The Diary Of Pamela D.

'Pamela! Pamela! Wake up! Please, stop screaming! You'll soon have the whole house in an uproar!'

The light had been turned on, and she was in Theo's arms. He was holding her close, stroking her gently. 'Shush, shush. It's all right, my love. Everything's fine.' She felt him nod towards whoever had opened the door.

'They're dead!' she sobbed unconsolably. 'Oh, God, Theo! I saw them! They were all dead in the water, where he buried them!'

'What? What on earth are you talking about?'

'The missing women,' she told him. 'He tied rocks to their bodies and threw them into the water.'

'What? How do you know this? Did you actually see something, or are you just talking about your dream?'

'It was something he said, just before I got away from him,' she said. 'He told me that when he was done, he'd toss me in with all the rest of them-' She began sobbing hysterically. 'Oh God! Oh God! He hurt me! He-'

Theo took a shuddering breath and buried his cheek against the nape of her neck. 'I'll protect you from that monster. He'll never hurt you again- on that you have my solemn promise.'

To someone she couldn't see, he added, 'For this, he'd better pray that I don't get to him first. He'll get no mercy from me.'

'I'll call the station,' came the Chief Inspector's voice. 'If there really are any bodies in the tarn, I want them out of there during the night, if at all possible. The less everyone here sees, the better.'

They found the first body in the exact spot Pamela had dreamt about. By the time morning had come, however, the police were still dragging the tarn for bodies.

In the kitchen, Theo, with his arm protectively around Pamela, said quietly, 'How many, Robert?'

The Chief Inspector had just come in the back door and was removing his wellies. Heaving a sigh, he said, 'Five so far. Possibly six. Maybe more. They've been in there for some time, so there's not much left, I'm afraid.'

Mrs. Dewhurst, who looked dishevelled and tired, as though she had been up all night wrestling demons, said, 'Come in and have something to eat, man! You look nearly as bad as I do this morning. You're not as young as you used to be.'

Giving her a private sort of smile, he said, 'Nay, lass. But we're both a lot wiser, eh?'

As they went to breakfast, Pamela noted with relief that Tessa had been taken under Ellie's and Doris' protective wings, and seemed to find a semblance of order and comfort by helping out in the kitchen.