If that had been hard, pulling himself up into the cavity had been almost impossible without his legs assisting. The next wooden beam was too far away simply to reach out and pull himself forward. Xavier had turned his head to the side to make entry easier and strained inch by inch to get into the gap. One elbow over the joist meant more stability, but he’d had to twist his upper body to achieve that. Then it had been even harder to get the rest of himself into the space.

Fergus had disappeared. There had been silence from below. Elspeth seemed to be unconscious, and Meggy was bound with her face away from him.

‘Don’t lose hope,’ he’d whispered down to them. ‘Not yet. If I can hide until he’s gone again, then maybe I’ll have a chance to get help. Stay strong Meggy, and look after Elspeth.’

She’d given a nod of acknowledgement, accompanied by a sob. Of course, why would she have believed him? There was no one to lower him to the floor to go for help, and no way out if he went back up. It was useless. He’d simply given the girl false hope.

Spreading his arms wide so he could keep his shoulders flat, he’d pulled himself further in. Once he was through as far as his waist, his body weight tipped the balance, and it had become easier. He’d hauled himself all the way into the cavity, hips scraping the top and bottom painfully, legs and feet catching on bones and skulls. Xavier didn’t allow himself to think about the stench.

Echoing blows had reverberated through the floorboards above his head. Shouts, more blows, increasing in pace. The noise of wood splitting, then caving in. And finally, footsteps, right above his head. He’d moved, lizard-like, through the space, keeping his face turned from the little light, knowing that if anyone had looked inside, it would be his skin that reflected. His jeans were dark blue and his top was black. If he could just get into the far corner.

Xavier’s face bumped something. Fabric. He shook it away, bile rising in his throat. He was out of time, and there was nowhere to hide.

He’d pulled the corpse past his face, alongside his body, and sheltered behind it. Wasn’t that the ultimate act of cowardice? Hiding behind a dead woman.

The footsteps had paused near the edge of the hole. Xavier had risked a glance back as a hand had reached in, fingers patting the area until they’d found something, grasped it, pulled it back out. He hadn’t breathed. The darkness had begun to swirl and create its own light before his eyes. Fergus muttering, walking away, stopping, shouting, stamping. Returning to shove his head inside the hole.