Will came back into the office and told her that Liam was on his way. He was based with the drug squad on the other side of town. Drug crime was as extensive, if not more so, than all serious crime put together and tended to be investigated by an army of specially trained uniforms, with the support of patrol squads. Liam Brook had been heading up a unit over there for the past three years; Kelly had looked him up.

‘Time for a coffee, then,’ she said. They walked back to her office.

When Sergeant Brook arrived, Kelly was taken by his size. He was of similar build to Rob, but more than that, he seemed to fill the room with a sense of purpose to get things done. Will introduced them.

‘I’ve heard a lot about you, ma’am.’

Kelly glanced at Will, who looked a little star-struck: he obviously worshipped this guy, and again she wondered what had brought them together and soldered the bond. She caught Emma gazing at the new arrival and smiled to herself.

Sergeant Brook had an open face and very large hands. She thought he’d rip her arm off when they shook hands, but in fact he was gentle.

‘Nothing too bad, I hope,’ she said.

‘The opposite.’

‘We’ve made coffee.’ She left her office door open and they each took a seat. Kelly poured a cup of coffee for Brook.

‘So, Sergeant, can you share with me what you know about the Beacon Estate?’

‘Straight to the point. I’ve heard that about you.’

She saw Will watching them; he seemed amused.

‘Call me Liam, ma’am, if that’s all right with you.’

‘And you’re from a different unit, so you can call me Kelly.’

Will spread his hands, as if to register the injustice. Kelly ignored it.

‘Where do I start with these lads?’ Brook said. ‘They’ve been at it for years. Our game is to clean up as much as possible without causing more damage, if you like. Sometimes it’s easier to leave someone in a position of power and influence for the good of the entirety. It’s a bit like communist Russia. Once it starts to crack, total collapse isn’t far away. Our view is that if we keep a lid on the trouble, we can work with informants to catch the big fish and not waste time charging every Tom, Dick and Harry for stealing their mam’s shopping.’

‘I get the picture,’ said Kelly.

‘The estate has been run by the Cotton brothers for three years. Before that it was scumbags of a similar ilk, and we worked with them too.’

‘You work with the Cotton brothers?’

‘Not exactly. We gather information on them, and every now and again we find out what they know. For example, the busting of the Rawlinsons in Barrow came down to evidence supplied by informants.’