‘I’ve been through this once with Petra. This isn’t important. Tony’s what matters now.’ Carol reached up and turned off the water again. ‘Could you pass me a towel? And maybe help me out of here?’

Marijke leapt to her aid, wrapping her in one of the fluffy bath sheets that hung on the rail. ‘I don’t understand what’s happening.’

Carol closed her eyes, exhausted with the effort of standing in the shower. ‘I need to sit down,’ she said. Marijke steered her to the toilet. ‘Get me some clothes from the bedroom, would you? I can’t face going in there just yet. It’s across the hall. Jeans and a sweater, underwear, whatever. I’ll explain, I promise.’

While Marijke was gone, Carol managed to make a reasonable job of drying herself. She could hardly bear the pain when she tried to towel between her legs. She didn’t want to think about the damage Radecki had done to her. There would be the rest of her life to contemplate that.

Marijke came back with an armful of clothes. ‘You don’t just want a dressing gown?’ she said.

‘I’m going out,’ Carol said wearily.

‘I don’t think so,’ Marijke said. ‘You don’t stand properly.’

‘I need to be there,’ Carol said. ‘Will you help me dress?’

‘OK. But you tell me what’s going on, please.’

Carol groaned. ‘It’s a long story. And I don’t know all of it.’

Marijke squatted down and started to put Carol’s socks on. ‘So make a start with what you do know.’

Chapter 38

38

The TV company had clearly devoted all their lighting budget to their studios, Petra thought. If any public car park had been this badly lit at night, the customers would have complained it was a mugger’s paradise. Still, she supposed, it was safe enough, given how hard she’d found it to get past the security guards on the gate. If Kamal had been heading for a live TV appearance and not the GeSa, Marlene would never have got to him.

She pushed the search button on the radio, irritated by the inane phone-in that had just started. What was keeping Radecki? The programme must have finished a good fifteen minutes ago. Surely he hadn’t stopped to have a drink with the presenter and his fellow guests? He couldn’t have left already; at night, the only way out of the building was via the back entrance and the car park. Besides, from where she was sitting, she could see Radecki’s black Mercedes with the unmistakable profile of Darko Krasic behind the wheel.