‘Hey,’ Maguire hissed as she moved away, heading for the small clump of trees fifteen yards away on the far side of the entrance. When she didn’t stop, he followed.

They skirted the open area to reach the copse, disappearing in the shadows between the trees. Hawkins winced as a piece of unseen foliage cracked around her ankles, making a noise loud enough to be heard above the wind. They both froze, staring out of the darkness towards the tower.

No movement.

Hawkins felt her shoulders slacken, assessing the previously hidden space around what remained of the church. Still no sign of activity. For a moment she thought she heard distant voices, but then it broke, becoming nothing more than the rattle of leaves in the wind.

‘There’s nobody here,’ Mike whispered.

She sighed, glancing back at the empty graveyard as her DI made to leave. She was about to follow when her eye came to rest on something she hadn’t noticed before.

‘Wait.’ She reached for Mike’s arm, stopping him. ‘Look at the base of the tower.’

He returned to her side, shifting his position, staring into the shadows. ‘What am I looking for?’

‘The entrance,’ she whispered, reminding herself he hadn’t been here. ‘There’s something on the ground next to it.’

Mike lowered his head, seeking line of sight through the undergrowth. ‘Yeah, maybe.’

‘I want a closer look.’ Hawkins stepped to her left and crept forwards through the trees, advancing on the old church. She heard the quiet rustle when Mike followed.

She moved carefully, keeping her eyes trained on the low shape veiled in darkness as they advanced through the thickest part of the small grove. She stopped behind the last tree, at last able to pick out detail in the gloom beside what had once been a door in the front wall of the tower. Her initial assessment had been right; there was a pile of debris lying on the ground beside the entrance. Except this new vantage point also allowed her to see that one corner of the concrete used to seal the door had been broken away, creating a gap large enough for someone to crawl through.

And there was shifting light coming from inside.

‘Someone’s inside the tower,’ Hawkins murmured, to herself as much as Mike.

‘Toni.’ His hand closed around her arm, clearly anticipating a move towards the entrance. ‘You got no clue what’s going on in there.’

She let him pull her back down into the darkness, eyes still locked on the makeshift hole in the smashed edifice; the intermittent shadows passing back and forth in the soft radiance beyond.

‘It could be a bunch of armed guys for all we know.’ Mike’s voice was hushed but urgent. ‘Bustin’ in there with nothin’ but a sharp attitude ain’t smart. Call Frank; get a team down here.’

Cold night air swirled between them as she considered the warning.