‘I’ve got a meeting booked with the Foreign Office this afternoon,’ the commissioner said when they’d finished. ‘They’ve taken an interest in the formula for Compound P. I see the Home Secretary after that: he’s in a hurry to weed out any wrongdoing and release a statement to the press. He’s making one concession, and it was on the basis that I confirm the scale of involvement with private business. That is that Charlotte Cross will be stripped of her damehood and arrested at home rather than at work, pending questioning. The prime minister is being briefed later today. Good work, you two. Carter, I suggest you get back to London. Porter, there’s a job for you at the Met if you want it.’

‘Thank you, ma’am, I’ve already left once. I’m quite happy where I am, thank you.’

They ended the call.

‘I think that means you can go home,’ Kelly said.

‘I’ve already looked: there’s a train at just after 1 p.m. to Euston. I’m glad I came to see where you hang out.’

‘Can I buy you an early lunch before you go?’ she asked.

Chapter 62

‘Compound P has the potential to change the modern world. It could save millions from the misery of substance abuse and destroy drugs cartels overnight, destabilising economies reliant upon that trade. But therein lies the problem. A drug with the power to transform one of the richest countries on earth into the poorest could become a bargaining chip for those who have wanted control over those regions for decades. And the cycle of abuse is thus transferred from the impact of addiction on modern society to the subjugation of whole countries. Who wins?

‘Well, the politicians of course. And Big Pharma.

‘The cost of producing the drug, along with the necessary development procedures from review, testing and endorsement, could cost the joint government venture tens of billions of dollars, but the results would surely be worth it.

‘For now, we have been assured that Compound P is being investigated purely for research purposes. Meanwhile, George Murphy and his colleagues can finally be laid to rest. The body in The Lady of the Lake baffled investigators earlier this year, but now the truth behind the development and procurement of Compound P – long George Murphy’s wish – has been revealed.

‘In the latest twist, the five largest pharmaceutical companies in the world have all given public statements about the non-viability of Compound P. They say it can’t be manufactured; that the chemistry behind the formulas being worked on by George Murphy simply doesn’t add up. The human brain cannot be manipulated into thinking it doesn’t desire a substance. However, a Cambridge University professor has controversially stated otherwise. He thinks it could work. The professor was unavailable for comment tonight.

‘This is Tilly Knight, for the BBC’s special edition of Science World.’

Johnny switched off the TV.