Joseph stepped inside, looked around, and was forced to smile. It might be a hi-tech modern building, but the clients who frequented it were exactly the same as those in Fenchester. They just stood out as being even more grubby and smelly against the shining safety glass and clean, acrylic-painted walls. In his old nick, they kind of blended into the worn and faded flooring, the chipped woodwork and the high, dark-stained ceilings.

Joseph walked briskly up to the reception desk. ‘Detective Sergeant Easter to see Superintendent Bainbridge, please.’

The briefest hint of amusement that crossed the woman’s face was not lost on him.

‘If you’ll just wait a moment, sir, I’ll take you up.’ She turned away and called loudly for someone to cover the desk for her. Instantly he saw a sea of curious faces look his way.

As they walked across the foyer towards the lifts, she said. ‘The Super will be very pleased to see you, sir.’

‘Why? Is something going down?’

The woman raised an eyebrow. ‘No, no. It’s just that CID are not up to full strength at present. DI Galena’s last sergeant relocated to the West Country, you know.’

She gave him a sidelong glance as they moved into the lift, and Joseph stifled a grin.

‘Yes, I heard. Lovely part of the world.’

‘Mm, lovely.’ The woman gave him an overly innocent look, and said, ‘You are going to be working with DI Galena, aren’t you?’

The lift sighed and stopped with hardly a shudder, which made a very pleasant change from flights of stone stairs with rickety brass rails. He flashed her one of his brightest smiles and thought, you know full well I am, my friend, but if you want to play, that’s fine by me. ‘Oh yes. And I’m really looking forward to it.’

The eyebrows lifted again. ‘Second door along, sir. And good luck.’

The lift doors closed silently, but he could have sworn that he heard a soft giggle coming from inside. Joseph paused and considered that perhaps his name should have been Daniel, because this felt very much like the entrance to a lion’s den.

He gritted his teeth, took a long deep breath, and knocked on the door.

As Joseph waited tentatively outside the superintendent’s office, a commuter train pulled out of Greenborough station. None of its occupants took notice of the two sullen-faced youths who sat on a graffiti-covered bench. As the train moved slowly away, they glanced at each other, then left the seat and silently slipped down the steep bank at the end of the platform, and disappeared into a scrubby area full of weeds and broken concrete.

‘Can you see them?’ One boy whispered urgently.

‘Give us a chance!’

Crouching low, although there was little chance of being spotted in this godforsaken spot, they searched between the stunted, windblown shrubs, and untidy piles of builder’s waste.