PROLOGUE

Nothing spoils the sight of a beautiful Christmas tree more than two dead bodies lying underneath it.

The tree itself was magnificent, tall, wide and well decorated, but the victims at the foot of it looked meek and small, and the constricted shape of their bodies was in stark contrast to the sprawling confidence of the pines above them.

The red baubles on the tree matched the colour of the blood that had leaked across the marble floor, while the white tinsel was as pale as the lifeless faces of the man and woman who had lost their lives here.

Discovering this gruesome sight was sure to ruin what was a magical time of year for every one of the people who stared open-mouthed at the Christmas corpses. This was not what this time of year was supposed to be about. It was about gathering with cherished family and friends, overindulging on food and drink to a backdrop of familiar festive tracks and movies. It was a time for mulled wine, eggnog, carol singing, Nativity plays and looking at the stars with childlike imagination for any sign of Santa and his sleigh.

What it was not supposed to be about was death.

But for the unfortunate souls gathered in the sprawling ground-floor foyer of this office in the centre of London, that’s exactly what Christmas meant this year. Soon, there would be police officers, forensic experts and a Scrooge-like detective with several imposing questions. But for now, it was just the dozen employees and the two poor, deceased people beneath the tree.

What had happened to them?Who had killed them so close to Christmas? And why had their bodies been left so dramatically for anyone to see?

It had all begun with a secret gift...