‘Yes,’ she said, scrolling through the digital information on her screen. ‘As we always do, we’ve been tracking the financial trail, and I’m very pleased to say we may have a breakthrough. Our devious crime lord has been very careful to hide his tracks, and he’s done it very ingeniously – but we may have found a crucial chink.’

‘Yes?’ Branson said.

‘We’ve found a bank account in the Seychelles which appears linked to the company LH Classics. The Seychelles used to be completely secretive about all financial transactions, but recently they’ve had a policy change and are now cooperating with government agencies over money laundering. They’re sending us over statements showing all transactions since the account was set up. It’s interesting to see there are numerous cash payments originating in Brighton going into this account.’

‘Nice work, Emily!’ the DI said.

‘Thank you.’

Branson’s mobile rang. He glanced at the display and when he saw who it was from, Aiden Gilbert of Digital Forensics, he raised an apologetic hand. ‘This might be something of interest, excuse me a sec,’ he said to the team and answered it. ‘DI Branson.’

‘Glenn,’ Gilbert said. ‘I thought I’d call you right away. I’ve just had the cell-site analysis report back from the phone company for the burner with Starr’s prints all over it. It’s quite interesting.’

‘Yeah?’

‘We’ve a plot of the phone’s movements for the ten days since it was activated, and a log of the calls made on it. The day before we know that Starr took the car and trailer across the Channel, en route to collect the Ferrari, he visited a location in Brighton, where he spent just over an hour. Cell-site doesn’t usually enable us to pinpoint an actual building in cities, but there were two phone calls made, over the next four days, to a firm located within the area pinpointed.’

Branson sat upright, excited. ‘Yes? You have its name?’

‘Yes, it was simple. I rang the number and the switchboard answered.’

‘You’re a star! What’s the firm?’

Gilbert told him.

As he heard the name, Glenn beamed. ‘Brilliant, Aiden,’ he said. ‘Just brilliant!’

‘Yes?’

‘Christmas has come early.’

13

Friday 30 November

Six million pounds’ worth of cocaine seized, and along with it the Ferrari, taken apart at Newhaven Port, every panel of its bodywork, every pillar and post dismantled, some of it opened up like a tin can – violated – by Fire and Rescue officers using tools more normally used for cutting victims out of wrecked cars. All thanks to the dumb greed of a one-armed minion he’d thought he could trust.