Kingston thought differently. ‘The Colonel’s informant knows a lot of old school blaggers and he’s given us some good tip-offs in the past.’

‘I was going to see him first thing Sunday morning, Guv,’ the Colonel added.

Murphy thought about it. ‘OK, don’t be up front with any names. Just see what you can tease out of him. And take Tennison with you.’

The Colonel frowned. ‘Do I have to, Guv?’

Here we go again, Jane thought to herself.

‘Yes. She’s never dealt with any informants on these types of investigations. She needs to watch, listen and learn from someone as experienced as you.’

The Colonel wasn’t happy, but knew it was pointless arguing with Murphy.

‘Anyone else got anything positive to add?’ Murphy asked.

Baxter put his hand up.

‘Jane’s report mentions M1 might be a car dealer. Frank Braun, who me and the Colonel interviewed this morning, owns the Cortina that was used as the getaway car in the robbery, but he also has a 3 series BMW injection and a nice three-bedroom semi in Tottenham.’

Murphy and the others exchanged puzzled looks.

‘Forgive me for not being on the same wavelength as you, Bax – but what’s all that got to do with anything?’ Stanley asked.

Baxter sighed. ‘I thought it was obvious. Braun’s a fireman and seems to be living well above his means. If M1 is a car dealer maybe he gave Braun the BMW, or sold it to him cheap for letting them use his Cortina and reporting it stolen.’

Stanley nodded. ‘OK. Good point, Bax.’

The Colonel had more to add.

‘The PNC check we ran on Braun turned up negative and the crime report at Tottenham tied up with what he told us, but I still think there’s more to him than meets the eye. He said he knew Paul Lawrence, the lab liaison DS, and was working a fire scene with him when the car was stolen.’

‘Check it out with Lawrence, then revisit Braun and ask him where he bought the BMW and the Cortina—’

‘I know DS Lawrence. I can call him and ask about Braun,’ Jane suggested.

He looked at the office clock. It was nearly ten o’clock.

‘OK. It’s late but give him a call and tell him it’s urgent.’

As the meeting continued Jane rummaged in her bag for her address book, then used the phone on Katie’s desk. Lawrence answered after a couple of rings.

Murphy looked at Dabs. ‘How are we doing on the forensics?’

‘Ballistics confirmed the rifling on the bullets and firing pin marks on the cartridge cases showed they were all fired from the same handgun, which they reckon was probably a nine-millimetre Luger. Also, the blood we recovered at the crash scene and on the burnt-out Cortina was B negative, which is only found in about one point five per cent of the population.’