She reminded herself of Sabih’s advice that she shouldn’t be so paranoid, and tried to convince herself these changes had nothing to do with her, but deep down she knew they did. Ben had told her she was connected to him, but she couldn’t see how, and that blind spot tormented her almost as much as the question of what had really happened to Elizabeth Asha.

Harri shut the door and moved to the room opposite, the one Elliot had been sitting in when he’d asked her if she believed in ghosts. It might once have been a dining room. There was a small fireplace set in the opposite wall, but there was no other furniture, just stacks of books and papers arranged on the floor. Harri ran the detector around the space, but it registered nothing.

She went down the hall to the living room, which was near the front door. There was a sofa, some shelves with photographs of the Ashas, and yet more papers scattered on a Persian rug. On top of a pile of papers was an iPod and a set of headphones. Harri heard the tinny sound of something playing through the earpieces, so she picked them up and put them on.

She recognized Ben Elmys’s voice instantly.

‘Your challenge will be to live through the sacrifice. It is greater than you can possibly imagine. You will give all of yourself and more. People will call me evil for what I will do to you, but they don’t know the truth, and you must trust that I have acted for the greater good. When you’ve lost faith, and all seems broken, the last beacon of hope will break the rock of despair.’

Harri shook her head in dismay. What was Elliot Asha listening to? It sounded like gross religious raving, the brainwashing of a cult.

She prepared to listen to more, but her heart stalled and she shrieked when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Chapter 24

Harri stumbled back and almost fell over a pile of papers. She turned to see Ben Elmys. He stood, blocking the door, looking hurt, offended even. Behind him, Elliot Asha wore an expression of puzzlement. Harri’s heart raced and she fought for composure.

‘What’s she doing here?’ Elliot asked.

‘Good question,’ Ben replied. ‘What’s the point of telling me to stay away from you, if you can’t keep away from me? You told me not to invade your home, but here you are. I should really call the police, but they’re already here, along with some other meddlers you’ve drawn into this.’

Harri backed towards the window and glanced over her shoulder to see Ben’s Land Rover had been joined in the driveway by a blue BMW 3 Series. When she looked round, Ben was only inches away from her and he leaned in far too close for comfort.

‘One day you’ll realize you’ve been wrong about everything, and you’ll wish you could take it back. But you can’t. Your path is set. Just like mine. You don’t understand. None of you understand.’