BRITAIN:Dark dread cast its shadow over Ipswich last night as the grim discovery of two more bodies seemed to dispel any lingering doubt that Suffolk police are hunting a major serial killer.
In the main shopping streets there were the inevitable signs of Christmas preparations at full throttle. Shoppers queued for taxis alongside some revellers who had either enjoyed a late lunch or a few very early pre-dinner drinks.
But as darkness fell the signs of celebration were few and distinctly muted, as workers hurried home and women and their partners and friends across the town revised plans for celebrations in the days ahead.
"It's terrifying to think he's out there," said one young woman, vowing that she and her friend would be travelling by taxi and arranging to be collected from any parties.
"It could be anyone," said her friend, while many others speculated that the killer - seeming to favour wooded areas, rivers, and old roads as opposed to new - must either be a local or a regular visitor.
Police, meanwhile, were resisting any rush to judgment, while admitting to "striking similarities" between all five killings.
"We need to keep an open mind," insisted Det Supt Stewart Gull last night, as he awaited the home office pathologist's detailed examination for any trace of the killer or clue as to the cause, time and location of the latest deaths.
Refusing to rule out other possibilities Det Insp Gull declined to say that yesterday's discovery had effectively narrowed the search to one for a single killer.
Amid the growing depression at the tragedy of these lives brutally extinguished, one possible cause for optimism was that the killer appears to have struck within the past 24-48 hours - increasing the possibility that vital evidence will be recovered.