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6 P.M.

THE JESTER’S STILL IN TOWN

By Tracy Frost

West Midlands Police are still working to track down the man who calls himself the Jester.

So far the search has led them from the Saltwells Nature Reserve to Dudley Zoo. Who knows where else they’ll be sent over the next few hours?

I won’t reveal anything that will impede the police investigation, but I can confirm that the man is clever. His clues are cryptic enough that they take some working out, and yet they are solvable within the given time period.

Why, you might wonder, are the police even entertaining this game, chasing around the Black Country to the tune of a time-waster?

I can tell you why. They have no choice.

The Jester has made it abundantly clear that either the rules must be followed or people will get hurt. He has proved this not to be an empty threat.

If it sounds as though I might be developing a grudging respect for this particular team of police, you might be right. That will pass once this case is over, and I can again view them objectively. But for now they are leaving no stone unturned trying to catch this man.

And I believe they will succeed.