‘And meanwhile his organisation continues unaffected.’
‘Pretty much. Somebody obviously stepped up in his place, but we’re uncertain as to who. Mind you, he’s as powerful inside as he was out. The only thing he doesn’t have is his freedom.’
‘As you rightly pointed out, I’ve not been in the job long. Even so, I’ve encountered a few like him.’
Bliss appraised the investigator. Ashton had angered him with his attitude when they met at the crime scene. He had shown his inexperience, coming across as cocky and more than a little condescending. Much as Bliss had been at his age.
He decided to give the man a second chance.
‘You and I got off on the wrong foot, Glen,’ he said. ‘I suggest we put it behind us and work together. Your ERSOU systems and contacts could be a huge advantage to us if this is even close to what I suspect.’
‘What would that be?’
‘The two most likely paths to follow on this are that she either fell victim to a client who went too far, or that she got caught operating outside of the organisation and they decided to put a stop to it – permanently. I’m thinking the latter is the most likely.’
Ashton considered that for a few seconds. ‘I’ll make a few calls. If DI Burton has sent me that image, I’ll forward it on and we’ll see if our victim is already in the system. I’ll also pull up anything we have on Drake’s operation here.’
He left the room in a hurry just as Bishop and Ansari stepped back into it. ‘Blimey, he’s keen,’ Bishop said, jerking his head back towards the door.
Chandler nodded. ‘He’s just a pup. Throw him a bone and off he scampers.’
‘He’s raw,’ Bliss said. ‘But then we all were, once.’
‘Difference is, we were aware of it,’ Ansari muttered, dropping into her chair with a groan. ‘He already thinks he knows it all.’
‘That’s the NCA for you. The moment they started comparing the agency to the FBI, it got people thinking about it differently. Including those who work for them.’
‘That include you, boss?’ Bishop asked. He grinned as he, too, took his seat.
Bliss ignored the verbal slip; the fact that his colleague still thought of Bliss as his boss was only natural. But if he wanted to make the temporary step up a more permanent move, he would need to start showing everybody – Bliss included – that he was in charge.
‘I always hated the comparison,’ he admitted. ‘The NCA have to be able to move into any area in the country and work hand in hand with the locals without it resulting in any sort of pissing contest. Trying to rebrand them as the UK’s version of the Feebs can only decrease the chances of that. I’ve been there, seen it in action.’
‘That why you welcomed Ashton with such open arms?’ Chandler said, stifling a grin.
Bliss glared at her. ‘Don’t even go there. You weren’t with us last night. He behaved like a dick. He gave it the big one and had bugger all to back it up. He may be one of those investigators who likes to think of himself as a Bureau man, and if that’s the case then I see it as my sworn duty to knock it out of him.’
‘Is that what they meant by tolerance back in your halcyon days?’
‘It had a different meaning. In this job you don’t need, or want, to merely tolerate people. You don’t even need to like them. But you do need to respect them. If someone steps out of line, they have to be taken down a peg or two.’
‘If anyone can do that, it’s you.’
Bliss knew Chandler was baiting him. He decided to bite. ‘Bloody well right it is. If your colleagues act like tits, you have to call them on it. I did with you.’
She squinted at him. ‘I never acted like a tit.’
‘True. You never had to act.’
‘Are you saying I was a tit?’
He shrugged. ‘A bit of one. At times.’
‘So says the biggest tit of all.’
‘Any chance we can stop talking about tits? You’ll have me up on a sexual harassment charge next.’
Chandler grinned. ‘I don’t think so. I reckon you’d enjoy it too much.’
This brought a smile to his face. He winked. ‘You better believe it. Come on, let’s get to work.’
Six
The three-storey end-of-terrace house in Orton Malbourne was firmly on every Peterborough copper’s radar. The top two floors contained four bedrooms in total, which meant four working girls turning over punters day and night. The girls took time out and made snacks and refreshments on the ground floor, at the rear of which was an office dedicated to the running of this specific aspect of Lewis Drake’s organisation.
Before knocking on the front door, Bliss issued a warning to Ashton. ‘If you get the urge to speak out while we’re inside, ignore it,’ he said. ‘I mean it. Pen and I know these people. These particular people, I mean. Remember, we’re here to learn something from them, not get in their faces.’
Ashton raised both hands. ‘This is your show, Sergeant. But in my defence, I’m not quite as green as you make me out to be. I do know how to do this job.’
Bliss arched his eyebrows. ‘We’ll see.’
A human wrecking ball answered Bliss’s second knock. The man who filled the doorway was so tall and wide, Bliss thought they must have to remove the windows to hoist him in and out of the house. Not all of his bulk was muscle, but there was enough of it to intimidate beyond the sheer size of him. A shaved round head and sunken narrowed eyes were the icing on a daunting cake.
‘Afternoon, Igor,’ Bliss said pleasantly. The man’s real
