Nick’s problem was a more immediate one. With no radio telephone he was unable to communicate with Headquarters, and without help it would be quite impossible for him to nail Manton and his two tearaways.

The problem solved itself as Manton’s Jaguar skidded out of the lane no more than twenty yards away and drove off fast towards town. Nick didn’t hesitate. He pressed the starter and the Mini-Cooper shot away, tyres spinning slightly on the wet asphalt.

‘You’ve got a hope.’ Garvald laughed.

‘You’ve been out of circulation a long time,’ Nick said. ‘This is the original wolf in sheep’s clothing.’

The Mini-Cooper touched seventy miles an hour in exactly thirty-one seconds and the needle continued to swing, until on the dual carriageway leading to the outer ring road they almost touched ninety.

‘God in heaven, what is this thing?’ Ben Garvald shouted.

Nick grinned, concentrating all his attention on the lights of the Jaguar in front, gleaming through the heavy rain. ‘The greatest invention since the horse.’

As they emerged from the dual carriageway, he braked, then accelerated into a shallow corner and the Mini-Cooper shot round, all four wheels glued to the ground.

The Jaguar was no more than fifty yards ahead now and going well. Garvald leaned over the seat and touched Nick on the shoulder. ‘You’ll be on your own, have you thought of that, copper? Three to one and Donner’s the kind who’d sell his sister if he was short of beer money.’

Nick ignored him, concentrating wholly on the Jaguar, gauging the distance between them, timing his move in advance to the last fraction of a second. He was right on the big car’s tail now. Quite suddenly, he dropped into third, pulled out and jammed his foot hard on the accelerator. The Mini-Cooper moved alongside the Jaguar and he took the little car in close and started to brake.

As he swung the wheel, he glanced across. Only one man sat in the other car, the driver, and as he too braked hard, the Jaguar skidded, its nearside wheels cutting into the grass banking at the side of the road. As it came to a halt, Nick pulled in ahead, switched off his own engine and jumped out.

Jango was just a little slower. He scrambled out of the Jaguar and started to run. A hand grabbed him by the shoulder, spun him round and sent him crashing back against the car.

He reacted with the habitual criminal’s usual blend of outraged innocence and aggression. ‘Hey, what in the hell is this?’

A hand was clamped around his throat so viciously that he cried out in agony and swung wildly at the pale blur of the face in front of him.