She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came. And suddenly it was raining, big heavy drops that stung the skin, and a group of men in black oilskins were pulling Jake from the water. His eyes, too, were open, a trail of green slime oozing from his nostril, where blood had run from her grandfather’s. His mouth was open, and a large fish with popping eyes was struggling to escape from it.

Margaret awoke with a start, heart pounding, the sound of rain battering on the broken-tiled roof of the derelict house. It was dark outside. The erratic flame of a candle ducked and dived and threw light randomly among the shadows of the room. Li had abandoned his sentinel position by the window and was sitting on the end of the cot bed. Yongli still sat against the wall, smoking. Lotus was squatting on the floor packing food and clothes into a leather holdall. She looked up as Margaret swung her legs to the floor. “You okay?” she asked, concerned.

Margaret nodded and wiped a fine film of perspiration from her brow. “A bad dream,” she said.

Lotus got up and sat on the bed beside her. She had something black and soft and shiny in her hands. “This is for you,” she said. “You must wear tonight.” It was a shoulder-length black wig with a club-cut fringe. “I borrow from friend in theatre. Is good, yes?” Margaret pinned up her hair and pulled the wig on. It was uncomfortably tight. She took a chipped make-up mirror from her purse and squinted at herself in the candlelight. The contrast of the pale, freckled skin and the blue-black hair was startling.

“I look ridiculous,” she said.

“No. We hide your round eye with make-up and cover your freckle with powders. You look like Chinese girl.”

Margaret glanced at Li. He shrugged. “It’ll be dark. The lights on the train will be low.”

Lotus looked at him, hesitated a moment, then said, “Li Yan . . . I have not had the chance to say thank you.”

He frowned. “What for? You’re the one who’s helping us.”

“For getting me out of that police cell,” she said.

He looked at her blankly. “What police cell?”

Yongli’s voice came out of the darkness from across the room. “She got picked up by Public Security, remember? I came and asked for your help. You said you would see what you could do.” There was a tone, a hint of accusation in his voice.

Li remembered now with a pang of guilt. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I never got the chance to do anything.”

Lotus frowned, genuinely puzzled. “But they let me go. They said there had been a mistake. I thought . . .”

“But it was a mistake, wasn’t it?” Yongli said.