Grant got to his feet, walked to the window and stared down into the rain. ‘I wonder what the bloody civilians would say if they knew that tonight we’ve only got five out in the whole of Central Division.’

Brady coughed. ‘There’s always Miller, sir.’

‘Miller?’ Grant said blankly.

‘Detective Sergeant Miller, sir,’ Brady stressed the title slightly. ‘I heard he finished the course at Bramshill last week.’

There was nothing obvious in his tone and yet Grant knew what was implied. Under the new regulations any constable who successfully completed the one year Special Course at the Police College at Bramshill House had to be promoted substantive sergeant immediately on returning to his force, a source of much bitterness to long-serving police officers who had either come up the hard way or were still awaiting promotion.

‘I was forgetting him. He’s the bloke with the law degree, isn’t he?’ Grant said, not because he needed the information, but mainly to see what the other man’s reaction would be.

‘So they tell me,’ Brady replied, a knife edge to his voice that carried with it all the long-serving officer’s contempt for the ‘book man’.

‘I’ve only met him once. That was when I was on the interviewing panel that considered his application for Bramshill. His record seemed pretty good. Three years on the pavement in Central Division so he must have seen life. As I remember, he was first on the spot after the Leadenhall Street bank raid. It was after that the old man decided to transfer him to the C.I.D. He did a year in “E” Division with Charlie Parker. Charlie thinks he’s got just about everything a good copper needs these days.’

‘Including a brother with enough money to see him all right for fancy cars,’ Brady said. ‘He turned up for parade once in an E-type Jag. Did you know about that?’

Grant nodded. ‘I also heard he took Big Billy McGuire into the gym and gave him the hiding of his life after Billy had let the air out of the tyres on the same car. They tell me that Billy says he can use himself and that’s praise from a master.’

‘Fancy tricks, big words,’ Brady said contemptuously. ‘Can he catch thieves, that’s the point.’

‘Charlie Parker seems to think so. He wanted him back in “E” Division.’

Brady frowned quickly. ‘Where’s he going, then?’

‘He’s joining us,’ Grant said. ‘The old man gave me the word this afternoon.’

Brady took a deep breath and swallowed back his anger. ‘Roses all the way for some people. It took me nineteen years, and at that I’m still a constable.’

‘That’s life, Jack,’ Grant said calmly. ‘Miller’s supposed to be on leave till Monday.’

‘Can I roust him out?’