Marc woke up to find the room dark and a man gently slapping his cheek to bring him around. The roof of his mouth was lined with clotted blood.

‘Keep calm,’ the man looming above him said soothingly. ‘Drink some of this.’

Marc propped himself on his elbow and spotted his bloody tooth on the boards in front of him. He grabbed an enamel cup from the man and quickly downed several mouthfuls of water. He felt groggy and the hole in his gum throbbed with pain.

‘Who are you?’ Marc asked, eyeing the stocky man with a scruffy beard.

‘The name’s Henderson,’ he said. ‘Charles Henderson.’

Marc felt a touch worried at this. He’d broken into the man’s house and pretty much helped himself to everything.

‘The Germans are looking for you,’ Marc croaked, as Henderson helped him to sit up. ‘There’s someone next door …’

Henderson drew a line across his throat and made a choking noise. ‘Not now there isn’t,’ he said, smiling. ‘So has my house been to your liking? You must have been here for a week now.’

Marc was surprised. ‘If you knew, why didn’t you turf me out?’

‘I’ve been busy,’ Henderson said, showing off a nice row of teeth when he smiled. He was a good-looking man, but he badly needed a shave and shampoo. ‘And your being here made it look like I’d skipped town.’

As Henderson said this, he pulled a hip flask out of his jacket and unscrewed the cap. ‘Whisky,’ he explained, as he handed it to Marc. ‘Rinse your mouth with it. You probably won’t like the taste, but it’s a natural disinfectant and the alcohol might help numb the pain.’

Marc’s eyes were blurred with tears and his hands were shaking. Henderson gave him a damp cloth to wipe his face.

‘The Germans who did this – did you overhear anything?’

‘All sorts.’ Marc nodded. ‘I’m not sure I remember all of it.’

‘Try your best. Start from the beginning.’

‘There was something about leave-behinds and Mannstein,’ Marc said. ‘My German isn’t exactly perfect. It seems so fast when they speak it.’

‘That’s OK,’ Henderson said softly. ‘I know you’re hurting, but please try and tell me as much as you can.’

Marc accidentally swallowed a sip of whisky and broke out in a coughing fit.

‘Don’t worry,’ Henderson said. ‘It doesn’t matter if you swallow a few drops. You’re in shock; it might even help calm you down.’

‘I don’t know what a leave-behind is, but they’re all compromised – or something,’ Marc said.

Henderson nodded. ‘Bad business.’

‘What are they?’ Marc asked.