‘I think you’re involved,’ she hissed at him. ‘I think you took me to those men. It was all prearranged, wasn’t it? What was in it for you, eh? Was it money?’ Her anger was building, and she had to clasp her hands together to stop herself from slapping him.

James leaned his head away from her, his voice an agitated stammer. ‘No, no, no… you’re wrong. I had no idea what was going on at the hotel. Honestly I didn’t.’ His face flushed red. ‘I was given the weekend tickets as a sweetener, from the network, and I wasn’t… I wasn’t going to go. But they said I’d be doing them a favour if I did and took you with me.’

People were glancing at them, frowning, James’s body language giving out clear signals that he felt under threat.

‘You’ve got to go, and don’t come back,’ he said, his voice suddenly much louder.

Sara’s cheeks burned. ‘I just want to know—’

‘Leave me alone!’ he shouted, and she sprang to her feet, aware that she was probably about to be thrown out.

‘I’m going,’ she said to the nurse who hurried to the bottom of his bed. ‘I didn’t mean to upset him.’ The nurse gave her an annoyed frown and stood to one side, following her to the main door of the ward and watching as she left.

She drove back to her house hoping that Hailey had been freed from the office by now, her thoughts on James and his reaction. He’d been asked to take her to the hotel – it wasn’t him who was behind this. He was a pawn in the whole thing, an enabler. Had he known what was going to happen to me, and still agreed to it? Or was he telling the truth when he said he knew nothing about the arrangement?

Still struggling to work out what she knew and what she believed to be true, she parked outside the house, behind the locksmith’s van. It was only when she got out of the car that she saw the smoke pouring out of Matt’s office.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Sara ran up the drive to where Hailey was leaning against the wall of the house, staring at the office. ‘What’s going on?’ She put a hand over her mouth and nose in an attempt to stop herself from breathing in the acrid smoke that was pouring out of the office door.

‘I think it’s an electrical fault or… I don’t know.’ Hailey looked dazed and definitely puzzled. ‘Is it possible Matt had it wired up to destroy the hard drive if the lock was forced?’

She coughed, and Sara pulled her away to the back garden, the breeze taking the smoke in the other direction.