Jacob followed her past the church and across the grass. ‘Anyone in?’
‘She hasn’t answered.’ Gina rushed to the window and stared through. The large lounge was empty. ‘I’m worried.’ She ran to another window, then another, before slipping along the side of the house and peering through the kitchen window. It was so dark with the clouds above and Gina struggled to see in. She wiped the glass with the sleeve of her jacket and peered through again, making out the dining table and the centre island.
A woofing noise came from across the graveyard and a large Cairn Terrier bounded over.
‘Sally,’ Gina called, but the woman didn’t answer.
‘I wonder where she is.’ Jacob started to head over the grass, slipping between the graves, then a faint voice came from the right.
‘This way. Sally?’ Gina ran as fast as she could, jumping over the smaller gravestones before clearing a large tomb-like structure and seeing Sally kneeling over an empty grave. It was the grave of Elsie Peterson.
The woman turned, her black lipstick a striking contrast to her pale face. ‘Someone did this in the night. I was just about to call you.’
I am watching, I am waiting. Gina leapt over the mound of earth and began to search the area. The killer obviously liked to watch. They’d been at the building site earlier that day. She ran and ran through the trees and around the grounds but there was no one in sight. Her breath short, she bent over and took in a good few gulps of air. There was no one lurking. A tree shook. Gina took a few steps towards it. ‘Police. Come out now.’
No response. She stepped a little closer and the tree shook again. Heart beating like it might burst from her chest, she took another step then the bush parted. A magpie escaped and squawked as it flew off. She ran into the bush, parting the shrubbery. There was no one there.
‘Anything, guv?’ Jacob caught up.
‘No, nothing. I just thought for a moment that whoever dug that grave might have waited around, making sure we turned up. They certainly like playing games.’
‘Sally Stevens has migrated to her dining room. I