‘Okay,’ the man said. ‘Have it your way. Only it’s not you I’m going to shoot.’

Janet closed her eyes.

‘All right. Whatever you want,’ Lance said. ‘Just lower the gun, would you?’

‘Don’t come in here,’ Janet blurted. ‘I’ll be …’

Lance stepped inside. ‘The police are on their way,’ he said.

‘Really? I find that hard to believe, given you had no idea what the situation was inside this flat. I’m curious, though, as to what brought you here in the first place.’

‘Who are you?’ Lance asked.

‘I’ll answer if you will,’ the man grinned. ‘First things first, there’s some rope in that bag there. Right down in the bottom. Throw out the nappies and the cereal. I won’t be needing those any more.’

‘I’m not handing you any rope,’ Lance said. ‘Why don’t you let Janet go? You’ve got me now. I’ll take her place.’

‘Take her place?’ he laughed. ‘This isn’t some random act. Nature has laws. There has to be an accounting when you take life for granted.’

He pulled the back of Janet’s shirt down and she crashed hard onto the sofa.

‘Survival of the fittest?’ Lance asked.

‘You wouldn’t understand. I asked how you found me?’

‘The boy you walked into these flats with didn’t trust you,’ Lance said, watching Janet slip her hand into the left pocket of her jeans and noting the outline of a mobile phone through the material.

‘You’re lying. The boy was fine with me. Why were you watching me in the first place?’

‘I was watching the flats,’ Lance said. ‘I realised someone might come for Janet. That’s why I called DCI Turner before I came in after you.’

‘But you see, right now, DCI Turner’s pursuing a suspect she has good reason to believe is a dangerous killer. She’s going to be busy for a while. In fact, given how frantic she must be, I doubt you spoke to Ava at all.’

Lance liked to think he had a fair poker face, but it wasn’t fast enough on that occasion. The man wasn’t concerned in the least and that meant he was telling the truth. Lance’s eyes returned involuntarily to where Janet was still furiously tapping buttons in her pocket. The man followed his gaze. Whipping the gun in front of her face and bringing it sharply upwards, he smashed the metal into the base of her nasal septum. There was a full second where no one moved or made a sound, then blood gushed down her T-shirt and she howled, leaning forwards and clutching her face.

‘Give me the phone,’ the man said.