Page 66 of Traitors Gate

Booth Watson nodded; he had to admire Lamont’s unfailing attention to detail.

‘Once you’ve parked,’ said Miles, ‘the next two or three minutes could prove crucial, before you all go your separate ways. Bruce?’

‘After leaving the Tower,’ said Lamont, ‘and before reaching All Hallows, I’ll have changed out of my police uniform and back into mufti, so when I get out of the car no one will give me a second look. I’ve rehearsed the whole exercise several times, and I have it down to one minute forty seconds. Unlacing and lacing brogues is the only thing that might hold me up.’

‘You could wear slip-ons,’ suggested Miles.

‘Warwick never wears slip-ons while on duty,’ said Lamont.

Miles proffered another slight bow. ‘And you, Harris?’

‘Once both cars have been parked inside the church yard, I will unlock the boot, take out the smaller of the two boxes, the one containing the crown, and put it into a Tower of London shopping bag.’

‘Nice touch,’ said Booth Watson.

‘Then, I will hand the bag to Collins, close the boot, but not lock it, while leaving the Sword of State behind.’

‘And finally …’ said Miles.

‘I will cross the road and take a taxi to City airport, where I will board the first available flight out of the country.’

‘Regardless of where it’s going?’ queried Booth Watson.

‘Regardless,’ repeated Harris. ‘I’m not going to hang about when airports will be the first place the police are checking, and by then I’ll be the one person they’ll be looking for.’

‘What’s your final destination?’ asked Booth Watson.

‘Only Mr Faulkner knows that, and I intend to keep it that way.’

‘However,’ chipped in Lamont, ‘the rest of us need to remember that the hour following any crime is known as the golden hour and is a copper’s best chance of catching any criminal. Don’t forget that during that time, forty-two thousand eyes will be on the lookout for us …’

‘Whereas I’ll be the one person who will be making sure everyone knows exactly where I am while you’re all in the Tower collecting the Crown Jewels,’ said Miles.

No one asked the obvious question, and Miles made no attempt to enlighten them. Booth Watson smiled at the thought that Sir Julian Warwick would be the main witness to exactly where his client was that morning, giving him no choice but to confirm his well-planned alibi.

‘Any other business?’ asked Miles as the yacht tied up at the Tate Gallery pier.

CHAPTER 20

‘THERE ARE SEVERAL MATTERS WEneed to discuss,’ said the Hawk once the team had settled, ‘beginning with some good news and congratulating Detective Sergeant Adaja on his promotion to Detective Inspector.’

Loud banging on the table followed, and Paul tried to look suitably modest. He failed.

‘My next piece of news is not so good,’ continued the Hawk in a more sombre tone. ‘The CPS has decided, in their wisdom, to press ahead with charges against Inspector Hogan, and his case will come up at the Old Bailey in the not-too-distant future. As you know, he’s currently suspended and I must advise you, once again, not to get in touch with him until the trial is over. Is that clear?’

The stony silence and frozen looks that followed rather suggested it was, although William didn’t admit he’d already ignored that particular piece of advice on several occasions.

‘Let’s move on to our immediate responsibilities,’ continued the Hawk. ‘Now the Prime Minister has called a generalelection for May the first, it becomes our responsibility to protect both Mr Major and Mr Blair during the run-up to polling day.

‘We will be assisted by our colleagues from Diplomatic Protection as during any election campaign the Royal Family goes into hibernation to ensure they don’t become involved in any political disputes.

‘Chief Superintendent Warwick,’ he said, turning to William. ‘You will take command of the PM’s detail, while Inspector Adaja will be responsible for the Leader of the Opposition. If the polls are anything to go by, Paul, Mr Blair will be our next Prime Minister, and should be treated as such, because we must never, I repeat never, show any political bias.’

It amused William that he’d voted for all three parties during his lifetime, and still hadn’t made up his mind which one to support this time.

‘Jackie,’ continued the Hawk, turning to DS Jackie Roycroft, ‘you will take charge of the Home Secretary’s detail, while you, Rebecca, will head up the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s team. Diplomatic Protection will cover the Foreign Secretary’s engagements as well as those of the Northern Ireland Secretary. But should anything go wrong during the next few weeks, there are no prizes for guessing who will shoulder the blame. With that in mind, I would advise you all to draw a line through your diaries up until May second. Don’t even think of going to bed before your Secretary of State and be sure to be up before their alarm goes off in the morning. And finally, remember only the funerals of close relatives can be attended. Any questions?’

It was almost an hour before the Hawk moved on to the final item on his agenda. ‘If Ross were to be convicted …’

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