‘We have. He’s Josh.’

‘Good choice. And how’s Karen?’

‘She’s great. She’ll be coming home tomorrow.’

‘I’m surprised you’ve come in.’

‘Well, I’d rather be here than sitting at home. I’m taking next week off to help Karen out and get to know the little one.’

Baby talk always reminded me that my own biological clock was ticking away. It was an issue I tried not to think about too often because it made me anxious and confused.

The fact was Aidan and I had been trying for a baby for six months and I hadn’t yet conceived, which was troubling. So far we hadn’t told our parents we were trying because we wanted it to be a surprise when it did happen, along with the announcement of our wedding plans.

We were both of the view that it was easier to pretend that we had no plans in place to start a family and get married anytime soon. That way we wouldn’t come under intense pressure, especially from my mother, who was desperate for a grandchild.

Prentiss held up his phone to show me a photo of the baby a few hours after the birth.

‘He’s gorgeous,’ I said and couldn’t help feeling a little broody.

Drummond chose that moment to clap his hands in order to get everyone’s attention, and it came as a welcome distraction.

He stood at one end of the large, open-plan office between two whiteboards. Pinned to the boards were various photos and documents relating to Roy Slack and his organisation.

The photos were of Slack and some of his henchmen, including Danny Carver, Frank Piper and Terry Malone, the man killed when police raided his home in Lambeth. There was also a picture of Hugh Wallis, the missing firearms officer who shot Malone.

The documents contained snippets of information that had already been gathered, including biographical notes and a breakdown of the legitimate businesses that were in Slack’s name and through which he laundered money.

The impression given in the media was that we were starting this investigation from scratch. But that wasn’t so. A small group of detectives and support staff had been working on it for months while the rest of us concentrated on the Harry Fuller case.

Drummond began the briefing with another verbal pat on the back for us all.

‘I’ve just come from a meeting with the Commissioner,’ he said. ‘He wants you all to know that you’re doing a cracking job. But now we have to work even harder to keep up the momentum.’

In some ways Drummond reminded me of my father. There was an aura about him, a sense of control and power that inspired confidence and loyalty among his staff.