‘This is not what I meant,’ said Bloom.

‘Did you really think I’d use all my talents and years of training as a doctor to become some brilliant but anonymous surgeon hidden away in a hospital theatre?’ Sarah looked at Jameson. ‘My kind have something of a knack for high-risk, high-pressure careers.’

‘So you became a psychiatrist and collected psychopaths. Why?’ Once Bloom had realized that they were missing a key component – the answer to why someone would bother to recruit psychopaths – she had been almost there. On the train, while hiding by the toilets, she’d finally found the courage to google ‘experts in functional psychopathy’ and she’d discovered, top of the list, revered psychiatrist Dr Sarah Mendax.

Sarah wrinkled her button nose. ‘Oh, Augusta. You can do better than that.’

Jameson broke his silence. ‘I’m sorry. What? You …’ He looked at Bloom. ‘She can’t be Seraphine. I’d have known.’

‘Seraphine Walker is a very high-functioning psychopath,’ said Bloom.

‘Fine. But Sarah is warm and … good. She’s a doctor. She saves people’s lives.’ Jameson was staring at Sarah.

‘Marcus,’ said Bloom. ‘Look at me. Look at me now. Seraphine … will be whoever she needs to be … Whoever you need her to be in order to get what she wants from you.’

The adult Seraphine stood and stretched her back. Her long, athletic limbs and attractive features were no doubt another great weapon in her armoury of manipulation. ‘I prefer Sarah these days.’ She cocked her head towards Jameson. ‘I didn’t really get why you worked with this guy before,’ she said, walking over so that she could look down on him. ‘Don’t get me wrong,’ she said. ‘You’re a treat in the sack.’ She turned to Bloom. ‘But I couldn’t work out what he added to you. And now I see.’ She placed a hand on Jameson’s shoulder. ‘He brings all the emotion. The stuff you lack nearly as much as I do; the humour, the trust … the love.’

Jameson shrugged her away. ‘Get your hands off me.’

‘See? He’s all reactive and passionate. It’s gorgeous.’ Seraphine moved into Jameson’s eyeline. ‘You really are gorgeous, Marcus. I’d love to let Augusta keep you.’

Bloom felt the room chill a few more degrees.

‘Wait,’ said Jameson. ‘But what was all that about in the car park? Pretending to be thrown off?’

‘Ah, bless. You’re still catching up here, aren’t you, sweetie?’ Seraphine perched on the edge of her wooden chair. ‘Augusta was taking too long to work out who your new girlfriend was, and quite frankly … I was getting bored.’

‘You were … bored?’ Jameson looked as if he might throw up. ‘No. That doesn’t follow. It would have taken setting up. You’d have had to plan ahead, make measurements, acquire the equipment …’