‘Yes. The thing is, you don’t want a long enquiry and a court case hanging over you, when you’ve got other things to do. Think of all that blasted paperwork, the time you have to spend hanging around outside a courtroom. What’s the point? Is it any better now? No, I can see from your faces that it isn’t. Worse, maybe? I bet you know exactly what it’s like. Once your collar number is on a job, it’ll be round your neck for months, or years.’

‘Derek Sutton committed an assault. What about punishment for his crime? What about the concept of justice?’

‘That’s exactly what it was,’ said Palfreyman. ‘Jack Elder got the justice he deserved.’

‘Was it him who was responsible for the incident with Jo Brindley, too?’

‘Yes, of course. Nasty bugger, Jack. Derek Sutton did us all a favour.’

‘Are you sure Derek was responsible for the assault?’ asked Hitchens.

‘Yes, he admitted it.’

‘Did he have injuries? Scraped knuckles? Blood on his clothes?’

‘Why does it matter?’

‘I just like to get the details accurate, sir.’

‘Yes, we all have to deal with liars, don’t we?’

Hitchens looked up, surprised. ‘Sorry?’

‘You’re asking me all these details to try to catch me out in a lie. I know the technique. That female DS you sent the other day, she bragged about being trained these days. But don’t you find it difficult to have to go through life assuming that everyone is lying to you? Don’t you ever experience trust? Can’t you tell when someone knows what the right thing is to do?’

Neither Hitchens nor Cooper could answer the question. It was rhetorical, surely? Cooper couldn’t think how you would know that. Everyone’s ideas of ‘right’ were different, just as their concepts of justice varied.

Palfreyman sighed at their expressions.

‘God help us. Let me tell you something. There was an incident when I was a young bobby, only two years in, so I was just qualified. You know, nothing actually marked the passing of your two years’ service then. It was supposed to be such a milestone for a new copper, but all I got was a pep talk from the commander, and a quick handshake. The only celebration I can remember is having to buy cakes for the rest of the section. Then we got this misper report. You’ve been working through missing persons on this case, I dare say?’

‘Of course.’

‘Aye. Well, this was a small child that was missing. Three years old, she was, and the parents were screaming the place down. We were FOAs, me and my mate. While he talked to the parents, I made a floorboard check, like you’re supposed to do when you’re sent to a misper report. Especially as it was a child.’