‘Well, it makes no odds,’ he said. ‘You killed Ruth Smiley. Her body’s only inside one of the houses on Jubilee Gardens. We can still use it. You hearing this, Harry? We can use this!’

‘I … I dunno,’ was all Harry could stammer.

Tucker turned another fierce gaze on Lucy. ‘Ruth was investigating your links with these biker fucks, and you shot her. Isn’t that right, Harry?’

‘I … I suppose, yeah.’

‘I went to arrest you … they clobbered me. You hear that, Lucy … you’re going down for murdering a fellow police officer. Show me your hands.’ When she refused, he pressed the .38’s muzzle into her left cheek. ‘Show me your fucking hands.’

She complied, and he clapped the handcuffs on her wrists.

‘Stay the fuck here, all right?’ he instructed Harry, as he dragged Lucy out of the car.

Immediately, they were bathed in the glow of several intense spotlights.

‘Stay where you are!’ came a voice through a loudspeaker.

‘Don’t shoot!’ he shouted. ‘I’m armed, but I’m a police officer. Detective Sergeant Danny Tucker, Crowley Robbery. I’ve got a murder suspect in custody. I’m going to walk her forward so you can see better.’

There was no response as he slowly advanced, right hand clutching Lucy’s elbow, left hand holding the .38, loosely and far out from his body. When he was twenty yards away, a lone figure detached from the row of lights and came forward. This too was armoured and helmeted, and it held a Glock in both hands. The figure was semi-silhouetted against the glare of the spotlights, no facial features recognisable behind the Perspex visor, but errant strands of honey-blonde hair dangling over the shoulder pads suggested that it was DI Blake.

‘Drop your weapon,’ she said, confirming this.

‘Ma’am,’ Tucker said, ‘I regret to report that DC Ruth Smiley was shot and killed earlier this evening, while investigating a new lead connected to the red ski-mask robberies. I know it sounds incredible, but I have strong reason to believe that DC Clayburn was the shooter. As such, I’ve put her under arrest on suspi—’

‘Enough bullshit, Danny,’ Blake said. ‘I told you to drop your weapon.’

Lucy felt Tucker go rigid alongside her.

She was somewhat surprised, herself. All the bosses she’d known in the past would go with their own team’s version of events first, or at least be prepared to hear them out.

Tucker made no verbal response, merely gazed at his chief intently, his nostrils flaring, his lips quivering. But there was no anger there; for a second Lucy thought he was verging on tears.

How could DI Blake not believe him, he was perhaps wondering? They’d worked hand-in-glove for years. They trusted each other implicitly. The only possible answer was that Blake now possessed additional information, and by the looks of this, something pretty conclusive.