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feel sorry for him, and he was on their soccer team.’
    ‘Even so … I keep thinking if I just wait for a while, Mr Bryant will somehow persuade them to re-form the unit.’
    ‘I did too at first. I think when something gets this badly broken, it’s pretty tough to fix. We went down upsetting a hell of a lot of people.’
    ‘We got letters of support.’
    ‘Yeah, but more of them were glad to be rid of us. I was sent a black wreath from some joker at Albany Street nick.’
    ‘I thought the old man had some well-placed government pals. I was hoping he’d pull in a few favours. That’s what he’s done in the past.’
    ‘I don’t suppose Arthur’s in the right frame of mind to whip up fresh support in Whitehall.’
    ‘You’ve known Bryant and May longer than anyone, Janice. Why did they never accept promotion?’
    ‘Because they knew most investigations would go to DCs, TDCs and PCs. They didn’t want desk jobs, and they didn’t want to end up in something specialist like working with Tactical Support Groups.’ Riot police needed their senior ranks to be involved on the ground, but it was a general rule of thumb that the higher you went in the police force, the less chance you had of regaining the excitement of your early days.
    ‘Hang on, why did you call Bryant’s old work number?’
    ‘Because he’s not answering his mobile, and there’s something wrong with his house line. I’m worried about him. I went round there and knocked the other day but there was no answer. The only other way of getting in touch is through Alma’s church.’
    ‘The thing is, I’ve got an interview with a software development company in Manchester and they seem pretty keen to get me in. The work’s not very interesting but the pay’s good, and it could tide me over until something better comes along. I just feel so bloody disloyal.’
    ‘You have to go for it, Dan. We all need to find a way through this, and you’ve got a family to take care of. No-one’s going to think any less of you. I’ve spoken to Giles, and he’s been going for interviews, reckons there’s a couple of good jobs around. Raymond was relieved to be able to take early retirement. He’sbeen wanting to do that for a long time. April’s pretty devastated, though. I think she feels let down by her grandfather.’
    ‘It’s so bloody unfair. You work for years honing your skills, thinking you’re going to end up using your experience and making a difference—’
    ‘You’re still young, Dan.’ Longbright laid a gentle hand on Banbury’s arm. ‘You’ll find something to inspire you. Do you want to get a cup of tea? I’m just brewing up.’
    ‘No, I can’t stop. Well, give my regards to the others when you speak to them.’
    ‘I will. Here, take these home to the missus. You might start something.’ She handed him a packet of ruby-sequined nipple tassels.
    Banbury pocketed them and was about to leave but stopped in the doorway, rubbing the stubble of his hair, suddenly as lost as a child on a beach. ‘Tell them to stay in touch. I mean, I don’t suppose they will, but—’ At a loss for anything further to say, he turned and left.
    As Longbright watched Banbury go, she wondered if she would ever see him again. She had come to regard the PCU staff as the closest members of her family. This is how mothers feel when their kids leave home , she thought, folding an embroidered satin girdle and snapping it smartly into a drawer.

6
TROUBLE IN STORE
    R afi Abd al-Qaadir looked around the filthy shop and wondered if he had made a mistake. Buckled metal sheeting marked the spot where the shawarma spits had turned, splattering grease onto the walls and ceiling, and there had clearly been a fire at some point in the past. The meat counters and the bolted-down tables had been left behind, but the ovens and the refrigerator had been ripped out, leaving ragged holes in the plaster.
    Rafi had borrowed money from his brothers to buy the lease of the