Danny peered across at the entrance to the hotel bar from the driver’s seat of his Mercedes. The engine was still running and he considered pulling away, going for a drive, anything to stop him going in there for a drink. He was angry, and he knew what that might mean if he mixed it with alcohol. But he turned the engine off.

‘You’re stronger than that,’ Danny said out loud. He would just go to his room, turn on the news, have a shower. Do what normal people do.

The corridor that led to his room was dark and there was a delay in the lights clunking on above him like they had been shaken awake. His footsteps felt heavy as he walked, like his body had held off his fatigue for as long as it could but was now sensing his proximity to his bed. Maybe he would even turn in for an early night, get some good sleep and wake up fresh enough to be able to talk to Sharon. Damage limitation.

He slowed up as he got to his door, even double-checking the room number was right. ‘Do Not Disturb!’ hung over the handle and Danny knew he hadn’t left it there. The cleaner perhaps? He left it swinging, running his card over the lock to gain access. It flashed green and buzzed. The door pushed in.

The smell was the first suggestion that something might be wrong. A scent reached round the door to stick in his throat: metallic and earthy. It was different to the now familiar smell of a turned-down room. He pushed the door wider. The window at the back was covered by closed curtains and a blackout blind. He pushed the card into the slot on the wall and the main light clunked on to illuminate the source.

His recoil was so strong he was forced backwards.