Lucy nodded, and waited. As she did, her phone rang.

‘DC Clayburn,’ she answered.

‘Lucy …?’

‘Morning, sir.’ She immediately recognised the gruff but friendly tone of Geoff Slater.

‘How the hell are you doing?’

‘Bumbling along, as they say.’

‘Nah!’ he laughed. ‘“Lucy Clayburn” and “bumble” can’t fit in the same sentence together. Thought you’d have your stripes by now.’

Lucy fleetingly pondered that. The mere fact she’d made detective was miracle enough; the possibility of being promoted to sergeant, even though in her mind at least she’d earned it many times over, seemed light years away. Slater of course, had no such millstones round his neck. When they’d last worked together, he’d been a detective inspector on the Serious Crimes Division. Now he was a detective chief-inspector, though he’d needed to accept a transfer back to his original stamping-ground of the Drugs Squad before any such honour had finally been conferred.

‘No way, boss … don’t think my face fits as well as yours.’

‘Bloody hell … if it was down to who’s got the best face, you’d be the Chief Con and I’d be deputy bog-brush.’

‘Flattery will get your everywhere, sir,’ she said, ‘as always. Especially when I’m after a favour.’

‘Shoot. Anything.’

‘You’ve got a case pending next spring at Manchester Crown … Regina v Ian Dyke.’

‘Oh yeah … that little shit.’ Slater chuckled darkly. ‘Courier for the Low Riders. Well, he’s gonna get what’s coming to him, I’ll tell you.’

‘Facing hard time, is he?’

‘With any luck. We’ve been trying to get into that lot for a while. We dropped lucky with Dyke. On his own he isn’t worth too much … we offered him the usual deal, but he wouldn’t bite. You know what bikers are like … they’re a tight crew. Anyway, like I say, he wouldn’t play, so he’s copping for the lot.’

That explained everything, Lucy realised. She already suspected that what Kyle Armstrong was really concerned about was whether Ian Dyke would try to make a deal and drop the entire chapter in it. But a promise was a promise, especially if it might pay off at some point.

‘I was just wondering,’ she said, not entirely comfortable with this, but persevering. ‘Well … if there was any way you might … well, go easy on him?’

There was a short but profound silence at the other end of the line.

‘Lucy … the trial date’s been set,’ Slater said. ‘April 3. And that was no small amount of gear we found on him.’

‘It’s just that it may be useful to one of my own enquiries.’

‘I can’t get the charges reduced at this stage, even if I was inclined to.’

‘Sir … you remember that really crappy job you gave me during Operation Clearway? Going undercover in that brothel over in Cheetham Hill?’