Callen said quietly, ‘Commander, I appreciate your point but in slightly over twenty-four hours, Lockland and Parrish collectively have murdered one officer, severely sonicked another, stolen a pod, triggered a radiation alert and probably shot and killed two more officers.’

‘You know,’ murmured Luke to Max as they stared at the screen, ‘no matter how many times I hear it, it never sounds any better. And Jane’s out there all on her own.’

‘Just a little longer,’ she said. Something complained from floor level. ‘Sorry, Grint. I’d forgotten about you. Did I stand on you?’

‘I want to see,’ he said. ‘Help me up.’

‘Not bloody likely,’ said Luke.

‘I want to see.’

‘Let’s take a leaf out of Jane’s book, shall we?’ said Max, brightly. ‘Clever girl, our Jane.’ She bent down and addressed Lt Grint. ‘Do you promise not to try to escape?’

He regarded her with utter disbelief. ‘What?’

‘Do you promise not to try to escape?’

‘You have got to be kidding.’

‘OK. Stay where you are, then.’ She turned back to the screen.

‘All right. All right.’

They heaved him to his feet, cut his ties and brushed him down.

‘Just in time for the good part,’ said Luke.

Jane, meanwhile, was reviewing the last few months of her life and coming to the conclusion that wrecking her grandmother’s seagull had probably been the high spot if only she’d had the sense to realise it at the time. She stood silently while arguments raged around her, trying to keep alive her little flame of optimism but it’s hard to be brave when what looks like every weapon in the world is being pointed at you by people just waiting for an excuse to use them. She wondered if closing her eyes would help.

‘Enough,’ said Commander Hay, raising her hand. ‘We are all still waiting to hear what Trainee Lockland has to say. Lockland – report.’

‘I didn’t kill Smith.’ She swallowed and blushed because this was the shameful bit. ‘I found a knife by the body and I thought it was Parrish’s so I tried to dispose of it. I didn’t say anything because I thought it would give him time to get away.’

She waited in case anyone wanted to comment but there was only silence. And not a good silence, either.

‘We . . . escaped . . . to Ancient Rome. The date of Caesar’s assassination, because everyone would be there and we could hide our pod among the other signatures.’

‘That was my idea,’ muttered Luke to Max. ‘I’m the one who deserves credit for that. She’s not telling it properly. There should be more me in it.’

‘Major Ellis, Lt Grint, Anders and Farrell tracked us down. They were persuading us to give ourselves up. I . . . I left for a moment.’

‘What for?’

‘To find a spot from which to ambush us,’ shouted Anders.