‘Klara Clark. We worked together once before, DI Hicks, around eight years back. I was called something else then. You may remember me as Keegan Clark.’

Hicks’s face glows pink and he snatches back his hand.

Archer grits her teeth and looks to Klara with a reassuring smile. ‘Let’s get you set up.’

‘Nice to see you again, Rod,’ says Klara.

Hicks’s eyes narrow and his mouth widens to a hyena-like grin.

Archer’s gaze fixes hard on Hicks as she leads the NCA analyst to DI Rees’s old office with the view over Bedfordbury. She’s had it cleaned and is relieved it smells fresher than it did a few days back.

‘Sorry about Hicks,’ says Archer.

‘Don’t be. Hicks is . . . Hicks.’

‘He is that,’ agrees Archer.

‘Anyway, getting down to business, I was scanning the web this morning and caught the pictures and location of Stan Buxton and Noel Tipping’s graffiti by you know who.’

‘Klara, that’s great.’

‘I’ll get set up and send you the details.’

As Klara unpacks, Archer’s phone rings with a London-based number she doesn’t recognise.

‘Hello?’

‘Hello, is that Grace Archer?’

‘Yes.’

‘This is Charlotte Woods. I’m a nurse at the University College Hospital. I’m calling about your grandfather, Mr Jake Archer.’

Archer feels a twist in her stomach.

‘What’s happened? Is he OK?’

‘Nothing to be alarmed about, Miss Archer. He took a bit of a knock on Oxford Street and fell over. He hit his head.’

‘What do you mean a knock?’

‘It’s hard to say as he doesn’t remember much. I think it was an accident, there were a lot of shoppers around as you can imagine. He lost his footing and fell over onto the road.’

‘The road?’

‘Yes. He was lucky.’

‘Is he hurt?’

‘He’s a little bruised. His pride is, too, however he was helped by a Good Samaritan. A very nice man who is still with him.’

‘I’ll come straightaway.’

‘That would be helpful. I’ll let him know.’

‘Thank you.’

The call ends.

‘Shit!’ says Archer.

‘Everything all right?’ asks Klara.

‘I think so . . . I hope so. I have to head out to UCH. Grandad’s taken a fall. I’ll get Tozer and Phillips to follow up on your leads.’

‘If there’s anything I can do . . .’

‘Thanks. Let me introduce you to everyone before I go.’

Archer quickly introduces Klara to the rest of the team before grabbing her coat and rushing out of the office, worried about Grandad and the investigation in equal measure. She makes her way to Bedford Street, hails a black cab and spots Quinn in Maiden Lane emerging from the Corpus Christi Church.

‘University College Hospital, Euston Road,’ she tells the driver.