‘Are you serious?’ Michael heard a change in Dempsey’s tone. A nervous realisation. Something he had never heard before. ‘Tell me you’re not meeting him, Michael. Tell me you’re not going alone.’

‘I don’t have a choice. Either I do that or they both die. And if that happens he’ll come for me anyway.’

‘What the hell does that matter? Call the police. Call anyone. Don’t go and—’

‘I’ve no choice.’ Michael raised his voice to interrupt. ‘This bastard knows my every move. I don’t know how, but if I risk bringing anyone . . . I can’t risk it, in case he knows.’

‘Michael, I—’

‘I can’t risk it, Joe.’ Michael cut across Dempsey’s plea. ‘People have already died. A lot of people. And it’s because of me. All of it. Because of something I did. I can’t let any more die. It’s been too many already. Far too many. I have to stop this.’

Michael’s last words hung in the air. When Dempsey finally spoke his usual calm had returned.

‘Tell me where you are and wait there. I can send help. Proper help. My kind of help. This Hirst guy will never know they’re there. I promise you.’

‘I can’t wait. There isn’t enough time.’

‘What do you mean?’

Michael glanced at the dashboard clock. It was now three minutes until he had to begin driving. Exactly as he had planned. Michael had known that Dempsey would try to interfere. That he would not take no for an answer. Michael could not risk that. It was why he had waited before making the call.

Two minutes.

Close enough, Michael thought.

‘I mean I have to meet him now. In five minutes.’

‘Michael, are you sure—’

‘Just listen to me now,’ Michael interrupted. ‘Please, just listen. I’m meeting Hirst in Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey. Remember that: Brookwood Cemetery. I have to be there at 4 a.m., my time. And I’m doing it. No one else is dying because of me.’

‘But—’

Michael ignored the interruption and continued.

‘What I need you to do is contact Detective Chief Inspector Joelle Levy of Scotland Yard’s Major Investigation Team. Tell her where I am. Tell her to get her people here as soon as possible. Because if she gets here soon enough she might find Hirst.’

‘But you’re not waiting.’

‘No. If I turn up with the police, then he’ll kill the girls. If I’m there alone then they have a fighting chance, because he’ll have to kill me first.’

‘How much of a fighting chance?’ Dempsey was as blunt as Michael expected. ‘Can you take this guy?’

‘Who the hell knows,’ Michael replied. ‘That’s why I’m calling you. Because if I don’t get through this and if Hirst gets away, I need you to protect Sarah.’

‘Mike—’

‘Promise me, Joe. Please.’

Dempsey hesitated one last time before answering.

‘I promise. And I promise something else, too.’

‘What?’

‘I promise that if you don’t kill this son of a bitch tonight, I’ll kill him for you.’