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Boyle laughed. ‘All right, smart-arse. He got me a long way, Hugh Salter. Bright guy. Just that bit too ambitious in the end.'

‘You reckon he'll try to stitch you up if it goes to trial.'

‘Probably. Big if, though. Salter won't have many buddies in prison.'

‘How much do you reckon Salter knew?' Brennan poured himself some coffee and lowered himself gently on to one of the sofas.

‘About what was going on up here?' Lizzie asked. ‘Not much. He knew there was something. That's why he sent that bitch Donovan up to keep an eye on Andy. But he didn't know about me. And he hadn't linked me to dad. Don't think he made the connection even when he saw me in the hospital. He'd never seen me face-to-face before.'

Boyle sipped on the Scotch and laughed. ‘Getting some lowlife to torch Andy's place–'

‘That lowlife was another one getting too big for his boots,' Lizzie said. ‘Thought Andy was taking a risk sticking him back in his own fire, but it worked okay. Shifted the focus off Andy and me. Got a scapegoat to take the rap. Effectively kiboshed Donovan's assignment, especially when we got some other toe-rag to scare the shit out of her.' She laughed. ‘Even claiming I'd had an intruder of my very own. Genius.'

‘Pity about your dad, though,' Brennan said, again. There were times when Lizzie's hard-bitten callousness made him uncomfortable.

‘Come on, Jack. He knew the risk. He wanted me to do it. He was looking for a way out, and he wanted to take Salter with him. If he'd survived that, I reckon he'd have topped himself some other way.'

Brennan couldn't argue with the logic, but he wanted to shout: ‘He was your father, for Christ's sake. How can you talk like that?' He was locked into this now. He'd received too many favours. He was in too deep. ‘Can't stay long, Pete. Was there something specific?'

‘Just mainly wanted to say thanks, mate. For doing your bit. Getting that Donovan woman to pick up the dirt on Salter. That's what drove Salter over the edge.'

So you wanted to take the opportunity to remind me just how far I'm in the shit, Brennan thought. ‘My bit was nothing,' he said. ‘Not after all you've done for me, Pete. Giving me the dirt to shaft Craddock. Pity that backfired a bit. And pity Craddock's wife wasn't a bit more grateful, too. But there you go.' There you go, indeed, and there was never any going back.

‘Yeah, well, we've got you nicely embedded in this new job now, Jack. Take it you're planning to stay there?'

‘Don't see why not. You pulled strings to get me into the Agency.'

Boyle laughed again. ‘Yeah, another example of Salter thinking he was using someone, while he was actually being used. Smart girl, our Lizzie.'

Brennan glanced across at the young woman sitting behind the laptop. No wonder Boyle had decided that Salter was dispensable. He'd found someone even smarter and more ruthless. He wondered how ambitious this one would turn out to be.

‘Yeah, pretty damn smart,' he agreed. ‘Yeah, well, I'd better be off.'

‘Be good, Jack,' Boyle said. ‘Or if you can't be good, remember who's paying you.'

‘Don't worry, Pete. I won't forget.'

Back in the car park, Brennan started the engine and reversed carefully out of the space, then pulled back up the exit road out into the sunshine. Once he was back on the ring road, he flicked through the numbers on his mobile and picked the one he wanted.

‘Marie? It's Jack again. Sorry I had to cut it short earlier.'

‘No problem. You're obviously busier than I am at the moment.'

‘Not much. Just a few domestics to sort out. Listen, I wanted to talk to you about work. Like I said, I'm going back in a few days. They've asked me to stay in the Agency,'

‘So I'd heard,' she said. ‘Not sure if congratulations are in order, though.'

‘Suits everyone. The Force don't have to face the embarrassment of taking me back. The Agency want to do right by me for screwing things up. All fine by me. Thing is, they're asking me what sort of work I want to do. And whether I want to stay up north, or come and join you lot in the smoke. Tough choices.'

‘Tell me about it,' she said. ‘I'm wrestling with the same sorts of questions at the moment.'

‘That right? Well, there you go. I'm just not sure I know enough about the place to make a sensible decision. So I was wondering . . .' He allowed his voice to trail off slightly, as if perhaps the signal had faded slightly.

‘Jack?'

‘Sorry, yes, still here. Anyway, thing is, I'm coming down to London for a few days next week to chat to various people about the options. Wondered if there was a chance of picking your brains while I'm about it?'

She laughed. ‘If you think they're worth picking, yes, of course.'

‘I thought maybe we could meet over dinner. Get to know each other a bit better. Future colleagues and all that.'

There was a long pause and for a moment he thought perhaps he'd lost the signal. Then she laughed again, this time with a note of genuine pleasure in her voice. ‘Yes, okay, Jack. We can meet for dinner.'

‘My treat,' he said. ‘You just bring the brains.'

‘Not a great bargain,' she said. ‘And you'll find I'm not easily bought, Mr Brennan.' There was a mildly flirtatious edge to her tone now. ‘But, yes. I'm all yours, then. Why not?'

Recruitment and Selection Report – Undercover Officer

Prepared by:
Colin Mansfield, Head of Recruitment and Selection

Name of Candidate:
Marie Catherine Donovan

Date of Birth:
[redacted]

Place of Birth:
Frimley, Surrey, UK

Summary Education History:
Farnborough Sixth Form College, Hampshire, University of Hull (BA (Hons) in History, 2:1)

Summary Employment History:
Metropolitan Police Force, Accelerated Promotion Scheme. Joined CID in [date redacted] as Detective Constable. Transferred to Agency as Investigating Officer in [date redacted]. Working in Intelligence since [date redacted]

Overview of Application (Interview and Assessment Centre)

Donovan's stated reason for applying to the Undercover Team is that she is seeking to move back into an operational role from her current role in the Intelligence Team. She joined the Intelligence Team as a career development move with the aim of broadening her skills. Her work there is well regarded and she clearly has an aptitude for the detail of intelligence gathering and analysis. However, she also had a strong reputation in her previous operational roles and it is recognised that her current position may not be using her talents to the full.

The Occupational Psychologist's report [see attached] confirms her general suitability for an undercover role, subject to the reservations described. She has been counselled about the potential challenges of undercover work, and appears to have a good understanding of its nature and demands. She has also made an effort to talk to current and past undercover officers about the realities of covert operations. In her panel interviews, she was able to talk cogently about her strengths and development needs in respect of undercover work, and she left the panel with no doubt of her overall capability.

Her performance on the practical assessment exercises was excellent. She handled the initial role-playing exercises without difficulty, and was able to sustain her ‘legend', including some required improvisation, without difficulty. When she reached the final shortlist and had undertaken some preliminary training, she was subjected to the full ‘role play' challenge. The exercise commenced immediately following an overseas trip on Agency business (during which she was not required to be ‘in character') in order to maximise her potential disorientation. She was collected from the airport, without any prior warning, and subjected to intense questioning as if her role had been compromised. She handled the exercise admirably, with no exposure of her true identity.

On this basis, we have no hesitation in recommending the appointment of Donovan to an undercover role. She clearly has the ability and temperament to handle the work involved and we are confident that she will be very successful.

We would however highlight two potential concerns which should be kept under review as her assignment progresses. The first involves Ms Donovan's relationship with her partner, Liam Robinson. Robinson makes a limited living as an artist, but essentially is dependent on Ms Donovan's income. This might in principle create a vulnerability to bribery or similar approaches with security implications, but Robinson has been security vetted and there is no current cause for concern. However, Robinson has recently been diagnosed as suffering from multiple sclerosis. Our investigations into his diagnosis suggest that the severity and progression of his illness may be more serious than either he or Donovan appreciate. This may create additional pressures on Donovan which might affect her ability to perform effectively in her new role. We recommend that this is kept under review.

The second concern is Donovan's relationship with Hugh Salter, a former undercover officer who will act as her ‘buddy' on this first assignment. Salter is highly regarded in terms both of his undercover work and his subsequent transition into a management role. However, as detailed in [report details redacted], he has been the subject of past investigation and scrutiny by the Professional Standards team as a result of concerns initially raised by his line-manager, Keith Welsby. Although the concern proved unfounded – and in turn raised questions about Welsby's own motivations – Salter remains under precautionary observation. It is clear that Salter's abrasive style causes tensions with his colleagues and that his relationship with Donovan is already under some strain. Our recommendation is that Welsby, Salter and Donovan are all kept under careful observation during the assignment to ensure that relationships remain constructive and mutually supportive.

Recruitment and Selection Event – Undercover Officer

Psychological Assessment Report

Prepared by:
Martin Winsor, CPsychol, Occupational Psychologist

This report summarises my findings in respect of the appointment of Ms Marie Donovan to the position of undercover officer. In my role as Occupational Psychologist, I was asked to conduct a battery of tests and exercises for potential candidates to help assess their suitability for the role. The exercises included, as well as standard numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning and critical thinking tests, a range of personality questionnaires intended to help evaluate the candidates' likely capability to handle the unique psychological and other pressures of the undercover role. A full list of the exercise and the detailed results are appended as Annex A [note: detail redacted].

Overall, my conclusion is that Donovan is likely to be well suited to the role. It should be stressed that no pre-assessment of this kind can be definitive. Although Donovan's responses to the questionnaires provide a valuable indication of her likely emotional and other responses, it is impossible to predict how an individual will respond in reality.

As a starting point, Donovan performed very well in the various reasoning tests. She has strong numerical and verbal reasoning skills and should have no difficulty in handling any relevant requirement in those areas (including any business management skills involved in her ‘legend'). More importantly, her responses to the critical thinking test indicate that she has a highly developed capability to appreciate, analyse and deal with ambiguous language or material. This, combined with her ability to tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty, as indicated by her responses to the personality questionnaires, suggest that she is likely to be relatively comfortable in handling the unpredictability and lack of clarity often associated with an undercover role.

Overall, Donovan is a highly balanced individual who is likely to display the mix of personality traits most suited to undercover work. For example, she is capable of thinking independently when required, but is also comfortable working within the constraints of formal procedures. She is therefore unlikely to ‘go native' while working in an undercover context, but should also be capable of displaying the required resourcefulness and ability to improvise. Similarly, she is comfortable in operating a team environment, but is also able to operate independently when required. She is not intrinsically suspicious of others or their motives, but tends to withhold trust until she is confident it has been earned. My only concern, looking as her overall profile, would be that. in the face of substantial operational pressures, her inclination might be to opt for an independent solution rather than having full confidence in the support of others. Clearly, the implications of this would depend on the circumstances involved!

In providing feedback on the results of the exercises, I took the opportunity to discuss informally her perceptions of the role. It is clear that she appreciates its challenges and risks, and she appears to have prepared herself as thoroughly as possible for these. I should add that she appears to be facing some pressures in her domestic life, particularly relating to her relationship with her partner. This may create some emotional vulnerabilities which will need to be kept under observation.

Undercover Team – Post Assignment Debrief

Prepared by:
Simon Cottrill, Head of Operations

Name of Officer:
Marie Catherine Donovan

Donovan has to date undertaken two undercover assignments. Both of these of these have proved highly problematic for reasons outside of Donovan's control, and it is likely that this will have a significant impact on her ability to undertake similar work in the immediate future. At this stage, I am drawing no firm conclusions about her capability and suitability to return to undercover work. It is clear from her past performance that Donovan displays substantial resilience, as well as having an aptitude for this kind of assignment. At the same time, she has undergone some severe shocks and traumas in her initial exercises so care will be needed to ensure that she does not return to the field prematurely. Our decisions in this respect should take full account of Donovan's own feelings and preferences, as well as the professional opinions of the Agency Occupational Psychologist.