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“I mean we were both concerned what would be used to subdue the specimen: the tranquillizers or your revolver!”

Davey choked a little on the words he was about to say.

“Yes, everyone knows about your revolver,” Kelvin said, turning around. “However,” he looked at Martina here, his voice becoming stern. “Nobody really thought youwoulduse that. I know you are not one to give way to panic. We really were concerned for your safety – rightly so as it happened.”

Davey paused for a moment before puffing out his cheeks, shrugging and letting himself collapse back onto the sofa.

“Well, there you go then,” Steph said, sipping her drink and grimacing. “The lion was probably waiting for him to get out and got him as soon as he did. I doubt Daniel even considered it was close by, what with us having gone looking for it.”

“What do you mean by ‘waiting’” Kelvin asked.

Steph considered her next words.

“I have no definitive evidence, save for Fergus, but I suspect that the lion has not learnt this overnight.”

“Go on…”

“I mean I suspect that the lion has stalked individual people and started to learn patterns. I don’t think it would learn the patternsof individuals exactly – although that is not out of the question – but more general patterns of human behaviour in its environment. Once it had decided that we were a prey animal, it then set about testing what it had learnt. In very simple terms, once we are out in the open, we are an easy target. It would not have known Daniel would step out of the buggy, but once he did,he was easy prey. More so because of his leg.”

Steph knocked back her drink. Did she really think that? Probably. It was just that she had not thought about it until she said it. She had essentially given voice to it at the same time the others had. It made sense. Certain pressures pushed animals to hunt humans, and there were certainly pressures for the animals in this place.

“Well, maybe this is all something to keep in mind,” Kelvin said. “Whatever the case, we need a new plan.”

A new plan. Steph knew that this would include not involving the police. Not just yet. Kelvin would want more time to regain the illusion of control, tightening it under his fist.

“We can discuss it in the morning,” Kelvin continued. “For now, let’s just get to bed. We all need some sleep. No sensible decisions are to be made now, and we owe it to Daniel to ensure his legacy is not in vain.”

Steph smiled to herself and shut her eyes. Legacy. A word consolidating, potentially, what Kelvin thought was important in all of this.

TWENTY-SEVEN

Steph was awakened the next day by the light slanting through her curtains. For a brief moment she had forgotten why she felt so tired. But then her head began to whir into life. She swung her legs out of bed and sat for a while, simply contemplating. She had no idea what the day would hold for her, nor what the decisions of others would be. What she did know was that she needed to take hold of some sort of direction for herself. She was quite aware that she was allowing herself to be buffeted around by circumstance. She needed her own direction again. She needed clarity.

Why was she here in the first place? Because of the death of the boy. Why had she taken a job with Kelvin? Because of the boy? Partly. But if she was honest with herself, it was also because she had a chance to be part of something that had the potential to be big. Even if unsuccessful it would be big, and that might be enough to soothe that spiky feeling that her parents weren’t impressed with her.

She rubbed her eyes. They were still sore with the longing for a bit more sleep. She shook her head and tried to think. No direction came. She was nothing more than an undercover journalist. She was no field biologist. Just another person looking for a story to tell about others because she couldn’t write her own. She put a pin in finding clarity for the time being and left the room.

There was a quiet in the house downstairs. Steph had something to eat but saw nobody else. In the circumstances it was unnerving. With little or no idea what to do with herself and all plans of studying the surrounding man-manufactured ecosystem having been thrown out the window, she went looking for people. Even Martina would do. Her first thoughtwas to take herself to the small warren of concrete corridors below the house, but upon walking past a window she heard raised voices. She looked outside. Davey was sitting on an upturned crate, his back hunched. To the side of him stood Roger. In front of him – one with his arms crossed and the other gesticulating angrily – were two more men that Steph had yet to meet. The one with his arms crossed was tall and thin – he reminded Steph of an old maths teacher she had once had. The other was slightly shorter and stockier, his face ruddy. Out of curiosity, Steph went to investigate.

She was worried she might be too late to hear anything of interest by the time she had navigated her way outside, but the firm, elevated voice that met her as she rounded the corner of the house said otherwise.

“What exactly have you been doing?”

“Nothing that you don’t already know; we’ve been through this!” came Davey’s tired response. This sounded like a different Davey. A tired and deflated Davey.

“Well, what does Kelvin intend to do about it?”

“I told you! I don’t know! I’m not his spokesperson.”

“Aye, well, you’re close enough to him to know his mind though, aren’t you!”

“Oh, hello dear!”

Sensing an opportunity to take some of the tension out of the situation, Roger turned and drew attention to Steph’s arrival.

“Come and take a seat; up you get, Davey.”

“No, it’s all right,” Steph replied. Davey was already up. Steph, to her surprise, had already begun to sit before she had even finished suggesting she wanted to stand.