There was only one choice left. The bathroom. Turning towards the open door, she caught a glimpse of him in the hallway. He was standing, hands by his sides, stripped to the waist and smiling. He was stock-still and just staring at her. Down the right-hand leg of his jeans there was a large dark splatter of what she presumed must be blood. Crabby’s blood.

Everything seemed to happen very quickly after that.

‘Nice of you to drop in.’ He lunged forward.

But before he’d finished the sentence she was through the bathroom door. She slammed it behind her, praising God and all the saints – none of whom she believed in – that there was a key as she turned it through ninety degrees in the lock.

And then he started hammering on the door with his fists.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

‘It’s down there.’ Jo was gesticulating wildly.

‘That’s what you said last time.’

She glared at him. ‘Trust me. It’s this one. I remember it. Right!’

He hauled the steering wheel round.

She was shouting to make herself heard above the sound of the siren, ‘Down at the end, left-hand side.’

He gestured towards the hands-free on the radio again. She hit the button.

‘All units in the vicinity of Compton Street. Officer seeking assistance. Code 1. Repeat, Code 1. 46 Compton Street.’

The cars were tightly parked down both sides of the street.

Suddenly, Jo yelled and pointed, ‘That’s Clare’s car. There!’

The little blue Fiesta was parked up neatly by the kerb a few doors down from number 46. There were no parking spaces. Stone jammed his foot hard on the brake, bringing the car to a screeching halt right outside of Fuller’s house. He flung open the car door. Climbing out and slamming the door behind him, he stuck his head back through the open window and screamed at her, ‘Stay there!’

There was zero chance of that happening. Jo shot out of the car, tracking Stone’s every footstep to the front door.

He turned to look at her. ‘What did I tell you?’

She said, ‘What can I say? I’m a bad listener.’

‘Jesus!’

He turned back towards the door and crouched down, pushing at the flap of the letter box to hold it open. ‘Fuller, Fuller. Are you in there?’

No reply.

Jo was squatting down behind him. ‘What’s that banging noise?’

He turned to answer but before he could reply over her shoulder he caught sight of a pair of uniformed officers climbing out of their car. He waved them towards him. ‘You two. Over here. And bring the battering ram.’

Within seconds the two were standing beside them at the front of the door.

Stone yelled, ‘Out of the way!’

Jo stepped back into the weed-choked front garden. Stone yelled at her again to stand back. This time she complied, shuffling backwards against the thigh-high garden wall.

Stone ordered, ‘No. Right back. Out of the garden.’