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Reid called out. ‘The number’s one-two-three-four. I’ll be here when you’ve finished. Don’t be long.’

Poe punched in the code and heard an electronic click. He opened the door.

He was hit by a putridness the likes of which he’d never smelled before. It coated the inside of his nostrils and overpowered even the smell of petrol. Faeces, urine and vomit competed with sour sweat and rancid bodies. It was the stench of misery and death. The floor of the central corridor was wet with a brown liquid.

The smell worsened as he entered the cell corridor. There were five cells on either side and Poe looked through the thick glass observation windows without seeing anything except the remnants of long and unpleasant stays.

They were all empty.

CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

Poe climbed back out of the lorry and took a deep breath. He marched round to the front of the building and tried the front door. It was locked. He attempted to force it but only succeeded in hurting his shoulder.

‘The children. Where are they?’ shouted Poe.

‘You know they’re descended from evil?’

Oh God . . . What have you done? ‘Where are they, Kylian?’

‘They’re fine, Poe. They’re staying at the Whinfell Forest Center Parcs with a friend of mine. I checked in this morning and they’re having a whale of a time. They think their mother arranged it all.’

Whinfell Forest was about three miles from Carleton Hall, Cumbria police’s headquarters building. Unless Reid was lying, they’d been under everyone’s noses all that time. While they’d been checking the airports and ferry terminals, they should have been checking the swimming pool.

‘I’m texting Flynn.’

Reid nodded.

As he typed, a thought occurred to him. ‘Their photographs were circulated. What if they’d been recognised?’

‘Do you know what they look like?’

‘Of course.’

‘How?’

‘I’ve seen the photos . . .’ Poe trailed off. ‘You swapped them. You told Gamble you’d get the photographs from their mother and you swapped them when they came in.’

‘At the minute my colleagues are looking for two American kids I pulled off Facebook.’

‘So—’

‘So why bother taking them at all? Why not leave them both at Seven Pines?’

Poe nodded.

‘I needed to get you up here. I thought you’d probably come on your own regardless if I asked you to, but the children guaranteed it.’

Poe had been played again.

‘You’ll have questions,’ Reid said.

‘Why am I here, Kylian?’

‘How much do you know now?’ Reid asked.

‘I know that four boys were supposed to die after that charity auction but only three did. I know the fourth boy somehow escaped and has been taking his revenge.’ Poe continued. ‘So, do I keep calling you Kylian or would you like to be called Mathew again?’

Reid nodded. Tears had begun running down his face. ‘Mathew Malone died that night. I’m Kylian Reid now.’