Now that Ormond had screwed up so royally with Op Turkey, as it had become known, she hoped that he might be inclined to let her get on with the investigation. As long as he interfered and went behind her back, she couldn’t do her job properly. The problem was that he was her boss. Should she want to make a complaint, she’d have to make it independent and bring in another force, because of his rank. She knew people in the Met, obviously, but she also knew officers in Manchester who could recommend a solid chief constable. It would have to be somebody at least two ranks above Ormond, who didn’t know him.

‘Is it that bad?’ Johnny asked, after she filled him in on her day from hell. It wasn’t that Johnny didn’t disbelieve her; he was just testing whether her case was watertight.

‘No. That’s me playing it forward. I want to be prepared if I have to go against him.’

‘What’s driving this?’

‘The husband?’ she suggested. ‘They play golf together; it’s all pretty cosy.’

‘Surely you guys have rules on that: isn’t it a conflict of interest? He shouldn’t be on the investigation of the murder of a friend’s wife.’

‘You’re right, but he kind of threatened me today, and you know rank is everything, even in today’s politically correct force.’ She paused. ‘Me going up against a superintendent is like you, as a major, going up against a general, with all those years of experience and status. Can you imagine?’

‘Yes, I can. It would never happen.’

‘Without some form of backlash at least.’

He agreed.

‘There’s something else that doesn’t sit well. Will is hiding something.’ She gave him a précis of her conversation with her trusted officer and told Johnny about Liam Brook. ‘Will’s scared of Ormond and I don’t know why.’

‘Authority?’

‘No, it’s more than that. It’s as if Ormond controls them. Something happened before I got here.’

‘What?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘You need to find out.’

‘I know. Ormond’s agenda is different to mine. My objective is cracking the case. His seems to be vengeance.’

‘He’s nearing retirement and wants to go out in a blaze of glory?’

‘It’s not even that. I don’t get the impression he wants glory: Op Eagle was a secret.’

‘So he wants to upstage you?’

‘No, I think I annoy him, but not because I’m a threat. It’s as if me cracking the case properly isn’t part of his plan.’

‘He’s rushing? And therefore likely to make mistakes.’

‘He’s acting like a rookie.’

‘What ulterior motives are possible?’