‘He wants us to survive, Tiff, well, maybe not us, but Julian. He won’t want Julian to die, just like Elinor.’

‘Then we need to pick a fucking button!’

0.24

‘Wait!’ Priest snapped. ‘Who’s in the safe?’

‘What? Julian? I don’t know! Hell, does it matter? We’re going down as well, whoever’s in it.’

‘Karl wants us to get out of this, just like Elinor did. This isn’t the finale, Tiff. It’s a distraction. But why?’

‘None of this is saving our arses, Priest. Up or down?’

0.20

0.19

‘I don’t know. There’s no symbolism for Karl in that choice.’ Up or down? Why is that important? Not up or down, but something else, maybe? North or south? Top or bottom?

0.17

0.16

‘Up!’ cried Rowlinson. ‘Towards Heaven. Towards God.’

‘No. Karl doesn’t care about that. Elinor is his God.’

The sound of the ocean roared in his ears, louder and louder. An approaching doom, smashing into the cliff below. He closed his eyes, forced out the images that cluttered his thoughts – Jessica, Sarah, Tilly. Then Elinor. What have I done?

‘Need to be doing something constructive, Priest!’ Rowlinson urged.

‘I’m trying! But it’s not straightforward with you whittling in my ear!’

0.13

0.12

Priest saw Alexia’s blowtorched face in his mind’s eye, Karl Jones in the theatre control box behind a sniper rifle, the photograph of Julian outside the Elias house. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

‘What do you want, Karl?’

Then Jessica was back in his thoughts. Would he ever see her again? Was this his curtain call?

0.11

0.10

0.09

‘Priest, do something!’

Rowlinson had lost it. He charged forward, knocking past him in an effort to get to the box. It was only because he was stronger and heavier that Priest was able to repel Rowlinson’s desperate lunge, seizing his hands inches away from the bottom button and spinning him back around before pushing hard against his chest. The detective fell backwards and sprawled across the grass, cursing and swearing, surprise registering on his face as he looked back him.

‘What have you done, you bloody madman!’

0.04

0.03

Priest turned back to the box, the image of the cliff exploding and everything with it falling into the sea flashed across his mind.

0.02

He heard Rowlinson scream something else but it was incomprehensible. He felt he should shout something as well. Something fitting for what might be his final moment. Something poetic.

0.01

Suddenly, Priest realised what he was supposed to do.

Chapter 60

Chapter 60

The display had registered at zero for a few seconds, then a few seconds more. Priest turned to look over his shoulder. Rowlinson was sitting on the grass with his arms covering his face, for all the good it would have done him if the bomb had gone off. Slowly, he lowered his defence and looked around.

‘What happened?’ he asked.

‘Nothing.’

‘Which button did you press?’