Benny jabbed him with the gun again, marching him forward towards the main structure. The other seven followed, fanning out, firearms drawn. One scampered ahead, flattening himself against the cottage’s front wall and sidling along it until he reached the window, at which point he risked a quick peek.

‘He’s in there,’ he whispered, chuckling.

‘Alone?’ Benny asked.

‘Yeah.’

‘What’s he doing?’

Another chuckle. ‘Watching telly.’

Benny shook his head in disbelief.

‘Overconfidence was always your gaffer’s weak spot,’ he told Shallicker. ‘Was always going to lead to a bad end one day. Sorry, Mick –’ and he nodded at the others, one of whom produced a sledgehammer and advanced on the cottage door ‘– but this fall from grace is well overdue.’

Chapter 43

‘You didn’t need to threaten me, you know,’ Sister Cassie said, as they drove. She still sounded mildly offended; she was also shaky and sweaty, strongly in need of her ‘medicine’. ‘I’d have helped you. I always help if I can.’

‘If you can … that’s the thing,’ Lucy replied, slowing as they approached a red light, though there were few other vehicles on the road. It was now after nine, and they were on the southernmost outskirts of Crowley. ‘Sometimes, you’re just a bit too addled. Like when you didn’t mention that you’d actually witnessed Fred Holborn’s abduction until nearly two weeks after.’

The ex-nun harrumphed, as if that was a small and rather silly point.

‘At this moment, Sister, I have a burning need to take two very bad people off the street. So I need focus and concentration, not garbled silliness from a head that’s been ruined by drugs.’

‘And are you sure you’ve got that now?’ Sister Cassie said. ‘It’s the next left, by the way.’

‘You’re certain, this time?’

‘Yes. I think so, at least.’

‘I hope I’ve got it.’ Lucy turned down a country lane, with small clutches of new housing built on either side of it.

‘Because even if we find this old orphanage …’ the ex-nun said.

‘Which we have to,’ Lucy asserted, ‘because you said you knew where it was!’

‘Even if we find it, I’m not at all certain that it will be relevant to your investigation. As I say, it’s empty. A ruin.’

‘We won’t know unless we look.’

‘It’s a big place too. It’ll take the two of us all night to search it.’

‘There is no two of us. It’ll just be me.’

The ex-nun was surprised. ‘You alone?’

‘You’re a civilian. You’ll have to stay in the car.’

‘Surely you can call other police officers?’

Lucy sighed. ‘Not at present.’

‘Then you have a task ahead of you which is well-nigh impossible.’

‘Tell me about it …’