William bowed, as Clare handed her leader the contents of the envelope, which he double-checked before asking his first question.
‘Inspector, would you tell the court exactly what you witnessed a few minutes ago, while we were having lunch in the Silks’ restaurant?’
‘I saw the defendant, who was lunching with his legal representative, hand two five-pound notes to a waitress after she’d presented him with the bill.’
‘What did you do then?’
‘Once they’d left the dining room, I retrieved the two banknotes from the waitress.’
Booth Watson was quickly on his feet. ‘I’m bound to ask, m’lud, how Inspector Warwick can be certain they were the same two notes.’
‘She hadn’t yet put the money in the till and I asked the waitress if she would be able to identify the customer who’d handed her the notes,’ said William. He opened his notebook. ‘Her exact words were, “Oh, yes, I couldn’t forget him, because he was so handsome and he gave me such a large tip.” ’
‘M’lud,’ said Sir Julian, ‘may I ask the clerk to hand the two banknotes in question to Inspector Warwick.’
The judge nodded, and the clerk took the notes and passed them to the witness.
‘What precisely is the significance of these banknotes?’ asked Mr Justice Ramsden.
‘They were part of the batch of ten thousand pounds in cash that was handed to Mr Reg Payne by the undercover police officer shortly before DS Summers entered his house in the early hours of May the twenty-ninth, as I reported earlier under oath. You will recall, m’lud, that when Summers came out of the house twenty minutes later, he was carrying a Sainsbury’s bag that was not, as Mr Booth Watson suggested, full of groceries, but the ten thousand pounds in cash the undercover officer had handed over to Mr Payne, and received a receipt for.’
‘What makes you so sure these two five-pound notes came from the same batch?’
‘The serial numbers of the notes given to Payne were recorded at Scotland Yard by Commander Hawksby and witnessed by me. They were,’ said William, once again referring to his notebook, ‘AJ142001 to AJ152000.’
‘And what are the numbers of the two notes you recovered from the waitress, Inspector Warwick?’ asked Sir Julian.
‘AJ143018 and AJ143019.’
‘No more questions, m’lud,’ said Sir Julian.
‘Do you wish to cross-examine this witness, Mr Booth Watson?’
Booth Watson remained slumped in his place and muttered, ‘If only I’d paid the bill.’
31
‘Ten years,’ said the commander, ‘thanks to two five-pound notes, and Inspector Warwick being half awake.’ The Hawk’s idea of a compliment. ‘And thanks to the rest of the team, DI Castle has taken early retirement. And perhaps equally important, forty-three other Metropolitan Police officers have handed in their notice. Congratulations on a job well done.’
‘But Lamont got clean away,’ said Paul.
‘Just give me time,’ said William, almost spitting out the words.
‘I’m afraid not, William. You’re going to have to leave that to your successor, because the commissioner in his wisdom has decreed that any unit investigating corrupt officers cannot be staffed by the same team for more than one major investigation, for fear that its members become cut off from the rest of their colleagues, and have difficulty returning to normal duties. And I agree with him.’
‘Perhaps we should all take early retirement?’ suggested William.
‘Not a hope, detective chief inspector,’ said the Hawk, sitting back and waiting to see who would be the first to react.
Paul began banging the table with the palm of his hand, and Jackie and Rebecca quickly followed.
‘Congratulations, chief inspector,’ said the Hawk, after the acclamation had died down. As William didn’t respond, he added, ‘And I know you’ll be glad to hear that the rest of the team will be joining you in your new assignment.’
‘Dare I ask what you have in mind for us, sir?’ asked Detective Chief Inspector Warwick.
‘Murder,’ said the commander, and then let the idea sink in for a few moments to see how they’d react.
‘I think I preferred Art and Antiques,’ said Jackie.
‘Of blessed memory,’ said the Hawk.
‘Or even drugs,’ said Paul.
‘That’s as may be,’ said the commander. ‘But if you’re the best you end up being assigned the worst, because your first task will be to investigate five people who have quite literally got away with murder. However, I’ll allow you to indulge yourselves for a few days, before you report back for your new assignment on Monday morning. Eight o’clock sharp.’
‘Does that mean we get the rest of the week off?’ asked Paul.
‘I’m amazed you need a razor in the mornings, DS Adaja, you’re so sharp. Yes, take some time off, you’ve earned it. If you decide to go out and celebrate, the first round’s on me.’
‘Did I hear you correctly, sir?’ said Paul.
‘You did. And don’t forget, I have the authority to demote as well as promote. So for you, DS Adaja, it’s either back on the beat or murder. Take your pick. But for now, I don’t want to see any of you in the office until next Monday. With the exception of DC Pankhurst, the rest of you can bugger off.’
William gathered up his files and joined the others as they left the room. He didn’t mention that he, for one, wouldn’t be taking the rest of the week off, as he still had another private matter to deal with.
The Hawk waited until the rest of the team had left before he spoke to Rebecca. ‘Despite the team’s triumph, DC Pankhurst, in which you played a crucial role, I think there will be one person who’s unlikely to be celebrating. Though I don’t pretend to understand it, I suspect PC Bailey is still besotted with Summers. However, I need you to tell her that as far as I’m concerned, the case is closed, and there are no plans to take any further action against her.’
‘She’ll be so relieved,’ said Rebecca. ‘Thank you, sir.’
‘Let’s hope she’ll be able to find another job.’
‘She’s already been offered a position as an investigator in Clare’s office.’
‘Which she’s well qualified for,’ said Hawksby. ‘But for now, I’d like you to take her out for a drink and try to convince her she has every reason to celebrate. You’ve proved a loyal friend, DC Pankhurst, and she was lucky to have you on her side.’
Rebecca returned to the office to find her colleagues already in a party mood.
‘Will you be joining us at the pub, Rebecca?’ asked Jackie.
‘Thanks, but I have to go home,’ she said, without explanation.
William gave her a warm smile, aware of the task she faced.
Rebecca decided to walk back to Pimlico, as she wanted a little time to compose her thoughts. She needed to convince Nicky she had done the right thing by giving evidence against her former lover, and it was now time for her to move on.
By the time she reached the front door, Rebecca was well prepared to deal with the tears, the recriminations, and hopefully the relief. She put her key in the lock, and smiled when she opened the door and heard the baby crying. She was so proud that Nicky had invited her to be one of Jake’s godparents.
As she climbed the stairs to the first floor, the crying became even louder. She knocked on Nicky’s door. Not waiting for a reply, she walked in to find her friend curled up on the floor, two empty bottles of barbiturates by her side. Jake was still crying.
‘Ten years for stealing a ring worth three grand?’ said Miles. ‘I don’t believe it.’
‘What’s more,’ said Booth Watson, ‘a ring that had already been stolen by a burglar who only got two years.’