‘Rees and Hicks were the alpha males of our section. Hicks was Rees’s unofficial second-in-command, if you know what I mean. They had the younger officers and analysts in the palm of their hands. They were a clique that almost shattered when Rees was arrested. But Hicks kept it going, inserting himself into Rees’s position and asserting his halfwit mate, Felton, as his unofficial second-in-command. Pierce is blind to it, or chooses not to acknowledge it. Pierce likes Hicks, because occasionally Hicks gets results. Results, I should add, that come from other people: Toze, Pike, Phillips and me. And then suddenly you come along and threaten everything with your fancy NCA methods of working.’

‘Do you see me as a threat?’

‘Not at all, ma’am. The opposite, in fact.’

They arrive at Infernos and are greeted by a surly thickset man with a beard and a buzzcut. He wears a security badge with the name ANTONY TRAVIS on it.

Archer shows her warrant card. ‘My name is DI Archer and this is DS Quinn.’

‘Can you come back another time? We’re getting ready for a private party tonight.’

‘A private party? Good for you, Mr Travis,’ says Quinn. ‘Nice to have some extra revenue at a time when business is slow.’

Travis grunts.

‘I’m afraid you’ll need to cancel tonight,’ says Archer.

‘No, we ain’t. It’s all paid for already.’

‘Too bad. Your CCTV recordings hold vital evidence that we need.’

‘No can do.’ Travis goes to shut the door, but Archer wedges her boot in it and asserts herself. Levelling her gaze at the man, she says, ‘DS Quinn, put a call through to Charing Cross and get this place shut down immediately.’ Archer hopes Quinn can sense her bluff.

‘Yes, ma’am. Straightaway.’

Archer can hear Quinn dialling his phone then talking to someone she’s never heard of.

‘You can’t do that,’ splutters Travis. ‘You have to apply to the court. It could take weeks.’

‘I can apply for a temporary closure in minutes in the matter of an important investigation, which is what this is. Sorry, Mr Travis. The curtain has dropped for your private party. In thirty minutes, four squad cars will be here and we will turn this place over.’

Travis’s face falls. ‘OK, OK, wait. I’ll have to speak to my boss.’ Travis eases his weight off the door.

Archer enters. ‘Show us where the CCTV is and by all means speak to your boss.’

Travis frowns and hesitates. ‘You’d better be quick.’

‘Quinn, put the team on hold for the minute,’ says Archer.

‘Will do.’