‘Who’s there?’ Adrian called out, unsure if he wanted the answer. If Finn was on the ground and Parker was strapped to the chair next to him, then who the hell could it be? It certainly wasn’t police, they would have announced themselves by now. He hoped he wasn’t right about it being the final professor come to finish Finn off.

Adrian squinted as a flurry of light appeared; the candle had fallen and ignited the curtains. It got very warm very quickly. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the sudden brightness before he spotted the figure once more. It was Abbey. Her yellow maternity dress was soaked in blood and she stood over Finn Blackwell with the knife in her hand. He wasn’t dead and Adrian watched him reach for his knife with his free hand, stretching his fingers out across the carpet, his other hand clutching at his face. It was possible she had been aiming for his throat, but she had sliced him across the cheek. Half a Chelsea smile. Blood gushed from his face. He moved his hand and the skin gaped open, revealing his teeth and gums, the part you never see. The contrast of Finn’s bright blue eyes next to the blood was all Adrian could focus on. His stomach turned at the flaps of skin hanging from Finn’s face.

Abbey stamped on his wrist as he made a move for the knife. He tried to grab at her ankle with his other hand, but she kicked it away.

‘Cut my restraints, Abbey. I’ll take care of him,’ Parker said. There was a softness in his voice, a tenderness.

‘No time,’ she replied.

With one deft move she swiped the knife across Finn’s throat and the blood sprayed across all three of them. Finn stopped moving, his face frozen into a startled grimace. Parker seemed as shocked as Adrian for one brief moment. Abbey rushed over and cut the last bit of tape that was holding Parker’s arm down. He took the bloody knife from her hand and cut the other hand free, then bent down and cut his legs free. Parker wrapped his arms around Abbey, oblivious to the man bleeding out on the floor, a black slick pooling beneath him.

‘Cut me loose,’ Adrian said.

‘I can’t,’ Parker replied.

‘What do you mean you can’t?’ Adrian said, aware that they were running out of time as the flames licked at the walls of the living room.

‘Not now. There’s only one person in the world I care about, Detective Miles, and given what you just saw there is no way I can release you. I can’t let you arrest my wife.’

‘You said you wouldn’t hurt me. Burning alive seems pretty painful to me.’

Parker considered for a moment. ‘I need to get Abbey to safety. I’ll hand myself in, but we need to let Abbey go.’

‘No! You can’t! I need you,’ Abbey cried.

‘It’s time, Abbey. After everything I’ve done. I never wanted to change you. Maybe it’s better if I stay away, I don’t want our child to turn out bad. Look what I turned you into.’