Frustrated but relatively convinced she wasn’t about to be either murdered or seduced, and still very keen to know what the actual fuck Ruby was up to in her bedroom, Liza went inside. For a moment she thought the room was empty and that Ruby had vanished, but she remembered the old standing-behind-the-door trick just in time to have it pushed shut and locked behind her.

Well, at least neither of them were naked.

“Sit down,” Ruby told her, her voice much more urgent and much less playful than it had been thirty seconds ago. “I’ve got a lot to say.”

“If it doesn’t start with, ‘Sorry I broke into your room,’ follow up with, ‘Here’s how I broke into your room,’ and end with, ‘By the way, this is why you should believe I didn’t murder two people,’ then I don’t want to hear it.”

To Liza’s irritation but complete lack of surprise, Ruby sauntered over to the bed and lay down on it. It didn’t look like she’d arranged herself for comfort. “I’m sorry I broke into your room,” she said. “I was able to break into your room because I stole one of the master keys. And by the way, you should believe I didn’t murder two people because I’m about to give you a large amount of financial information that, should we get out of this alive, you will be able to use to take down one of England’s most notorious and most anonymous criminals.”

Staying well clear of the bed, Liza opted for the chair. “And how exactly will I do that?”

“Oh, just hand it over to the police. Only, not until I’m clear. Once that information’s out I’ve lost all my leverage, so I’m trusting you with a lot.”

Technically, she hadn’t trusted Liza with anything yet. “I’m sure you’re trying to build a rapport here,” she said, “but for the record, I still don’t trust you.”

“No?”

“You could still be Mr B for all I know.”

And Ruby laughed at that too. Too quickly, perhaps? As if she’d expected it? “I might, I suppose. But then what’s all this about?”

She could have mentioned the vicar—after all, Ruby clearly already knew about the vicar—but it seemed pointless to give up information she could just as easily keep to herself. “I don’t know. You tell me.”

Ruby gave her a long, cold look. “Were you hoping I’d crack? That I’d say, ‘Oh, all right, I admit it,’ and tell you my master plan? I’m afraid my only plan is to stay alive, and I’ve got very good at it over the years.”