“Because she couldn’t have been sure what she was seeing.” I was answering so as to clarify the truth in my own mind. “She was when she’d spoken to Miss Dennison again,” I said. “She knew you and my aunt’s man were related somehow.”

“Her ideas weren’t as imaginative as yours, then.”

“They were close enough for you to want to silence them.” My mouth was growing unwieldy with rage again. “She recognised your eyes,” I managed to pronounce. “And my God, the last thing my father said, he was starting to tell me you were there in the car.”

“You really think you heard enough to say that was what he meant.”

“How would you know how much he said if you weren’t there?”

A silence admitted it had no answer. By now the room was so dark that I could scarcely make out Bella’s shape. Another surge of fury left me struggling to say “That’s why you were so ready to get together the second time, because you knew they wouldn’t be meeting us. Christ, you even said you’d been feeling you should meet them when you already had.”

“Tell me this, Patrick. If I’ve silenced all these people, why haven’t I silenced you?”

“Because you’ve made certain nobody will believe me.”

“Then perhaps you should trouble yourself less and leave me to finish my mission.”

“I’ll leave you alone if you leave my family alone. I will if you finish it by yourself.”

“I regret that isn’t feasible. Besides, I’ve grown rather attached to your son.”

When I dug my nails into the arms of my desk chair I didn’t know whether I was trying to contain my rage or preparing to launch myself at my visitor. “Parasitic, you mean.”

“Can you truly not appreciate how much I’ve given him? He does, you know. You should ask him.”

“I’ve seen how much you’ve taken. He’s so weak I had to open a door for him.” At once I realised “You were there in the dark, weren’t you? You saw.”

“You do seem bent on blaming me, Patrick. It’s those beneath the earth that feed on your energy. You felt cold where they were, didn’t you? That’s how they draw on you to help them to return.”

“And you’re using Roy to make them.”

“They have to be vital when the relic is collected for my purposes. We won’t be making many more excursions, so do try to content yourself.”

“Content.” The word came out of my mouth like spitting. “I won’t be that until Roy’s rid of you,” I said.

“You shouldn’t force me to protect myself again, Patrick.”