35The flickers of red and blue were as much of a warning to Mark as they were to criminals. The lights made his stomach lurch and suddenly he was a boy again, about to walk into a room full of older, nastier children. It had taken him years to gain the indifferent tolerance of his peers and, in one night, he'd lost it forever. Seeing that familiar circle of cars, the entourage of useless constables waiting for something to happen, the senior officer prancing around the scene like a prize rooster inspecting his coop was unbearable. He realised, as they pulled up at the scene, that he'd always hated these moments, because here the police were shown up for what they really were – garbage men. They cleaned up the mess and usually not very well.
Adams wasn't impressed with the senior police of
