‘You can take your hand off me now,’ Jane told him icily. She brushed her arm down. ‘I know Abby saw his face . . .’ She held her finger and thumb a couple of inches apart. ‘We were that close to getting her on our side—’

‘Shut up and get in the bloody car,’ Teflon told her through gritted teeth.

He said nothing as he drove off, then took the first left turn and came to an abrupt halt, making Jane lurch forward.

‘For Christ’s sake!’ she exclaimed.

He shook his head in disbelief. ‘Can you not see Jones was only trying to protect his daughter? You should have walked away as soon as Abby told you he was mad that you’d spoken to her without his permission.’

‘Maybe, but—’

‘Then you go and tell him the suspect pointed the gun at her and she could have been killed. After hearing that I wouldn’t let my daughter go anywhere near a bloody witness stand.’

‘I said hurt, not killed, and I was just being honest with him.’

‘Sometimes honesty isn’t the best policy. Put yourself in his shoes . . . He already knew our suspects are hardened criminals who don’t give a toss about anyone or anything and are not afraid to commit murder to get away with their crimes.’

‘You don’t need to lecture me,’ she retorted. ‘I’ve dealt with witnesses to murder and many other serious crimes, so believe me I know what it’s like for them.’

‘Dealing with witnesses to armed robberies is different from a murder investigation. We’ve had loads of people in witness protection, but lost in court because of physical assaults and intimidation of their families and members of the jury. Even if Abby identified O’Reilly in a line-up, a good defence barrister would have destroyed the poor girl in court – and alleged that you coerced her.’

Jane threw her hands up. ‘Fine. You’re right – we shouldn’t have gone to see Abby.’

‘I should never have let you talk me into going there. Part of me wonders how much you just wanted to rub Murphy’s nose in it by getting Abby to admit she saw O’Reilly’s face.’

‘I said I’m sorry – and I can’t change what’s just happened.’

‘Next time think before you dive in head first, Jane. Why throw all your hard work away on a seventeen-year-old kid, who you already suspected had lied before you got there? If Murphy had told you to go and interview her then the blame for that fiasco would have been on his shoulders – not yours!’

He started the car and moved off.

Neither of them spoke on the journey back to Rigg Approach. Jane had time to think about what Teflon had said and she realised he was mostly right. Her biggest dilemma now was whether or not to tell Murphy what had happened.

*