Staring at him in disgust, Bailey felt soiled by the intimacy they’d shared. And to think she’d been planning to sleep with him later tonight. She felt like she was going to puke.

Apparently reading her thoughts, he rolled his eyes and emitted a nasty snicker. ‘You probably thought tonight was going to be your lucky night, didn’t you? I can see you dressed up especially. Probably put on some sexy underwear as well.’ He looked away and snorted in condescension. When he looked at her again, he had an expression of disdain on his face. ‘I wouldn’t fuck you. I wouldn’t lower myself. You’re disfigured for one thing. Ugly. And I heard you were raped. And that means you’re dirty. Damaged goods.’

His cruel words cut into her like acid. She felt tears surge up and forced herself to bite them back, but he hadn’t finished just yet.

‘I mean… look at you. You tried to make a real effort and everything.’ He gestured at her dress. ‘But it’s kind of pathetic really. You’ll never be a real woman.’

‘You cunt,’ she whispered.

‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ he said sarcastically. ‘Did I hurt your feelings?’

It was clear as day now that the only reason he’d made such an effort to get close to her had been so that he could work out exactly the best time to betray her. But she’d been so blinded by her insecurities that she hadn’t seen him for what he really was. She cursed her fatal lack of judgement.

He looked at his watch. ‘Anyway, I’ve said what I wanted to say. Got it off my chest. I have to be going now. I’ve got a few loose ends to tie up before the evening’s over.’

‘What loose ends?’ she muttered.

‘Frank, of course. Like I said, he’s been getting a bit too close for comfort. Now that you’re out of the picture that just leaves him for me to deal with. Once he’s out of the way, I’ll be home free.’

‘What are you going to do?’ she gasped, her heart turning over in her chest at the thought of something happening to Frank.

‘I’m going to kill him, of course. And I’m going to frame you for his murder. I’m going to use that gun that you got off the Molloys. That sample you gave me. It has your fingerprints all over it. You know, I never even checked it into the police property storeroom.’ He smiled pleasantly. ‘You’re going to be fitted up in the finest tradition of police corruption. And there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it.’

He reached into his pocket and took out a mobile phone. He held it up and twiddled it in front of her. She recognised it as her undercover mobile.

‘I got this out of your handbag just now,’ he said with a self-satisfied smirk. ‘I’ll have it with me when I kill Frank. When they’re investigating his death, they’ll triangulate the location of this phone and find out, lo and behold, that you were there.’