‘I can see you, and I’m armed,’ he warned loudly as he aimed the gun in the direction of the figure. ‘You’ve got five seconds to get the hell out of here before I start shooting . . . Five . . . four . . .’

‘Please, no shoot!’ the figure cried, lurching up from its hiding place, hands in the air.

Shocked to hear that it was a woman, Frank narrowed his eyes and peered at her. Most of the people who lived in the area were Yorkshire born and bred, but this woman sounded foreign. And she definitely wasn’t dressed like a local, because no one who’d experienced a winter out here would go out at this time of night in the short skirt and thin blouse she appeared to be wearing.

‘Are you alone?’ he called.

‘Yes, is only me,’ she replied shakily.

‘It’s OK, you can put your hands down,’ he said, lowering the gun.

Visibly shivering, the woman lowered her arms.

‘I am sorry for disturb you,’ she said. ‘I mean no trouble. I was only look for warm place to sleep.’

‘Are you hurt?’ Frank asked when he noticed a dark shadow on her cheek.

‘No.’ She shook her head and covered her cheek with her hand. ‘I fall. Is nothing.’

Guessing that must have been the bang he’d heard, Frank said, ‘Is there someone you can call to come and pick you up?’

‘There is no one,’ she replied. ‘But is OK. I will find another place to sleep.’

Concerned when he saw her sway, Frank glanced around again to check that nobody else was hiding, and then jerked his head at her.

‘Come inside and sit down for a minute, love. I’ll make you a warm drink, and then I’ll give you a lift home.’

‘No!’ Her eyes widened and she took a step back. ‘I cannot go back there.’

‘Well, you can’t stay outside in this weather dressed like that,’ Frank said bluntly. ‘You’ll be frozen solid by morning – if you make it that far.’

The woman bit her lip and gazed around. Then, turning back to Frank, she said, ‘Is safe to come inside?’

‘Absolutely,’ he said, stepping away from the door and waving for her to enter ahead of him.

She hesitated for a moment, as if weighing up her options, and then limped across the yard and stumbled over the threshold into the kitchen. Frank followed her in and locked the door.

‘Whoa, steady,’ he said, catching her by the elbow when her legs started to buckle. ‘Sit there and catch your breath.’ He guided her to a chair. ‘I’ll put the kettle on.’