He snorted derisively. “Don’t give me that bollocks. I told you, this isn’t like the telly. You don’t get to talk me out of it. You’re going to die. If you’re a Catholic, I’m sorry, you’re going to have to manage without the last rites.”

“Without these files, we haven’t got a shred of proof,” Sophie said. “The cops are never going to take us seriously. They’ll realize Lindsay’s a friend of Meredith, that she’s grasping at straws to make it look like somebody else was responsible for Penny’s death. All they’re going to see is the money. Why would a millionaire publisher kill the goose that lays the golden eggs? Legitimate businessmen don’t do things like that, not even ones who have a bit of a murky past.”

“You must think I’m a real punter if you think that bullshit cuts any ice,” Danny said, his eyes on Sophie. “Anyway, if you didn’t get any joy with the cops, you’re just as likely to shop me to the taxman. Which is just as dangerous and probably more expensive in the long run.”

Sophie shrugged. “All you have to do is send out redundancy notices and close the racket down.” She inclined her head towards the chair behind her. “All right if I sit down? I’ve got a bad back, I can’t stand for long. If I’m going to die, the least you can do is let me do it in comfort.”

Danny eyed Sophie suspiciously, then took a couple of steps forward to check there was no trick, nothing dangerous in reach once she was sitting at the desk. Lindsay instantly recognized the only opportunity she was likely to get. As he nodded and said, “Okay,” she gathered her strength in a crouch and launched herself through the air at Danny.

She was slower than she anticipated, muscles still suffering from being crushed against asphalt. Worse, Danny was faster than she’d thought possible. He swivelled on the balls of his feet, his gun arm straightening without a jerk, his finger squeezing the trigger. A flash, a boom, the smell of cordite and her shoulder felt like it had hit a brick wall at something approaching the land speed record. The impact spun her round in a half-circle, but her momentum carried her crashing forward in an unintended shoulder charge.

They collided and crashed to the floor, Lindsay realizing as she landed on top of him that only one of the screaming voices was hers. Beneath her, Danny gagged, trying to squeeze some air back into lungs that felt paralyzed. The gun barked once, twice as Lindsay lay on top of him, incapable of struggle, beyond even wrestling for the weapon.