‘Why wasn’t he convicted?’ demanded The Hawk.

‘We didn’t have enough evidence to charge him, so he literally got away with murder.’

‘Then find the necessary evidence, DS Roycroft,’ said The Hawk. ‘Because if there’s one thing that makes a potential murderer think twice, it’s the thought that he won’t get away with it. That still leaves us with a hundred and forty-seven murders that can’t be described as domestic. DC Pankhurst, how many of those resulted in arrests?’

Rebecca didn’t need to open the file in front of her to answer the commander’s question. ‘One hundred and forty-three, sir.’

‘How many of those ended up in prison?’

‘One hundred and thirty-nine, and, of the other four, we know who the murderers are, but we didn’t have enough solid evidence to convince the Crown Prosecution Service they should be put on trial.’

‘Details?’ demanded The Hawk.

‘One of them, a Max Sleeman, is a particularly nasty piece of work,’ said DS Adaja, opening his case file. ‘He’s a loan shark, and if you don’t pay up on time, you end up with a broken arm or leg. And if you still fail to deliver, he rents a hearse, but doesn’t cover the funeral costs.’

‘I want Sleeman arrested,’ said The Hawk, ‘and preferably before the next poor sod is eliminated.’

‘Already on it,’ said Paul.

‘Three to go,’ said The Hawk. ‘DC Pankhurst, what can you tell me about a certain Darren Carter?’

‘He’s a bouncer at the Eve Club in Soho,’ said Rebecca. ‘Pleaded guilty to manslaughter and got off with a two-year sentence. Though I’ve no doubt it was a premeditated murder that he carried out on behalf of the club’s owner.’

‘Then I want him back in jail. Double jeopardy doesn’t apply if fresh evidence can be produced,’ The Hawk reminded her. ‘And, DC Pankhurst, I also want the club shut down and to make sure that the owner never gets another licence. That should keep you occupied for the time being. Which leaves the final two cases that have been gathering dust for far too long.’

Everyone seated around the table knew exactly which cases the commander was referring to: Ron Abbott and Terry Roach. Two hardmen from rival East End gangs, who were conducting an ongoing dispute about who controlled the gambling, protection rackets, prostitution and distribution of drugs on their patch.

‘I know you’ll be glad to hear that I’ve saved those two particularly unsavoury characters for DI Hogan to deal with when he joins the unit next week as DCI Warwick’s second-in-command.’

Paul looked disappointed.

‘However,’ continued The Hawk, ‘don’t imagine even for one moment that you’re off the hook, because I expect detailed reports, including course of action, to be on my desk before we meet again in a week’s time.’ Biros didn’t stop scribbling. ‘And if you want to hear the bad news, I’ve just had a call from DCI Warwick, whose plane touched down at Heathrow about an hour ago.’