Whether Ewan could hear or not, he made no reply or movement.

‘That’s not all I know,’ Stuart hissed. ‘Ross Campbell told you where he found the coins, didn’t he? Tell me where they are. Tell me!’

No response. The patient seemed to be a billion light years away, floating in another galaxy.

Stuart said, ‘If you won’t tell me, then by God I’ll make damn well sure you never wake up and steal it for yourself.’

He raised the carving knife. Pressed its sharp carbon steel tip against the soft flesh of Ewan’s neck.

Ewan didn’t move or make a sound. Stuart’s fingers clenched the knife handle tightly. His mouth felt dry. All he had to do was push the blade in. He wondered how it would feel to kill. Would the blood spurt all over him, or would it just gush out like water from a hose? How long would McCulloch take to die?

Do it!

Then the room door suddenly opened, and the light came on.

Stuart whirled around, whipping the knife out of sight behind his back. His eyes widened in shock and alarm at the sight of a female doctor standing in the doorway, who appeared just as startled to see him standing by the patient’s bedside. The name on her tag was Dr Fraser. She said, frowning, ‘You’re not supposed to be in here. Why did you turn the light off? Who are you?’

For an insane moment, Stuart contemplated attacking her and stabbing her to death. ‘Sorry, wrong room.’ He stumbled towards the doorway and pushed past her and back out into the corridor, keeping the knife hidden. He broke into a run as the doctor came after him, yelling, ‘Hey, stop! Hold it right there!’

Stuart kept running. He saw a door on his left and batted through it. Dashed along another corridor and down a flight of steps, nearly knocking over a young guy in an orderly’s uniform who was coming up the other way. Stuart reached another door at the bottom of the steps and pushed through that one too, and turned right and ran. Three doorways later, he’d somehow managed to give his pursuer the slip. By pure luck he found a fire exit. The cold night air chilled the sweat on his brow as he hurried around the side of the building towards his parked car. His heart was pounding hard and his breath billowed like a steam locomotive.