‘And he doesn’t any more. So silver linings.’ Rogers’ voice was flippant. Only for a moment. ‘But a gun battle in the middle of Brixton does not read well in the morning papers, Inspector. Especially with officers down.’

‘I realise that, sir. But it wasn’t planned. We reacted to an ambush. And we won. I don’t know how these things are done but surely that can be spun in our favour? Can’t it?’

Rogers pushed his chair back from his desk. He reached up, put both hands on his head and locked his fingers across his hairless scalp.

‘I was thinking that myself, Steven. I was thinking that this could be played to our advantage. Officers ambushed on a raid, the ambushers taken out. Maybe we can turn you into the hero of the hour.’

‘That’s really not necessary sir,’

‘I’ll decide what’s necessary, Steven. And then I’ll inform you what that is. Now, onto another issue. Quite an important one, given what occurred yesterday. I have heard a rumour, Steven, that you might be questioning yourself. That you now have your doubts that Burrell was involved in Ferris’s death.’

‘That’s right, sir,’ Hale answered. ‘I have significant reservations.’

‘Why?’

Levy glanced at Hale, interested in what would follow. They had not yet had a chance to discuss Hale’s theory.

‘First it was just instinct, sir. When we raided the address I took a look at Burrell’s office. It was a carbon copy of Ferris’s. Near on identical. It suggested to me that Burrell wasn’t just in competition with Ferris. It suggested that he was obsessed with Ferris. Like, psychological obsession or whatever you’d call it. I’ve seen that before in murders, sir.’ Hale indicated Levy. ‘We both have. And whenever I’ve seen that, the obsessed person does the killing themselves. They wouldn’t hire someone. It’s part of the illness. It’s personal.’

Levy nodded at the assessment. It made sense.

Rogers and Walker could not have missed her agreement. Rogers turned back to Hale.

‘Is that all? Just your gut instinct?’

‘No sir.’ Hale seemed to be warming to his subject. ‘It was also the drugs, sir. Our suspicion that Burrell was responsible for Ferris’s murder was based upon his approach to one of Ferris’s men. Burrell suggested that the guy might want to switch allegiances, because things were about to change. We thought he meant that Ferris was about to die. But a drugs shipment that size, sir? That would have changed the status quo as surely as Ferris’s death. It would have made Burrell ten times as rich as Ferris. And money talks in that world. So I now suspect that’s what Burrell was referring to.’

‘That makes some sense,’ Walker offered. ‘And then you add the police attention that Ferris’s murder would inevitably bring onto his rivals. Why would Burrell risk that with so much cocaine in his possession? It’s just asking for trouble.’

‘Exactly, ma’am.’ Hale’s assessment was finding favour. ‘All of which tells me that Burrell was not our man.’