‘There’s something missing in you, isn’t there?’ Nikki looked at her, rather like she would a nasty smelly specimen under a microscope. ‘I’m sorry for what you suffered, but it goes much deeper than that, doesn’t it?’ She tapped her head with one finger. ‘Something’s not right up here.’

Doyle bridled. ‘You can talk! You’re so much better, are you? You hound people; you make their lives a misery.’

Nikki could have laughed at the comparison if it hadn’t been so pathetic. But still, Doyle’s open admission that she had fully intended to get rid of Hannah had rocked her. All this time, wondering and speculating, and now she knew. She knew, but what was she going to do about it?

For a few moments, Nikki stood and just stared at Doyle. Yes, if she were honest, Nikki wanted to call out for Archie. Tell him to finish off this parasite, this damaged, compassionless creature. She could still do that. And the way she felt, she might actually do it. But one thing stopped her.

Kerry Anderson.

She glanced at her watch. How long did she have? Just long enough, she hoped. ‘Were you and Stephen Cox lovers?’

‘Me and that meathead! You’re joking! We were business partners,’ she said importantly.

‘How did he get his face burnt off?’

‘When you chased him out of Greenborough, he started doing a bit of dealing on someone else’s patch.’ She tugged unsuccessfully at her restraints. ‘They didn’t take it too well, and it was just Stevie’s bad luck that one of them owned a restaurant. They griddled him.’

Nikki had carefully watched her face as she told the story. But even though a good-looking man had had his face and the side of his head pressed into a searing hot iron plate, there was no compassion, no horror at what had happened – no emotion at all.

‘It worked out all right in the end, though. He got rid of them and took their manor. Made a packet out of it.’

‘And now where is he, exactly?’

Doyle’s face darkened. ‘We got split up, but he’ll be back for me.’

‘Oh yeah, I thought I saw a bloke outside, on a big white horse, all ready to ride in and save you!’ Nikki laughed. ‘Get real, Frankie! You’re in deep shit and he’s laughing!’

‘Like I said, he’ll be back. He’ll find me.’

‘Mm, you really weren’t the brains of the outfit, were you?’ She threw Frankie a piteous look. ‘You fool! He’ll be miles away by now. He’s ditched you, Frankie. Left you to take the blame for everything. And believe me, you will.’

‘Get stuffed.’

‘Shall I get Archie back?’

Doyle threw her a look of pure hatred. ‘What do you want?’

‘Why did Stephen Cox arrange the abduction of Kerry Anderson?’

‘Because I asked him to,’ spat Frankie.