Detective William Muncie is celebrating his 40th birthday at home with his friends and family when a birthday card is hand delivered. The card is signed Peter Thomas Manuel and takes Muncie back to 1946 when he saw Manuel arrested and imprisoned for the sexual assault of three women.
Nine years later Manuel is out of prison and back on Muncie’s patch with revenge on his mind. He attacks a young woman, Mary McLauchlan, and keeps her with him in an open field for most of the night before returning to his home.
Mary reports the attack and says she thinks she knows who did it. Manuel is brought to the station where she identifies him in a line up. Under questioning by Muncie, Manuel does not deny being in the field, but says he was not with Mary, he was poaching. Muncie warns his team that Manuel is a real threat to the woman of the community and they must do all they can to make sure they obtain a conviction. He is concerned about the length of time Mary was held in the field unsure what Manuel was up to. Then he hears that he is going to mount his own defence.
Manuel manages to secure a not proven verdict on the attack, saying he had been romantically involved with Mary and had been trying to tactfully end their affair that night which was why they had been together so long. Muncie promises a distraught Mary that he will not rest until Manuel is behind bars.
It is Christmas time and Muncie arrives home to another personal delivery, a Christmas card from Manuel. He confides to Agnes, his wife, that he is afraid that Manuel won’t leave a witness next time.
On January 4th the brutally beaten body of a young woman, Anne Kneilands, is found on a local golf course.
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