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sir."
    The minutes crawled by. Komalski eyed the dark buildings that surrounded them.
    "Do you think he's — ?"
    "No. He'll be okay," she said as much to reassure herself as him.
    The other officer cocked his head. "Listen."
    Footsteps approached. Barney tensed as the sound grew nearer. The steps were unevenly paced, not Roads' steady plod. She held her pistol at the ready.
    A shadowy figure stepped out from behind a fence not far from them. She almost took a shot at it, then, turning the reflex into a wave, flashed the torch to attract its attention.
    Waving back, Roads limped to join them. His breath came heavily, as though he had only recently stopped running. His trousers were torn, and a small amount of blood showed through the opening.
    "Are you okay?" asked Barney.
    "Been better." He came to a halt with an audible sigh. Barney offered him the receiver, which he put into a pocket with a sheepish expression. "Sorry to keep you all waiting. I'll take this with me, next time."
    "Good idea. Where did you get to?"
    "I lost him four blocks down. He went up a ladder and onto the roof. I tried to follow, but the ladder collapsed when I was halfway up." He winced, flexing his leg. "I don't think it was an accident."
    "Should we try and go after him?"
    "No. He'll be miles away by now. He's one fast sonofabitch, that's for sure."
    "Was it the Mole?"
    "No, someone else. Bigger." He tapped a button on his overcoat. "It's lucky I had this. Didn't get a good look at his face, but I managed to tag his profile a couple of times. If the shots turn out, we might be able to work out who it was, and if he's relevant."
    Barney nodded. Roads had maintained a longstanding dispute with RSD supplies for the disguised camera. Miniaturised equipment was at a premium, of course, but he had argued that on occasions the right tools were a necessity, not a luxury. If he did get a good picture of the man he had chased, then the effort would have proved worthwhile.
    "Could be a coincidence, you think?" she asked, following on from his last comment.
    "Maybe." He glanced up and down the street, as though making sure they were alone. "Komalski, go back and help secure the cordon. Vince, go with him. I don't want anyone else getting in. Barney and I'll be at the house in a few minutes."
    "Yessir." The two men jogged up the street and turned a corner.
    When they were gone, Roads sighed again, this time in annoyance. "I was this close, Barney. I can't believe he got away so easily."
    She studied him closely, noting the bunched crow's-feet and sweat on his brow. "You can quit playing the tough guy now. It hurts, doesn't it?"
    He sagged. "Like hell. Want to have a look?"
    She knelt and peeled back the ripped fabric. The wound was shallow but long, from the back of his knee to halfway down his lower leg. Blood seeped steadily from it. She brushed away dirt with her fingers and used spit to clean the rest.
    Roads handed her a handkerchief without looking down, and she covered the gash as best she could. As strange as she found his phobia, she had to feel sympathy for him. A cop afraid of blood was like a surgeon afraid of sharp knives.
    She stood, wiping her hands on her coat. "There. Nothing serious. All you need is a tetanus shot and you'll be right as rain."
    "Thanks, Barney. I owe you one."
    "One what?"
    He smiled, obviously back to his old self. "That's up to you."
    She was about to reply when the streetlights suddenly came on. Pale yellow light, too weak to dazzle but bright enough to illuminate, flooded the suburb. The road lit up as though it were a stage and the two of them actors frozen in a tableau.
    Barney stood, her words forgotten. His eyes caught hers, and she stared back, fascinated by the grey swirls and patterns of his irises. Although he had the best eyesight of anyone in RSD — had she doubted it, the way he'd caught sight of the man in the alley would have convinced her — the orbs themselves were reassuringly human. Nice eyes, kind eyes,