‘I wish you hadn’t reminded me. The memory’s cheered me up no end.’

‘Sorry for dragging you out here, but needs must.’ Cornish turned and gestured at the white terrace of cottages. ‘We can grab a coffee over at the National Trust cafe in a bit and have a chat about what you want from me.’

‘Sure, but one of your officers can help us. All we want to do is get the details for a crime that happened on your patch.’

‘Sorry?’ Cornish shook her head. ‘I don’t understand. You could have done that from London using the PNC. Why did you need to come all the way out here? Have MI5 not being paying their broadband bills or something?’

‘Or something.’ Holm stood with his hands in his pockets. Said nothing else.

‘Is this what you meant by getting my hands dirty?’

‘Look, if the case turns out to be of interest we’ll want more information. A lot more information. This is the easiest way to investigate without arousing suspicion.’

‘You could simply have phoned or emailed.’

Holm once more kept silent. Shrugged his shoulders.

‘National security, right?’ Cornish laughed and began to walk away. She gestured at the officer with the tablet. ‘See Mike over there. He’ll do it. If you need a printout or more info go back to HQ. I’ll let them know you’re coming. If you’re still around in an hour or so we can have that coffee, otherwise it’s been nice seeing you again, Stephen.’

‘I thought she was an old buddy of yours?’ Javed said once Cornish was out of earshot. ‘Doesn’t seem very friendly to me. Brushed you off like a speck of dandruff.’

‘It’s because we’re spooks,’ Holm said. ‘Not much love for us in the police force. Sometimes I wonder whose side they think we’re on.’

Was that it? Holm wondered, or was there something else. He thought they’d split amicably – after all she was the one who’d wanted to make the break – but perhaps there was a hint of regret layered in her brusqueness. Perhaps, unbelievably, there was still a spark of something between them, something that could be rekindled. On the other hand, perhaps he was just kidding himself.

They walked across to the officer Cornish had pointed out and made the request for the crime look-up.

‘Some guy called Ben Western,’ Holm said, trying to appear casual. ‘A missing person case I think.’

‘Did you say Ben Western?’ The officer coughed out the name with a sneer. He glanced back in the direction of Cornish. ‘Are you winding me up?’

‘Sorry?’ Holm tried to be polite. ‘Is there a problem?’