Even in the middle of the day, it’s dark inside the warehouse as I walk towards the doorway at the back of the space where I see Tariq waiting, amidst a couple of old rolled-up carpets.

‘Safe, Isobel,’ he greets me once I am within greeting distance.

‘Tariq,’ I smile.

‘Come in.’ He indicates towards his office – a windowless room furnished with a desk, a chair and nothing else but a single calendar lining the wall.

‘Business or pleasure?’ he asks, pouring me a glass of water.

‘Both,’ I say and he raises his eyebrows.

‘There was a stabbing at the 29 bus stop opposite my flat—’

‘I heard.’

I pause. ‘OK, that’s a good start. I need a bit more about the gangs involved.’ I raise my hand before he can object. ‘Nothing on record, obviously. Just a bit of background. There’s no way anyone could ever trace it back to you. You know how it goes.’

After his usual insistence that he has nothing to offer, Tariq won’t shut up. As far as he is concerned, it’s inevitable that as one group starts to take precedence, challenging the existing power, then there will be war.

By the time he’s told me everything he knows about ongoing tensions in the estates around Somers Town, nearly an hour has passed.

‘That’s all I’m saying. If it’s not this beef, it’s some next beef. That’s what it is on them estates. It never ends. Same thing round these ends, except here it ain’t the Asians, it’s some next level beef. You know me, I’m no racist, but seriously, it’s too much. Now you look round, it’s all Albanians, Romanians. I’m telling you, you don’t even know about that. These Eastern Europe mans are aggy.’

He looks up, as if suddenly aware of how much he’s said. ‘Anyway, the other thing. How much?’

‘A half,’ I say and he nods. ‘Isobel, man. You smoke too much.’

Chapter 19

Gabriela

They spent Easter before she was due to return to work at Tom’s parents’ house in Edinburgh, in their two-up two-down, which had clearly not been touched since 1973.

‘We’re only staying two nights,’ Tom reminded her under his breath as they piled out of the estate car Tom had finally upgraded to, and made their way up the path, her carrying Callum, Sadie holding Tom’s hand as if for dear life.

Though she had been dreading this trip and the prospect of playing happy families with Graham and Elsie – envisaging the rations of overcooked lamb before After Eights on the sofa with a highlighted copy of the Radio Times – in the end she rather enjoyed the change of scene. Knowing, as she did, that she would be starting a new role the week they got back, working under Madeleine’s leadership, Gabriela felt a tension lift.