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problems with the vehicle and that all was well with him and his ‘co-pilot’. Now, Holland picked up the radio and listened, rolling his eyes at Thorne, while Karim checked in a second time to report that, essentially, there was nothing to report.
    Holland put the radio back. ‘He
really
needs to get out of the office a bit more.’
    Thorne smiled, wondering how Wendy Markham was coping.
    Nicklin leaned forward and said, ‘So, who
is
that behind us?’
    Thorne saw no reason not to tell him.
    ‘They’ll be the ones getting busy with the bones then?’
    ‘Busy making sure the bones end up where they’re supposed to,’ Thorne said. ‘We’ll be meeting a forensic archaeologist up there.’
    ‘Obviously.’
    Thorne looked at Nicklin in the mirror. ‘This is all providing we’ve got some bones to begin with.’
    ‘Oh, there’s plenty of bones where we’re going.’
    Thorne had done the reading. ‘That’s just a myth.’
    ‘Got to be some truth to it,’ Nicklin said. ‘There’s human odds and sods turn up there all the time. Various bits and pieces knocking around on the beach or on the side of the mountain. Some poor old woman with a spade, trying to dig up her carrots or whatever…
oh look, it’s somebody’s foot
!
’ He barked out a laugh and sat back. ‘Anyway, I really wouldn’t worry about having a wasted trip, because I can promise you
I
left some there.’ He turned to the window. ‘Not that they were bones when I left…’
    The conversation had gone as far as Thorne cared for it to go. He turned to Holland. ‘You thought about holidays yet, Dave?’
    ‘Not anywhere specific,’ Holland said.
    ‘Somewhere hot?’
    ‘Oh yeah, and it’ll have to be somewhere with a kids’ club for the Pushy Princess. Or at least plenty of other kids around she can play with.’
    Nicklin leaned forward again. ‘How old’s your daughter, sergeant?’
    Holland turned around to look at him, but said nothing. This conversation had ended too.
    They drove for another forty minutes in silence, maintaining steady progress in heavy motorway traffic. Drizzle had begun to spatter the windscreen. Just after they had passed a sign for the Telford turn-off, Nicklin turned to Fletcher.
    ‘I reckon we’re about due to stop for a bit. There’s services in three miles.’
    Fletcher leaned towards Thorne. ‘You hear that?’
    ‘We should push on,’ Thorne said.
    ‘We’re entitled to a comfort break,’ Nicklin said. ‘We’ve also got a right to a minimum of one hour’s exercise every day, isn’t that so, Mr Fletcher?’
    Fletcher caught Thorne’s eye in the rear-view and nodded.
    ‘One hour,’ Nicklin said. ‘And I’m only talking about stopping for ten minutes for a quick piss and a fag. Chance to stretch our legs.’
    Galling though it was, Thorne remembered what Colquhoun had said and knew it meant granting the prisoners the same basic privileges that they would have back at Long Lartin. Thinking ahead, he did not want any trial based on what they might find to be jeopardised by a failure to follow the correct and lawful procedure now. As things stood, Nicklin seemed happy enough to co-operate, but it would be just like him to become awkward down the line, and complain that his human rights had been denied.
    ‘Yeah, fair enough,’ Thorne said.
    Five minutes later, the two cars were pulling up and parking next to one another outside the Telford services. Leaving Markham on her own, Karim walked across to Thorne’s vehicle and waited. It had already been decided that they would work on a ratio of three to one and that each prisoner would be taken inside one at a time. There was no good reason they should not kick things off with the headline act. So, while Holland waited with Batchelor and Jenks in the car, Thorne, Fletcher and Karim walked Nicklin into the services.
     
    ‘Do you prefer Jeff or Jeffrey?’ Holland asked. He waited, then turned back to face front. ‘Suit yourself.’
    ‘It doesn’t