43 2nd October
Patrick Sharp had only been given a very short amount of time to go through the letter, but in his mind that was all he needed.
‘I’d say it’s almost certainly from our man,’ he said to Culverhouse. ‘Yes, the style’s very different but there’s good reason for that. In the first letter he was emulating — almost copying — the original Dear Boss letter. In this one, he’s writing as himself. Plus there’s the fact that the handwriting’s almost identical, not to mention the fact that he talks about the other two murders and the phone call — detail that wasn’t released to the public.’
‘So why the change of style?’ Culverhouse asked.
‘Could be many reasons, really, but the one I’d be cautious of is the possibility that he’s had to change tack somehow. Things perhaps aren’t going
