The door was answered by a woman, which was something else Louise had not expected. She was quite a bit older than Louise, maybe fifty-ish, with her dark hair showing streaks of grey. She was tall and slim and still attractive in a rough sort of way, but very casually dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, braless and shoeless and with prominent nipples showing through the cotton of her top. She silently looked Louise up and down and then, as if satisfied with the merchandise, thrust a bundle of notes at John.

'Thanks.' John told her. 'This is Louise; I'll collect her at midnight.'

'No problem.' The woman replied, turning...