‘I have your laptop too,’ Nicholas said, resting his hands on his shin that was lying across his lap. ‘It shows a lot of interesting internet searches and saved documents. Seems you’ve been very interested in the Evans family, but you’re also very interested in the layout of William Harvey Hospital too. And your car’s pretty reasonable as a rental, did you know that? I took the same make and model out for a spin. I hope you don’t mind that I used your plates to go through the ANPR barrier around the time Callie Evans was callously attacked in her hospital bed. I didn’t pay either. You might be getting an angry letter about that.’

Richard felt a surge of anger and the underside of the shotgun scraped the chairback as he thrust it forward. He knelt on the seat of the chair and leaned right in, his teeth gritted. The ends of the barrels were finished in a polished metal that contrasted with the dark grey. The polished part now pushed into the man’s lips.

‘You don’t know who killed my wife and you don’t care!’ Richard growled.

The man’s right foot dropped to the ground. ‘You’re right. I just needed some stupid old fool to do my dirty work. You fitted the bill rather well, Richard.’

‘Stupid old fool? Is that right?’ Richard spat. He could feel his chest thumping, his vision blurring slightly with every beat. ‘But who’s on the wrong end of a shotgun now? You underestimated me, just like everyone else did. Open your fucking mouth!’ Richard jabbed the shotgun firmer into the man’s cheekbone. It was all he could manage, all his breath seemed to leave his lungs with it and he had to fight to take a big lungful back in. He needed to be calmer. The man’s face flashed a grimace of pain. He turned his head for Richard to push the barrel against his lips. ‘I said—’

‘There’s still a way out of this, for all us.’ Nicholas cut him off, his words now hurried. ‘You killed a man already. Kill me and you’ll never see the outside of a prison cell. You’ll never see your grandson again!’ Richard pushed the barrel further forward, enjoying the change in the man. Nicholas’s head was forced back, the barrel now resting under his nose.

‘You told me the only way out was to kidnap the Evans boy. Then you would leave my grandson alone. You were going to kill me too. At my home. No way you could leave me alive.’

‘We can work this out still.’