Of course, her face then immediately clouded, because Keel wasn’t going to be up for this. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, ‘he’s not to be disturbed.’

‘We’ll see about that.’ Ross got out her phone and sent her prepared text to Costain. It just said, ‘He’s here.’ She didn’t look around as, unobserved, Costain walked quickly in and headed for the back of the shop.

*   *   *

Costain was trying to keep his thoughts from racing, to keep his mind on apprehending Terry Keel. He walked swiftly under the CCTV cameras beside the expensive stuff without breaking stride, hoping that would get him past the owner’s notice. Keel had no reason to be particularly on guard this morning, after all. He wasn’t the sort to worry about the police’s ability to protect his premises. He was pretty certain of doing that himself.

He walked straight through a door marked ‘Staff only’, found nobody there now that they were all watching Ross’ show with the bird, and headed up the stairwell. He was breathing too fast. He got out his Airwave radio once more. On the floor above was a toilet and an office. Costain stepped carefully as he reached eye level with the top floor. He couldn’t hear—

Terry Keel stepped out from the office, an expression of cold fury on his face. ‘You fuckers!’

‘Go go go!’ Costain yelled into the radio.

The window beside Keel burst inwards. Two Armed Response uniforms were bringing their weapons to bear. ‘Armed police officers!’ But Keel was already running, yelling, right at Costain. Something in his hand glowed like a hot coal.

Costain didn’t fall back as Keel expected him to, making himself an easy target when Keel got to the top of the stairs. Instead he heaved himself forwards and grabbed the man’s wrist. He slammed the hand with the fire in it into the wall. But Keel was a powerfully built man. With a cry, he shouldered Costain aside, rebounding from the folded copies of the Police Gazette from the 1840s that Sefton had stuffed into Costain’s jacket as an occult London version of body armour.

Keel threw himself towards the fire door. Costain kicked himself off the wall and followed, knowing as he moved that he was in the line of fire between Keel and the armed officers, knowing they wouldn’t shoot.

The weight of Keel’s body slammed the door open.

*   *   *

Sefton was ready as Keel sprinted out onto the fire escape. But even Keel was surprised as the fire he held in his hand burst into smoke and steam. Sefton grabbed him by the lapels and swung him up against the wall.

Keel kicked out with one foot, catching Sefton on the thigh, flinging him back.