Page 248 of The Silent Appeal

We need to establish where everyone is right now, otherwise my head will explode. Here goes:

Status of Individuals

Sarah-Jane

Thinks Kevin has been having an affair. Is waiting until after the play to confront him about it. She now realizes he’s been seeing her sister, Nicky-Rose, having previously thought it was Fran, and now facing the fact he may have been seeing two other women.

Kevin

Was certainly keeping something from his wife. He was in the park talking to a woman when he told SJ he was at the cash and carry. However, we’re not wholly convinced he has been seeing Nicky-Rose (see below) or Fran.

Nicky-Rose

We believe NR, who states early on that she’s looking for “fun,” was having a casual affair with Lucas and had saved his name in her phone as “Kev MacDonald.” On February 18, Lucas writes: “The second I saw you something clicked. An instant connection.” She’s also planning vengeance on Trina, and is involving Issy in what appears to be an exchange of drugs and cash.

Issy

Met with Trina as Nicky-Rose planned. She seems to have enjoyed the meeting but mentions how unhappy she is that Nicky-Rose hadn’t told her “something important.” It says a lot about Nicky-Rose that we wonder which secret she means.

Fran

Confesses to killing her married lover. This came out of the blue.

Lucas

Is keeping secrets from everyone. His affair with Georgia, who is not his cousin after all, and his fling with Nicky-Rose. The stress and responsibility of maintaining these deceptions, supporting his unconventional household, managing the nightclub, and his illegal activities must surely be taking their toll.

Amelia

Fell for Lucas’s line that Georgia was his cousin. She’s still limping and in pain from her sleep-out injury. We only discover after the murder that as the play was about to start, she found Lucas’s messages to Nicky-Rose on his phone. She hints at a confrontation with NR. The stage gun is found in her costume pocket and NR has disappeared.

Georgia

Not Lucas’s cousin, but his secret (pregnant) girlfriend. She is convinced he will leave Amelia once the play is over. She considers Lucas to have cheated on her with Nicky-Rose.

Femi

So many people with a grudge against Nicky-Rose and so few with any reason to kill the Reverend Josh Harries.

Charlotte

Someone close to the victim is usually the guilty party.

Femi

Which leaves us with only two suspects: Fran and Josh’s wife, Elizabeth.

Charlotte

I’m shattered. Let’s carry on tomorrow.

Lockwood Murder Case WhatsApp group, September 13, 2025:

Femi Hassan

Thank you, Sharon. Before we start reading we’d like to run something past you.

Charlotte Holroyd