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put him under surveillance.'
    'We have. Two men are watching him round the clock. But we can't account for phone calls or emails.'
    Sewell slammed his hand against the window-frame. 'I'm 26 the innocent party here, yet I'm the one being held prisoner.
    That bastard Hendrickson should be behind bars and he's living it up on the outside while I'm eating off a tray.' He turned to face the superintendent. 'I've done everything you've asked of me. I even lay down in that hole in the ground with fake blood on my face while you took photographs.
    But I've reached my limit.'
    'Forty-eight hours, Mr Sewell. It's not much to ask.'
    'That's easy for you to say. You don't have to sleep on a lumpy mattress and watch a fourteen-inch TV. And have you seen the bloody room-service menu? Chips with everything.'
    'Mr Sewell, let's not lose sight of what was happening.
    Your partner was looking to have you killed. If we hadn't intervened there was a good chance he'd have succeeded and we wouldn't be having this conversation.'
    Sewell dropped into an overstuffed armchair and swung his feet up on to the bed. He ran a hand over his thinning hair and down the ponytail. 'Bastard,' he said. 'I can't believe he'd have me killed. He's a vegetarian, for God's sake.'
    'People have killed for a lot less than he stands to gain with you out of the picture,' said Hargrove.
    'Yeah, but it's only bloody money.'
    'We do appreciate the help you've given us,' said the superintendent.
    'By Monday you can be back in the office and you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that your partner is going to prison for a long time.'
    'I hope so,' said Sewell. 'I bloody well hope so.' He looked across at the superintendent. 'Can you at least tell me why?'
    'It's an ongoing operation,' said Hargrove. 'That's all I can tell you.'
    'Involving Hendrickson?'
    Hargrove nodded. He didn't like lying to Sewell, but he knew that the man was a lot less likely to co-operate if he knew that the operation had been extended to include a 27 second party. Besides, it was a white lie. Hendrickson was involved. Up to a point. 'You'll be doing us a great service,'
    said the superintendent.
    'You'll owe me one,' said Sewell.
    'Indeed,' said Hargrove.
    'I want my laptop,' said Sewell. 'And my mobile phone.'
    'I don't think that's a good idea,' said Hargrove.
    'I won't call anyone. I won't send emails. I just need to know what's happening.'
    'Computers leave traces. So do mobile phones. We can't afford the risk of anyone finding out you're still alive.'
    Sewell threw up his hands in disgust.
    'Two days, Mr Sewell,' said Hargrove. 'You have my word.'
    The local police had assigned three uniformed officers to babysit Sewell, taking it in turns to sit in the hotel's reception area in plain clothes. They weren't there to guard him,
    merely to ensure that he stayed in the hotel. The only threat to Sewell's life was Hendrickson, and Hendrickson was under the impression that his business partner was dead and buried in the New Forest.
    The officer on duty was a fifty-something sergeant with a thickening waistline and thinning hair. He began to get to his feet as Hargrove walked out of the lift but the superintendent waved at him to stay seated and sat in the adjacent armchair. 'How's he been?' he asked.
    'Grumpy, sir,' said the sergeant. 'Keeps asking if he can go out for a walk. Complains about the food, the TV, the bed.'
    'He's not to go out,' said Hargrove.
    'I understand, sir.'
    'We're having to extend his stay over the weekend,' said Hargrove. 'I'll be clearing it with your bosses. But the longer he's here, the more likely he is to slip the leash, so I'm going 28 to have to ask you to set up shop in the corridor outside his room.'
    The sergeant looked fed up but said nothing. The superintendent sympathised. Sitting in a hotel corridor wasn't the most entertaining way to pass an eight-hour shift. 'If he's still unhappy about the hotel food he can order in from restaurants but make sure he pays cash. On