In all her years in the police force, Blyth had been the receiver of many a shock. She’d worked on the cases of the pleasant vicar who had committed bigamy ten times, the respected female school teacher who had been involved in a nationwide paedophile ring and also the sweet twelve-year-old girl who had knifed both her parents to death and had then blamed burglars, but never, ever had Blyth been more gobsmacked than hearing what Frankie had just said.

Pulling herself together, Blyth shut her open mouth, stood up and put her arms around the distraught girl who was now sobbing her heart out. ‘Oh, you poor, poor thing. Everything will be OK now Frankie, I promise you that. Jed will pay for what he has done and I will personally make sure that he does.’

Terry Baldwin was frozen stiff. It was a bitterly cold January evening and the snow that had fallen earlier had now turned to ice. Once again, Terry was sitting outside the iron fence with the red lettering in River Road in Barking, but this time he was in a white transit van and was meeting Jamie Carroll, aka the fixer, in person.

Glancing at his watch, Terry clenched his hands together and blew into them to keep them warm. The heating in the van was broken and Jamie was over half-an-hour late. Wondering whether something had gone tits-up, Terry was relieved as he saw headlights approaching. As the blue Transit van pulled up behind him, Terry got out of his own van.

‘Fucking taters, ain’t it?’ he said to Jamie.

Jamie ignored the comment and opened the back doors of his van. He was a man of very few words, especially when it came to discussing the weather. ‘That’s it. Untraceable, and goes like a fucking thunderbolt.’

Terry handed Jamie the envelope stuffed with cash and asked for a hand to get the motorbike into his own van.

‘He was a bit weird, that geezer who met me last night. Are you sure he’s kosher?’ Terry asked, as he and Jamie pushed the bike up the wooden ramp he’d brought with him.

‘Anyone I deal with is kosher,’ Jamie replied, pissed off that Terry had questioned his work ethic.

‘Well, thanks for everything and if I need anything else, I’ll bell ya.’

Jamie nodded, jumped in his van and sped off.

Terry did the same and headed towards his lock-up. Jamie was an ignorant bastard and the other geezer he’d sent last night still sent shivers down his spine, but at least they had delivered the goods. Terry allowed himself a smirk. Now he had everything he needed, it was almost time for action.