The Silkworm

Strike, at home, remembers a friend from childhood who was almost killed by a shark after trying to interact with it while swimming. The gruesome image of the friend’s arm being bitten remains with Strike. He thinks of the Quine killer as similar to that shark, stealthy but deadly, and provoked by Quine’s taunting them through Bombyx Mori. Strike is inspired to call his estranged brother, who he thinks might offer insight into the case. While Strike ponders this, a mysterious figure creeps outside his window unnoticed.

Ellacott makes her train and arrives in Yorkshire for her future mother-in-law’s funeral. Her angry feelings toward Matthew lessen as she watches him grieving with his family. She is glad to be home, even if it is under sad circumstances. Although her feelings for Matthew are stronger in this setting, tensions arise again when her mother and brother mention things related to the Quine case. Shortly afterward, Ellacott receives a text indicating that Strike has been in an accident. When she brings it up, Matthew is visibly unhappy.