“No. It disappeared, along with his jacket. We know that Connor Clive Blaydon’s chauffeur took them from the trap house on Hollyfield Lane the night Samir and Stokes died. Gashi had phoned Blaydon earlier and asked for a favor. I just have a feeling the timing is important, but there are still too many gaps in what we know.”

“Blaydon? So he’s involved in this?”

“He’s connected with the Albanians. Gashi in particular. They’ve known each other for years, and they’re involved in a property development Blaydon is managing.”

“You can bet whatever money they invest will be dirty.”

“Too true,” said Banks. He washed down a mouthful of pad thai with his Singha. “Any loose gossip your men might pick up would be useful,” he said. “Something like this happens, people talk. They can’t help themselves. Maybe they think they’re being careful, but that’s not always the case.”

“Right,” said Blackstone. “I’ll see what I can do. Pass the roti.”

Banks passed him the roti basket and Blackstone tore off a strip and spooned up some green chicken curry with it.

Banks worked on his Singha. It would have to do him for the evening, because he planned on driving back to Eastvale. “What do you know about the county line operations here?” he asked.

“Just what I read in the papers,” Blackstone joked. “No, seriously, it’s becoming a real problem. It’s not only here, but all over the country. Some are big operators, like Gashi with his Albanian Mafia and Colombian connections, but there are plenty of smaller entrepreneurs, too.”

“What was this Lenny G like?”

“Medium. He didn’t have anywhere near the clout and product Gashi’s got, more like a small-town operation by comparison. But he managed to supply heroin and crack cocaine to quite a few towns and villages that could have done without it. Now they’ve got the same drug problems as we have here in the city. And Gashi’s adding coke to the mix, too, as well as crack. High-quality coke direct from the Colombian cartels.”

“Yes, we know about that,” said Banks. “What about spice and fentanyl?”

“On their way, no doubt.” Blackstone sighed. “But it’s the access to high-quality coke that’s the real problem at the moment.”

“What do you think happened with Lenny G?”

“I think he was unwilling to give up his empire, little as it was. The Albanians are happy to work with people, as long as they have the upper hand and get most of the profits. But if you don’t want to play along . . .” He drew his finger across his throat.

“Do you think Gashi would have gone as far as killing one of his runners?”