THIRTY-SIX
The boot was empty. Northcote leaned forward and saw the gaping, damaged partition – his prisoner’s escape route.
‘You won’t find me in there,’ said a voice behind him.
David had not expected Northcote to react with such speed and violence. He had thought that the shock of finding the boot empty would have confused his captor and therefore slowed his reactions.
But this was not the case.
Swiftly and with a nimbleness that belied his size, Northcote swung round on the balls of his feet with great alacrity and lunged at David with the knife. To his dismay, David was the one who was caught by surprise and although he pulled back swiftly and dodged sideways in an attempt to avoid the sharp blade, he was not quick enough to go beyond Northcote’s reach. The knife pierced his shou
