He wondered if the crew of the second Audi were searching his office.

He turned and headed back towards the Major Crime building, unsure whether to be elated or worried. Then his phone rang.

It was Alison Vosper.

‘Roy? How are you?’

‘Well, ma’am, I’m not entirely sure.’

‘I just wanted to let you know, before you heard it from anyone else, that we are arresting ACC Pewe – the evidence you gave us checked out. He has been suspended with immediate effect.’

For a few seconds, Grace was speechless. ‘Thank you for telling me, ma’am.’

‘I know this may not change anything, Roy – other than perhaps doing myself no favours. But my offer to you of a job in the Met remains open.’

‘I appreciate that, ma’am. I really do.’

‘One day, perhaps? Call me any time, you know where to reach me.’

‘I really appreciate your faith in me.’

‘Until then, stay safe.’

‘And you, ma’am.’

Moments after he ended the call, his phone rang again. It was Cleo. He answered and she sounded surprised.

‘Sorry, darling,’ she said. ‘I was just going to leave a message. Have you had your meeting with Pewe?’

‘No, he’s otherwise engaged.’

‘Meaning?’

‘Meaning he’s just been driven off in the back of a car, under arrest.’

‘No way!’

‘Yessss!’

‘Oh my God! You’ve done it!’

‘Here’s hoping.’

‘You have, you’ve done it!!!’

‘With luck!’

‘I was just calling to say that when you collect Reggie – or before – could you swing by Tesco Lewes and pick up some cat litter?’

‘Yes, sure. Shall I get some cat food as well and some treats?’

‘Treats for you or Reggie?’

‘Haha!’

‘Just don’t vanish, eh?’

GLOSSARY

ANPR – Automatic Number Plate Recognition. Roadside or mobile cameras that automatically capture the registration number of all cars that pass. It can be used to historically track which cars went past a certain camera, and can also create a signal for cars which are stolen, have no insurance or have an alert attached to them.

CID – Criminal Investigation Department. Usually refers to the divisional detectives rather than the specialist squads.

CPS – Crown Prosecution Service.

CSI – Was SOCO. Crime Scene Investigators (Scenes of Crime Officers). They are the people who attend crime scenes to search for fingerprints, DNA samples etc.

DIGITAL FORENSICS – The unit which examines and investigates computers and other digital devices.

FLO – Family Liaison Officer.

HOLMES – Home Office Large Major Enquiry System. The national computer database used on all murders. It provides a repository of all messages, actions, decisions and statements, allowing the analysis of intelligence and the tracking and auditing of the whole enquiry. Can enable enquiries to be linked across force areas where necessary.

IOPC – Independent Office for Police Conduct.

PM – Postmortem.

POLSA – Police Search Adviser.

SIO – Senior Investigating Officer. Usually a Detective Chief Inspector who is in overall charge of the investigation of a major crime such as murder, kidnap or rape.