Chandler looked around the table. Where once he might have been able to judge loyalties, the exertions of the last few days had blinded him. He found it hard to tell if Tanya, Jim and Nick retained enough faith in him as a leader to believe his accusations. Luka was a lost cause.

‘We made a false step. It’s time to recover,’ said Mitch, teeth gritted slightly.

‘And it’s up to you to lead that recovery,’ said Chandler.

Mitch paused then ushered Chandler to the side, keeping his voice low. ‘I didn’t want to have to remind you, Sergeant, but remember, I write the report on this. You already let Gabriel go once, it’s easy to believe you let it happen a second time.’

Chandler took a deep breath. ‘When did you become such a bastard?’ As he said it Chandler realized that Mitch had always been a bastard. The selfishness had always been there, even in his teens. The badge had only released the maniac within. He reworded his question, ‘When did you start throwing everyone under the bus?’

Mitch wasn’t riled. The thin smile suggested that he might have even taken it as a compliment. ‘Your career’s going nowhere, Chandler, not after this, not after details are leaked of how you – and your team – had the killer and let him go twice. So I suggest that if you – and they – still want to have a job after this is over, get out there and feed the dogs the story. How would it look to a judge if Sarah and Jasper had a single dad with no income?’

The urge to punch that smug, sanctimonious face was overwhelming. Chandler glanced across the office to the rest of his team. He didn’t want them going down with his ship. Jim had his elderly parents to support, Tanya her three kids. Nick was only starting out and Luka . . . well, he would be just fine. Any clone of Mitch would survive like a cockroach in an apocalypse. Plus, Mitch was right; losing his job would hand Teri the advantage.

Biting the bullet, he stepped out of the front doors. Camera flashes blinded him as the reporters’ questions tried to pierce his armour, the floodlights framing him. Trying to compose himself he raised a hand. The questions died down.

He relayed the current situation to the gathered horde. He repeated their standard description of Gabriel and pleaded that people call the police rather than approach him if seen, before finishing with an appeal for the public to remain indoors.