‘More important,’ said Marjorie, who was sitting on the floor with the twins, ‘is that Julian and I have decided to set up a trust fund to pay for Peter’s education.’
‘What about Artemisia?’ demanded Grace.
‘Beth’s parents have already taken on that responsibility. In fact, it was Arthur and Joanna’s idea in the first place.’
‘Lucky children,’ said William, ruffling Peter’s hair.
‘I thought Eton and Cheltenham Ladies’ College,’ said Sir Julian, well aware that he was tossing a hand grenade into the middle of the room.
‘And I thought Fulham comprehensive would suit them both perfectly well,’ said Beth.
‘What fun,’ said Marjorie. ‘Something for us all to endlessly fight over before we finally murder each other.’
‘It’s already been decided,’ said Beth, joining her children on the floor.
‘That wasn’t how it worked when I was a boy,’ said Sir Julian, removing the pin from the hand grenade.
‘You were never a boy,’ said Marjorie. ‘You were born middle-aged.’
Sir Julian was lost for words, something the rest of the family didn’t experience often, so William took advantage of it.
‘We should be off,’ he said. ‘It’s been a long day for the children.’
Once Peter and Artemisia had been strapped into their car seats, goodbyes were exchanged followed by waves, as William made his way slowly down the drive to the sound of Harry Chapin’s ‘A Better Place to Be’.
‘I think your father knows perfectly well there isn’t going to be an inquiry, and you haven’t really been suspended,’ said Beth as they turned onto the main road.
‘What makes you say that?’
‘There would have been an endless stream of questions if he’d thought for one moment you were in any trouble, and while he can still draw breath, he certainly wouldn’t allow Grace to represent you at the tribunal.’
22
‘Assem Rashidi will be released from Pentonville at ten o’clock tomorrow morning,’ said the Hawk, ‘and I expect a welcoming party to be waiting for him. Three of you will watch him twenty-four/seven. If Rashidi even thinks about going anywhere other than his office in the City, or his mother’s home in The Boltons, I want to be informed immediately. I’ve already briefed Superintendent Watts, the new head of the drugs squad, about our immediate plans. He’ll have sixty officers on standby who can move at a moment’s notice. This time we’ll shut down Rashidi’s operation even before he’s given the chance to poison his first customer.’
‘While at the same time, we must arrest those associates who’ve been keeping the business ticking over in his absence,’ said Paul.
‘We won’t need to mount a Trojan Horse operation to achieve that as we’ll be charging in the front door. Try not to sprain your ankle this time, DS Adaja.’
Paul looked embarrassed.
‘How did you sprain your ankle, sarge?’ asked Rebecca innocently, although she’d been told the tale of the Trojan Horse many times.
Jackie suppressed a grin.
‘Before your time, DC Pankhurst,’ was all Paul had to say on the subject.
‘Superintendent Watts thinks it’s no coincidence that a large shipment of drugs from Colombia arrived at Felixstowe just a few days ago,’ said the Hawk, ‘so he’s issued an all-ports alert.’
‘Any further intel?’ asked Paul, coming in on cue.
‘Only that he thinks Rashidi’s mules will be distributing large amounts of cocaine and heroin across London during the next few days. I have a full list of likely recipients,’ said the Hawk, opening a thick file. ‘One of them is on the Romford patch. A family called Payne. I presume you’ve come across them, PC Bailey.’
‘Yes,’ said Nicky. ‘A right bunch of villains, but thanks to DS Summers, there are more of them in jail than there are on the outside enjoying the comforts of home cooking.’
‘That’s good to hear. Right, let’s make sure we’re all ready for Rashidi when he’s released tomorrow morning, and keep me informed of any developments.’
The team gathered up their files, left the commander’s office, and returned to their desks, except for PC Bailey, who signed off before leaving for Romford. DC Pankhurst had earlier left the building and taken up a position across the road from where she could see the entrance to St James’s Park underground station.
She didn’t have to wait long before Nicky appeared, and jogged down the steps into the station. Rebecca returned to the Yard and reported to DS Adaja. Fifteen minutes later, the team reconvened in the commander’s office where William was waiting for them.
‘The hare has been let out of the trap,’ said the Hawk, ‘but the hounds must allow her to run a couple more circuits around the track before we move in.’
‘What do you have in mind, sir?’ asked Jackie.
‘Marlboro Man will deliver the gear to Reg Payne’s home at one o’clock on Friday morning,’ said the Hawk. ‘No sooner than that, because we don’t want Summers or Bailey to become suspicious.’
‘Do we move in once they’ve gone inside?’ asked Paul.
‘No,’ said the Hawk firmly. ‘If we did, Summers would claim he was just about to arrest Payne when we turned up, and he’s got enough gall to try and take the credit for the ambush. No, we’ll have to let him place the noose around his own neck before we open the trapdoor. Once MM has delivered a kilo of cocaine and ten grand in cash, we’ll wait to see if Summers arrests Payne and takes the merchandise back to the nick. If he hands in less than ten thousand and not a full haul of the drugs we supplied, our suspicions will be confirmed.’
‘Is that when we move in, sir?’ asked Jackie.
‘No,’ said William. ‘We’ll still need to keep our powder dry. I want to find out how many people are involved, and how they distribute the cocaine and dispose of such large amounts of cash. And don’t forget, we have the serial numbers of those banknotes.’
‘What if Summers arrests MM when he comes out of Payne’s house?’ asked Jackie.
‘Then we’ll know he’s straight. But if he’s bent, he won’t be interested in the delivery boy, only what’s being delivered.’
‘He might arrange for someone to follow MM,’ suggested DC Pankhurst, ‘and then he’ll find out he’s one of ours.’
‘Don’t worry about that, Rebecca. MM would lose them before they reached the first corner. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be some surprises along the way, because Summers is a shrewd operator, and he’s certain to have a backup plan that turns him from being a villain into a hero. Be prepared to move at a moment’s notice, even if it’s the middle of the night.’
‘And PC Bailey?’ asked Rebecca.
‘She may get caught up in the crossfire,’ said the Hawk. ‘If so, she’ll have to face the consequences.’
‘There’s something else you should know, sir,’ said Rebecca.
They all turned their attention to DC Pankhurst.
‘Nicky’s pregnant.’
Summers was delighted when Nicky told him her news.
‘The delivery will be early Friday morning, you say?’
‘Yes,’ said Nicky as she turned a steak over in the pan.
‘Where did you pick up such valuable intel?’
‘From a runner on the street, in exchange for turning a blind eye.’
‘You’re learning fast,’ said Summers, sitting down at the kitchen table.
‘Is this one for your snitch?’ Nicky asked as she placed a steak in front of him.
‘God, no,’ said Summers. ‘This one’s for us. That way it’ll be far more profitable.’
Nicky took the seat opposite him and thought about his response. He’d given her another chance to escape, and she might have done, if he hadn’t taken her by surprise.