Thea could feel the sweat making her thermal jumper stick to the skin under her arms. She looked away, hoping that when she looked back, the email would have sent.

The circle spun.

There was more shouting: Kyle again, then Moses and then … quiet.

The circle spun.

She couldn’t wait any longer. Yanking the memory stick out, she gave a quick prayer to any god listening in, hoping that the email would eventually send. Running to the door, she knew that if she let Kyle corner her in the office, there was a good chance she would never leave.

Out on one of the suspended walkways leading to the shiny central lift, she saw Moses: he hadn’t run far. In fact, he wasn’t planning on running much at all by the look of him. He was balanced precariously on one of the flat-topped handrails, his feet purple with the cold, a demented eagle surveying his hunting ground.

‘Moses!’

Thea wasn’t alone.

Kyle was at the opposite end of the walkway. The lift was in the middle between them, but there was a narrow walkway around it to get from one side of the building to the other.

‘Moses!’ Thea came closer to where Moses was balanced.

Kyle noticed Thea. She hadn’t seen him since he’d carried Moses into the building earlier that day, however many minutes, hours or millennia ago that had been. Thea had lost track. He looked as if he’d had a pretty rough time. There was blood on his face and his T-shirt was ripped. The Eighties tribute band wouldn’t be so keen to have him now, Thea thought. It had clearly been harder looking after Moses than he’d bargained for.

For a second or so, Thea was back at the lighthouse. Kyle had done it so smoothly. He had taken charge of the headphones, said something light and reassuring in his refined, Eton-Old-Boys’-Club voice. He had placed them on Ethan’s head, knowing they would kill him.

Delores might have ordered it.

Kyle had done it.

Thea realized why he was keeping his distance as she took a few steps to Moses’s side. Moses was holding the gun, and it was pointed at Kyle.

Moses turned his head to throw her a beseeching look. ‘What am I meant to do now, Thea?’

‘You don’t have to do anything,’ she soothed. ‘Not anymore, Moses. It’s over. Please come down.’

Her muscles trembled and even her bones ached; all she wanted to do was sink to the ground, close her eyes and let herself fall into the black.

‘I always knew what to do,’ Moses muttered. ‘I could always fix the problem.’

Holding one arm out in front of him, Kyle tried to walk closer to Moses who wobbled dangerously as he turned his head to look at him, waving the gun.

‘Fuck off!’ Moses snarled.

Kyle faltered and stopped.