‘They’re linked. I can feel it in my water, as my old granddad used to say. So, what do we know?’

‘We know that our armed response vehicle on-board camera footage indicates that the driver of your BMW was white. And ballistics reckon that the weapon was probably the same MP5 that was used in a drive-by in Hackney last year. Which means it was probably a rental.’

Joe nodded. Eddie having already put the frighteners on every known weapons dealer. Without any result. The guns were coming from further afield. Or from an unknown source.

‘And when it comes to rentals, we’ve got nothing. They’re either already banged up or we don’t know them. Doubtless you’ve had a quiet word with all the usual suppliers. But you might want to investigate a little more clandestinely.’

‘Clandestinely?’ Joe held up a hand to forestall any attempt at either explanation or humour. ‘I know what the word means. What I don’t know is what you mean.’

Jason’s turn to shrug.

‘Might be nothing.’

Joe snorted mirthlessly. ‘You already gave me a bargain bucket of fuck all. Try telling me something I might find valuable. Go on, just this once, surprise me. And while you’re at it, why not try to justify the ten grand that goes into your pocket every month without the taxman ever getting a sniff?’

Jason nodded, apparently unruffled. Which might have impressed Joe, if he’d felt it was genuine. Truth was, he suspected that Jason reckoned he had Joe by the nuts. His knowledge of the Castagna family’s operation. And his funds tucked away offshore. If push came to shove, and he had to turn Queen’s on Joe, he wouldn’t need to think twice. Whereas Joe knew that a swift application of Lewis could solve that problem easily enough. Wash whiter than white. The policeman pulled a serious face. Like he was about to impart something valuable.

‘You might want to invest in someone with a working knowledge of the dark web. The Onion Ring router.’

‘The what?’

‘My words exactly, when a bright young DC brought me the idea. Google it. We reckon there’s at least one dealer operating exclusively on the dark version of the internet. Hard to contact. Harder to buy from. Never deals on his own manor. Always does business somewhere wide open, with multiple entrances and exits. And never for big money, so it’s not worth stiffing him on the deal. Low risk, reasonable income. And we reckon he’s foreign, given the name he uses. Steph. Short for Stephane, my boys reckoned.’

‘Jesus, really?’