‘OK, keep me informed.’ Vaughn studied the ceiling for a moment before addressing all three of them. ‘One advantage of my current workload is that I was only halfway home when I heard about your antics, but I still don’t appreciate being dragged back to my desk at nine thirty in the evening. Try not to make a habit of it.’ He let his understated caveat hang, then dismissed Aaron and Amala, who voiced muted thanks and slid out of the room.

‘Look,’ he said, once the door had closed. ‘You know I admire your approach, Antonia, mainly because it’s dangerously similar to my own, so we’ll say no more about this. But I can’t have you riding roughshod over protocol, especially when it involves subordinates who haven’t earned as much slack as you.’

Hawkins raised her hands. ‘I appreciate your position, of course, but we saved a life tonight, and potentially several more now these people are in custody. The whole thing’s about to unravel; I can feel it.’

Vaughn’s eyes narrowed. ‘I’ll take your word for that. Just promise me one thing …’

‘Don’t worry, sir.’ She smiled. ‘The rest of this case will be conducted strictly by the book.’

47

Views and Booze didn’t take long to find.

The newsagent and off-licence was clearly visible from the other side of the road, sandwiched between a snooker bar and a beauty salon, with neatly hand-written chalkboards and a large window poster declaring it ‘No ordinary offy’.

Hawkins drove onwards, forced by the road layout to go five hundred yards past the shop to make a U-turn on to the long row of busy parking spaces set back from the main thoroughfare. She dove into the first available gap and killed the engine, checking the time: seven thirty. She sat for a moment, staring across the A5 at the beaming frontage of Fone City, wondering if it was too early to disturb someone who had been subject to major distress less than twelve hours ago.

Probably.

She sighed and glanced around, catching sight in the rear-view mirror of a smartly dressed man carrying a large Costa cup.

She’d originally aimed to reach Colindale by eight, allow fifteen minutes to locate the shop and park, then find somewhere to have a coffee, maybe even breakfast, allowing her intended interviewee a lie-in, to sleep off her grisly experience.

Unfortunately, emptier-than-anticipated roads meant she’d arrived half an hour early, while more good luck meant she’d spotted the shop straight away, and found a space. Now here, Hawkins realized she wasn’t hungry at all, and that she’d rather get this interview out of the way. She needed to talk to the people they’d arrested the previous night.

Time for a change of plan. The girl probably hadn’t slept anyway, and some positive action from the police might even help her recovery.