‘Clean skins,’ Edie said. ‘I bloody hate clean skins. I’ll see you in the morning, Max.’

‘This is the thing on the news,’ Jackson said, his fingers scratching the back of Stan’s neck. ‘The Hanging Club.’

I nodded.

‘So what are they?’ Jackson said. ‘Some kind of vigilante group?’

‘We have a psychologist who works with us,’ I said. ‘Dr Joe. American. His theory is that they think of what they’re doing as capital punishment. They don’t think they’re committing murder. They don’t see it like that. They believe they are carrying out a death sentence.’

‘But they’re only killing scumbags, right? A child groomer and a hit-and-run driver.’

I smiled. ‘They’re not allowed to kill anyone, Jackson. It’s against the law.’

He looked thoughtful.

‘Still – it can’t feel good having to go after them. For you, I mean, Max. Like you’re a lawyer or something.’

I shouldered my kit bag.

‘Did they give you any choice about going to Afghanistan, Jackson? Did they ask you if there was somewhere you would prefer to go?’

He shook his head.

‘You went where you were sent,’ I said. ‘Same here. We just do our job. That’s all we do. The law’s not just there for nice people. I’m off to the gym.’

‘Bit late to be training,’ Jackson said.

‘I need to work off the day,’ I said. ‘Or I’ll never get any sleep.’

‘I’ll come with you.’

‘You just had a run.’

He laughed. ‘Another hour of cardio won’t kill me.’ He looked thoughtful. ‘I’m just saying – what they’re doing is illegal. But does that make it wrong?’

‘You talk like you admire them.’

‘And you talk like you don’t. A child groomer, Max. A hit-and-run driver. No great loss.’

‘That’s not the point.’

‘What is the point?’

‘The point is – who made them God? Who elected them judge, jury and executioner? They’re not the law.’

‘I forgot,’ he smiled. ‘You are.’

‘I was at the Old Bailey,’ I said. ‘Some boys kicked a man to death. His name was Steve Goddard and he was forty years old. They got off too lightly and it made me mad. I was going to go for them. I wanted to wipe the smiles off their faces. I wanted to hurt them, to punish them in a way that the court had not punished them. I wanted to give them what they deserved. Stupid, right? I’ve got Scout to raise. I’m no good for her sitting in a jail cell. But it was a moment. Then one of the court ushers got in my face and the moment passed.’

‘That’s you, Max. For some people, the moment doesn’t pass.’ He paused. ‘But the hanging’s weird. A funny way to do it, I mean. You ever see anything like this before?’

I shook my head. ‘Never.’