I feigned interest even though it wasn’t something that I could get excited about. But at least it was a timely reminder that it wasn’t all about me and the work I did. Too often I gave that impression whenever I got wrapped up in a case. I withdrew into myself and thought about little else. And I knew that wasn’t fair on Aidan, even though he never complained.

To be sure Roy Slack and his minions were going to dominate my days for the foreseeable future, along with every other member of the task force.

I told myself that this time I would do my best to keep the investigation separate from my home life. I was determined not to let Aidan suffer in any way.

6

Slack

Danny Carver was a man of many talents. He was proficient in the use of most guns. He could strangle the toughest of men with his bare hands. He knew exactly how to torture someone to get them to cough up. And he could go days without sleep and still be a match for anyone in a street brawl.

But in recent years he had acquired a particular talent that didn’t involve violence – and yet it had proved just as useful to Roy Slack.

Danny had become a computer geek. He wasn’t up there with those cyber criminals who terrify the likes of governments, banks and big corporations. But his newfound skills had helped to develop new revenue streams for the firm through scams involving online fraud, hacking and identity theft. He’d also helped to make it difficult for the Old Bill to eavesdrop on their communications by installing sophisticated defence software in their mobiles and laptops.

It was therefore going to fall on Danny to get the ball rolling.

Slack took a sheet of paper from his desk drawer and held it up.

‘This is a copy of the list I just told you about,’ he said. ‘It contains the names and contact details of every detective on the organised crime task force. Next to each individual there’s a home address and the names of the people who are closest to them – wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, children, etcetera. Our mole has also provided me with a separate file containing photographs of most of those on the list. It’s been uploaded as a password-protected page on the web.’

‘So what is it you want me to do, boss?’

‘To start with I want you to send an anonymous text message to every detective so they receive it at the same time. You have to make it impossible for the message to be traced back to us. Can you do that?’

Danny nodded. ‘Piece of cake. So what’ll be in the message?’

Slack handed the sheet of paper to Danny.

‘I’ve written it there under the names. It’s short and to the point and there’s no way it can be misinterpreted.’