‘I’m DI Kingston. We’re short on the ground today as some of the team are out with the surveillance squad on another job, so you may as well come with us.’

‘What, to Leytonstone?’

‘No, to a tea party,’ he replied, drily.

‘DCI Murphy was expecting—’

‘He’s not back from Scotland Yard yet, so come on, shift your backside.’

Kingston had the swagger of a confident man and Jane followed him out to the street, where she saw Stanley sitting in the front of a dark green four-door Triumph 2500S, which had a blue magnetic flashing light on top of it. A black man was driving and Bax was in the back, with a diminutive-looking man wearing dark glasses next to him. Behind the Triumph, Cam was in the driver’s seat of a four-door black BMW 525i, again with a flashing light on the roof and its engine running.

‘We’re in the Beamer,’ Kingston told her.

‘Come on, Guv!’ the man in the white T-shirt shouted from the back seat of the BMW.

Kingston got in the front passenger seat as Jane ran around the back of the car and got in behind Cam, but there was little room for her legs as the driver’s seat was almost as far back as it would go. No sooner was she in the car than Cam pulled the automatic gearstick to Drive, and pushed the accelerator pedal to the floor. The car took off at high speed, causing Jane to jolt backwards, and it felt like someone had pushed her hard in the chest as her back slammed against the seat. As Cam braked at the T-junction, she felt her body lurch forward, but just managed to get her hands on the back of his seat to brace herself before her head hit it. The Colonel had his feet firmly propped up against the front passenger seat and a large London A-Z open on his lap.

‘Fastest route is left onto Lea Bridge Road, then right—’

‘I’ve worked this manor for years, so I know how to get there, Colonel,’ Cam said calmly, and turned the siren on.

Kingston opened the glove box and picked up the radio mike.

‘MP from Central 888, receiving, over?’

‘Yes, go ahead, Central 888, MP, over,’ a male voice replied.

‘We are en route with Central 887 to Aylmer Road and the men acting suspiciously near Barclays Bank. Any updates?’

‘The vehicle is still in situ. It’s a brown Mark 4 Ford Cortina, 1.6 litre saloon, index Sierra Lima Mike 273 Romeo. The vehicle is not reported stolen and may have false plates as the PNC shows a blue Mark 4, 1.6 GL saloon with a registered keeper in Sussex.’

‘Can you give me the informant’s details, please?’ Kingston got out his pocket notebook and pen.