Tom walked quickly down to the rear door of the police station and used his warrant card to swipe into the building. He quickly covered the corridor, glad that the station seemed quiet. He nodded at one uniformed constable who was hurrying out of the nick, clearly responding to a call by the general chatter he could hear from the personal radios.

Tom ascended to the second floor and walked along the corridor, directly to the office with the laminated sign taped to the door: DCI Taylor.

Tom grabbed the door handle, twisted it, and walked in without knocking.

Taylor was busy studying his computer screen but looked up with a slight start when he heard the door open. Unused to the lack of a knock, he was clearly preparing for a rebuke at whoever the visitor was.

His face registered shock as Tom strode confidently into the room, shutting the door behind him.

‘Tom,’ the DCI spluttered. ‘You’re safe! Thank goodness. Where have you been? People have been so concerned.’ The look of concern on his face was genuine but Tom knew it wasn’t concern for him.

Tom said nothing but walked slowly to the chair in front of his senior manager and sat down, not taking his eyes off the man for a second. His dark, almost black eyes seemed to bore right into Taylor’s soul.

‘Tom, people have been looking for you, you must know this, and I’ve had all sorts of resources out looking—’

‘I know what you did, Simon: you and your friends. I know it all.’

34

‘Tom, what on Earth? I’ve no idea what you’re talking about!’ Taylor stammered, his lips quivering, and a sheen of light perspiration dotting his top lip. Fear shone out of his eyes like a beacon and his shoulders slumped.

‘Shut up, Simon. I know all of it. I know you’ve been blackmailed by the Brankos and Adebayo. I know you got Albrechtsen to steal the SD card from Ilford. I know that you got Gareth Jones, your mate from the NCA, to bug my phone and intercept my banks. I know about your taste for little girls, you sick, fucking pervert. I can forgive all of that. I know Branko and Adebayo pushed or paid you to do it all.’ Tom paused a moment, his eyes firmly fixed on Taylor’s pale and weak ones.

‘But, Tom, I—’

‘Shut up, Taylor,’ Tom yelled in a fair impression of a rage that he didn’t really feel, but he wanted Taylor to think he was unhinged and dangerous.