As if he’d read Norah’s thoughts, he turned to look at Grimm’s motionless body. Then he looked at Norah again.

‘I said something similar to you once before, do you remember?’

‘What?’

‘That we’re not so very different, you and I,’ said Balder.

He looked at her, sizing her up, and Norah began to feel that she was getting to the root of things.

‘Do you remember what else I said to you that day?’

There was a glint in his eyes. Whatever he was about to say, he’d clearly been looking forward to saying it for a long time.

‘I said that women like you always try to convey an impression of superiority. You think you’re better than everyone else. But you’re not.’

He laughed softly, then grew serious and leant forwards to whisper in her ear.

‘You’re not,’ he repeated. ‘Just look at yourself.’

He leered into her face. Then he took a step back—and another, and another, and another, as if to view his work in its totality. He wasn’t in any hurry, but stood and looked at Norah, who was standing motionless. Eventually, he picked up his top hat and dusted it down. He spread out his arms and took a slow bow. When he’d straightened himself, he set the hat on his head, smiled at Norah and turned to leave, retreating into the darkness beyond the floodlights.

Norah gripped the gun so hard that the metal cut into her hand.

‘You made one mistake,’ she called after him.

Balder stopped and turned slowly, eyeing her with a combination of curiosity and amusement.

‘Oh, did I?’

‘Yes.’

‘And what might that be?’

‘Your brilliant orchestration leaves me standing in front of you with a loaded gun in my hand.’

Norah raised her arm and aimed the gun at him. Balder coughed out a laugh.

‘There was only one bullet in the cylinder,’ he said.

‘How do you know I didn’t add more?’

Balder bared his teeth.

‘You’re bluffing. That revolver is extremely rare. Where would you get hold of—’

Norah shot into the air and the grin vanished from Balder’s face.

‘You’ve stalked me, intimidated me, manipulated me,’ Norah said. ‘You broke into my flat. You made me panic and then pressed a loaded gun into my hand. That wasn’t an experiment. You had a clear goal. You wanted me to kill Arthur Grimm. Here. Today. Supposedly of my own free will.’

Balder raised his fleshy hands placatingly.

‘Say it,’ she demanded. ‘Into the camera.’

‘The cameras were switched off ages ago,’ Balder muttered.

‘No,’ Theresa said. She’d been standing in the shadows all this time, listening to everything, her phone pointed at Balder. ‘The cameras are on.’

Balder looked at her aghast.

‘What the hell—’

‘You got me to plant a real gun on her,’ said Theresa. ‘Fuck you, Balder.’

‘You sneaky little bitch,’ Balder shouted at her. ‘You won’t be going anywhere in life, I can tell you. I shall make quite sure of that.’