Terry watched all this from his vantage point, twenty yards away behind a tree. He knew this would happen sometime, that Eric would get himself in too deep. Well, Terry wasn’t going to go down with him. He had over a million dollars stashed away in a Swiss bank account for just such an eventuality. Not enough to see him out for the rest of his life, perhaps, but enough to support him on an extended vacation somewhere. Time to go. He slipped off and headed quietly back to the Jaguar and Stansted Airport.
Chris got to his feet, and Megan ran to him. He held her tightly.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she said, looking up at him. ‘Will you forgive me?’
‘Of course,’ Chris stroked her hair. ‘Of course I will.’
She smiled, and buried her head in his chest.
He heard a curse on the ground beside him. Duncan was holding his shoulder.
‘Are you OK?’ Chris asked.
‘I’m alive. But this hurts like hell. And it’s bleeding.’
‘Let me have a look.’ Chris and Megan squatted beside him. There was blood, and Duncan’s face was contorted in pain, but it didn’t look life threatening.
‘What shall I do with this asshole?’ said Marcus, prodding Eric.
‘Keep him there,’ said Chris. He pulled out his mobile phone and dialled 999. The questions and explanations were about to begin. But the insanity had ended.