‘Though she was happy to flaunt an expensive diamond ring given to her by Summers,’ said Jackie, ‘which she must have known he couldn’t afford, and therefore had to be stolen.’
‘But she gave it back to him,’ Rebecca reminded her, ‘and left the Garrard’s box where I was certain to find it. If she’s guilty of anything, it’s poor judgement, something all of us have been at some time.’
‘If she did apply to rejoin the Met in the future,’ said Jackie, ‘would you be willing to turn a blind eye?’
‘She must know that would be unwise, given the circumstances,’ said the commander, looking directly at DC Pankhurst. ‘Now, let’s move on to Summers and the Payne family, and what we have planned for them. Inspector Warwick?’
‘I arrested Detective Sergeant Summers at Gatwick Airport yesterday morning, and charged him with handling stolen goods and misconduct in a public office. To my surprise he was granted bail — until I found out that Booth Watson was his defence counsel.’
‘Summers couldn’t begin to afford his fees,’ said DS Adaja.
‘But Karen Turner’s father certainly can,’ said William. ‘And he doesn’t want his daughter’s fiancé ending up in jail. So we can expect Summers to appear at the Old Bailey in about six months’ time, which should give us more than enough time to prepare our case.’
‘And him to prepare his,’ said the Hawk. ‘What about Castle?’
‘We didn’t find enough evidence to charge him,’ said Jackie, not bothering to open her file.
‘You didn’t find anything incriminating in his home?’ pressed the Hawk.
‘A brand-new TV and a gold cigarette lighter he claims is a family heirloom. Not nearly enough to be confident of securing a conviction.’
‘He’ll still have to resign,’ said the commander, ‘once everyone works out why his home was searched.’
‘And Lamont?’ asked William.
‘I couldn’t lay a glove on him,’ admitted Rebecca. ‘My team didn’t find any money with the serial numbers we’re looking for at his home, or anything else that would implicate him, so like Jackie, I couldn’t charge him. Impersonating a police officer and spending an evening at the Playboy Club with his friend Summers is a long way from being beyond reasonable doubt.’
‘So he’s going to get away with it again?’ said William.
‘Unless DS Roycroft has something worthwhile to tell us following their latest get-together,’ said the Hawk.
‘He was on a fishing expedition, sir,’ said Jackie. ‘Told me he’d read about Summers’s arrest in the press and wondered if we’d picked up the connection between the two of them.’
‘What did you tell him?’ asked William.
‘I looked suitably surprised when he told me he’d been an inspector at Romford when Summers was a recruit, but claimed he couldn’t remember him.’
‘Then he’s got a very short memory,’ said the Hawk. ‘Did you let slip the one piece of information we wanted him to know about?’
‘Yes, I did, sir.’
‘And were you appropriately rewarded?’
Jackie opened her handbag, took out a brown envelope and handed it over to the commander, who tore it open and extracted a thick wad of five-pound notes. He distributed them among the team, who immediately set about checking the serial numbers, but without producing any cries of ‘Gotcha!’
‘I suppose that would have been too much to hope for,’ said the Hawk as he put the money back in the envelope and handed it to William. ‘See that it’s logged into the property store, along with DS Roycroft’s report.’
William nodded.
‘So for now, let’s concentrate on Summers. Did you find anything incriminating in his flat, DS Roycroft?’
‘No, sir,’ said Jackie. ‘It’s somewhat ironic that PC Bailey trashed the place, because that could be what saves him.’
‘How’s that possible?’ asked the Hawk.
‘She destroyed all the relevant evidence. We found what was left of it on a local council tip.’
‘That wasn’t the reason she did it,’ said Rebecca.
‘Possibly not,’ said Jackie, ‘but it might get her boyfriend off the hook.’
‘He wasn’t her boyfriend by then.’
‘Cut it out, you two,’ said William sharply, ‘and try to remember that we’ll be needing PC Bailey to act as a defence witness at Summers’s trial.’ He turned his attention back to Jackie. ‘So what it comes down to, DS Roycroft, is that you didn’t find anything that could be used as evidence?’
‘Just a silver letter rack, a couple of designer watches and a few pounds in cash, but none of the serial numbers matched up with our original batch.’
‘However, thanks to Summers’s arrogance, greed, overconfidence, call it what you will,’ said the Hawk, ‘we’ve got the diamond ring, which should be more than enough to send him down and set a trap for Lamont. Congratulations to you all on a job well done. But remember, by the time the case comes to court, you can be sure that Summers will be able to explain away the ring, the designer watches, the silver letter rack, and anything else we come up with. So none of us can afford to relax until we see him being driven away from the Old Bailey in a Black Maria, and not driving himself off in his latest Jag.’
‘Would you like to hold him?’ said Nicky, as she handed the baby to Rebecca.
‘You’re so lucky,’ said Rebecca, cradling the little bundle in her arms.
‘I don’t always feel that way,’ admitted Nicky, ‘considering that Jake may not be seeing his father until he’s a teenager.’
‘You can always visit him in jail.’
‘Not while he’s engaged to another woman. In any case, I’ll never allow my son to see the inside of a prison. That’s how they get used to the idea.’
‘Does that mean you’ve agreed to give evidence against Summers?’
‘The Hawk didn’t give me a lot of choice, unless I wanted to join him in the dock.’
‘Your evidence could prove crucial,’ said Rebecca as she handed the little boy back to his mother.
‘I’m aware of that,’ said Nicky quietly. ‘I won’t let you down this time.’
‘You still love him, don’t you?’
It was some time before PC Bailey responded. ‘Yes, but that won’t stop me giving vital evidence that will put Jerry away, even though it means I’ll also end up serving a life sentence.’
There was a gentle tap on the door of Beth’s office. Before she could respond, it opened and Christina swept in. She was wearing an Armani suit and a silk Hermès scarf and carrying a Gucci handbag that wouldn’t have left anyone in doubt why she suffered from the illusion of entitlement, not unlike a minor member of the Royal Family.
It amused Beth that Christina never made an appointment to visit her at the gallery. Not only did she assume her friend would be there whenever she called, but she would always be available. Her talented accomplices, Rembrandt, Rubens and Vermeer, didn’t harm her cause.
‘Lovely to see you,’ said Beth, as if she had nothing better to do. She kissed Christina on both cheeks. ‘To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?’ she added.
‘I was just passing and thought I’d drop by.’
Beth knew only too well Christina was never just passing. She always had a motive for her unannounced visits. She sat down in the most comfortable chair in the room, to indicate this wasn’t going to be a short meeting.
‘I have a couple of pieces of news I wanted to share with you.’
Beth took the seat opposite the Fitzmolean’s most generous benefactor, interested to discover what had caused her to rise so early that morning.
‘But first, how is my favourite inspector?’