Page 33 of Traitors Gate

She liked the idea of breaking the sound barrier and being able to arrive in New York in less than three and a half hours, making it possible for her to spend the night at the Waldorf rather than being sardined into the back of a jumbo with a snorer on one side and a man who read with his light on on the other.

She would wake in the morning refreshed and ready for the day’s work ahead of her, while her three rivals would be tossing and turning at thirty thousand feet, trying to snatch the occasional moment of sleep, and it wouldn’t be just the discomfort that was keeping them awake.

She was about to take her seat when she spotted an attractive young man a couple of rows back who was sitting on his own. She gave him a warm smile, but he didn’t return it.

‘This is your captain speaking. Please fasten your seatbelts as we’re about to take off. If this is your first trip on Concorde …’

• • •

Ken Forbes called DHL just before he went to bed to make sure the package addressed to Mr Faulkner was safely on board. His night manager confirmed that although the aircraft had been delayed by forty minutes, they expected it to make up any lost time during the flight across the Atlantic. He said he’d call back first thing in the morning and give him an update.

• • •

Miles was as good as his word.

A driver was waiting for Christina in the arrival’s hall. Shetold him she’d never experienced anything like it. ‘Concorde passengers are treated like royalty,’ she gushed. ‘They have their own passport control as well as a separate carousel for their luggage. It was like getting off a train in the middle of the day.’

It wasn’t so much how the other half lived, more like the other 0.001 per cent, because she still couldn’t believe that only a few hours before she’d been in London wondering what she would do next.

• • •

William, Ross and James found their seats at the back of a crowded aircraft that didn’t hint at a peaceful night. Several passengers were opening miniatures, while several miniatures were crying in their mothers’ arms.

Following a long delay, the 747 finally took off after waiting for a passenger who failed to show, so his luggage had to be removed from the hold.

‘It’s not a problem,’ William kept repeating. ‘We’ll have more than enough time to spare once we touch down. It’s on the way back we must pray for no hold-ups.’

‘Yuk,’ was the only opinion Ross voiced when he saw what United described as dinner. He lowered his seat and closed his eyes, but didn’t sleep.

• • •

Christina checked into her suite at the Waldorf fifty minutes later. She luxuriated in a warm, bubble-filled Jacuzzi before slipping into bed and resting her head on a soft feather pillow. She fell asleep within minutes.

• • •

The United Airlines carrier circled JFK several times before it was allocated a landing slot.

The long queue at immigration control meant that James was left waiting in customs for over an hour. Once the Brits had finally escaped, they joined an equally long taxi queue only to experience bumper-to-bumper traffic accompanied by the noise of blaring horns as they made their way across the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan. By the time they pulled up outside The Pierre, they were exhausted, but couldn’t afford to rest for long.

• • •

The DHL carrier touched down at Newark a few minutes later and a red priority sticker attached to the Art Logistics crate ensured that the painting was among the first packages to reach the customs hall.

Beth was proved right. Because the contents were valued at less than ten thousand pounds, the crate cleared customs within a couple of hours and was dispatched to East 61st on the first available truck. She couldn’t have known it was Miles Faulkner who was greasing the wheels.

• • •

James had booked a room on the second floor of The Pierre, overlooking East 61st Street. His last-minute request had been easy to grant. After all, most customers who stayed at the hotel preferred a suite on one of the upper floors with a view of Central Park. James also confirmed they wouldbe vacating the room by midday at the latest. A dream customer.

Once they’d checked in and had a brief nap, they took it in turns to eat breakfast, have a shower or keep an eye on who was entering or leaving the apartment block on the other side of the street.

James was hoping the crate would arrive long before his realtor was due to turn up at eleven, otherwise they could be booking in for the night. Not part of the plan. When William took his turn at the window, James had a shower and quickly discovered there weren’t enough towels for three men.

• • •

Christina made her way down to the hotel’s shops on the lower ground floor; hotels in America don’t have ‘basements’. She took her time selecting a smart new outfit with matching accessories. What else was a girl meant to do before going to work? She added a Le Blanc handbag that she just couldn’t resist.

‘Charge it to my room,’ she told the assistant.

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