‘All right! I hold my hands up, I did that. And that fool Beezer, I did him too. Things were getting old. Getting tired. Charlie’s reign was done, you know that. It was time for me to take over and Beezer was just one of the casualties of war, I guess.’

Belle pulled out the gun and pointed it at him.

‘You sent Ludo and Nipper to find me and kill me,’ she said.

‘You’re not going to use that. Look – you made me angry, Belle. You know you shouldn’t make me angry. You were mine. You know that.’

Belle shook her head. ‘You killed my parents.’

‘I told you. They were the old guard. And if you hadn’t been so fucking obstinate I wouldn’t have harmed a hair on your head. You know I wanted you. You know what a good team we’d make.’

She stared at him, her eyes cold. ‘Don’t kid yourself. And anyway – I’ve been busy, Harlan. Pulling your manor apart. Me. You think you’re a dangerous man to upset? You don’t know a damned thing. Watch and learn, you arsehole.’

Harlan’s eyes were fixed on the gun in her hand. ‘So that’s it? You’re going to shoot me?’ He shook his head and laughed. ‘Nah. You won’t do it. You and Milly, you’re just girls. No danger to anybody except yourselves.’

‘You think so? You’re wrong. You killed them too, didn’t you. Charlie and Nula.’

‘I told you. They were getting in the way. I had plans for the manor. Big plans.’

And then Belle saw something move.

Something big.

157

‘Harlan . . .’ Belle’s words caught in her throat. Her eyes were fixed on what was stirring right there behind him.

Shit, that thing’s massive . . .

He must have heard something. Maybe a twitch of ancient muscle in the instant before the biggest caiman moved. Harlan’s head whipped down, and back. He staggered forward a step, his foot slipping on algae-slimed rocks. A cry escaped him and then the caiman lunged, very fast, its jaws opening wide.

Harlan was knocked backward into the water and as fast as an express train the caiman was in there too, grabbing him with ferocious teeth, yanking him under. The waters of the big pool thrashed and boiled and Belle stood there frozen.

Suddenly, Harlan’s head broke the surface.

‘Christ, help me, Belle!’ His eyes were wild with fear.

The thing was rolling, dragging him back under. Over the din of the waterfall and the roaring of the water as man and beast fought, she thought she could hear something else. Then she realized what it was; it was Harlan’s bones, snapping like pistol shots as the caiman shook him in its jaws like a dog worrying a rat.