‘That’s nonsense, there’s no way could he do that. He’s bullshitting you. He needs taking out, now. We can manage this, but he needs to disappear forever.’ Taylor was almost babbling.

‘What about his parents?’

Taylor paused, stunned at what he’d become a part of. He was going to be an accessory to a multiple murder, but it was too late to back out now.

‘Just make sure they’re never found, and you’d better get out of the country as well.’

‘I just have to get the SD card from his safe deposit box. I need Adebayo’s money,’ Branko said, all matter-of-fact.

‘Are you crazy? That’s mad. Just how are you going to get the SD card?’

‘He’s going to arrange it with the bank,’ Branko said.

‘Then you’re being really fucking stupid, Branko. They’ll never allow you access. And as Adebayo has fled to Nigeria, how are you going to get the money? You’ll never get paid. Get rid of them, and get out of the country,’ Taylor said, all of a sudden assertive.

‘If you call me stupid again, I will see to it that you never enjoy your pension, Mr Police Inspector. When did Adebayo go?’

‘I’m sorry. He went earlier today, and he’s apparently shifted all his money and gone, forever. He has assets and a home in Lagos. You’ll never see that money.’

Branko sighed: a deep, rage-filled sigh. So, no money and no way of extracting it from Adebayo now he’d fled.

‘Okay, so it’s a tidy-up operation. The three that Novak killed won’t be missed. There won’t be any evidence of my people going to Scotland: there were false plates on the car and they didn’t take their phones. We can dispose of the bodies and we will all go back to Serbia until this blows over. You need to come up with a way to distance us.’ Branko was all efficient planning now.

‘Just get it done and I can make sure no suspicion falls on you. I can claim that Novak was depressed and suicidal or something. Just make sure the bodies aren’t found.’

‘They won’t be found, my friend: it’s the middle of nowhere up there.’ And Branko hung up.

He paused for a second before dialling another number.

‘Boris, change of plan. Get rid of them all.’

31

Boris stood in the hallway of the cottage with his mobile phone clamped to his ear and a grim, determined look on his face. ‘No problem. It will be done, my friend,’ he said quietly. He returned to the kitchen and fixed a serious eye on Aleks. ‘Aleks, with me,’ he said.

Aleks stood and walked out into the hall where Boris waited; there was a quick whispered exchange before Aleks returned to the kitchen, nodding for his brother to go and join the older Serb.