‘What do you want from me?’ His voice was quieter now. More controlled.

‘I am willing to pay a substantial amount of money for someone to take the blood test for me. If I was caught, you see, I would have to tell the police about my accomplice in all this.’

‘Accomplice? What accomplice?’ Tony’s voice was puzzled.

‘Why, you, of course.’ George smiled again. ‘If you hadn’t introduced me to snuff movies, I would never have dreamt of murdering anybody.’

Tony’s face blanched.

‘That was nothing to do with me! I sell movies to loads of people and they don’t go out murdering.’ His voice was defensive. He had visions of Patrick Kelly hearing that the films that had triggered his daughter’s murder had come from him. He’d had one run in with him already. He was hoping to use this knowledge to get back into his good books! Kelly would have his throat cut as soon as look at him else.

‘How do you know that, Tony? How do you know that the men who buy your films aren’t affected by them in the same way that I am? Death excites me, it excites a lot of people, that’s why there’s a demand for your films. I remember you saying they sold like hot cakes.’

He saw Tony’s jaw tighten and played his trump card. ‘I have left a diary of every time I visited your shop and what I bought here. I made it sound as if you were in on the whole thing. If you don’t help me, Tony, and I get caught . . .’ George left the sentence unfinished.

‘I’ve a good mind to fucking kill you!’

‘Oh, now don’t be silly. If I died, all my personal effects would be seen, not only by my wife but by the police as well, I should think. And neither of us want that, do we now?’

Tony Jones saw his half a million pounds disappearing before his eyes. He watched George drink his whisky, taking little sips and then fastidiously wiping his mouth on his handkerchief, and a tiny spark of an idea entered his head. He was going to play George Markham back at his own game.

‘How much can you pay?’

George grinned. This was more like it.

‘One thousand pounds.’

Tony shook his head dismissively. ‘Not enough. Two grand at least for criminal deception.’

‘Criminal deception?’

‘That means parading as someone else. Which is what I would be doing for you.’

‘You’ll do it yourself?’

‘Of course. We’re of an age. I’d need to know some personal things . . . the Old Bill are wily old fuckers when the fancy takes them. You find out what happens at the blood testing and let me know. I’ll work it from there. I’ve not got a criminal record, believe it or not. Never even had a parking ticket. I’ll be George Markham for two grand.’

George held out his hand but was not surprised when Tony did not shake it.