The Silkworm

The next morning, as Strike leaves for his meeting with Leonora, he is ambushed by reporters outside his office. They accuse him of withholding information to gain publicity. He brushes them off and escapes in a cab, suspecting someone at the police department leaked details. He texts Ellacott to warn her of the press and calls Anstis to complain. Anstis invites him to dinner to discuss early forensic findings. When Strike reaches the Quine house, police are there, as is Waldegrave, who has come to pay respects. Once they leave, Strike asks Leonora what she knows about Bombyx Mori, and if the police found anything in the study while tearing it apart. Orlando interrupts them throughout their conversation. It is clear to him that Leonora knows very little about her husband’s doings.

Strike and Ellacott eat lunch at a pub and discuss the timeline of Quine’s murder, focusing on how long it would’ve taken the killer to read Bombyx Mori and set up the crime scene. They conclude the killer likely had access to the manuscript well before Quine disappeared, which complicates Leonora’s defense. They consider other suspects and possible motives, including the idea that someone recognized a damaging reference to themselves in the book.