But Sarah could barely comprehend his words. She stood, unmoving, her need to protect Elliott forcing her words. ‘Lewis, I know you have your reasons for hating me, but leave Elliott out of this. Please. He looks up to you. He wears your medal. This … this has nothing to do with him.’

‘Get into the wardrobe.’ The words weren’t spoken but growled. Elliott’s safety depended on her cooperation. But Sarah wasn’t giving up her life that easily.

‘How do I know you won’t hurt Elliott?’ The thought of the little boy lying in Robin’s old room crushed her heart. She couldn’t face the pain of losing another child she loved. Talking seemed to be an effort as Lewis spoke between clenched teeth.

‘Because that’s not how the game goes. You shouldn’t have survived.’

‘But you’ve framed Christian for the murders. If you hurt me, they’ll know it was you.’

‘It was never my intention to let Christian go down for this.’ Lewis clenched his gun, flecks of spittle forming in the corners of his mouth. ‘I was just buying time. They’ll know who it was soon enough.’ It was then that it struck her. He didn’t care about killing her because he had no intention of going on. He wanted to die, and to take her with him, just as he believed her father had planned.

Cold steel grazed her neck as he pressed the gun to her head. ‘Get in, or I’ll shoot you as you stand.’ He leered at her. ‘I’ll make it like before. You stand a fair chance. You might even make it out alive.’ She could hear the smile in his voice. The anguished pleasure he was taking from this.

‘You think you’re fixing a blip in history because you’re stuck in a loop,’ she said. ‘My father didn’t kill his family. You’ve got it all wrong.’ The walls seemed to judder around them as the corridors filled with the clicks and chatter of bats.

‘You’re lying!’ he roared, the flame of dancing candlelight reflected in his eyes.

‘The search team found a silencer hidden in the walls of the house,’ Sarah replied. ‘It has my father’s blood on it. The whole thing was a set-up.’ The test results may not have come back, but she knew in her heart it was fact. She turned to face him for a second time. Silence grew wide between them. ‘Please. Don’t do this.’

Sarah watched his eye twitch. A flicker of recognition. ‘I can shoot Elliott, or you can take your chances with the wardrobe. When I get to five, I’m pulling the trigger. One … two …’