His eyes had taken on a glassy look, the way that religious zealots can appear when they hear of God’s everlasting love. A new fear gripped me. Erskine looked momentarily untethered from his sanity.

‘Higher purpose?’ I asked. ‘You sound like Walt. This was what got him kicked out …’

‘No,’ he snapped. ‘No, he chose a better path. A righteous path.’

‘I don’t under—’

The word was lost in a sudden burst of gunfire. Six shots, too quick to be from a single gun, and all emanating from the dark house just over the lip of the field.

‘Shit,’ snapped Erskine, rolling onto his belly and grabbing for the rifle. ‘Cordelia, stay down, stay down …’

But I was already up and running.

Running towards the gunfight.

The only higher duty that mattered was saving Flick.

FELICITY

Transcript 0028, recorded December 1, 2016

I can’t be sure that what I’m telling you is going to be exactly right, I’m afraid. I’ve tried to be as honest as I can and if I’ve got myself carried away or missed something out or said it in the wrong order, just put it down to my age and the fact that I’m doing my best. This next bit – the last of it, I suppose – is mostly guesswork, if I’m honest with you. My head was all over the place, you see. I don’t know how to describe it. You must have had a good old knock to the head once or twice in your life and maybe you’ve had bad ears when you were little – that feeling you get when your whole head feels as though it’s been stuffed with damp rags and you can’t hear or breathe properly. Well, imagine that and multiply it and throw in the fact that my head was ringing as if it was stuck in a coal scuttle and you might get a bit of an idea what I was experiencing and why all of the memories are a bit of a muddle.

I’ll just tell you the scraps of it, shall I? I mean, I see you there with your mouth open, looking a bit of a silly sod, and I can tell you don’t know whether I’m pulling your leg or senile or giving you the story that will make you rich and famous. I know that look. Being friends with Cordy, you get to see that look on people’s faces more often than most. What’s the word? Is it incredulity? Hark at me, eh? Incredulous – aye, that’s how you look. So I’ll just get on with it and you can decide whether you believe me or whether I’m half daft.