‘They probably had a changeover vehicle nearby. Get on the radio and instruct the uniform cars and foot patrol officers to check the local estates and back roads for the Cortina. Call Stanley as well and tell him to drop Dabs off here to deal with this scene.’

‘Shall I call a SOCO out to the bank scene if Dabs is coming here?’

Kingston nodded and told the Colonel to make sure it was a senior SOCO who had experience of examining armed robbery scenes. Jane assumed the nickname ‘Dabs’ must have originated from the police slang for fingerprints. She asked Kingston if she would be going to the bank with him and the Colonel to take statements, but he said no as he wanted her to help Dabs.

‘I take it you know how to fill in an exhibits book?’ Kingston asked her.

‘I’ve done it a few times, but on big cases like murders the lab liaison sergeant did everything.’

‘Well, we work differently on the Flying Squad, as time is of the essence at a crime scene. Dabs, our SOCO, is permanently attached to the team and one of our DCs always works alongside him at a robbery scene, helping to gather evidence and listing the exhibits. Even though you’re a DS it would be beneficial for you to assist Dabs on this case.’

Jane said she’d be happy to assist Dabs and Kingston walked off towards the squad car.

‘Would you like me to brief Stanley when he gets here, guv?’ she asked the Colonel.

‘No, he and his crew will be joining me at the bank to interview the Securicor guards and other witnesses there,’ he said without looking back.

She waited for him to leave and went to have a look at the area where the skid mark stopped just short of the parked car. As the sun broke through the clouds she noticed something glint by the side of the road next to the pavement. On closer inspection she could see it was a brass cartridge case, which must have come from the handgun the tall man had fired at the police car. Looking around she could see another cartridge case a couple of feet away, by the rear nearside tyre of a parked car. Crouching down, she tilted her head to one side. Looking under the car, she could see two more cartridge cases. As she stood up and looked around she noticed two trails of blood drops, running between the skid mark and the middle of the road, where there were a number of drops confined to a small area, which meant the bleeding man had stood there.

‘This is a crime scene, ma’am, you shouldn’t be this side of the tape,’ a male voice said.