“So you admit you set Tariq and his mates the task of keeping an eye open for me and ‘Ginger’?”

Sunny nodded.

“How did it work?”

“They were driving around the estate and Tariq saw a green Corsa.”

“You knew that DC Masterson drove such a car?”

“I saw you and her drive away in it the other night.”

“So what did Tariq do?”

“He rang me, and I told him to wait there until you came back. Just to stand around the car, you know, but not to do anything.”

“A warning?”

“Sort of.”

“And that’s all?”

“That’s all. Nothing more. They have their own interests to protect. I’m not responsible for them or their actions. I suggest you talk to them about it.”

“We will,” said Banks. “No worry. We’ll have them in custody, too, soon. Anyway, we’ll get back to that later. For the moment, perhaps you can tell us what happened that Tuesday night, when Mimsy got into the van?”

“It was no different from usual. I had some cousins dropping by, and they offered to give Mimsy a lift. She wanted to see her girlfriends in Dewsbury. That’s all.”

“Are you sure that’s the only reason she went with them in the van?”

“Yes, of course.”

“The three men had sex with her, Sunny.”

“So? That’s her business. I wasn’t there.”

“I think it’s yours. I think you asked the men to punish her for being disobedient, for wanting to leave.”

“No way.”

Banks riffled through his papers. “Zahid Bhatti, Younis Qazi and Masood Chaudhri. Do those names mean anything to you?”

Sunny’s jaw dropped, and his eyes opened wide. “How did you—?”

“Police work, Sunny. Good old police work. Well, do you know them?”

Sunny swallowed and nodded.

“That’s good,” said Banks. “They’ll be here soon, when West Yorkshire are through with them, and they seem willing to help us with our inquiries. I have to say, they leave a lot to be desired when it comes to getting rid of the evidence.”

“Look,” said Sunny, a pleading tone coming into his voice. “You have to understand how it is with us. Our culture. Things are different.”

“You’re doing it again, aren’t you?” said Annie.

“What?”

“That race card thing. Go on. Tell us how you’re different, then.”

“We owed them one, right? The cousins. And she was it. Mimsy. They took a fancy to her. Girls are a kind of currency. There’s an exchange rate, and it keeps changing. Some days it’s in your favor, and some days it’s not. We were repaying a debt, that’s all it was. There was no punishment.”

“That’s an interesting cultural difference,” said Annie. Glancing at Banks. “We’ll have to remember to take it up with PC Jawanda back at the police station, but I think I know what he’ll tell me.”

“What?”