Gasping to snatch in some air, she looked back to see who or what had hit her. There was a black man of medium height standing there, gold chains at his neck; he was wearing a designer suit that clashed with his muddy Wellington boots. She knew him straight away. Ludo. One of Harlan’s crew. And . . .

oh shit

. . . he was pointing a small snub-nosed gun at her. He gave a grin with startlingly white teeth and shook his head.

‘Well, ain’t you led us a dance, little Belle.’ Then his face scrunched up and he winced as he stared at the scarring on the left side of her face. ‘Oooh, those damned things did tear at you, didn’t they? Did a right job on you, girly.’ Then he shrugged. ‘Not that it’s goin’ to bother you much where you’re goin’.’

‘Ludo . . .’ Belle started to get up again.

He shook his head. ‘Nah, nah, nah. Stay right there, on your knees. Ugly bug like you, this is almost a kindness, wouldn’t you say so? Now, hands behind your head and just keep looking away there, Belle, and soon all this will be over.’

‘Ludo, don’t. Whatever he’s paying you . . .’ said Belle, grasping at straws, at anything, because he was going to do it, he was going to kill her right now.

‘What, you’re offering better? Hard to see how. Nah, Belle. Stay there and stay still. Let’s not make this any harder than it has to be, yeah? I am doin’ you a favour, sending you off to the angels – they won’t care about the scars or anything like that. One minute, and you’ll be out of it.’

‘Wait!’ Belle gasped in a breath. ‘Ludo . . . my mum. What did he do with her?’

Ludo winced. ‘You really want to know that? Well, it was quick. The same way this is going to be quick. I ain’t no Harlan Stone. I’m a nice man. A good clean shot to the head, then it’s done.’

Belle felt his words sink into her like knives. So Mum really was dead. She felt a wail of grief and rage building in her, threatening to escape.

‘And my dad?’ she managed to say.

‘Finished that myself,’ said Ludo.

‘How?’ demanded Belle, her voice cracking with strain.

‘Garotte. It’s quick and it’s clean.’ Ludo thought about that. Well, fairly. There’d been some bleeding from the neck, of course. Cheese wire cut deep. And there’d been a lot of blood when they’d cut the body up in the bath. But he was a nice guy; he would spare her those details. ‘Merciful, see? That’s me.’