Three days later, Quill’s team sat in the Portakabin at Gipsy Hill, watching Quill put an X of black tape across the photo of Vincent on the Ops Board. They were silent, washed out, exhausted. Sefton hadn’t expected Ross to come, but she’d entered right on time at the start of her shift, here to do her duty or face the consequences of her actions. She hadn’t made eye contact with Costain, who hadn’t tried to speak to her. Sefton was even more surprised that he was here.

He’d last seen Ross when the two of them had found Quill in a Whitechapel pub that had a lock-in of shift workers going on. They were scared shitless of the chaos on the streets and glad to include coppers. Costain had already gone home; that had been a condition of Ross coming to see Quill. She’d stared at him then, unable to believe it, unable, Sefton now understood, having heard everything from Quill, to feel happy at his return. Sefton, on the other hand, feeling as if he was about to die and needing to fall asleep, had just taken Quill in his arms and hugged him. Quill had hugged him back. Ross had managed only a few halting words to Quill. She’d managed to say it was good he was alive, but it had sounded almost like a guess. Then she asked if she and Costain were going to prison. The two of them had, after all, kept information from the investigation, committed offences. Ross had also lied to them about what she’d found in the Docklands documents.

Quill had just shaken his head. He looked as perplexed at what had changed in her as much as she was at him. ‘Condemned man – me, that is – gets a last request, and I choose to let you off. We can’t afford to lose you. What you’ve done to each other, to yourselves…’ He looked at her interrogatively again, as if hoping she’d suddenly smile. ‘I think that’s punishment enough.’

Ross had looked angry at him for that mercy. Then, with Quill calling after her, she’d turned and left the pub.

Sefton had thought about it and decided he might, given the same circumstances, have done the same things. His colleagues had been only human. How terrible that was.

‘We survived,’ said Quill now. ‘Well, you lot did, and I caught up.’ He indicated the list of operational aims on the Ops Board:

1: Ensure the safety of the public.

2: Gather evidence of offences.

3: Identify and trace subject or subjects involved (if any).

4: Identify means to arrest subject or subjects.

5: Arrest subject or subjects.

6: Bring to trial/destroy.

7: Clear those not involved of all charges.