‘Keep your voice down,’ Wickens said. ‘I’m already taking a huge risk. Don’t go getting gobby on me, all right?’

Chivers nodded in contrition. ‘Sorry.’

‘There’s another avenue I could pursue,’ he said. ‘I know Morgan has been working with probation in Staines. I may be able to find out who the case officer allocated to Rollason is. My feeling is that it’s going to be a woman called Verity Winter.’

‘Why’s that then?’ Chivers said.

‘Because she’s the most experienced. Here’s her car details.’ Wickens passed across a scrap of paper. ‘If you follow her, she may lead you to him, or at least the place where he’ll be staying.’

‘Can’t you do it?’ Dalton asked.

‘Well, I’m on duty most of the time, aren’t I? And half the probation team know me.’

‘That gives you cover doesn’t it?’ Dalton persisted.

‘It gives me cover for being in the office with them, but I’d look a bit suspicious if I was spotted following her car, in uniform as well.’ He looked at Dalton as if he was an idiot.

‘Fair point,’ Dalton conceded.

‘Look, I know how the probation team works. They’ll want a face-to-face meeting with him on the day he gets out. But you can take your time. Do a bit of surveillance. You don’t have to grab him on day one.’

‘I suppose not,’ Dalton said, looking at Chivers.

‘The big question is where we take him,’ Wickens said. ‘You haven’t told me what the plan is. I take it there is a plan?’

‘We’ve got a plan. But we’ve got to be very careful,’ Chivers said. ‘Sworn to secrecy on this. It’s best if you don’t know.’

‘I do have to know that it isn’t something stupid,’ Wickens replied. ‘Something that is gonna come back and bite me on the arse.’

‘Anaconda has it all arranged,’ Chivers said. ‘You just get us the bastard, we’ll sort the rest.’

‘Who the fuck is Anaconda?’ Wickens asked.

Dalton rolled his eyes and inclined his head towards Chivers. ‘The code name was his idea. Anaconda is the backer, the guy who has got somewhere to keep him sorted.’

Wickens realised immediately who it might be. ‘It’s Gus van Steenis, isn’t it?’

Dalton let his head fall into his hands. ‘See, Nige?’ he said to Chivers. ‘Didn’t I say it was a stupid name?’

Wickens rubbed his forehead. ‘It’s not just the fact that he’s the only bloke in the area who might own a fucking anaconda. Van Steenis was gobbing off to me and Cottesloe about what an outrage it was that Rollason was being released.’ He looked around the pub, checking that nobody was listening to them. ‘I mean, can’t anyone keep their mouth shut? Am I surrounded by idiots?’