Next there was the sound of a loud bang, followed by screeching tyres, then a sickening crunch of metal and breaking glass before the radio went dead. It was clear the police vehicle had come to an abrupt halt after a serious crash.

‘That sounded like a shotgun going off,’ Cam remarked, and the Colonel nodded.

‘Let’s hope they’re both alive.’ Kingston replied, but he feared the worst.

Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

Jane and her colleagues sat in silence as they waited anxiously to hear from the crew of Juliet 1.

‘MP to Juliet 1, receiving, over?’ the operator asked repeatedly, but there was no reply.

‘Central 888 from 887, receiving . . . ?’

Stanley’s voice came over the radio from the squad car behind them.

‘Go ahead, Stanley,’ Kingston replied.

‘We’re going to head off to Bushwood Road, which runs along Wanstead Flats. All the back streets around Woodville Road lead to Bushwood so we might pick them up if they’re on foot or still in the Cortina.’

‘Good thinking, Stanley. We’ll go to Woodville to see what’s happened to Juliet 1 and let you know if the suspect car’s been abandoned.’

‘Central 888 and 887 from MP . . . Uniform patrol vehicles are also searching the area. Foot patrol officers are holding the scene at Barclays Bank and identifying witnesses. Two ambulances have been called there – one for an off-duty officer who was shot in the stomach and the other for three members of the public involved in a two-vehicle RTA during the incident.’

‘How bad is the officer’s injury?’ a concerned Kingston asked MP.

‘We don’t have any current information on his condition. An ambulance has also been called to Woodville Road for the Juliet 1 officers as they’re not responding.’

‘We’re nearly on scene, MP, and will give you a situation update on arrival,’ Kingston said as Cam stopped the car just short of Woodville Road.

‘Lie flat on the back seat, Tennison,’ Kingston said as he and the Colonel withdrew their revolvers and got out of the vehicle.

‘Are you going with them, Cam?’ she asked, wondering if she was going to be left on her own.

‘Like they said, I’m only the fucking driver – and apart from that I’m not firearms trained, so I’m happy to let them do the cops and robbers stuff.’

Jane couldn’t resist sitting up a bit to look out of the front windscreen. The rain had stopped, and she watched as the two officers crouched down behind a parked car at the corner of Woodville Road. The Colonel stood up, his gun raised, and, using the parked cars as cover, started to move down the road in a crouched position. Jane lost sight of them but was relieved there was no sound of gunfire. Cam picked up the radio and informed MP that two armed officers from Central 888 were now on foot in Woodville Road.