Page 84 of Next in Line

‘Those three men I was with,’ she snapped at the receptionist, still out of breath.

‘They’ve just left, Mrs Faulkner.’

‘Do you know where they went?’

‘No, but they left their two suitcases with another man I did recognize, and I saw him get into a taxi.’

Christina didn’t need to ask for a description of the fourth man.

•••

‘I know you’ll all be glad to hear that the young Sergeant who challenged the bomber is no longer in a critical condition,’ began Holbrooke. ‘The medics think he’ll make a good recovery, although he may lose the sight in his left eye.’

William couldn’t explain why his first thought was of the angry promenader who’d complained about living in a police state after having his backpack searched.

‘And his fiancée?’ asked Jackie quietly.

‘She handed in her resignation this morning. There was nothing I could do to dissuade her. It’s one of the biggest problems we face in Counter Terrorism.’

‘There’s nothing in the morning papers about the incident,’said William. ‘Should I assume you slammed a D-notice on Fleet Street?’

‘Only just in time,’ said Holbrooke. ‘TheMail’s front page was about to go to press. Their crime correspondent had put two and two together, and although he made about six, it was too close to the truth for comfort.’

‘So can my team stand down and get back to their day jobs?’ asked the Hawk.

‘For the time being, yes. But don’t be surprised if Khalifah has something else planned for us in the not-too-distant future, which, as I’ve already warned Superintendent Warwick, could be even more devastating.’

‘Any ideas?’

Rebecca opened a file that she’d been working on overnight. ‘In a few weeks’ time, England are playing Sweden at a World Cup qualifier. Sixty thousand people will be at Wembley where the security is fairly lax. Then there’s the Ryder Cup—’

‘No,’ said William, ‘they won’t wait that long.’

‘The Edinburgh Festival?’ said Rebecca. ‘It wouldn’t be too difficult to hide someone among the half a million young people who invade that city during August. And there’s the final test match against Australia at the Oval. Sold out.’

‘We don’t have the authority to cover Edinburgh,’ admitted the Hawk. ‘They could plant six suicide bombers along the Royal Mile and we’d be none the wiser.’

‘Don’t worry,’ said Holbrooke. ‘I’ll put a full team on to it immediately, and leave you to get on with policing London. I want you to know how grateful I am for the role you played, and not just on the night.’ He gave William a nod as he rose from his place at the other end of the table. ‘It’s been a privilege to work with your team. But for now, you can all get back to protecting the Royal Family.’ He smiled at Rebeccaas he left and added, ‘If you’re ever looking for a real job, DS Pankhurst, you know where to find me.’

‘Nail her to the ground,’ said the Hawk as the head of Counter Terrorism left the room.

‘Why didn’t he offer me a job?’ said Paul.

‘If he had,’ said William, ‘we would have reluctantly had to let you go.’

‘Right, the rest of you can bugger off,’ said the Hawk after the laughter had died down. ‘I need to have a word with Superintendent Warwick.’ He waited until the door had closed before saying, ‘I’m afraid you’re going to have to visit Faulkner again. And this time, he’ll be expecting more than an olive branch.’

‘I’ll fix an appointment with the governor, and report back to you.’

‘By the way, why didn’t Ross join us this morning?’ asked the Hawk.

‘He’s taken Jojo on holiday. He won’t be back for a fortnight, when he will resume his duties with the Princess.’

‘Not dressed the way he was last night, I hope.’

‘He’s a chameleon, sir. He can blend into any background, whether it be a palace or a brothel. Do you need to see him?’

‘Yes, but it can wait until he gets back. We’ve had a complaint from a promenader. It seems Ross kneed him in the groin during the final verse of “Land of Hope and Glory”, and ruined the evening for him.’

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