‘But what he’s doing is pointless as well as dangerous,’ James said. ‘He must know he can’t outrun us in the bloody wilds of Cumbria. The roads are few and far between and there aren’t many built-up areas. In a city he’d be able to nip round any number of side streets, park up and hurry away on foot. But here his options are limited and he’s probably wondering now what the hell he’s going to do.’

The van’s brake lights came on and James immediately saw why. A road sign indicated the junction up ahead. James knew that Nash would have to slow down significantly as he approached it so when the van’s brake lights went off again, he felt a stab of panic.

‘The idiot is going even faster now,’ he shouted. ‘He’ll never make the turn at that speed.’

‘Oh God, I don’t think he’s going to try,’ Abbott shrieked.

It happened in the blink of an eye, but to the two detectives it seemed like it was in slow motion.

The van must have been racing at sixty miles an hour as it entered the junction.

It tore across the empty road, mounted the verge, and slammed into a dry-stone wall on the other side.

The crash sounded like an explosion and drowned out the screech of the pool car’s tyres as James slammed on the brakes.

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

James stared through the windscreen in disbelief. The van they’d been chasing was a total wreck and the sight of it robbed him of air.

He’d brought the pool car to a juddering stop in the middle of the road and as he leapt out the smell of burning fuel and rubber caused his nostrils to flare.

‘We have to get to him,’ he cried, fearing the van would burst into flames at any second.

As he approached it, the extent of the damage shocked him. The front end was crushed up against the wall, and several large stones had tumbled onto what was left of the bonnet.

The windscreen was shattered, and James could see that William Nash was pinned between the back of his seat and the buckled steering wheel, which had been pushed up against his body. The airbag had been deployed but it hadn’t saved him from being injured. His eyes were closed and blood was pouring from several wounds to his face and head.

Smoke rose from the chaos of broken parts that were covered in oil and petrol.

James turned and yelled for the officers who were climbing out of the patrol car to bring over an extinguisher and summon the fire brigade and an ambulance.

Then he set about trying to extract Nash from the van. But the door was buckled and wouldn’t open. He yanked at the handle, swearing under his breath as he did so.