It’s coming through the letterbox, her voice.
‘Hello,’ it says. ‘Mr Millard? Dan? Nicole? You still in there?’
Before Nicole can cry out, Adam fastens his hand over her mouth.
‘I got a message you tried to reach me from here, Nicole. Are you in here?’
Adam and I look at each other. If he lets Nicole go, she will cry out. If he doesn’t let her go, Huhne will come in.
‘Go to the door,’ he mouths at me. ‘Open it, tell her Nicole has gone.’
‘She won’t believe me,’ I say. ‘She’ll want to come in, do a search.’
‘Just tell her through the door, then.’
‘She’ll force it down. They’re close, her and Nicole. And DC Huhne thinks I … thinks I did stuff.’
‘Nicole, can you shout out if you’re in there, please? Otherwise I’m going to have to force an entry.’
Adam looks at Nicole, at the knife, at her belly.
‘Take the knife,’ he orders me.
I take it. I wonder if I should be wearing gloves. Too late now.
Keeping one hand over Nicole’s mouth, he pulls up her top to expose her bump. Then he takes the knife back from me, and places it on the bump, blade against skin. I hear Nicole take in breath, see her body stiffen.
‘Still got that motherly instinct, hmm, Nic? Defender of the unborn, just in case there’s a chance you can survive?’ She doesn’t reply, but I can see he is right.
‘Very noble,’ Adam continues. ‘So, what we’re going to do, Nic, is untie your hands, but your ankles will still be tied to this chair. Then Dan is going to go to the door, while I stay here, beneath the table, with the knife held just here. And then I’m going to take my hand away from your mouth, Nic,’ says Adam, so softly I have to strain to hear. ‘And when I do so, you’re not going to scream. You’re going to say, very loudly and firmly, ‘It’s okay, DC Huhne, I’m here and I’m fine. I’m through here.’ He presses the knife harder onto her belly. He pierces the skin. ‘A little bit of acting. Okay?’ he asks.
She nods her head slightly.
‘And when DC Huhne comes through here, you’re going to say everything is fine, and you’re not going to give me away, are you? You’re going to say that Helen was killed by accident. Okay?’ More pressure from the knife. She nods.
Outside, DC Huhne is still hammering on the door.
Adam applies the knife firmly to Nicole’s stomach. He takes his hand away from Nicole’s mouth. She doesn’t scream. Satisfied, he takes his place under the table. His altar. He is completely hidden by the voluminous tablecloth. Then, presumably after more pressure from the knife, Nicole calls out, ‘It’s fine, DC Huhne. Dan’s coming to let you in.’
‘And what do I say about the fact I’m covered in tea?’ Nicole asks quietly.
‘Nothing,’ says Adam, from under the table.
‘And what if I say to Dan that I’ll tell Huhne about the girl in the flats if he doesn’t tell her everything?’ asks Nicole.
The answer is her wince and silent exclamation. The knife is doing its work.
I walk along the corridor as I’ve been told.
‘I couldn’t find the keys,’ I shout, jangling them around. You can hear keys on the other side of a door. I know, from Feltham.
I wonder, when I get to the front door, if back in the dining room Adam is concerned whether his trust in me is well placed. Or his trust in the knife.