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Avril slipped off her dress and looked at herself in the mirror. Not bad for thirty-four, going on twenty-nine. She took a tissue out of her bag and slowly removed her lipstick. All-nighters never liked lipstick. She then unscrewed the top of a small bottle of Chanel No. 5 and put a dab behind each ear. She finally pulled up her stockings and, after one more look in the mirror, convinced herself she was ready for the car salesman from Coventry.

As she opened the door, she put on her sweet girlfriend smile, only to find the punter had put his jacket back on and had even picked up his umbrella.

‘Changed your mind, honey?’ she said, sounding disappointed.

‘No,’ he replied, as he touched a tiny button on the handle of the umbrella. It didn’t open up, but a long thin blade with a serrated edge shot out of the tip. Avril froze.

The stranger lunged forward, and with one single movement, thrust the blade between her second and third rib, a hit worthy of an Olympic swordsman.

Avril let out a piercing scream as she fell back and hit the floor with a thud. He let go of the umbrella, quickly grabbed a pillow from the bed, knelt down and held it firmly over her mouth. She tried to put up a fight, but within moments her head fell back and she lay motionless on the floor.

The stranger checked her pulse to make sure she was dead. Satisfied, he spent the next few minutes removing any suggestion that he’d ever been in the room. Once he’d double-checked everything, he walked slowly across to the door, opened it and looked up and down the corridor. No one was in sight.

He switched off the light, stepped out into the corridor, pulled the door closed, and headed for the staircase.

•••

‘A quickie,’ said Ross, when he saw the light on the seventh floor go out. ‘She’ll be disappointed, but at least it means we can have an early night for a change.’

Ross’s eyes never left the front of the hotel as he waited for Avril to reappear, so that he and Rebecca could drive her home. He was just about to call William and tell him that the back up team could stand down when the man in a three-piece suit strolled out of the hotel.

‘Gloves,’ said Ross.

Rebecca turned to face him. ‘What’s the problem?’

‘He’s wearing gloves,’ said Ross, his voice on edge, ‘and where’s the umbrella?’

‘He’s probably left it in his room.’

‘That’s the problem – it washisroom, not Avril’s.Sheshould be going home, not a man wearing gloves without his umbrella.’ Ross had already unfastened his seat belt and was getting out of the car when he said, ‘Follow him, Rebecca, but remember he’ll be looking out for you, so keep your distance.’

Rebecca got out of the car and slipped into the shadows, while the suspect lengthened his stride as he made his way towards Hyde Park Corner. He looked back, but she just kept on walking.

‘Red alert,’ shouted Ross over the radio as he began running towards the hotel.

William responded immediately.

‘We need AC1 and AC2now,’ said Ross. ‘Rebecca is following the suspect and will keep you briefed.’

Ross pushed his way through the revolving doors of the hotel, causing the man in front of him to arrive in the lobby far more quickly than he’d anticipated.

Ross dashed past him towards the lifts and jumped into one just as its doors were closing, joining three other guests. He jabbed the seventh-floor button, and prayed the other three had a higher calling. But the lift stopped on the fourth floor, where two of them got out. He pressed the close button, but the lift continued on at its own pace, stopping again at the sixth to allow the only other guest to depart.

When the doors finally opened on the seventh floor, Ross leapt out and began running down the corridor, past room 70, 72, 74, coming to a halt outside 76. He banged on the door with a fist, while pressing the bell with his other hand, but there was no response.

He stood back and charged at the door, but unlike in films, it remained resolutely closed. He was about to try a second time when the lift door opened and out stepped a waiter, pushing a drinks trolley.

Ross grabbed the trolley from the startled waiter.

‘Sir,’ he protested.

‘Police,’ shouted Ross, as he propelled the trolley towards the closed door with the same result, except that several bottles ended up on the floor.

Ross pulled the trolley back a second time when the waiter quickly joined him. Together they hurled the trolley towards the door, which loosened its hinges, but was still only half open. Ross pushed his way through the gap to find Avril lying on the floor in a pool of blood, a sword sticking out of her chest, a blood-soaked pillow by her side. He fell on his knees and took her in his arms.

The waiter fainted.

•••