"He loves these intimate spaces." "It's where he tries out all his new stuff." "Le Jean's a genius." "He's bringing them all to a climax." "Holding off hitting that sweet spot as long as possible." "They all worship him." " Awesome, babe." " Oh, bless ya, babes, bless ya," " It wasn't tight!" " No, you smashed it!" " D'ya know what I mean?" " It was good!" "Absolutely..." "I was dropping beats all over the place." " No, it was amazing, baby..." "Baby..." " I didn't connect." "I didn't feel it." " Listen to me." "Everybody who saw..." " It was like..." "It was like..." "Yo." "You the guy, er, buying up all the clubs, right?" " Gary Harbinger." " Gary is the owner" " of the Shimmers chain." " Nice man, nice." " And you remember Kenny Sumner?" " Nice, nice." "He's been overseeing the legal side of things." "My granddaughters are your biggest fans." "They download all your records." " Safe man, safe." " Yeah, what about some drinks, yeah?" "Yeah." "Good idea, good idea." "Yo, Darryl!" "What's up?" "Get these guys some..." "I dunno..." "Jägermeisters or something like that, man, we're making history tonight." "Just to let you know your car's here to take you to the helipad, OK?" "Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, guys, we have to wrap this up quick." "You going somewhere?" "Am I going..." "What, is this guy for real?" "Er, Le Jean plays a set at Pacha on Ibiza every Tuesday." "It's a legendary night." "Everybody knows that, don't they?" "Wait, you want to attach my name to your clubs and you don't know about my Pacha set?" "Well, Marcus here handles the acts and the day-to-day business..." "Ah!" "Whoa, whoa, whoa." "See..." "Haul up, haul up, haul up..." "See..." "Are you..." "Are you sayin' that what I do is an act?" "Huh?" "Like, what, like I'm some kind of mobile disco pig, available for weddings and Bar Mitzvahs?" "Easy big feller, easy." "Do you know who I am?" "Yeah, yeah, of course he does, Gary, of course he does, he's just, er..." "He's very protective of his image, yeah?" " It's a credibility issue." " Yeah, yeah, it's a credibility issue." "It's all about mystique as well." "Look, did you see the people down there?" "Did you see them?" "They don't come to one of my gigs cos they wanna listen to music, man." "It's a pilgrimage, dread." "And because I got that credibility, those people out there are my disciples, they worship at the decks of Le Jean." "And that is what sells." "Do you feel me?" "I feel you." "All right, look, I done schooling you, right." "Peace and love." "Let's get down to business, man." "100 grand in fifties as you requested." "It's red." "It's my colour." "Gentlemen." "Enjoy the drinks." "Enjoy the company." "Laters, yeah?" "We should have stayed a bit longer." "What, anything to do with the nearly naked girls?" "We only booked them for an hour, someone should have made sure they get home safely." "The kid's all heart." "Thanks." "Drinks on us." "You Fisk?" "No, I'm the Easter Bunny." "You got something for me, or not?" "My employer would look very favourably on the individual that put this guy out of business... permanently." "Hmm." " Can you do it?" " Won't be easy." "Five grand's a down payment." "There's another 15 when it's done." "Oh, what's that pong?" "Ah, it smells like dead, wet dog in here." " Edward." " Hold your horses." "I'm nearly there." "Oh, look, more bags." "What, it's not rancid enough in here?" "Sure you got enough rubbish, Ed?" " It piles up, Sean." "You'd be amazed." " Surely this is a health hazard." "Yes, you'd think so, wouldn't you?" "Erm, do you maybe want to explain what's going on, Edward?" "It's a bloody outrage." "That's what's going on." "It's a bloody scandal." "Council started fining you 200 quid for leaving your rubbish out overnight." " Eh?" " They pick it up between eight and nine on a Tuesday morning." "Before, you could leave your bags out on a Monday night." "Now, some jobsworth environmental officer comes around, tells me I've got to put them out" " just before they get here." " Eddie!" " What do I pay me rates for?" " Well, take it out the back, then." "There's no access around the back." "So, now I've got to schlep it through the bar where there's customers." "Then, this same inspector comes round again and tells me I can't take rubbish through the bar during opening hours." "So you can't leave them out overnight and you can't bring through in the morning?" "Well, you're a bit stuffed then, ain't ya?" " Exactly." "It's a, erm... a thingy-o..." " It's a paradox?" " No." "Not a paradox." " No, a catch-22." " No." " Chinese puzzle?" " No." " Conundrum?" " No." " A mystery within a puzzle wrapped up in an enigma?" "Tell you what it is." "It's a downright flaming' liberty, that's what it is." "Oh, I can feel a rant coming on." "Into the office, then." "Here, Ed, when you've finished moaning, can I have a full English?" "Do you lot ever listen to a word I say?" "Yeah, of course we do." "Er..." "Bags, bleeding' councils, rates, by-laws, flaming' liberties, er, eggs over easy, chunky toast, mug of tea and three sugars." "OK, everyone." "Listen up." "Michael Stone, AKA Mickey Bricks." "Some of you will know Stone and his crew have been giving the fraud squad the run-around for years." "I've had a whisper that their next big scoop is on our patch." "I'm not having it." "I want them shut down." "Fraud all right with this, guv?" "I'll talk them through it when Stone and his crew are locked up." "I want round-the-clock surveillance." "Albert Stroller, the roper?" "Been grifting since the Boer War." "Got contacts in every nook and cranny in the city." "Ash "Three Socks" Morgan." "The fixer." "Knows more tricks than a cartful of monkeys." "But this is where we start." "Sean and Emma Kennedy." "The newbies." "Stroller found them making short cons on the street, brought them into the fold." "He and Stone are training them up, moulding them into their own seedy image." "These two are Stone's soft underbelly." "If we get to them, we can penetrate the inner circle." "Tear it apart." "That's how we get him." "Read the file, get to know them, how they operate." "Let's show the third floor how it's done." "All right, come on, you heard the man." "Ma'am." "Didn't see you there." "Who assigned you to this case?" "My brief is to catch criminals and hit my crime target figures, ma'am." "I wasn't aware that I had to have every case authorised before I launch an investigation." "And does the fraud squad know you're going after Stone?" "Well, the information I've been given is that they're planning a job, ma'am." "I can't, at this stage, determine whether it's fraud or not." "Don't play games with me, Inspector." "I'm just an old-fashioned copper, ma'am." "Find the bad guys." "Put 'em away." "And some of us have to get our hands dirty." "And that's how you intend to conduct the case, is it?" "Get dirty?" "If I have to." "I will not have this department brought into disrepute." "Everything gets done by the book." "The same book I'll be throwing at you if I find out you've been cutting corners." "Yes, ma'am." "I mean it, Inspector." "You have to catch him with the cash in his hand." "Any room for doubt and you'll end up embarrassing us all." "Oh, I'll catch him, ma'am." "I guarantee it." "OK, so our new mark is Linda Runcorn." "The story is, she's the CEO of an online restaurant and hotel guide." "It's got a huge tourist readership, so it's very influential." "However, excellence is not the best way to guarantee a good review." "The larger chains escape, but she tells the smaller hotels and family restaurants that if they don't make it worth her while, she'll put them out of business." "Worth her while by handing over cash?" "Precisely." "The smaller hotels and restaurants survive on reputation." "She operates on fear, and once she's got hold of you, she bleeds you dry." " Character traits?" " A bully." "She sucks up to the bigger chains, while bullying the smaller clients who can't afford to fight back." " Nasty." " Yeah." "What's our way in?" "Her mum's family, the Toppings." "Had a bit of land and a noble line going back centuries, but they cut off her grandmother, Helen Topping, without a penny when she married a builder." "Seems the family thought he was beneath her." "But to this day," "Linda wears a bracelet given to her by her grandmother which bears the Topping family crest." "So what's the game?" "Inheritance scam?" "Yeah." "We use a long-lost relative Linda's never heard of." "One of the Toppings." "A maiden aunt who died without making a will, leaving behind an estate which Linda is the sole heir to." "Which just happens to be worth a small fortune." "Exactly." "Yeah, I'm here." "I'll call you when I'm done." " Miss Runcorn?" " Yes." "Hello." "I'm Holly Patterson, Greyshot Genealogy." "I was rather surprised to get your letter." " Oh?" " How did you find me?" " Er, the voting register." " Did I ask for water?" "For heaven's sake, just put it down." "We'll call you when we want something." "Honestly, they fuss all over you, and then when you actually want something, when you want to actually order something," " they're nowhere to be bloody seen." " Quite." "So, what's this potentially exciting news, exactly?" "Well, every few months, the Treasury releases a list of estates that are intestate." " That means, people..." " People who died without leaving a will." " Yes?" " Yes." "You're one of those bloody heir hunters, aren't you?" "Oh, well, we prefer probate investigators." "All the same thing." "Like ambulance chasers." "Well, I can't imagine what you found on my father's side, they didn't have two pennies to rub together." "What is it?" "A tin bath?" "Well, actually, it's a relative on your mother's side." " Oh." "My mother's side?" " Yes, the Toppings..." "Now, this is your great-aunt Irene." "Irene Topping." "Excuse me." "Sorry, I just need to check this." "And she's related to me." "She's the sister of your maternal grandmother." "Now, your great-aunt passed away." "She was childless, she never married and she didn't leave a will." "So her estate passed to the next in line." " Which is you." " Me?" "Yes." "It appears so." "Well, I don't suppose there's anything to get too excited about." "I mean, I never really believed all those rumours about my mother's aristocratic family." "Old bag probably left me a tatty old armchair and some cats." "Well, she actually left you jewellery and property worth in the region of £4.7 million." "And, as far as we can tell, you are the sole heir." "Well, that's different." "I mean, obviously, I am devastated about poor old Great-Aunt Irene." "Er... but, sorry, did you say 4.7 million?" "I did." "O-M-G." "Well, it was a pleasure to meet you." "You'll be hearing from us soon." "Bye-bye." "Yeah, it's me." "Done." "Hook, line and sinker." "OK, good." "See you back here." "Well?" "Some old rubbish about an old aunt leaving her a fortune." "All right, stay on it." "Katherine Farmer." "Haven't seen you for a while." "Still picking pockets?" "No idea what you're banging on about, mate." "Really?" "You going to tell me what I'm doing here, or what?" "You know this man?" "Don't ring any bells." "Sean Kennedy." "Never seen him before." "Really?" "Let me jog your memory." "We found this with your stuff." " That ain't mine." " Intent to supply Class As." " You can't stitch me up like that." " Can't I?" "I want to see a brief." "This isn't your first offence, is it, sweetheart?" "It's not going to be three months, out in a fortnight." "You'll do serious time for this." "Now look at the picture again." "Sean Kennedy." "All right, then." "I may have seen him knocking about." "It was more than that, wasn't it?" "Used to run around together, get into scrapes." "We was just kids." "I don't see him any more." "What happened?" "Sister put a stop to it?" "Didn't want a nasty little pilferer like you horning in on the double act?" " It weren't like that." " Whatever." "I think it's time you and Sean got reacquainted." " Why?" " I'm going fishing..." " and you're my bait." " Do I look like a maggot?" "You're gonna infiltrate this gang he's joined" " and report back to me." " No." "I ain't no grass." "I see you've had a little girl." "What is she now?" "Two?" "Be a shame." "Drug-dealing mum locked up, kid put into care." " Leave her out of this." " She'll be a teenager by the time you got out." "Wouldn't even know you." " She'd be with a new mum." " You can't do this." "I'm a police officer, sweetheart," "I think you'll find I can pretty much do anything I want." "Now, you do what I'm telling you, or your brat will be in a foster home in time for her tea." " What's this here?" "Family crest?" " Mmm, the Topping family." " We need an exact match." " By tomorrow, you say?" "Can it be done?" "It's not easy." "You have to get the stone right." "The shape and the clarity and the way the light dances off the..." " Hmm." "That's odd." " Something wrong?" "Not at all, but you might want to rethink a replica." " Why?" " Because if this is what I think it is, a replica won't stand up to any serious scrutiny." "It's fine with the naked eye, but if she gets it authenticated..." "What?" "What is it, Bob?" "Cushion cut, 20-carat, azure stone." "If I'm not mistaken, we are looking at a 150-year-old Kashmir sapphire." "Well, that sounds expensive." "It's hard to tell from a snap, but if this is the real thing, it could be 20 or 30 grand." "As I said, it won't stand up to close scrutiny, but I'll get you the replica by tomorrow, all right?" "Cheers." " Oh!" " Bloody hell!" "Just look out." " So sorry, can't I get that?" " Spilled my shampoo, you clumsy..." "Watch the suit, will you?" " Is it a nice one, then?" " Get your grubby mitts off my threads." "Now tootle off back to your caravan." "There's a dear." "Get me another bottle." "She's stolen my wallet!" "Stop that girl!" " What?" "What you talking about?" " Police." " I ain't done nothing." " Hey, listen." "Hey." "What's going on here?" "City of London Police." "What seems to be the problem?" "This geezer is sexually harassing me." "I wouldn't touch you with a jackhammer, love." "Both of you, calm down." "Sir, why don't you begin by explaining to me what's happened?" " This grotty little chav stole my wallet." " Do you want a smack, cheese-breath?" "I want her to turn out her pockets right now." " I want my money back!" " And I want you to calm down!" "I'm not going to warn you again, sir." "Do as he says." "Empty your pockets." " It's not there." " Well, are you sure it's missing, sir?" "Yes." "I keep it inside my jacket." " Why don't you check your other pockets?" " I don't see why, I don't keep..." "I think you owe this young lady an apology, don't you?" " I'm sure she..." " Oh, come on then, apologise." "Sir." " I'm most terribly sorry." " Yeah, well, up yours, creep." "No, but seriously, did you see that guy's face?" "When I accused him of sexually harassing me, I thought he was gonna puke." "What happened to you?" "Kat Farmer used to be the best in the business." "Used to be able to steal anything, and you got caught nicking a wallet." " Come on, girl." " Who says I wanted his wallet?" "Oh!" "Nice." "Shit." " I never thought I'd see you again." " Why's that?" "Oh, you're in this fancy new crew now." "I'm still nicking watches." "I might have moved on, but I haven't changed." " I'll never forget what you did for me." " Yeah, well, I ain't a grass." "I know." " I was worried about you in there." " Ah, it weren't that bad." "Regular meals every day." "Roof over my head." "It's good that you were worried though." "You ain't done so bad for yourself, have you?" "Well, you know." "I got a little girl now." "What?" "Yeah, she'll be three next month." "I can't believe you're a mum." "Dad's a bit of a waste of space, though." "I ain't seen him in two years." " I'm sorry to hear that." " Don't be." "Like I said, he's a waste of space." "Look, Sean, now you're all sorted, I could really use a leg up." "Huh?" "There must be some little job I can do in that fancy crew of yours?" "Sweep up?" "Make the tea?" "Stand there and look pretty?" "Kat, it's not really that..." "Cos I'll get Mum to look after Laurel for a bit." "Truth is, Sean, I'm really skint." "Oh." "No, I don't want your charity, you know me better than that." "I want to work for it." "Ash sent these over from the printers." "These are fake title deeds to a 30-acre pile in Northumberland." " Great." " And... documents showing all the debts still owed to the estate." " Fantastic." " Hey, guys." "If we could..." " Sean, what the hell..." " I see you brought company." "All right?" "I'm Kat." "Like your gaff." "This all from grifting, then?" " All right, Emms?" "Long time no see." " Kat." "Wow." "Look at you, all glammed up." "Look, she's an old friend, OK?" "I said she could help out with a job." "She used to hang around with me and Emma back in the day." "She just needs a leg up, that's all." "It's one job, and I'll pay her from my share." "Are you serious?" "I mean, I'm sorry, look, this is nothing personal..." "I can vouch for her, and so can Emma." "That aside, I owe her." "She kept me from going to prison." " That was a long time ago, Sean." " That's what I said." "It makes no difference." "I was 15 years old." "She could have seriously reduced her sentence if she'd have grassed me up, but she didn't." "OK?" "You two, of all people, should respect that." "How many of your old friends have turned up?" "And we've taken care of every single one of them." "Well, the kid's got a point." "Emma?" "Oh, she's a train crash." "But she's all right." "OK." "We'll work her into the con." "Looks like she's in, guv." "All right." "Stay on it." "OK." "So tomorrow, Emma goes to see Linda and reveals the news about the debts owed on the estate." "But before she starts asking questions, show her the bracelet." "Uh-huh." "Yeah, there might be an issue with that." "An issue?" "Seedy Bob says the sapphire on the bracelet might be a rare Kashmir sapphire, and very hard for Bob to forge." " So if she gets it authenticated..." " Yeah." "They'll spot it." "What if we do a switch?" "What, swap Linda's bracelet for Seedy Bob's replica?" "Yeah." "So she gets her own bracelet authenticated." "What if she compares the two?" "No, apparently, the replica will look exactly the same to the naked eye." "It's only if she gets it examined by an expert that there's a problem." "Even if that's true, it's still a tricky manoeuvre." "Not for Kat." "She could easily swap the fake bracelet for the real one." "Seriously, guys, it makes perfect sense." "It's what she specialises in." "She could do that switch with her hands tied behind her back." " Well, it is what I do." " Kat can go along as Emma's assistant," "Emma can distract Linda and Kat can move in for the kill." "Yeah, that makes sense." " Lovely morning." " It was." "And there was me thinking this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship." " Yeah, well, think again." " So what have you got for me?" "They're conning some bird." "Linda Runcorn." "Inheritance scam, I know all that." "Tell me something I don't know." "They've got this fake bracelet that proves it's legit, or something." "Except there's a snag." "They think that the sapphire in the bracelet might be from Kashmir." "Could be worth a few quid." "Maybe more than a few quid." "So they're worried this Linda might get it valued?" "Yes." "They want me to help Emma do the switch." "I nick the real one and put the fake one back on her wrist." "So, Runcorn gets her own valued, thinks the whole thing's kosher." "All right." "Do what they want for now." "Keep reporting back to me." "And one other thing." "I want you to slip this in Emma Kennedy's case." "No way." "They've been all right by me so far." " I'm not doing that." " OK, then." "No?" "If you don't want to do it, that's fine." "If you don't feel like it..." " I've done what you asked." " But we're not finished, are we?" "I make one call to social services, tell them you've been arrested for dealing in Class A drugs, they'll pick your kid up within the hour." "You want me off your back?" "Then do as you're told." "At the end of this, you'll never have to set eyes on me again." "Here are the deeds to your aunt's estate, and here's a picture of the house in Northumberland." "It's a nice gaff." "Yes." "Thank you, Miss Hunter." "Erm, I've just got to tell you about a slight problem before we continue." " Problem?" " As you can see from the house there, it's a couple of centuries old, and a few years ago, it started suffering from subsidence." "Nasty." "My nan had that." "Yes." "Your great-aunt Irene, erm, she had to get builders in, and, er, apparently, now, they're claiming that they haven't been fully paid." "Can I, er, get some water?" "Hmm?" "A glass of water." "I'm not being funny but it feels like a family of badgers just moved in." "How much are they owed?" " Sorry?" " These builders." " How much are they owed?" " Oh, yes." "Er, 100,000." "100 grand?" "For subsidence?" " Well, it is a massive house." " And very old." "And as the builders are threatening court action, they will need to be paid before the transaction can be completed." "Why?" " Sorry?" " I mean, why before?" " Can't the debts be absorbed by the estate?" " Oh, well..." "Well, it could be, I suppose, but time is of the essence." "The builders are threatening to force the estate into administration over these unpaid bills." "You can't imagine how complicated that would make things." "The legal fees alone would treble what you owe the builders and it could mean that you wouldn't see your inheritance for five years." " I see." "And you're sure it's my aunt?" " Sorry, am I sure?" "I'm not gonna suddenly find there's been a mix-up?" "Not if I've done my job properly, no." "Well, I don't remember having a Great-Aunt Irene." "And I don't want to fork out 100 grand, then find out I'm paying somebody else's bloody bills." "No, I am quite sure that it is your aunt." "Actually, one of the items that she left was a... a sapphire bracelet, very much like the one you're wearing." "A bracelet?" " Have you got it?" " Yes." " Show me." " If you could..." "It's just somewhere down here..." "Oh." "Oh, my God." "Oh, I'm so sorry." " It's fine." " Oh." "I'm always doing this." "My mum says I could start World War III, I'm so accident prone." "It's fine." "I can manage." "Miss Hunter, why don't you give Miss Runcorn the bracelet now?" " It certainly looks authentic." " Mm-hm." "Yes, and it has the crest and everything." "I'll have to get it authenticated." "But if it's all above board, I'll sign the papers and pay the debts." "That's great." "Great." "You won't regret it." " You said we have to move quickly." " Yes." " How quickly?" " Well, it would help if you paid the debts in cash." " Cash?" "I'm not sure." " They are builders." "Well, if it'll oil the wheels a little, then, erm... so be it." "Great." "Great." " That was good work." " Thank you." "Oh, my God, leg it." "Leg it." "Kat!" "Can I help you, Officer?" "Oi." " Guv." " Put her in the car." " All right." " That's not mine." " Come on, miss." " But that's not mine." "I..." "I can walk there myself, thank you." "No." "I don't know what happened, they just came out of nowhere." "How did she get drugs on her, Kat?" "Emma doesn't even do drugs." "They weren't mine, if that's what you're asking." "Look, I went with her, I did what you asked me to do, and then we went outside and..." "Kat's right." "It's not her fault." "Something else must be going on." "Yeah, well, the cops must have planted the gear on Emma." "I'm so sorry, Sean." "She's at the Barber Street station." "She was arrested by Detective Inspector Fisk." " Sid Fisk?" " You know him?" "Yeah, he's bent as a nine bob note." "This is how he operates." "He frames people and then bangs them up." "Well, it's ridiculous." "What does Fisk want with Emma?" "This can't be just about Emma." "It's about all of us." "I'm going to see her." "On my own." "Meet me at Eddie's in an hour." "Excuse me." "Roger Wyles, senior partner," "Wyles, Clark and Foster." "I'm representing Emma Kennedy." "And if I am delayed from seeing my client in any way whatsoever there will be a serious complaint made to the IPCC." "Could you take this gentleman down to cell four, please." "Thank you." " Fisk." " Sir, Stone's come to see her." "Miss Kennedy." "Roger Wyles, your solicitor." "Yeah, of course." " I have no idea what happened." " It's all right." "It's all right." " It doesn't make any sense." " It's OK, it's OK, we'll work it out." " We'll work it out." " How's Sean?" "He's OK." "Except he wants to drive a JCB into the building." " It's a good plan." " Needs fine tuning." "Yep." "I'll get you out of here, OK?" "I'll think of something." "We won't go further with the con on Linda, we'll figure it out." " No." " We could..." " Emma..." " No, I don't want you to do that, right?" "We've come too far." "When she gets the bracelet authenticated..." "No, no, no, no." "Stop, stop." "Think a minute." "Look at what happened." "Look at where you are." "Yes." "And it would feel a whole lot worse if it was all for nothing." "We've done the switch." "We've shown her the paperwork." "All that's left to do now is collect." "It'd be crazy to... back out now." "I'll keep." "OK, if you're sure..." "He's got some front coming in here, I'll give him that." "You want me to nick him, guv?" "For what?" "Lmpersonating a brief?" "Nah." "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse." " For the girl?" " You're learning, Sergeant." "I thought you wanted Bricks banged up." " At all costs, you said." " He will be." "The thing is, he's a clever boy." "That's why no one's got him in the past." "Can't beat him at his own game." "So I'll play him at mine." "Nice and simple, no way out." "When he accepts my offer and hands over the cash," "I do him for attempting to bribe a police officer." "Time's up." "Hello, Michael." "Fancy a coffee?" "This is doing my nut in." "Look, Emma's a tough cookie." "She'll be OK." "She's not gonna be OK, not unless we do something." "Like what?" "Boost her from the cop shop?" "Why not?" "We've done harder stuff than that before." "Let's just wait until we hear what Michael says." "Just try not to think about it until we hear from him." " I sorted out the bin problem." " Not now, Ed." "They're refurbishing the block next door, so they've got a skip." "I just bung the bags over the wall." "It's not permanent, but the bloke reckons they're gonna be there for about six months." "We said it's not a great time, Eddie." "Sorry, mate." "I thought you might be interested, you know, as mates." "Yeah, well, we just hit a bit of a bump in the road." "Oh, right." "Where's Em?" " Hey, it's Kat, isn't it?" " Yeah, that's right." "So what are you, like, a new member of the crew or what?" "I'm not helping here, am I?" "Not really, no." "But we'll be OK, we'll think of something." "Yeah, yeah, mate." "Yeah, sure." "Of course you will." "Yeah, sure." "Emma Kennedy had cocaine with a street value of five grand in her bag." "She's looking at intent to supply and a pretty hefty sentence." "It's funny how you know the exact value." "Pay for it yourself, did you?" "I don't know what you're suggesting, Michael." "Do you know, I have a lot of respect for the police." "I do." "They have a job to do and I'm fair game, and if they can catch me, then no hard feelings." "But a bent cop?" "Someone who's not interested in catching criminals, just lining his own pocket." "That's got to be the lowest of the low." "Spare me the honour amongst thieves bullshit, Stone." "I couldn't be less interested in what you think of me." "Then what are you interested in?" "They told me you were a bright boy." "Spell it out for me." "50 grand, the girl walks." " 50 grand." " Cash." "It shouldn't be too steep for you." "The great Mickey Bricks." " How do I know I can trust you?" " You don't." "But as far as I can see, you don't have much choice, do you?" "You've always got a choice." "And my grandmother always told me, never make deals with fools or bent cops." "You're making a big mistake, Stone." " How is she?" " She's a little shaken up but, er, she's coping." " Is she angry with me?" " No, mostly, she's angry with herself." "Well, you know what?" "I think we've sat here like lemons for long enough." " Let's go and help her." " I'm working on it." " Not hard enough." " Sean." "No, I'm sorry, Albert, I just want to do something." "This is what Fisk wants, us losing our focus." "That's why he planted the coke on Emma." "We have to keep our heads in what we're doing," " not get distracted." " Carry on with the con?" "Yes, all the ground work's been done." "We can wrap it up quickly." "We may even need the money" " to get Emma back." " He's right." "Now, we just have to be extra vigilant." "Cover our backs every possible way." "Now, if Linda's on, we can arrange a time and a place for the money exchange that we control." "It's what Emma wants us to do." "And she said that, did she?" "Yes." "She's got Linda exactly where we want her." "Agreed?" " Yeah, agreed." " Yeah." "Sean?" "Fine." "Hello, Linda Runcorn?" "My name is Sheldon Greyshot, Greyshot Genealogists." "Yes, I'm afraid Miss Patterson has been taken ill, so I'll be dealing with your case from now on." "We need you to sign some paperwork at your earliest convenience." " Are you gonna let Emma go?" " What's it to you?" "She's my friend." "Ah, you're breaking my heart." "Are you gonna tell me what I need to know, or do you want to share a cell with her?" "They're arranging a meet." "Which will be where?" "I don't know." "They won't tell me." "They've all clammed up." "You nicking Emma has freaked them out." "What about the woman, Linda Runcorn?" "They must be telling her." "Yeah, but she ain't gonna tell me, is she?" "No, she isn't." "Detective Inspector Fisk." "This is DS Loach." "Can we come in?" "Con men?" "Did they suggest there were any outstanding charges on your aunt's estate?" "Mortgage payments, legal fees?" "Yes." "100,000 for subsidence." "I was about to give it to them, as well." "In cash." "I don't believe it." "So there's no estate?" "No estate." "No dead relative." "No nothing." "And I'm afraid the bracelet they gave you..." "What about it?" "Well, we're gonna have to take it with us." "It's evidence." "I spoke to them yesterday." "They said they were gonna come and collect me later today." "They give you an address?" "No." "I didn't think to ask." "Did they say what time you were being picked up?" "Two o'clock." "Great." "We'd like it if you kept that appointment." " Excuse me?" " I want you to go along, sign the papers, and hand Michael Stone the money, just as planned." "Are you mad?" "It's essential that we catch him with the cash in his hand." " My cash?" " Yes." "Have you lost your mind?" "There'll be a team of police officers with us." "We'll be with you every step of the way." "There's no risk at all." "No risk to you, no." "It's not your money, is it?" "You don't even know where they're bloody taking me, do you?" "No, but I can assure you..." "And I can assure you the £100,000 is going back into my bank." "I'm sorry, I don't mind helping you catch these people, but I will not risk my life savings." "And you have no right to ask me to do so." " You've got two minutes." " Thanks." "Sean!" "What are you doing here?" " Fisk." " Her brother's turned up." " Look, you shouldn't have come." " Well, I had to." " Nobody else is doing anything." " Hey." "Mickey's acting like it's just a little inconvenient hitch in his master plan." "That is just the way he deals with stuff, isn't he?" "He doesn't let his emotions get in the way." "That's because he doesn't have any emotions." "Oh, Sean, come on." "Don't be stupid." "I'm not being stupid, when are you going to realise you're in trouble?" "You have to trust Mickey, OK?" "We both do." "He'll come up with something." "He always does." "Yeah?" "What if he doesn't this time?" "Little family reunion, Seany?" "Excuse me?" "Detective Inspector Fisk." "My pals call me Sid." "How is Emma?" "Still acting tough?" "Are you the copper that set my sister up?" "Yeah, I am." "I can make it stick, too." "I have this network of people, you see, all willing to make statements that they bought Class A drugs from your big sister." "Come on, then." "Come on." "I'm not entirely sure how it would help your sister, but it might be fun all the same." "Come on." "No?" "Mmm, smart boy." "See, what I don't understand is why Mickey wasn't interested" " in the deal I offered him." " What deal?" "When he was posing here as her brief." "You spoke to Mickey?" "Like I said, I offered him a deal." "50 grand and she walks." "Didn't seem too much, not for a big crew like your lot." " He turned me down." " No, you're lying." "Oh, what, he didn't tell you?" " I'll get you 50 grand." " Sorry, that deal's closed." " I've got another one, though." " Yeah, and what's that, then?" "Linda Runcorn gets picked up at two o'clock to finish a deal." "I want to know where you're taking her." "10 minutes after you tell me, I have Emma released." "You have my word on that." "If you don't tell me," "I'll make sure she gets 10 years, minimum." "Time to find out if blood's thicker than money, Seany." "Need some company?" " I'll have what he's having." " Sure." "You're worried about Emms?" "Yeah, but she'll be fine." "We've got out of worse scrapes than this." "Yeah, you have." "I used to love you and Emms back in the day, always looking out for each other." "I never had that." "Had a sister who hated my guts, and a mum who was only happy when she was off her face." "Yeah, well you've got your little girl now." "Yeah." "Mum's better too." "It's funny how something so little can turn two people's lives around." "It's hard though - looking out for her, making sure she's got what she needs, things that I never had." "I'm sure you're a great mum." "Well, I try my best." "That's the thing about family." "You do whatever you have to to take care of them." "Keep them safe." "Yeah, you do." "There ain't nothing wrong with that, is there, Sean?" "No, there isn't." "Inspector Fisk?" "It's Sean Kennedy." "I'll tell you what you want to know but I need to see Emma's free first." "You won't regret this, kid." "Yeah." "I'd better not." "You know what you have to do?" "Just go along with everything until you turn up." "Exactly." " Good afternoon." " Hello." "I need to speak to Mr Gayhorse." "I'm sorry, we don't have anyone here by that name." "I'm Sheldon Greyshot." "Who are you?" "Oh." "I've got it down as..." "Gayhorse." "What does that look like to you?" "Er, Playhouse." "Look, it's Greyshot." "It's obviously a mistake." "We don't make mistakes." "We can't afford to." "We're from Her Majesty's Treasury." "My name is Farrow and this is Whitman." "You're investigating the estate of Marcus Hambury." " Is there a problem?" " He's wanted for tax evasion." "As you know, any probate investigator's at liberty to track down the heirs to intestate assets of the deceased." "Whatever their misdemeanours when living..." "Except in this case, the deceased is alive and well and living in Hove." " Hove?" " Yes, we're afraid he might have faked his own death to avoid capture." "So, we'll need a room and all the documentation you have on the estate." "Jennifer, get the Hambury file, will you and show these gentlemen to meeting room one." "I've two more associates coming." "Please alert me when they arrive." "Do give their names to the receptionist." " Mm-hm." " Mm-hm." "Here for the Hambury meeting." " Ah, yes, upstairs." " Thank you." " Fisk." " It's Sean." "Miss Runcorn." "Let me take you upstairs." "We're on the second floor." "Get her out." "I want to see her." "You." "Out." " Get off me." " Where are they?" "Fordham Road." "Second floor." " You've done the right thing, Seany." " What have you done?" " Sean, what did you do?" " What I had to." "All units." "All units." "Fordham Road." "Now." " Second floor?" " Up here." "Is everything OK?" "Michael Stone, I'm arresting you on suspicion of probate fraud." "Take him." "Are you going to paint my portrait later?" " Just making sure it's real." " What's real?" "That we just collared the biggest grifter in London red-handed." "Oh, dear." "Not looking great, is it, Mickey?" "Any advice from your grandmother on what to do when you're caught bang to rights?" " Can we just get this over with?" " Should have trusted me, Mickey." "You should have accepted my deal when you had the chance." "Then I wouldn't have had to get your boy to betray you." " Sean?" " That's right." "He's the one that told me where to find you." "No, he..." "Well, why would he do..." "Emma's freedom." "Mmm." "So you see, I am a man of my word after all." "Make a deal with me, I stick to it." "So?" "What do you say, Michael?" "One hundred grand and you can walk." "A hundred?" "It was 50 before." "Well, I double it for a big cheese like you." "See, someone offered me 20 grand to put you away, so I need the right incentive not to do that." "You get me the cash, this will all just disappear." "How?" "I'll do what I always do when I'm paid to make a case go away." "Pollute the evidence, a couple of schoolboy errors in the paperwork." "Tell your brief what to look for." "You'll be out in an hour." "That's got to be worth 100 grand." "That's just what I wanted to hear." "What are you smiling about?" "Ma'am." "Now, this is Michael Stone..." "Mickey Bricks." "How are you, Michael?" "I trust we've made you comfortable?" "Well, it's certainly been interesting." "Hard to get the staff these days." "What's going on here?" "Michael and I had a little deal." "You know about deals, don't you, Sidney?" "You'll appreciate this one." "It's very nuanced." "Michael was in no position to refuse this offer." "I've been brought in to clean up this department by any means necessary." "Starting with a certain diseased apple called Fisk." "OK." "So, what do you want from me?" "Simply to do the thing you're best at." "Well, you're a bit stuffed then, ain't ya?" " Exactly." "It's a, erm... a thingy-o..." " It's a paradox?" " No." "Not a paradox." " No, a catch-22." " No." " Chinese puzzle?" " Conundrum?" " No." "A mystery within a puzzle wrapped up in an enigma?" "So, what we going to do about Fisk?" "Hang on." "I know that face." "He's got something." "Michael?" "Don't keep us in suspense." "A mystery within a puzzle wrapped up in an enigma." "We're going to set Fisk a trap." "One he'll fall headfirst into." "So, Linda Runcorn." "The story is, she's the CEO of an online hotel and restaurant guide." "It was a straightforward probate con, really." "Albert, look into the kind of extras you'd have to pay on an estate like that." "You know, erm, bills for maintenance, loans to fix the roof, that sort of thing." "So, what do you think?" "Yeah, I can make that work." "We got Jean Kirkpatrick, one of the best grifters north of the Watford Gap to help us out." "We ensconced her in a Chelsea apartment, gave her a dossier briefing her on the character she was supposed to play for us - Linda." "Nothing worse than a bent copper." "Now remember, Fisk will have us under surveillance round the clock, so we play this for real." "Old bag probably left me a tatty old armchair and some cats." "Well, actually, she left jewellery and property worth in the region of £4.7 million." "We knew your team were watching us." "No." "There's no way you would've known I was tailing you." "No way." "No, we knew." "We knew you were coming after us the moment you took our five grand." "Your five grand?" "The five grand's a down payment, there's another 15 when it's done." "The guy who paid you in the bar, Domino Derek." "Old poker friend of Albert's." "So, all this... why?" " I'm a good cop." " Excuse me?" "OK, I take the occasional backhander, but who doesn't?" "I'm old-school." "Do you know how many villains I've put away?" "The ones who didn't pay you?" "So you call me a rotten apple, a disease that needs to be rooted out, then you do deals with con men?" "That makes you the scab." "The Judas." "Coppers like you were extinct years ago." "I'm trying to do honest police work with both my hands tied behind my back." "Honest?" "Planting drugs on people." "Taking bribes to let them go." "We know you threatened Kat Farmer if she wouldn't spy for you." "That's the trouble with being predictable, Inspector." "Get off me!" "It meant we could read you like a book." " Yeah." " Wainwright here." " I've got something for you." " Thank you." "You using Kat actually, er, made our life easier." "Really?" "Well, delighted I could help." " Emma?" " Oh, she's a train crash." "But she's all right." "It meant we could feed you the information we wanted you to have more easily." "What's this here?" "Family crest?" "Mmm." "The Topping family." "We need it exactly the same." "By tomorrow, you said?" "Can it be done?" "It's not easy." "You have to get the stone right." "Sean and Emma Kennedy." "The newbies." "These two are Stone's soft underbelly." "If we get to them, we can penetrate the inner circle." "Tear it apart." "That's how we get him." "We knew you were targeting Sean and Emma, so we played along." " Fisk." " It's Sean Kennedy." "I'll tell you what you want to know, but I need to see Emma's free first." " You won't regret this, kid." " Yeah, I'd better not." "We told you the bracelet was valuable because we knew you couldn't resist getting your hands on the extra cash we said it was worth." "I'm afraid the bracelet they gave you..." " What about it?" " Well, we're gonna have to take it with us." "You stole a bracelet you thought was worth 50 grand and used your own money to try and entrap us." "You know what you have to do?" "Just go along with everything until you turn up." "Exactly." "He's dropped off the cash." "Ash made up an identical package, with fake money and a recording device." "All we had to do then was switch the envelopes and wait for you to arrest me." "So?" "What do you say, Michael?" "One hundred grand and you can walk." "100?" "It was 50 before." "Well, I double it for a big cheese like you." "See, someone offered me 20 grand to put you away, so I need the right incentive not to do that." "You get me the cash, this will all just disappear." "How?" "I'll do what I always do when I'm paid to make a case go away." "Pollute the evidence, a couple of schoolboy errors in the paperwork." "Tell your brief what to look for." "You'll be out in an hour." "That's got to be worth 100 grand." "I was doing my job." "Sidney Fisk..." "I'm arresting you on suspicion of corruption." "Hang on a minute, I'm not the villain here, I'm not the scumbag." "You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence..." "I was doing my job." "Sean." "Surprised to see me?" "No, I just..." "It's OK, I know." " Know what?" " Everything." "Fisk." "What he made you do." "It's all right." "No, it ain't." "Yes, it is." "And listen, we've taken care of it." "He won't be bothering you again." "You must think I'm such a skank." "No." "He said..." "He said he was gonna..." "I know." "She's all I've got, Sean." "Listen, this is about what Fisk did, not you." "I know more than anyone, people like us... where we're from, you know, we take care of our own." "So, we're all good." "OK?" "In fact..." "In fact, we're better than good." " What's this?" " It's your cut." "What?" "From the con we were working on, the bracelet switch." " But..." " So, it's not charity, OK, you earned it." "Sean, I can't take this." "I don't deserve it, not after what I did." "Yes, you can." "I owe you." "Ah, call it even." "Mummy!" "Hello!" "Yeah." "Laurel, this is Sean." "Say hello." " Hi." " Hiya." "Take care of yourself, Kat." "You too, Seany." "Michael." "Come to wave me off?" "You took a hell of a risk carrying on with the con." "You should've accepted Fisk's offer in the pub." " You could have ended it there and then." " Well, I was having so much fun." "You saw an opportunity to relieve Fisk of his cash and you took it." " That's what I do." " It's dirty money, made from bribery and corruption and, by rights, it belongs to the Metropolitan Police." "Yeah, maybe, but we'll put it to much better use." "What makes you think I won't just arrest you for it." " You won't do that." " Won't I?" "Because then you'd have to explain to your superiors how you blackmailed a group of con artists into helping you catch a bent cop." "Well, they did say "by any means necessary"." "We could go and talk them through it now if you like, you know, while I'm still here." "Goodbye, Chief Inspector." "Michael." "This was a one-off." "Starting now, the slate's clean." "I'm the law enforcer and you're the criminal." "And if I can catch you, I will." "I wouldn't have it any other way." "So, how was she about us keeping Fisk's money?" " Fine." " Fine?" "Yeah, well she moaned for a bit, then I convinced her it was for the best." "How was Kat?" "OK, yeah." "Can we get back to normal now, please?" "It didn't feel right working for the police." "Nah, give me tinkers and tricksters and gamblers and fraudsters any time." "At least you know where you stand with them." "Ain't that the truth."