So he felt huge relief when, earlier that day, he had got the call that Novak’s phone and bank card had been used in Ealing. He’d phoned Branko immediately with the news and was fervently hoping they’d get him.

His mobile phone rang causing him to jump out of his daydream.

‘He wasn’t there: no one seen him, not even the owner. Are you wasting our time?’ Branko growled down the phone.

‘All I know is what I’m told. His card was used, his phone was switched on, and it was for you to find him.’

‘I’m not interested in your fucking excuses, piggy! Find out where he is or you’ll be fucking sorry. We know where you live, we know everything about you. Find out now or your life collapses.’

‘I tried my best, I tried everything, I promise.’ But he realised he was talking to a dial tone.

His face crumpled and he began to weep, his shoulders heaving, tears spilling through fingers that covered his eyes.

He rubbed his hands through his thinning hair and sat up straight. He looked up at the line of commendation certificates and photographs on his ego wall in front of him. ‘For dedicated and resourceful leadership in a complex murder enquiry.’ The photograph of himself shaking hands with the Commissioner a few years ago on his Senior Command Course. All would be for nothing if he couldn’t locate Novak. He’d need to think of something new.

17

Tom lay on the bed in his room, his eyes closed but not sleeping as he contemplated the events of the past few hours.

The test at the café had shown that they had access to his bank accounts and, in all probability, his mobile phone and cell site data.

As always, the basics of an investigation came to the front of his mind.

Motivation: either financial or duress?

Opportunity: who could it have been?

How was it done?

From what Tom had seen of Michael Adebayo, he easily had the necessary finances to bribe a corrupt police officer. He and the Brankos may also have had enough dirt on someone to coerce them into doing their bidding. But who was in a position to access the SD card, tap phones, access bank accounts, and obtain a brand-new warrant card for a hit man?

It had to be someone senior who not only had serious influence, but also had knowledge of ongoing major crime investigations. So probably a senior detective. Probably more than one person, as the processes for obtaining all that information were handled by very different departments.

Intercepts were usually handled by the National Crime Agency, account monitoring by financial crime units, and phone data by a single point of contact for each force or agency. Who could access all those disparate agencies?