A second of silence passes, then Beth gasps when she realises that he’s talking to her. She should look away, but her head appears frozen too now.

‘Stop scaring the locals, Mark,’ DC Stone says, giving him another shove towards the police car. But the boy resists, pushing back against his captor, and maintaining eye contact with Beth.

‘Hey, I recognise you,’ he says, his voice slowing. ‘Jon always reckoned you’d be the one to get us kicked out. Looks like he was right.’

Beth makes the effort to drag her eyes away and tries to smile warmly at DC Stone, but his attention is elsewhere.

‘I bet you did this, didn’t you?’ Mark goes on. ‘Got the police to chuck us out onto the street? In the middle of the night too. Heartless bitch.’

‘Look, you are talking out of your arse, mate,’ DC Stone growls. ‘This woman tried to save your friend’s life, and that’s how you thank her?’

‘What? What are you talking about?’ The boy sounds both angry and scared now, like a wild animal in limbo between fight and flight.

Everyone stops walking and DC Stone sighs. ‘Look, sorry to tell you this, but a man was pronounced dead here a short while ago. Suspected overdose. Could that have been this Jon you mentioned?’

‘Jon’s dead?’ His voice cracks. He shakes his head furiously, then lifts it skywards. ‘I thought you said she saved him?’

‘I said she tried to save him, but it was too late. He died before the paramedics arrived.’

Beth watches the boy’s face crease, his eyes jam shut and his mouth stretch into a grimace. He breathes hard and his chest heaves, but no tears appear on his face. ‘I bet she didn’t try,’ he snarls suddenly, tipping his head forward and staring at Beth again. ‘She couldn’t give a shit about us. She’s probably glad he’s dead,’ he spits out.

Beth flinches and draws her hands up to her face, as though she needs to protect herself from his vitriol. Or his saliva.

‘Don’t be stupid, Mark,’ the detective says, resuming his shuffle forwards.

‘And then she gets me arrested, dragged off her precious street. One dead, the other in a cell. Problem sorted.’ He laughs with such bitterness that it makes Beth shudder again.

DC Stone opens the back door of the police car.

‘Well, think again, missus, because you don’t get rid of me that easily,’ Mark shouts. ‘I’ll be back, you stuck-up bitch!’ His voice trails off as the detective shoves him into the car and slams the door shut.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Beth