When Roy next opened his eyes, the light in the room had changed – it was less bright. He saw a large window over to his right, with a view out onto buildings. Dusk had fallen. He was dizzy; it felt as if an entire workshop of panel beaters was bashing away inside his skull. Someone was holding his right hand. He turned and saw Cleo sitting at his side, smiling at him.

‘Hi!’ he said.

‘My darling, my poor brave soldier. How are you feeling?’

It took him some moments to process the question. How was he feeling? Like shit. It was all starting to come back now. Curtis Esmonde. Monica Stokes. He’d gone through the kitchen, down into the cellar and unlocked the door. Then he was here.

Wherever here was.

He heard another familiar voice. ‘I’m sorry, boss. Shit, I’m so sorry.’

Unshaven, hair tangled, in jeans and a grey Pink Floyd T-shirt, Detective Sergeant Jack Alexander smiled down at him, sheepishly. He looked tired, with hollow rings around his eyes. ‘Thank God you’re OK, boss – I honestly thought I’d killed you.’

‘So it was you! You obviously didn’t hit me hard enough!’

Jack blushed and looked even more sheepish.

‘Where the hell am I?’

‘You’re in hospital in Nantes, darling,’ Cleo said. ‘You’ve been here overnight.’

‘Overnight?’

‘I’m really sorry, boss. I didn’t realize it was you when you came into the cellar. I thought it was one of those bastards.’

‘What about Noah, Bruno, Kaitlynn? Are they safe?’ Roy asked.

‘All good,’ Jack told him. ‘Thanks to you – less thanks to me.’

‘The doctors think you should be OK to leave later today,’ Cleo said. ‘Depending how you’re feeling. They want to do another brain scan, just to be sure.’

‘Yeah, they couldn’t find it last time, boss,’ Jack said.

‘Haha!’ Roy replied, weakly. And was pleased to see Cleo grin.

‘And then we go back to the chateau?’ he asked.

‘Happily, not,’ she replied. ‘It’s all sealed up as a crime scene.’

‘Some holiday this, eh?’ Roy said.

‘The local police here have been wonderful,’ she said. ‘They’ve found us a gorgeous country house hotel, with a big pool and loads of luxury. Kaitlynn is there now with Noah and Bruno.’

He was slowly starting to feel more human, but he had a raging thirst. ‘Water – could I have water?’ He struggled to sit up.

‘I’ll do it!’ Cleo said. She picked up a remote and pressed a button. Immediately the back of the bed began to rise, until Roy was sitting almost upright.

Cleo held a paper cup to his lips, and he drank the cold water, gratefully.

‘So, tell me,’ he said, ‘what happened after Jack decided to play baseball with my head?’