As I emerge into the passageway I’m nodding into the phone, flicking the lighter, my back to Joe. Just past the toilets, at the end of the passageway, there’s a fire door that leads outside to a gazebo for smokers. The push bar on the door is a bit stiff, but it opens OK. I tried it earlier.

Outside there’s a copper in the car park, about fifteen feet away, just beyond the gazebo. He looks at me. I stop, nod, light up and start talking into the phone, nice and loud, animated. He watches me for a second. I take one hard draw on the cigarette and exhale, blowing smoke between us.

He’s not sure. He starts to move in my direction. I walk around the other side of the gazebo. He’s looking at his phone as he comes towards me, getting faster. I have the key ready. The car’s right there. It’s not locked.

He’s running now.

‘Excuse me…’

I pull open the car door.

‘Hey…’

Key in.

‘Hey…’

The motor screams into action.

He’s got his arms in the air. He’s shouting.

I’m away.

43

Joe was listening to his phone as Rita barked orders at one of her officers, who was already relaying the info about Kieron Burnett to HQ.

A woman in a red jacket came out of the toilets. He was thinking: Kieron Burnett? The little kid from yesterday? Is she bluffing? The woman in red was speaking into a mobile. Glasses. Cigarette.

‘Joe?’ he heard on his phone.

The woman went out through the fire door to smoke.

‘Joe?’

Something wasn’t right.

‘Joe, are you still…’

‘It’s her,’ he said.

‘She’s coming. Stop! Stop her!’

The revving of a car engine rang out from behind the building. He spun around, ran towards the front entrance. As he pushed the doors open, Rita’s Land Rover was already jerking into reverse, arcing across the car park to block the exit.

At the same moment a black Renault Clio appeared from behind the pub, going at a staggering speed, whining in second gear as it flew across the tarmac. The gap between the Land Rover and the hawthorn hedge that bordered the exit had narrowed almost to nothing.

The Renault drove straight at the Land Rover, which was now at an acute angle, blocking the way out. At the last moment the Clio swerved to its right, ploughing into the hedge but also smashing into the side of the Landy, shunting it several feet to the side, the shriek of metal on metal drowning out even the noise of the engine.