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‘Down on your knees. No sudden moves, alright?’ Smallwood said, his voice almost a whisper. He was trying to sound calm, but Caroline could tell he was shitting bricks. That wasn’t ideal — not when he had a gun in his hand.
‘What’s this all about, Howard? Why the gun?’
‘Why not?’
‘Because it doesn’t fit. The clues. The little remarks. You wanted us to find you, didn’t you?’
‘I wondered if you would. It doesn’t mean I wanted you to, though.’
‘So what was it? Was it the challenge? The thrill of the chase?’ Caroline knew that as long as she kept him talking, she’d be delaying things, giving the firearms officers more time to get to Oakham from Leicester. She didn’t want to die. Not here. Not now.
‘If you like.’
No, no, keep talking. Keep talking.
‘Did you break into my house tonig
