He owed something to Thomas, and he owed it to Ella. The second killing had played right into his hands, proving that nothing would change unless they made some arrests and sent a message of zero tolerance to those responsible. The reprehensible monsters who’d murdered Ella had to pay, and somebody knew who and where they were. He’d had to stand in Thomas’s house and admit that he hadn’t been able to protect his wife because the Beacon Estate was lawless. It was shameful, and he wasn’t about to sit here any longer and let it happen again.

The drug squad had its own way of dealing with issues: they sat and watched and did nothing, and it wasn’t the first time he’d blamed them for a cock-up. He believed that if they did their job properly, all criminals would be facing charges, not just the ones they saw fit. The so-called sexy ones who grabbed headlines.

He put the last-minute touches to his plan and then beckoned the two officers into his office. Anyone listening along the corridors, or even outside, could be forgiven for thinking that someone was being beaten senseless. Ormond had learned to shout on the streets of Glasgow. He hadn’t had reason to call on that particular skill for many years, but his bullish reserve sat just under the surface and he had no problem making his intentions clear.

By the time the two officers left, they were under no illusions about their objectives for the afternoon. Being old buddies, they knew exactly what the gaffer wanted. They were used to working directly under him, but they also harboured a deep distaste for the man asking them to head up what was essentially a hostile takeover.

‘He’s lost his shit this time,’ Liam said.

‘Did you notice that he made it all about Ella Watson and didn’t even mention Keira Bradley?’ replied Will.

‘He doesn’t give a fuck about people on the estate, just his own kind.’

‘He can talk; he’s as rough as they come. He was growing balls in Glasgow when people like the Watsons were cementing their future offshore wealth.’

‘He’s desperate to be one of them. Are you going to tell Kelly Porter?’ Liam asked.

‘I’m torn, man. I respect her. She’s…’

‘An innocent. I know, I see it in her. She fights for the underdog, doesn’t she?’

‘I’m not saying that she’s never seen her own tragedy. She’s got a hard side and she’s got balls of steel, but she carries all this fucking hope around with her.’

‘I know.’ Liam smiled: it felt good to be in Porter’s space. ‘How do you work with all that positivity?’ It wasn’t a real question, more a statement of surprise.

‘She believes in the truth.’

‘She’s fucking screwed,’ Liam said.