‘And his fiancée?’ asked Jackie quietly.
‘She handed in her resignation this morning. There was nothing I could do to dissuade her. It’s one of the biggest problems we face in Counter Terrorism.’
‘There’s nothing in the morning papers about the incident,’ said William. ‘Should I assume you slammed a D-notice on Fleet Street?’
‘Only just in time,’ said Holbrooke. ‘The Mail’s front page was about to go to press. Their crime correspondent had put two and two together, and although he made about six, it was too close to the truth for comfort.’
‘So can my team stand down and get back to their day jobs?’ asked the Hawk.
‘For the time being, yes. But don’t be surprised if Khalifah has something else planned for us in the not-too-distant future, which, as I’ve already warned Superintendent Warwick, could be even more devastating.’
‘Any ideas?’
Rebecca opened a file that she’d been working on overnight. ‘In a few weeks’ time, England are playing Sweden at a World Cup qualifier. Sixty thousand people will be at Wembley where the security is fairly lax. Then there’s the Ryder Cup—’
‘No,’ said William, ‘they won’t wait that long.’
‘The Edinburgh Festival?’ said Rebecca. ‘It wouldn’t be too difficult to hide someone among the half a million young people who invade that city during August. And there’s the final test match against Australia at the Oval. Sold out.’
‘We don’t have the authority to cover Edinburgh,’ admitted the Hawk. ‘They could plant six suicide bombers along the Royal Mile and we’d be none the wiser.’
‘Don’t worry,’ said Holbrooke. ‘I’ll put a full team on to it immediately, and leave you to get on with policing London. I want you to know how grateful I am for the role you played, and not just on the night.’ He gave William a nod as he rose from his place at the other end of the table. ‘It’s been a privilege to work with your team. But for now, you can all get back to protecting the Royal Family.’ He smiled at Rebecca as he left and added, ‘If you’re ever looking for a real job, DS Pankhurst, you know where to find me.’
‘Nail her to the ground,’ said the Hawk as the head of Counter Terrorism left the room.
‘Why didn’t he offer me a job?’ said Paul.
‘If he had,’ said William, ‘we would have reluctantly had to let you go.’
‘Right, the rest of you can bugger off,’ said the Hawk after the laughter had died down. ‘I need to have a word with Superintendent Warwick.’ He waited until the door had closed before saying, ‘I’m afraid you’re going to have to visit Faulkner again. And this time, he’ll be expecting more than an olive branch.’
‘I’ll fix an appointment with the governor, and report back to you.’
‘By the way, why didn’t Ross join us this morning?’ asked the Hawk.
‘He’s taken Jojo on holiday. He won’t be back for a fortnight, when he will resume his duties with the Princess.’
‘Not dressed the way he was last night, I hope.’
‘He’s a chameleon, sir. He can blend into any background, whether it be a palace or a brothel. Do you need to see him?’
‘Yes, but it can wait until he gets back. We’ve had a complaint from a promenader. It seems Ross kneed him in the groin during the final verse of “Land of Hope and Glory”, and ruined the evening for him.’
‘I don’t believe it,’ said William.
‘You’re getting better at lying, William,’ said the Hawk. ‘But you’re still not very good at it.’
Lamont dialled the number at five minutes past four. The call was answered after four rings, without any acknowledgement. All he said was, ‘Library,’ and a few seconds later he heard a second ringing tone.
‘Yes?’ said a voice after another four rings.
‘The money has been returned to your bank in Mayfair,’ he said without introducing himself. ‘I put it in your deposit box with the other twelve million, then returned the key to the head of security.’
‘Expenses?’
‘All covered, including the portrait of Henry VIII which is now on display at the Van Haeften gallery, listed as by a follower of Hans Holbein, with an asking price of five thousand.’
‘Buy it, and have van Haeften send it to Mrs Warwick as a gift.’
‘From you?’ he asked.
‘No. An admirer.’
‘And the house in Amsterdam?’
‘The keys have been returned to the agent.’
‘And the actors?’
‘Have all been paid well above Equity rates. I thought the old man gave a magnificent performance, every bit as accomplished as his John of Gaunt at the Old Vic a few years ago. His two sons may only have had walk-on parts, but they were also totally convincing.’
Miles was well satisfied. Christina had once again underestimated him and his knowledge of how the art market worked. But he would still have to remain wide awake, because she would exact revenge given the slightest opportunity, and she had one advantage. He was still locked up, while she was on the outside.
He assumed Lamont was still on the other end of the line. ‘If you check your personal account tomorrow,’ said Miles, ‘you’ll find the agreed sum has already been deposited. But don’t even think about retiring yet, Lamont, because I’ve got an even bigger assignment for you. I’ll be in touch.’
Chapter 29
‘I’m going to recommend to the CPS that another two years is knocked off your sentence,’ said William, who had taken Faulkner by surprise by returning to see him in prison so quickly. Holbrooke had made it clear there wasn’t a moment to spare.
Rebecca began writing.
‘That means I’d be out of here by Christmas,’ said Faulkner with an undisguised smirk.
‘I’m not sure how you work that out,’ said William, unable to hide his surprise. ‘Neither of us can be sure how many years the judge will add to your present sentence when you appear before him at the Old Bailey in a few weeks’ time.’
‘Clearly you are unaware of the deal I’ve made with your father. He’s already agreed that if I plead guilty to the latest charges, the CPS will recommend a suspended sentence.’
William wanted to laugh out loud, but could see he wasn’t joking.
‘So if you get me two more years off my present sentence, that would bring it down to four, and if you then deduct the time I’ve already served, and my tariff is halved for good behaviour, I should, as I said, be out by Christmas.’
William couldn’t believe what he was hearing. ‘What makes you think the CPS would be willing to drop all the charges against you? If historic precedence is anything to go by, absconding from prison usually leads to the original sentence being doubled, which means you’ll be lucky to be released before the end of the century.’
‘But as I’ve explained, I’ve made a deal with the CPS, which you seem to be unaware of. I suggest you have a word with your father.’
Rebecca kept writing.
‘Why would my father agree to drop the charges against you when it’s an open-and-shut case?’
‘In exchange for me not raising the subject of you and DI Hogan breaking into my home in Spain, stealing a Frans Hals, then bringing me back to England in my own plane, against my will.’
‘Do you have anything in writing to prove you made this deal?’ asked William.
‘I most certainly do,’ said Miles. He strolled across to the library counter, opened a drawer and, after searching through some papers, found what he was looking for. He handed the document across to William, who took his time reading it before passing it to Rebecca.
‘As you can see, Mr Faulkner, my father hasn’t signed this agreement.’
Miles noted that Warwick had addressed him as ‘Mr’ for the first time since he’d been in prison.