But Palmer wasn’t really listening. He was looking up at the arrivals board, watching with interest the updates on the delays. According to the information screen, Andrew’s flight should be landing within the next twenty minutes.

Meanwhile the queues at customs were quickly becoming gridlocked. From somewhere near the back of the queue, Barrett and Palmer could hear a passenger losing not only their temper but also the will to live. The voice gradually grew louder and the pitch more offensive. Others in the line, who had been preoccupied with their own frustrations, now turned to see where the commotion was coming from.

Bemused, Palmer watched as airport security fought their way through the crowd towards the fray. From where he stood, he couldn’t see the person responsible for all the noise and disruption, but he could hear that a man and a woman were going at it hammer and tongs. She was screaming and he was shouting back. Palmer guessed they might have been a couple who had both come to their wits’ end. He imagined a small child, stuck crying between the bellowing adults.

Though they both felt they should insert themselves into the action and put an end to the drama, Barrett and Palmer came to a silent agreement that it would be best if they stayed put and left the issue to airport security. Irate passengers at airports were neither their preference nor their speciality.

Once the dispute between the couple had been dealt with, fellow passengers turned their attention back to their own frustration about waiting in a queue.

Barrett finally breathed a sigh of relief when the arrivals boards notified them that Andrew Wade’s flight had landed. Holding his badge up, he carved a path through the human traffic, like Moses through the Red Sea, followed closely by Palmer.

The men made their way to gate number forty-one and waited to escort Andrew Wade to their car and back to the station.

When Wade appeared, handcuffed and flanked by two French police officers, his injuries from the crash were evident. The bridge of his nose was swollen and there were puffy bruises beneath both of his eyes. He also had a deep gash across his forehead.

‘Andrew Wade, I am arresting you on suspicion of murder and for absconding while on bail. You do not have to say anything but anything you do say may be used in evidence against you.’ As quickly as the French handcuffs had been removed the English pair clicked shut around his wrists.

‘You have been in the wars, Andrew,’ Palmer said as they walked along the corridor back towards customs. Wade said nothing and hung his head looking like a dejected man. ‘Why did you run?’ Palmer continued, but still Andrew stayed quiet.

‘You’ll be assigned a solicitor as soon as we get to the station.’ Barrett glared at Palmer, signalling for him to shut up.