“And knowing no one will put up with my proclivities, that’s enough for you now, is it.” He tucks his hands into the pockets of his coat. “You’ll be able to live with yourself, when even one person turns up dead with familiar modus operandi.”

He rocks back and forth on his heels in the snow. “I was right about one thing when I thought you were imaginary. You can’t walk away from me here.”