‘Mosquitoes are more hungry at dawn and at dusk,’ said Ugo when she had finished. ‘Though there are still plenty around now. It is this place. They love it here. And as they start to bite, just remember that it will get worse… and worse, and worse… I have known men go mad here as they are covered in a living carpet of mosquitoes, each sticking their long filthy snout under the skin.’

Ugo grabbed James’s chin and lifted it, staring deep into his eyes.

‘Do you still not want to talk?’ he said.

James looked down at his body; already two mosquitoes were sitting on his chest, feeding. For now they did nothing more than tickle but he knew that the itching would come in a while. And after that? Did these two carry the deadly parasite inside them? There was no way of telling.

‘All right,’ he said desperately. ‘All right. I’ll tell you.’

‘Good boy,’ said Haight. ‘I knew you’d see sense. Who was it?’

‘It was Zoltan,’ said James.

Ugo was silent for a long time, watching James, thinking about this, his nasty, suspicious mind turning over. ‘That makes no sense,’ he said at last.

‘Doesn’t it?’ said James. ‘He hates you. You’ve double-crossed and cheated him all his life. You haven’t paid him. You took Amy from him. He’d rather she was free than you had her.’

‘I do not believe you,’ said Ugo, but James knew that he had planted a seed. After all, it was Ugo who had given James the idea. Turn the tribes against each other. Make them fight among themselves, then stand back and reap the rewards.

‘You don’t have to believe me,’ said James. ‘But it was Zoltan. Who else knew that she was even here?’

‘No,’ said Ugo. ‘You are lying…’

But then Smiler went over to Ugo and said something quietly in his ear. Maybe he was telling Ugo that he had found Zoltan in James’s cell. Ugo sucked his teeth with a sour look.

‘No matter,’ he said to James. ‘Even if you were telling the truth, it would make no difference. I have an answer; we can go now.’

‘You can’t leave me here,’ said James.

‘Yes, I can. I can do whatever I like,’ said Ugo. ‘I will come back tomorrow. I would love to stay and watch but it will be a long process and I do not like the flies. In the morning you will be delirious, you will be softened up; I can get the whole truth out of you then.’

As Ugo, Jana and Haight walked away Smiler forced James to the ground.

‘It was Zoltan!’ James yelled. ‘I gave you what you wanted, now let me go.’

‘No,’ said Ugo. ‘Arrivederci, James. Have a good night.’