Page 109 of End Game
‘I’m surprised you had the nerve to turn up this evening,’ suggested Peter, ‘after reading your article about tonight’s opening in theMail. The headline alone—’
‘I don’t decide the headline,’ said Artemisia. ‘That’s a sub-editor’s job.’
‘What was the headline?’ asked Jojo innocently.
‘Buried-Alive Gangster Leaves His Spoils to the Fitzmolean,’ said Robert, unable to suppress a grin.
Artemisia smiled. ‘Which I feel I should point out is the reason this show’s a complete sell-out.’
‘That wasn’t how Mum saw it when she read your piece over breakfast this morning,’ Peter warned her.
‘Then she isn’t going to like my follow-up story tomorrow,’ admitted Artemisia, ‘although it will guarantee that Mum will have to extend the show for months. The headline is’ – she paused, and made them wait for a moment before she announced, ‘Why Did the Russians Hand Over One of Their Masterpieces to a Second-Rate Crook?’
‘And the answer?’ asked Jojo.
‘You’ll have to buy tomorrow’s paper,’ said Artemisia, ‘and read my latest exclusive.’
‘Faulkner would sueif he was still alive,’ said Peter.
‘But he isn’t,’ came back Artemisia, ‘and the Russian Ambassador’s been called back to Moscow, so he’s hardly going to object. Shame, though, because I would have liked to have interviewed both of them and heard their side of the story.’
‘And on behalf of the defence, m’lud,’ said Peter, clinging onto the lapels of his jacket, imitating his grandfather, ‘I would suggest to the jury that after viewing this magnificent exhibition, you can only conclude that my client, Mr Miles Faulkner, was not a second-rate crook, but in fact a master criminal.’
‘Not bad,’ said Artemisia, jotting down her brother’s words, as she glanced across to the other side of the room to see her father breaking one of Beth’s golden gallery rules. His phone was ringing, and he was checking the name of the caller.
‘You answer that at your peril,’ said Beth, ‘because the last time you did, we didn’t get a holiday.’
William looked at the screen. ‘It’s the Home Secretary,’ he whispered.
Beth was unable to hide her excitement. ‘Then you must have got the job.’
‘Not necessarily,’ said William calmly. ‘Mrs May is a courteous woman, who will call the loser first to let them know it was a close-run thing.’
William left the packed, noisy room and almost ran out into the corridor, before he pressed the green button on his mobile and said, ‘Good evening, Home Secretary.’
18 January 2013
WILLIAM PUT A PHOTOGRAPHof his wife on one side of the desk and another of the twins as teenagers on the other. He then placed a small silver carriage clock between them, which Beth had given him to celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. But pride of place went to a truncheon he’d carried as a young constable when he was first on the beat in Lambeth. The Field Marshal’s baton.
The phone on his desk began to ring. He wondered who his first caller would be. ‘It’s the Home Secretary on line one, sir,’ said his staff officer.
‘Good morning, Home Secretary,’ said William.
‘Good morning, Commissioner,’ replied Mrs May. ‘I’m sorry to throw you in at the deep end on your first day, but the Prime Minister wants to see us both at ten o’clock this morning.’
‘To discuss anything in particular?’ asked William.
‘London Bridge,’ said the Home Secretary.
‘I didn’t know the Queen was ill,’ said William, sounding concerned.
‘She isn’t,’ said the Home Secretary. ‘But we carry out an annual briefing at Buckingham Palace, so you’ll need to be brought up to speed. You could do worse than have a word with Jack Hawksby, as he was in charge of the Queen Mother’s funeral.’
No sooner had William put the phone down, than his staff officer appeared, carrying an armful of files marked urgent, which he placed on the desk in front of him.
‘I need to see the Assistant Commissioner as soon as it’s convenient,’ said William, as his phone began to ring again. His staff officer picked it up. ‘It’s your wife,’ she said, passing over the phone.
‘I was only calling to wish you luck on your first day in the job,’ said Beth. ‘Any problems so far?’
