‘I wish more people on the force did,’ Jane said.

‘That’s your problem, Tennison. You think the world is against you. Because of that you sometimes fly solo, which in turn annoys your colleagues and turns them against you. Contrary to what you may think, I’ve heard many a good word said about you. If you want to make inspector, you need to learn how to communicate better with both your superiors and subordinates. Teamwork is based on trust and respect.’

She nodded, knowing he was giving her sound advice.

He looked at his watch. ‘I’ve got to head off to the Yard in a minute. Photocopy your report and leave the original on my desk. And remember, tread carefully with Father Floridia and anyone else you speak to at the diocesan offices. Don’t take their word as gospel,’ he smiled.

She couldn’t help asking before she left his office: ‘I don’t wish to appear nosy, sir, but have you had a bad experience with the Catholic Church. I mean, in an official way?’

Barnes nodded, removed another cigarette from the pack and lit it. ‘It was over twenty years ago now. I was a young DS in North London, investigating a case where a twelve-year-old boy called Stephen Phillips had gone missing from a children’s orphanage run by a priest and nuns. I instigated a search of the nearby woods and found him hanging from a tree.’ He took in a deep breath and let out a sigh. He rubbed his chin and shook his head as he recalled the memory. ‘The poor boy had taken his own life.’

‘That must have been a shocking thing to witness,’ she said.

His voice trembled. ‘Cutting Stephen down from the tree and holding his limp body in my arms still haunts me to this day. I didn’t even know him . . . yet it was if I’d lost my own son.’ He took a steadying breath before continuing.

‘At first, I couldn’t for the life of me understand why a mere child would want to commit suicide. It was during the post-mortem I discovered the answer. When we removed his clothing, there were black and blue welt marks over his lower back and buttocks. He’d been beaten so badly you could see the outline of the belt and buckle on his skin. The pathologist said some of the marks were old and some recent. I knew right away whoever was responsible for inflicting Stephen’s injuries had to work at the convent.’

Jane felt sickened by the idea. ‘Was it the priest or one of the nuns?’