He frowned. ‘The Senior SOCO who attended the bank scene did all that and nothing of interest was found. Next time speak to me first. Mrs Simpson is our best chance of identifying the getaway driver – if we can identify him that might then lead us to the rest of the team. These men are dangerous and Mrs Simpson’s safety is crucial to the investigation. I’ve told her to tell no one that she saw the driver. I don’t want her getting cold feet by putting her under any more police pressure right now, so I’ll deal with her statement.’

‘I understand, sir. Will you be getting a statement from the old lady as well?’ Jane asked, as he had mentioned having spoken to Betty in the office meeting.

Kingston looked puzzled. ‘Who are you talking about?’

‘Betty, the old lady with the hunched shoulders who witnessed the robbery. Fiona Simpson implied you’d spoken to her.’

‘Unfortunately she’s a bit senile and not very reliable, so I decided it wasn’t worth getting a statement off her. Considering it’s your first day and you were shoved in at the deep end, you’ve done well,’ he said, changing the subject.

‘Thanks, but I don’t think DCI Murphy and the rest of the team share your viewpoint.’

‘My advice is to carry on as you’ve started and don’t let them get to you.’

Jane felt she could be open with him and part of her wanted to gauge his opinion further.

‘That’s not so easy when you’ve been told you’re nothing more than an experiment—’

‘Look, if you’re worried about the team finding out, don’t be. I for one won’t say anything and I can assure you neither will DCI Murphy, otherwise he’d have everyone on his back wanting to know what’s going on. The Flying Squad has always been a male bastion, but sooner or later that was going to change and some feathers were going to get ruffled. There’s guys on the team who will test your mettle, the same as they would with a new male officer on the squad, and the banter can be pretty full on at times – but like I just said, don’t let them get to you and if you’re not sure about something, just ask.’

Jane knew that what he was saying made sense and it made her feel more relaxed about being the ‘treacle’ on the Flying Squad.

Kingston handed her the house-to-house folder.

‘I’ve got a shedload of paperwork and reports to do, so unless there’s something you want to ask about the investigation, I need to crack on.’