Melodramatic fool. I was as bad as she was. Nobody was going to devour me. I’d devour them first.

The water from the tap was tepid, but I splashed it all over my face and body anyway.

‘I leave now.’ She was standing in the doorway.

I dried myself, and she waited for the words of kindness that were not going to come from my lips. I suppose she was used to men begging her to stay.

‘If you have to pay any traffic fines, the AFP office has my details.’

There was no need to humiliate her, so I smiled. ‘You’re heading back to the front, then?’

She nodded. ‘This afternoon.’

The phone started ringing in the main room, and I went through to answer it. Could this be it? Could it be her?

‘Paul,’ said the man’s voice on the other end. ‘It’s Geoffrey. Have you seen this morning’s Daily Times?’

I looked up to see Isabelle walking past the bed. ‘Best of luck,’ I said to her. She nodded, but didn’t make eye contact. The door made barely a click as she closed it behind her.

‘Who are you talking to?’ Manning was saying. ‘Hello, is anyone there?’

‘Hello, Geoffrey,’ I said. ‘No, I haven’t read the papers yet - it’s barely dawn. Why?’

‘The entire front page is about bodies being dug up from bunkers on Ikoyi golf course, that’s why!’

Alebayo had been right - it wasn’t a bad paper. They’d put the story together in under seven hours. I told Manning we could discuss it at the airport.

‘I’m not sure you should come,’ he said. ‘I don’t think we should be seen together. It might—’

‘What?’ I asked. ‘Blow my cover? You’ve just used my real name on a line that may well be tapped, so I think it’s a bit late to be worrying about that, don’t you? I’ll be at the airport at half seven, as agreed. I’m leaving your car here - the police will be looking for it. Send one of your secretaries to come and pick it up.’

‘Looking for it? Are you pulling my leg?’

‘Unfortunately not.’ I didn’t tell him the back window had also been shot off, but he’d find out soon enough. Instead, I told him that the Afrospot had turned out to be a club, and that the owner was a certain J. J. Thompson-Bola. I spelled it out for him, and when he’d got it I told him to see if there was anything in the files.