Nikki nodded. ‘Would you? That injured kid may just be scared enough to tell you something about the masks. It’s worth a try, and I have no doubt you’ll be a damn sight more compassionate with him than I would be.’

‘No problem. See you later, Guv.’ Joseph walked to the door.

‘And Sergeant?’ She called after him. ‘About earlier. I won’t be mentioning it again, but thank you. I still believe your actions may have saved our lives.’

Joseph Easter didn’t answer immediately, but he paused in the doorway, then threw her a small smile. ‘Anytime, ma’am.’

Nikki sat for a while. Her first day with her new detective sergeant had been quite something. And he was certainly a far cry from what she had been led to believe. She frowned. Maybe, for her own safety, she should make it her business to find out more about him. One thing was certain, he was a man who had deep, dark secrets.

Nikki gave a short bark of laughter that echoed around the empty office. If anyone should know about keeping secrets, it was her.

Yeah, when it came to talking about the past, let’s hear it for Nikki Galena, the Queen of the Sealed Lips!

She yawned. Just one more thing to do, then it was a hot shower and a few hours sleep. She flipped open her phone. Maybe it was the horror of having a young woman missing on her patch, maybe it was tiredness, or maybe it was the flashback she kept getting of her new sergeant immobilizing a thug in the time it took her to blink, but she needed to see Hannah. She flicked down to ‘H’ and pressed ‘call’.

Sure it was late, but she really needed to talk to her precious daughter, and a quick visit might do them both good.

After just a few words, Nikki grabbed her coat, and went out into the night.

The corridors were almost empty and dimly lit. Energy saving, Joseph supposed. Whatever, it gave the rambling old hospital an eerie feeling. His footsteps sounded oddly loud as he tried to locate the lifts, and several times he found himself glancing over his shoulder.

The injured boy, Callum Lodge, had had a close shave but was out of danger. Sadly, he had little inclination to talk to the police, even if they had saved his life. The youth had been both scared and aggressive, but Joseph had managed to extract a few more snippets of information about the masks. And then Callum had mentioned a name. Well, a street tag. It wasn’t much, but it may help. He’d check it out first thing in the morning.