‘What kind of job?’ Frank eyed him warily from the chair.

‘Just fuckin’ move it, and quit asking stupid questions,’ Nick snapped, already moving to the next room. ‘Gaz . . . get up here!’ he yelled as he unlocked the door. ‘I ain’t doing this by myself!’

Unsure what the man had in mind for him, but all too aware that, whatever it was, it wouldn’t be good, Frank reluctantly got up and made his way out of the room. Viktorya popped her head out of the bedroom she was now sharing with Karel and Irena, but immediately withdrew it when she saw him and slammed the door shut.

Gaz was coming up the stairs as Frank walked down, and Frank saw the anger in his eyes as they passed and guessed that he and Nick had been arguing again.

Irena was in the kitchen pouring whisky into three glasses when Frank walked in. His mouth was parched, and he instinctively reached for one, but Irena threw out her arm to stop him.

‘No!’ she said sharply without looking at him. ‘These are for the others.’

Holding up his hands, Frank went over to the sink and poured a glass of water from the tap. He’d just taken a sip when Nick and Gaz came downstairs carrying a rolled-up quilt between them. It was filthy, but Frank instantly recognized it as being Evan’s, and his heart lurched painfully in his chest when he picked up on the all-too-familiar odour of death coming from it.

‘What are you going to do?’ he asked, staring in horror at the wispy hair sticking out of the top of the rolled quilt.

‘Shut it!’ Nick hissed, dropping his end of the bundle and shoving him forcefully down onto a chair. Then, turning to Gaz, who was carefully setting down his end, he said, ‘Quit fucking about, and go fetch the chainsaw. The pigs are waiting to be fed.’

Frank’s face drained of blood when he realized what was about to happen, and his heart was pounding so hard he thought he might faint.

‘Have drink first,’ Irena said, shoving the glasses into both men’s hands, before handing the third to Scotty, who had just come inside.

‘We’ll have it later,’ Nick said, eager to get on with things.

‘No!’ Irena said firmly. ‘You need be calm, or you will make mistake.’

It was the first time she’d sounded like her old self in weeks, and Gaz nodded.

‘She’s right,’ he said to Nick. ‘You’ve been acting like a fucking maniac all night, so drink it and calm down, or we could really mess this up.’

Nick tutted, and then downed the liquid in one.

‘There,’ he said, slamming the glass down on the ledge. ‘Happy now?’

Gaz nodded and sank his own drink, quickly followed by Scotty.