She finally saw the vehicle up ahead and wondered how best to play this. If the Stinger had been deployed properly, it would stop the car, no question. But had they managed to find a traffic car equipped with one at such short notice? Not all cars carried them, and not all officers were allowed to use them. What then? How could she stop him without either getting killed herself or causing an accident that could injure Davy?

But it was impossible to think while negotiating this nightmare terrain. As she had done so many times in the past, Marie Evans would wing it. Right now, she needed to concentrate on staying alive.

* * *

When Vic Blackwell was finally given permission to interview Freddie Shields, he paused for a moment at the observation window. He saw Shields seated beside a snappily dressed, well-groomed man in his fifties, who had lawyer written all over him. He wasn’t known to Vic, and he certainly wasn’t one of the duty solicitors. He turned to his DC, Denise Gordon, and asked her if she recognised him.

‘Oh shit, Sarge, that’s Carrington. He’s a first-class . . .’

She didn’t need to go on. But Vic had met people like Carrington before, and he had his ways too.

He took his seat, prepared to go precisely by the book. Carrington wasn’t going to trip him up on interviewing procedure. He pressed ‘record’, stated his name and introduced those present. He then explained the reasons for Shields’s arrest and laid out the charges against him.

The interview went much as he’d expected, with Carrington objecting to practically every question put to Shields.

‘Detective Sergeant! This man is suffering from a serious condition. Not only is there written confirmation of this from his own GP, he is being seen as a patient by your very own force psychologist. What further proof do you need that he is clearly in need of medical help, not locking up in a police cell.’

‘Mr Shields will be seen later today by an eminent specialist in his specific condition, Mr Carrington. But we also have to consider the fact that Mr Shields’s actions led to the hospitalisation of that same force psychologist, namely Dr Laura Archer, as well as Professor Samuel Page, both of whom, as you are aware, were trying to help Mr Shields. And he resisted arrest in such a violent manner as to require restraining by the legal use of a Taser, both for his own safety and that of others in the vicinity.’

‘My client has already expressed sincere regret at causing injury to Dr Archer, but as it happened during an episode of deep somnambulism, he can hardly be held responsible.’ Carrington’s tone now carried less conviction. ‘And this also applies to his arrest. So, I really must insist that unless you have irrefutable evidence that this man is responsible for his mother’s death, you must let him go.’