So, that was that. Short of mistaken identity, any homewrecking motive was dead and gone.
‘I know you probably can’t say, but do you know who the intended victim was?’ he asked.
‘We have no reason at this point to doubt that they meant to kill Karen.’
‘Impossible,’ he stated with finality.
‘You don’t think she could have pissed someone off to that degree?’
‘Karen couldn’t piss anyone off to any degree. She hated conflict of any kind. You couldn’t drag her into an argument if you lit the way with a hundred scented candles. She didn’t rage. Her zen and composure were of paramount importance. She wouldn’t even complain if a restaurant completely messed up her order. She was never rude or obnoxious or arrogant.’
‘You’ve been apart for a while. She might have?—’
‘We were together for twenty years before that, and she never changed, Inspector. I understand that she’s been murdered, and I trust that you know your job. But I know my wife.’
Kim chose not to correct him.
‘She may have been killed by a robber or even a rapist,’ he continued. ‘She may have been killed by someone who thought she was someone else. I can assure you she was not killed for something she did wrong.’
Kim had always firmly believed that people were murdered because of something they’d done, something they were doing or something they were going to do. They hadn’t found any evidence that Ashley or Karen fit the bill. So why the hell were these women being slaughtered?
Sixty-Five
Stacey had the strangest feeling that every emotion had been amplified.
When she saw Ava laugh, as she was doing now while playing a board game with Devon, she felt a surge of joy course through her at the little girl’s happiness. When Ava cried in her arms, she felt sorrow reach deeper into her soul than she’d ever known before. It was like a computer game – having a child around unlocked different levels of the same emotion. Every feeling was now in high definition. Ava wasn’t even her child, but she seemed unable to make that distinction. She was a child in need in her care. That was enough.
She only hoped she could find some long-lost relative before it was too late. The boss wasn’t going to be able to put off social services for much longer.
Despite the urgency, her immediate focus was on Karen Felton’s social media accounts, although there wasn’t much to see.
Karen had a business page on Facebook. She wasn’t present on Instagram or TikTok or even X. Social media wasn’t how she got her clients. There was the bare minimum of information in the ‘About’ section, no phone number or address. She posted occasionally, maybe once a month, and the responses from her two hundred followers were lacklustre.
Stacey briefly scrolled through the list of followers, but nothing familiar jumped out at her.
It was as though someone had told her she needed an online presence, so she’d done it, but she wasn’t really interested. Most likely one of her boarders had set it up for her.
Stacey had to admit that she wasn’t a believer in alternative medicine. How was palm healing and universal energy supposed to mend anything wrong in the body? She knew clinical research showed it to be ineffective, and yet it had become big business. She couldn’t help but wonder if it was the placebo effect of positive thinking.
Stacey put a message in the group chat to say that nothing had flagged up on Karen’s socials before turning her attention to Ashley’s relatives.
Using the same software she’d used for Martha Stout’s family, she began to plug in the details she had available.
A while later, a steaming cup of chamomile tea appeared beside her.
‘Thanks, babe,’ Stacey said, sitting back in her chair and stretching her neck.
‘Loo break,’ Devon said, nodding towards the bathroom. ‘She is kicking my arse at Monopoly.’
‘She got Park Lane?’ Stacey asked with a smile.
‘Yep, and Mayfair.’
‘Give it up now, Dee. You’ve lost,’ Stacey said before touching her wife’s hand. ‘And by the way, I love you.’
Devon kissed the top of her head. ‘Back atcha, wifey. Any luck?’ she asked, glancing at Stacey’s notes.
Stacey shook her head as Ava exited the bathroom.
