After switching the radio off, Gorman sat for a moment in the dark car, listening to the torrential rain that was driving down all around him: rain on the road; rain on the top of the vehicle; rain on the hood; rain in the dark forest that began just a few meters away. He took a deep breath, savoring the relative calm as he looked over at the house on the other side of the road. All the lights were off, which made sense: it was gone 10pm and the Hillard family were clearly asleep. He hated to wake them, but he knew he had no choice. Finally, with a heavy heart, he double-checked his gun and his hat before taking a pain-killer and then opening the car door.