Bowman pointed to the stragglers and the people filming on their phones. ‘Get this lot out of here. Secure the exits. No one in or out except emergency services personnel. The last thing we want is some idiot blundering in here and getting infected.’

The officer saw the urgency written on his face and relayed a string of urgent instructions into his police radio. Bowman watched them both from a safe distance.

Lang had stopped moving.

He heard Studley’s voice in his earpiece: ‘Principal is secure. He’s on the move. What’s going on in there?’

‘Victim is unconscious,’ Bowman said. ‘It’s Freddie Lang. He’s been deliberately poisoned. Ambulance is on the way.’

‘Stay where you are,’ Studley said. ‘I’m coming in.’

Bowman retreated to a table in the corner of the ballroom, twenty metres from Lang. A safe distance, probably. But who really knew? More police officers swarmed inside, dashing over from their positions at the front of the hotel and the surrounding streets. They quickly began securing the area, sealing off doors and ushering the remaining stragglers and hotel staff towards the exits.

Two minutes later, Bill Studley charged into the ballroom. He breezed past two police officers guarding the fire exit and marched straight over to Bowman. He saw Lang’s chalk-white face and abruptly halted.

‘Jesus,’ he said.

‘Where are the others?’ asked Bowman.

‘Lomas and Kember are taking the principal back to his hotel,’ he said. ‘He’ll be staying in his suite. Him and his BG team. He won’t be setting foot outside his room. Not until we’ve figured out what the fuck is going on.’

‘He’s a body double,’ Bowman said, barely concealing his rage. ‘Seguma. We’ve been protecting a nobody.’

Studley pulled a face. ‘Bollocks. Says who?’

‘Lang.’

A deep frown creased Studley’s face. ‘Half a mo. You spoke with him?’

Bowman nodded. ‘Right after it happened. He wanted to talk.’

‘Why would Seguma send a body double here?’ Studley asked.

‘Lang reckoned the real Seguma is in Monte Carlo,’ Bowman said. ‘With Lang’s twin brother, David. He said they’re out there to meet with some Russians.’

‘Doing what?’

‘I don’t know. He didn’t go into specifics. Lang mentioned something about a deal. But they’re walking into a trap. He says the Russians are going to betray them.’

‘You think he was telling the truth?’

‘Lang knew he was dying,’ Bowman said. ‘He knew the Russians had got to him. He wanted to confess.’

‘Fuck me.’ Studley ran a hand through his hair. ‘Who else knows about this?’

‘No one.’ Kember had gone outside to raise the alarm. ‘Why?’

‘No reason.’

‘We need to talk to those two BGs,’ said Bowman. ‘The ones I told you about.’

‘What for?’ Studley snarled. ‘I told you already, them lads checked out.’

‘They were involved, Bill.’

‘You don’t know that.’