“It’s essential we contain this,” Glover steamed on. “If the public ever finds out we sent in a UC to infiltrate that family, or that Nathalie Sanderson died because she was seduced by that UC, heads will roll. There’ll be a major inquiry. People will be incensed.”

“I don’t care anymore!” Paul’s shout made a passing porter look their way.

Glover stopped walking and turned Paul to face him. His spicy aftershave was still the same scent as years ago, with its bitter aniseed edge. “I’m thinking about the complications for you as well, Paul. I take it Steph still doesn’t know about Nathalie?”

“No.” Paul was aware of a collapsing sensation inside him, then a spark of defiance. “But maybe it’s time it was all out in the open.”

Glover’s mask of sympathy dissolved. Paul was reminded of that switch, on the day Glover had told him Nathalie was dead, that transformation from solemn deliverer of bad news to hard-faced guardian of the force’s reputation. Paul had been staying in a safe house at the time. After Nathalie had found out the truth, and gone running with it to her brother, Paul had called Glover and a backup team had rushed to pull him out. He’d been kept in hiding while things were brought under control. He still remembered the house’s plaster-dust scent, hard mattress, and the endlessness of his thoughts, punctuated only by visits from Glover. Daniel had got himself a lawyer and was threatening to sue the police. And there were “concerns” in high places about the way Paul had handled the operation. Concerns about his unethical sexual relationship with the suspect’s sister.

A few days later, Glover had arrived at the safe house unable to look Paul in the eye. Paul had thought he was going to tell him his career was over, which he’d assumed anyway. Perhaps, even, that Paul would be given another new identity for his own protection, and would have to move somewhere Daniel couldn’t find him.

But Glover told him that Nathalie had returned to the woods that had last seen her daughter, and added to their infamy by hanging herself deep within the trees. After he’d delivered the news, he’d seemed to lighten with the relief of having got the unpleasantness out of the way. Then he’d launched into his plan for “damage limitation.” He’d said it could easily blow up into a scandal, that Daniel was raging, lashing out, and would no doubt go public about the “misjudgments” that had led to his sister’s death unless they paid him off in a big way.