Anders was beside himself. ‘Smith, Ellis, Grint – she’s killed them all.’

‘We don’t know that.’

‘We have Anders’s testimony,’ said Callen, quietly. ‘A reliable officer who has never given any trouble. As opposed to Lockland and her team, all of whom have given plenty of trouble and are patently unsuitable Time Police material, as their behaviour has plainly shown.’

‘I’m not clear, Major. What are you saying?’

‘Their apprehension of Henry Plimpton was . . . unconventional, to say the least. In fact, I believe Plimpton has now been returned to the 20th century to continue whatever mischief he was planning. I think it’s no coincidence that Major Ellis was wounded in the Valley of the Kings – an assignment at which Lockland and her team were present. I know that initially we assumed the perpetrator was an illegal, but Farrell was there. Right on the spot and unsupervised during the attack. And now, on his first assignment since his injury, Major Ellis tracks them down and is shot virtually on sight. Closely followed by the attack on Lt Grint. Commander, is there nothing these people won’t do to protect themselves?’

‘You raise a very valid point, Major. As you rightly say, some people will do anything to protect themselves. Let’s see what this one will do, shall we? Lockland – report.’

Jane swallowed hard to get her voice working again.

‘Ma’am. I did not murder Smith nor . . .’

‘Never mind that. I want to hear how you were able to overcome two experienced officers and, apparently, shoot them both dead.’

‘I didn’t, ma’am.’

‘Was it Parrish? Did he carry out the shootings?’

‘No, ma’am.’

‘Well, it couldn’t have been Farrell because I saw the state of him after Parrish had shot him.’

‘My point exactly, ma’am,’ broke in Anders. ‘Not only did they take out their own team leader but they shot a teammate as well. I think we can assume they’d have no difficulty mowing down anyone who stood in their way.’

‘Trainee Anders, can I invite you to compare the relative sizes of Lockland here to . . . say . . . Officer Chigozie, standing next to her. Or the possibly late Lt Grint. Or even yourself. Are you really telling me that Lockland, who, as any number of you haven’t hesitated to remind me, barely clears the height requirement, has apparently overcome two of my biggest and best officers?’

‘She was armed, ma’am.’

‘With what? A thermo-nuclear device?’

There was a pause, and then he reluctantly said, ‘A pistol, ma’am.’

‘And you know that how?’

‘He was there, Commander,’ reminded Major Callen.

‘Ah, yes. Our Mr Anders had plenty of time to identify the weapon before running away.’

‘I didn’t run away,’ he shouted. ‘I returned to TPHQ for reinforcements.’

‘The accepted procedure,’ murmured Major Callen.

‘Of course. Although you appear to have armed yourselves with enough reinforcements to invade a small country.’