She takes off her sunglasses and hangs them on the front of her loose T-shirt, exposing smooth, milky skin. I stare, open-mouthed, as she plonks the hat on the table, slides the dark wig off her head and shakes her own shorter blonde hair loose. ‘Surprise,’ Carrie says, grinning. ‘Nice laptop. I used to have one like that, but some fucker stole it.’ Her Scottish accent is back, and it’s dripping with venom.

‘You’re … you’re supposed to be dead. I—’

‘That’s right, Violet. Don’t make a scene, now. Christ, you took your time. I thought for a minute you weren’t going to come over.’ She leans across the table, whispers, ‘You thought I was dead. You didn’t check though, did you? I woke up in the stinking boot of that Lada, face pressed into your man Sergei. I’d thought he was decent at the party, but he was a right shady fucker, as it happens. You did me a favour sorting him out, so I thank you for that, although you did take your time, to be fair. You let him get his filthy cock inside me before you caved in his skull. He wasn’t so good-looking after being launched off that balcony, I can tell you that.’

I lean back from her, shocked. Unable to take it in. ‘I didn’t push him. He … he fell.’

‘Course he did. Just like I did when I tried to stop you from pushing him or battering him to a pulp with that lamp. Hit my head on the bedside cabinet. Even I thought I was a goner. You know you’re meant to check breathing as well as pulse?’

‘I … uh…’ I can’t get the words out. ‘He carried you downstairs. Out the fire escape. I took your bag … well, it was my bag, as it turned out – Ivan was grabbing things and tossing them in. I got confused with all the commotion. Didn’t realise until I woke up later. Anyway, I took it and walked past reception with it. Shorts on, sweatshirt hood up. Not hard to pass myself off as you. I knew the receptionist wouldn’t be paying attention…’

She rolls her eyes, mocking me, and it lights the touch paper.

My shock soon morphs into embarrassment and anger. I ball my hands into tight little fists. I don’t like to be made a fool of. My voice is cold, flat. I need to deal with this now. ‘I assumed Ivan would’ve made sure.’