‘Right. Let’s do this.’ Melissa pulled Louisa back out of the grave, both of them collapsing at the edge, their breathing rapid, chests heaving. Louisa’s hands were blistered, but thankfully the skin hadn’t broken. She rubbed them gently together, wincing at the sharp pain. The hardest part was yet to come. They had to get Oliver, carry him in, carefully roll him into the grave, then pile enough earth over him and make sure they compacted it so it didn’t look as though the grave had been disturbed.

With the boot up, Louisa took the head end, Melissa the other. With a coordinated effort they tried to lift Oliver’s body up and out. They moved it an inch or so, but no more, dropping him back down, the car rocking with the weight.

‘Shit!’ Louisa turned her back on him, sitting on the edge of the boot. ‘We’re not going to be able to do it. All that digging, and dragging him from the common beforehand, my arms are numb – I haven’t got the strength.’

‘We have to. There’s no choice. We’ll try both taking the leg end and move that part out first. Come on.’

The effort to get him out of the boot, then carry him to the grave was so great that it came as a relief when they got him to the edge and the burden was released. It would only take one more heave to roll him into the deep hole. Louisa’s adrenaline had got her this far, and she knew once it wasn’t needed, she’d crash.

‘After three?’

‘Yep, after three,’ Melissa agreed. ‘One …’

‘Two,’ Louisa said, preparing herself.

‘Three,’ they said together.

Louisa pushed the top end and as she did, the mac covering Oliver’s head slipped off, exposing his pale face, his wide-open eyes. She let go, muffling a scream with her hands. Luckily her push had been enough, and together with Melissa’s, gave the force needed to propel the body into the hole.

‘Calm down, Louisa. We’re on the home run.’

‘I can’t believe you’re making light of this. Don’t you feel any remorse? Any ounce of guilt?’

‘No. And after you’ve recovered from tonight, once you get your life back on track, nor will you. You’ll go over all that he’s done to you, to Helen and me, and will be glad we did this.’

‘Maybe.’ Louisa shone the light down inside the hole to make sure he’d fallen right. The glare of the light catching his eyes made the whites shine as though an ultraviolet light was on them. It was freaky. ‘Let’s hurry up and cover him, shall we?’ Louisa sank to her knees and began pushing some earth into the grave with her hands.

‘It’ll be easier with the shovels?’ Melissa said, her voice full of sarcasm.