‘Don’t forget, he’s got Seguma with him as well,’ Mallet added. ‘Which makes him even less likely to set foot outside unnecessarily. That prick will want to keep a low profile.’

The Voice said, ‘As an extra precaution, we’ve asked the guys at GCHQ to ping his mobile every sixty seconds. If Lang makes an unexpected move, we’ll know about it.’

Mallet said, ‘You all know the plan to arrest Davey Boy at his apartment. There’s no need to run through the details again right now. I’ve told Josh he’ll receive a full update after this briefing. As soon as we’ve got Lang where we want him, we’ll turn the screw.’

‘What makes you think Lang will spill his guts?’ asked Bowman.

‘He won’t have a choice,’ the Voice said simply. ‘Once you present him with the facts of his brother’s poisoning, Lang will realise that he’s being set up. That ought to get him talking.’

‘Lang will suspect it’s a trap. Even if he doesn’t, he won’t tell us the truth. He’ll spin some bollocks story.’

‘We’re well aware of that.’ The Scot looked meaningfully at Bowman. ‘That’s where you come in.’

‘Me?’

‘You’ve got the inside knowledge on mobsters. You grew up around the Lang twins. You know their world. Their mindset. You can help us to anticipate how Lang might react, identify any weak points. Chinks in his armour.’

‘I don’t know the bloke from Adam.’

‘But you know how gangsters think. How their minds work.’ Mallet spread his hands across the table. ‘Then there’s all that undercover work you did with the Met. You must have learned a thing or two about what makes criminals tick.’

‘That was donkey’s years ago.’

Mallet swatted away the words with his hand. ‘You never forget that kind of stuff. And another thing. You’re the one who heard Freddie’s confession. You can tell David how his brother suffered, how the life slipped out of him right in front of you. It’ll feel authentic.’

Bowman shook his head determinedly. ‘Lang won’t talk to you. Or me. Or anyone. It would make him a snitch.’

‘Then we’ll torture him,’ Mallet suggested. ‘Slap him around a bit. Waterboard him.’

Loader looked horrified. ‘You can’t do that, John.’

‘Why not?’

‘Torture won’t work.’ Webb hadn’t said a word during the briefing, but now he addressed the others in his thick Brummie accent. ‘I’ve seen blokes tortured before. Only works on a certain type. It ain’t the likes of Lang. He’s a tough bastard.’

‘He’s right,’ Bowman said. ‘You can’t make Lang talk, not through pain.’

‘What do you suggest, then?’

Bowman considered. ‘There is one thing that might work.’

‘Go on.’