‘I’ll bet you’re right, Jane – to be honest I hadn’t thought about checking the sill. Sorry, I meant to say Sarge.’

‘It’s OK to call me Jane when we’re in a one-to-one situation, but obviously not in front of the team.’

‘I don’t mean to be rude, but you might have a problem there . . . No one calls Stanley “Sarge”, and the DI and DCI are both referred to as “Guv”. In fact, DI Kingston doesn’t mind you calling him Stu or Stewart, off duty.’

‘I don’t have a problem with Christian names off duty, but I think you should always show respect for rank at work. I’ve even told DC Gorman I expect to be addressed as Sarge when I’m on duty.’

Dabs winced. ‘And how did the Colonel take that?’

‘He didn’t say anything, but he seemed all right about it.’

Dabs wanted to give Jane some words of advice about how different things were on the Flying Squad compared to a normal CID office, but he decided it was best to let her find out for herself. He changed the subject and said he’d take swabs of the blood on the sill, then get it tested at the lab against the blood at the Woodville Road scene to see if the samples were the same blood group. The crew manager retrieved the burnt can from the back seat, sniffed the inside and said it smelt of petrol, then handed it to Dabs, who put it in a large nylon exhibits bag to prevent the evaporation of any fluid left inside it.

Jane entered the details of the can and burnt clothing in the exhibits book while Dabs photographed the burnt-out garage. She looked up and saw a traffic patrol PC walking towards her.

‘I’m PC Turner from the vehicle examination unit. A DS Tennison from the Flying Squad wants us to examine a car. Is he about?’

Jane sighed as she raised her eyebrows.

‘You’re talking to him,’ she replied tersely.

Turner looked embarrassed. ‘Sorry, I was expecting—’

‘I know – a man. You’re not the first to be surprised by me today.’

‘How can I help you, Sarge?’

She told him about the bank robbery and the discovery of the burnt-out car.

‘It’s possible the Cortina is stolen, and the registration plates were copied from a similar make and model. The chassis plate has burn damage, but I’d appreciate it if you’d have a look at it and see if you can glean any info from it.’

‘No problem.’

He walked over to the car, followed by Jane, and looked in the engine compartment.