To his men: ‘Hold him till I get close. Pull away when I say.’

Rebus thinking: there’d be a split-second after they let go ... A moment in which to break free. The tape wasn’t the strongest he’d seen, but there was plenty of it. Maybe too much. He flexed his chest against it, felt no sign that it would break.

‘Here we go,’ Tarawicz said. ‘First the face ... then the genitals. You mill tell me, we both know it. How much bravado you want to show is up to you, but don’t think it means anything.’

Rebus said something behind the gag.

‘No point talking,’ Tarawicz said. ‘The only thing I want from you is a nod, understood?’

Rebus nodded.

‘Was that a nod?’

Forcing a smile, Rebus shook his head.

Tarawicz didn’t look impressed. His mind was on business. That was all Rebus was to him. He aimed the wire at Rebus’s cheek.

‘Let go!’ The pressure on Rebus fell away. He pushed against his bonds, couldn’t budge them. Electricity flashed through his nervous system, and he went rigid. His heart felt like it had doubled in size, his eyeballs bulged, tongue pushing against the gag. Tarawicz lifted the cable away.

‘Hold him.’

Arms fell on Rebus again, finding less resistance than before.

‘Doesn’t even leave a mark,’ Tarawicz said. ‘And the real beauty is, you end up paying for it from your own electric bill.’

His men laughed. They were beginning to enjoy themselves.

Tarawicz crouched down, face to face. His eyes sought Rebus’s.

‘For your information, that was a five-second jolt. Things only start to get interesting at the half-minute mark. How’s your heart? For your sake, I hope it’s in good condition.’

Rebus felt like he’d just mainlined adrenaline. Five seconds: it had seemed much longer. He was changing strategies, trying to think up some new lies Mr Pink might believe, anything to get him out of the flat ...

‘Undo his trousers,’ Tarawicz was saying. ‘Let’s see what a jolt down there will do.’

Behind the gag, Rebus started screaming. His tormentor was looking around the room again.

‘Definitely lacks the feminine touch.’

Hands were loosening his trouser-belt. They stopped when a buzzer sounded. There was someone at the main door.

‘Just wait,’ Tarawicz said quietly. ‘They’ll go away.’

The buzzer sounded again. Rebus wrestled with his bonds. Silence. Then the buzzer again, more insistent now. One of the men went for the window.

‘Don’t!’ Tarawicz snapped.

Buzzer again. Rebus hoped it would go on forever. Couldn’t think who it might be: Rhona? Patience? A sudden thought ... what if they persisted, and Tarawicz decided to allow them inside? Rhona or Patience ...

Time stretched. No more buzzing. They’d gone away. Tarawicz was beginning to relax, focusing his mind on his work once more.

Then there was a knock at the flat door. The person had got into the tenement. Now they were on the landing outside. Knocking again. Lifting the flap of the letterbox.