‘Fuck,’ Duggan muttered and walked the circumference of the grave until he reached the spot nearest Kelly. With the toe of his shoe, he pushed the body sideways, causing it to slide fully into the grave itself. He stood, gun held steady, and fired off three shots in quick succession, each one thudding into the body.

‘Get the stones on top of him,’ Duggan said. ‘There shouldn’t be anyone about, but the shots could be heard for miles; we need to hurry.’

Tony stared at the body, the blood pooling round the hollows of each rib, then trickling down the side. Kelly’s face lay against the soil, his mouth open and pressed against the earth.

‘Hurry up,’ Duggan said. ‘And you, girl, snap out of it. Get those clothes burned, then cover over the scorch marks. We’ll all need to get rid of what we’re wearing soon as we get home. A hot wash – everything, even your pants and shoes. Hot as you can get it.’

Tony stared at him, at the easy manner in which he had shifted into practicalities. He looked across at Karen, watched as she turned to look at Martin first, then at him. He saw something in her expression change, her features grow impassive, her eyes lose focus a little. She took the bag in one hand and lifted the petrol can with the other, then set off through the trees.

‘Get moving,’ Duggan said.

Tony followed him, lifting the stones Duggan had gathered earlier and dropping them down onto the body. He struggled with one of the more awkwardly shaped ones and dropped it into the grave only for it to strike Kelly’s leg and fall onto the grave floor.

‘Get that fixed up,’ Duggan said.

Tony tried reaching down with his foot to move it, but the depth of the hole and the weight of the stone made it impossible. Reluctantly, he dropped down into the grave and lifting the stone, laid it across Kelly’s legs. He inadvertently touched one limb and was surprised to find the flesh warm, mobile. He laid his hand on the dead man’s muscles and felt he should say something, a prayer, some Last Rites. He muttered a Glory Be as he traced the sign of the cross with his thumb. Then he climbed out, as Duggan began piling the earth on top of Kelly.

It took them almost twenty minutes to fill the hole. The work became easier once the whiteness of Kelly’s skin had vanished beneath the first layers of dirt and Tony no longer had to face directly the consequences of his actions.