‘For God’s sake, how many more people are you going to murder today?’

‘Hey – a touch more gratitude if you don’t mind.’

‘Gratitude?’ She was nearly speechless with fury. ‘You think I should be grateful to you . . . ?’

The events of the day rose up and overwhelmed her. There were no words to describe what he’d done . . . or the way he’d done it . . . She seized Matthew’s hazmat helmet and hurled it at him. It bounced off his head.

‘Ow. Bloody hell, Lockland.’

‘You stupid . . .’ Still the words wouldn’t come. Somehow, she heaved herself to her feet, snatching up whatever she could find and throwing it at him. He dodged as best he could but she was a good shot and the pod wasn’t large. There wasn’t really anywhere to hide.

‘Jane, pack it in, will you? Ouch.’ He batted aside the helmet which she’d retrieved from the floor and slung at him again. ‘Calm down, will you? Jane . . . Jane.’

Ducking under what he later described as a hail of potentially fatal missiles and Jane maintained was merely a light rain of small, non-lethal objects, he eventually reached her, bore her to the floor and pinned her wrists over her head.

‘Bloody pack it in, will you? Stop it. Stop it now.’

Eventually she ceased struggling but glared at him so he would know the cease-fire was only temporary. ‘I haven’t done anything wrong and you fire-trucking know it.’

‘Well, I have.’

She nodded, saying more quietly, ‘Yes, I know you have, Luke, but I’ll never tell, I promise.’

He rolled off her. ‘I don’t think you’ll have to. Everyone must know by now.’

‘They’ll all come looking for you, won’t they?’

‘Well, in my saner moments I rather think you may be overestimating my importance slightly. One team. Possibly two. No more.’

‘Luke, you need to stop kidding yourself. They’ll send everyone they can lay their hands on.’

He sat up and smoothed down his hair. ‘Whatever for?’

She could hardly believe him. The rage began to boil again. Even now he wouldn’t admit what he’d done. ‘Because you killed Sarah Smith.’

There was a long silence. A very long silence. Long enough for her to realise she was here, alone, and with a murderer. Dark shadows gathered around her.

His next words shattered them into tiny pieces.

‘No, I didn’t. What are you talking about?’ He sounded so genuinely indignant that she very nearly believed him.

‘Luke, you don’t have to pretend with me. I saw you.’