As Rigby and McCafferty nailed down the final details of how the press would be handled, Gillard watched Graham Morgan’s fists unclench along with the rest of his body. His shoulders must have dropped a good couple of inches during the conversation. He would have been the first to admit that his arse was on the line. But if your boss is willing to cover it, everything is fine.

Once Christine had departed, Rigby held back the two detectives for one further subject.

‘I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear that I have ordered the suspension of PC Andrew Wickens. I’m turning him over to the not-so-tender mercies of Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Bracewell of the ACU.’

The two detectives exchanged a glance. Sarah Bracewell practically was the anti-corruption unit that covered Surrey and Sussex police forces. Gillard had never met her, but she had previously been a commercial lawyer and was recruited at a senior level rather than rising through the police ranks. Such recruits were rarely popular with the rank and file, who saw them as incompetent queue-jumpers to the best senior jobs, but Ms Bracewell was different. She had a reputation that preceded her for intelligence, toughness and diligence. Naturally enough, officers she had investigated had far worse things to say about her. In ACU you needed a hide like a rhinoceros. The word was that she could charge like one too, and make those charges stick.

‘That’s good, ma’am. If anyone can find out who he was working with, she can,’ Gillard said.

‘I want him to be made an example of,’ Rigby replied. ‘I’m aware that many serving officers are uncomfortable protecting ex-offenders. This will remind them where their duty lies.’

DC Hoskins drove Gillard from Mount Browne to Staines police station. The detective chief inspector had been almost hallucinating with tiredness by the end of his meeting with Rigby, but still had an urgent interview to conduct with Jakes. Gillard reclined the front passenger seat and dozed for half an hour during the journey. He awoke to Hoskins’ dulcet tones announcing that they had arrived.

After gulping down two coffees in quick succession, and introducing himself to the duty solicitor, Gillard reread Jakes’s witness statements while Hoskins set off to read him his rights and set up the tape recorder.

The detective chief inspector felt much more alert by the time he stepped into the interview room. Jakes was still wearing his cycling helmet and generally looked truculent.

‘Why won’t you let me go?’ he asked.

‘Quite simply, Michael, because of all the unlikely coincidences you are involved in. You witness the splash on Tagg’s Island. A few days later you are hanging round there again, in the middle of the night, frightening the woman who discovered the body. Next thing we know you are found right next to another body, that of the recently released prisoner Neville Rollason…’