It seemed like an endless trek back to where they’d concealed the Alpina. By the time they got there, Ben was dragging his feet and bowed like a man on his way to the gallows. Wolf said, ‘Probably best if I drive,’ and held his hand out for the keys. Ben nodded dumbly and passed them to him, then slumped in the passenger side. Wolf laid Abbott’s laptop on the back seat, jumped in behind the wheel and they took off with a roar.

Wolf sped along the rural roads to put as much distance as possible, as fast as possible, between them and Abbott’s place. He had no idea where he was meant to be going. He blitzed through a place called Devil’s Dyke. Past wide open stretches of countryside, woodland and farm land, one golf course and then another. They’d been driving aimlessly for almost twenty minutes when Wolf finally pulled off the road. He killed the engine and turned to Ben, who hadn’t spoken a word.

Wolf said, ‘I can’t do this on my own. You going to say something or what?’

‘I killed her,’ Ben said sullenly.

‘Don’t be bloody daft. You can’t know that.’

‘It’s true,’ Ben replied. ‘I might as well have put the gun to her head myself. What else do you think they’ll do, after what we’ve just done? They saw us, Jaden.’

Wolf said nothing for a while, then shook his head. ‘You couldn’t have known, Ben.’

‘Yes, I could. I should have seen it from the start. Should have gone straight up there to Scotland to take care of things, instead of messing around London and Spain looking for you.’

‘You said yourself, it was too risky,’ Wolf reminded him. ‘There were a dozen reasons why it would’ve been a bad idea, remember? Besides, if you hadn’t come looking for me, I’d be a dead man now. The guy with the hook.’

‘Saved one, sacrificed another,’ Ben said with a dark laugh that came out more like a groan.

‘I know you’d have sooner had it the other way round, pal. I don’t blame you for that. And I’m sorry.’

Ben’s reply was to grab one of the whisky bottles, tear off the foil and twist out the cork.

Wolf said, ‘Bit early for that, don’t you think?’

Ben said nothing. He put the bottle to his lips and drank down a long, stinging gulp. It tasted like what he needed. He took another gulp.

Wolf stared at him, then heaved an exasperated sigh. ‘Here, give me your damn phone.’ He leaned across and fished in Ben’s pocket. Ben didn’t try to stop him. Wolf found Abbott’s burner in there, too, and shoved it into the glove box. ‘Never mind that worthless prick for now. What’s Grace’s mobile number?’