Page 45 of Next in Line

‘You’re planning to bribe the selection committee.’

‘I don’t have enough money to do that,’ said Beth. ‘However, I’ve spotted a painting by Jan Steen that’s coming up for sale at an auction in Pittsburgh, which I might be able to pick up for a reasonable price, although it’s quite possible we’ll be outbid, as it’s on the cover of the catalogue.’

‘How would that help you land the job?’

‘It won’t. But in the same catalogue I came across a pencil drawing by an unknown artist that I’m convinced is a preliminary sketch for the lamp inThe Night Watch.’

‘What’s the estimate?’

‘Two hundred dollars. It may be a copy by one of Rembrandt’s contemporaries but, at that price, it’s a risk worth taking.’

‘And if it’s actually by Rembrandt?’

‘It could be worth as much as forty thousand pounds.’

‘So selling it would make a welcome contribution to the museum’s impoverished coffers.’

‘Not a chance. The board would never agree to sell a Rembrandt drawing. They’d put it on permanent display, even though it would cover the cost of the director’s salary for a year.’

‘I’m sure you’ll find a subtle way of letting them know that.’

‘Only if I turn out to be right.’

‘Having been the only one who spotted it,’ said William, before pointing upstairs. ‘But now for higher things. Time for me to go and join the Mad Hatter and find out why he’s having tea with the Queen of Hearts.’

‘What would you like for supper?’ Beth asked as he got up from the table.

‘Any chance of a pizza?’ he said, staring down at the empty plate.

‘You got lucky, caveman. I’ve accepted for some time that there are four children in this family, so I ordered an extra one. When you come back down, you can tell me all about your day.’

‘Just another day at the office,’ said William. ‘Though I did have an interesting chat to the Queen …’

•••

William turned up late for work at Buckingham Gate the following morning, and was back home in time to read the next chapter before the children fell asleep. By the end of the month, they’d finishedAlice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and had reached Chapter 5 ofThrough the Looking Glass, only because his more relaxed attitude to timekeeping fitted in with the team’s long-term plan to convince Milner they were only too happy to climb on board his gravy train as first-class passengers.

For the past six weeks, they had been keeping to a strict timetable. They would turn up late every morning, enjoy long lunch breaks, which they then claimed on expenses, before leaving early, all part of a well-orchestrated performance, conducted by William.

When Milner began calling him Bill, he knew Operation Overcharge was falling neatly into place. The Superintendent would have done well to remember that Constable William Warwick hadn’t been nicknamed ‘Choirboy’ by chance when he first joined the force.

The eight o’clock team meetings at the Yard became more regular as they approached the window of opportunity – that ten days when Prince Charles and Diana would be carrying out an overseas tour. Superintendent Milner, DI Reynolds and Sergeant Jennings, who had recently been promoted as a personal protection officer ahead of Constable Jenny Smart, would be with them on the far side of the Atlantic, while DI Ross Hogan would be able to keep a close eye on all of them.

•••

‘How did you manage to pull that off?’ Faulkner asked Tulip as the two men strolled around the exercise yard together.

‘I found a Judas who didn’t even want thirty pieces of silver to betray him,’ replied Tulip. ‘His name is Tareq Omar.’

‘And why is he willing to take such a risk?’

‘Khalifah was responsible for his brother’s death during the recent coup in Algeria, so for him, revenge will be a sufficient reward in itself.’

‘How do we bring the two of them together?’

‘I’ve arranged for Omar to be transferred to cleaning duties on Khalifah’s wing, so their paths will cross regularly, when he’ll pose as a devoted follower of the cause. My only fear is he might kill him.’

‘We want to keep him alive while there’s the slightest chance Khalifah could be my passport out of here.’

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