‘Hard to argue against it,’ Hale observed. ‘So what’s the next step? A warrant to search his home?’

‘Done. We executed it four hours ago.’

‘Anything?’

‘Nothing. The home address he’d given to probation obviously wasn’t. It was just a bare one-bedroom flat. Unfurnished and dusty. There’s no way he ever lived there.’

‘Shit.’ Hale’s tone had changed. Perhaps he had re-evaluated his assessment of Levy’s luck. ‘So what else is there to do, then? Go public?’

‘Shit no.’ Levy’s answer was emphatic. ‘We can’t say for sure that Penfold’s good for this. I mean, it looks like he is but what if he isn’t? What happens if I start a nationwide manhunt and we then find out that he’s just buggered off on holiday without telling probation?’

‘I see that but come on, Joelle.’ Hale used Levy’s first name, meaning they were off the clock. ‘The timing? And the apartment that was never lived in? Take that into account and it’s not likely he’s doing anything innocent with his life, is it?’

‘Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean he’s massacring lawyers for pissing him off decades ago.’ Levy sighed deeply. She was exhausted. ‘It’s a mess, Steve. I realise it looks like Penfold. Shit, I’m praying that it is Penfold. But at the moment it’s just not enough. Not for a step as big as going public. If it goes wrong we’ll be annihilated by the press. Especially on this case.’

Hale nodded. He took a sip of his drink, then looked his DCI in the eyes.

‘How do you do it, Joelle?’ The question seemed to come from nowhere. ‘How do you deal with all of this shit? The press. The politicians. The pressure. I’ve had it for a day and I’m whacked. You get this twenty-four seven.’

Levy met his gaze and realised then that they had been concentrating on her problems. It reminded her that she was not just speaking to a friend, but also to a subordinate. A subordinate who needed her guidance.

‘You get used to it, Steve. And anyway, we are where we are.’ Levy shrugged off her previous despair. ‘It’ll all look different in the morning. It always does. So where are we with Ferris?’

It was Hale’s turn to sigh. He did so forcefully. Then he answered.

‘We’re moving forward.’ He paused. ‘No, that’s a lie. We’re pursuing every lead but at the moment we’re moving bloody nowhere.’

‘How are the teams getting on?’

‘I’ve mixed them up, like you suggested. Got them to play to their strengths. We’ve got one team chasing down Ferris’s main rival. Another following up on the other less likely competitors. Then a final team researching all professional hits in recent years. To see if we can spot any similarities.’

‘You’ve got Pickett leading that last one, right?’

‘Right.’ Hale grinned. ‘Who else?’

‘Exactly. It feels like I’ve lost my right arm not having you or Pickett on the Longman case. So you’d better make the fact you’ve stolen her from me worthwhile.’