She offered a silent prayer of thanks that her daughter hadgot home safe and sound and rushed back through to the kitchen, taking Maddieby surprise by giving her a huge hug.
“What was that for?” asked her bemused daughter.
“Did you hear what was on the news before?” asked Kay.
“I wasn’t taking a lot of notice,” replied Maddie. “Head’sthrobbing too much.”
“There’s been a murder in town. That’s why I hugged you. I’mjust glad you’re safe and sound. How did you get home last night?”
“I’m pretty sure I shared a taxi with a couple of peoplefrom the pub,” she replied, “but the details are a bit vague.”
“Thank goodness you did,” said Kay. She had banged on toMaddie over and over again about making sure she got home safely and she wasglad it had sunk in. She then proceeded to tell her more about the recent spateof murders.
It all came as quite a shock to Maddie who, having been upin Durham, caught up in the student Christmas party circuit, had beencompletely unaware of the murders going on in Oxfordshire.
“Why didn’t you warn me about this last night?” askedMaddie. “And how come no one said anything about it in the pub?”
“Well, the first two murders were in Oxford and Kidlington,”replied Kay. “You know what it’s like in this town. No one takes any notice ofanything unless it’s right under their noses. Most of the time they’re too busygossiping about each other’s sex lives. Plus, nothing big like this everhappens here, does it? I can’t ever remember a murder in this town before.”
“Do they know who was killed?” asked Maddie.
“A young woman is all they are saying,” said Kay. “The lasttwo were both in their late-teens.”
“God, I hope it’s not one of my friends,” replied Maddie.
“Well, let’s try not to think about it for now,” said Kay.“There’s no point speculating until we know more. Now you’re up, you can helpme with the dinner.”
The turkey crown went down a treat. Over lunch they shared abottle of champagne that Alan had kindly left in the fridge for them. It wasMoët & Chandon, rather than the supermarket brand that he usually bought.Later they went through to the living room and opened presents.
“I’m sorry it’s not much,” said Kay. “Things have been alittle fraught recently, as you know. But I’ll make it up to you.”
“Don’t worry, I love it,” replied Maddie, as she placed thesilver chain around her neck.
Maddie proceeded to open her other presents, the ones Alanhad left for her. They were predictably extravagant: a cashmere scarf, thelatest iPad and some fancy Belgian chocolates. There was also anexpensive-looking gold bracelet, which Kay noted that she did not put on,placing it back in the box. He didn’t know his daughter as well as she did. Sheonly ever wore silver jewellery, never gold.
Just after she opened her last present, Maddie’s mobilerang.
“It’s Dad,” said Maddie, answering.
Alan had rung to wish his daughter a merry Christmas,something that Kay could hardly begrudge him. However, there was more to thecall than just that.
“Mum, Dad’s spending Christmas with Lucy at The Oxfordshire,”said Kay. “He’s asked if it’s OK for me to go over there this evening and spendsome time with them.”
He had managed to find a pretty decent room at the inn,then, thought Kay. The two of them had spent a very happy wedding anniversaryweekend at that hotel many years before. How had he managed to get in there onChristmas Eve?
Perhaps people didn’t stay in hotels much at Christmas, shemused. It was a family time, after all. Whatever the reason, he certainlywasn’t roughing it. He was probably trying desperately to keep hold of Lucy,worried that she would dump him in his reduced circumstances.
Kay’s first instinct was to say no, but then she thoughtabout her chat with Kent earlier. Perhaps it was better if Maddie was out ofthe way for a while.
“Let me speak to him,” said Kay.
Leaving Alan in no doubt that she was doing him a favour,Kay said she had no objection to Maddie joining him and Lucy at the hotel, aslong as he came and picked her up and brought her back the next day.
It was dark by the time Alan came for Maddie. Kay didn’t lethim into the house, not wanting any aggravation with her daughter present. Oncethey were gone, she turned her attention back to the murder.
She switched the television back on. It was almost fiveo’clock, and the channel was showing the latest weather bulletin. The BoxingDay forecast had lots of black clouds spewing out rain all over the country, sonothing unusual there.
According to the presenter, there had been huge snowfalls onthe Eastern US coast over Christmas. Kay vowed next year she was going to gosomewhere snowy for Christmas. Perhaps she should go back to Rovaniemi, but forthe winter solstice this time. Then she could see the Aurora Borealis. Therewas nothing and no one stopping her now from doing these things.
At 5pm exactly, the main national news came on. The localmurders were once again the lead item. Kay watched as the channel’s main newsanchor, a middle-aged man in a grey suit and hair to match, delivered thelatest update.
“Detectives hunting the killer of three women in Oxfordshirewho were raped and stabbed during the past week have today issued a £25,000reward for information to help catch ‘The Christmas Killer’, as the murdererhas become known.”
The picture on the screen behind the newscaster switched tothe road next to the woody path, just as Kay had seen it earlier that day, withpolice and media everywhere.
“The latest victim, Polish national Anna Wiśniewski,died after being knifed less than 200 yards from her home late last night.”
Kay looked on, horrified, as the image of Anna, the kind anddowntrodden girl from the chip shop, was flashed onto the screen.
Chapter Eighteen
December 2018
Suddenly things had become all very horrible and all veryreal.
The news reported terrible
