Aaron and Hawkins left the car and walked casually along the boundary, heading away from the factory’s main entrance, leaving Amala to watch the gate. Light mist swirled around them, creating halos for the street lights, obscuring the far end of the road. A distant buzz indicated how close they were to the moderately busy junction, but Dock Road terminated at the river, and seemed to house few functioning trades, so there were no other pedestrians or cars.

The wall around the industrial unit continued unbroken as they rounded a bend, also maintaining its seven-foot height – tricky for both of them to scale. And strolling in through the front entrance was risky, in case Mardell’s crew was guarding it.

They needed another way in.

They kept walking as the corner sharpened, taking them along the back of the unit. Hawkins paused behind the building, telling Aaron to stay quiet, but nothing could be heard from inside.

She moved on, scanning ahead. After the next bend, the wall continued for another fifteen yards, before turning again to follow the road south once more.

There was no break.

Hawkins swore, realizing that they would have to risk using the main entrance.

‘Come on,’ she said, walking back the way they’d come. The site’s footprint was relatively small, but without being able to see over the wall, there was no way of knowing what they’d be faced with until they got inside.

Instinctively, Hawkins turned and crossed the road, to see if a wider angle provided a better view of the site. The first thing that emerged above the wall was the narrow end of a steep gable roof, tall enough for two storeys.

Aaron followed, starting to ask her something, but she shushed him, having noticed something else. ‘Look at that.’

The sergeant caught up and stopped beside her. ‘What is it?’

Hawkins pointed upwards. ‘There are trees on the far side of the wall here.’

‘I guess the place hasn’t been used for a long time. So what?’

She looked at him. ‘So if I go over the wall there, the trees will hide me from anyone watching.’

‘Oh. Right.’

Hawkins glanced up and down the road, making sure there was still no one around. ‘Come and give me a leg-up.’

They returned to the base of the wall, and Hawkins clambered up on to Aaron’s clasped hands, pausing to add, ‘Once I’m in, go back to the car and wait with Amala. I’ll take a look around and let you know what to do.’