Button tapped the photograph of the woman and child. ‘His family,’ she said. ‘And human rights legislation.’

‘But he lied to get into the country. He said he was an asylum seeker when he wasn’t. Then he switches horses midstream and marries a Somali woman with German nationality and gets her pregnant despite the fact that she’s ugly as sin and twice his weight.’

‘It’s the law,’ said Button.

‘But at any point Five could have told the UK Border Agency or the Home Office who he is and had him sent home.’

‘Five doesn’t work like that, Spider,’ said Button. ‘We don’t reveal our files to immigration tribunals.’

‘I think a quiet word in the right ear might have helped, don’t you?’

‘And then a lawyer starts demanding to know where information about his client came from? That would be a can of worms that we wouldn’t want opening.’

‘We still have D notices, don’t we?’

‘Not for criminals, we don’t. For terrorism and national security, yes. But not for criminals like Crazy Boy.’ She smiled sympathetically. ‘I understand exactly what you’re saying, Spider. And I’m in total agreement. But we have to follow the law. If we start bending or breaking laws simply because we don’t agree with them, where do we end up?’

‘Anarchy,’ said Shepherd. ‘That’s what I’m expected to say, right? And no one in their right mind wants anarchy? But really, Charlie, I don’t see that anyone would choose to be in the situation we’re in with scum like Crazy Boy. They break the rules when they feel like it and cry foul when we trespass on what they see as their human rights.’

‘Please don’t tell me that life isn’t fair, Spider, you know how I hate it when you do that.’ She sipped her tea. ‘So, do you want to hear what the job is?’

‘I’m all ears,’ said Shepherd. ‘I’m assuming that you want me to go undercover, is that it? With a peg leg and a parrot on my shoulder?’

‘Leaving aside the fact that you’re the wrong colour, the pirates don’t trust outsiders,’ said Button. ‘But Crazy Boy doesn’t operate like the other pirate groups. Most of them tend to prowl around and seize whatever ship they come across, but we believe that Crazy Boy has started targeting specific ships, based on who owns them and what they’re carrying. We’re pretty sure that he’s getting inside information from at least one London-based company. That’s where we want to use you.’

‘Why me, Charlie? Sitting at a computer all day isn’t what I do best.’

‘It’s undercover, Spider, and no one does undercover better than you. And no one’s better than you at spotting who’s wrong.’

‘You flatterer, you.’