Page 76 of Next in Line

‘Every word. Not least because there’s nothing in it for him to set you up. And if his intel turns out to be reliable, the judge would have no choice but to take it into consideration when he passes sentence. What I can’t be sure about is whether Mansour Khalifah or Tareq Omar – or both of them working in tandem – are setting Faulkner up.’

‘There’s only one way we’re going to find out,’ said William as they walked back across the yard. ‘One thing’s for sure, we can’t ignore the threat. The first thing I’ll have to do when we get back to the Yard is brief the Hawk.’

‘Did Faulkner have anything worthwhile to say?’ were the governor’s first words when they returned to his office. ‘Or was it a complete waste of your time?’

‘I can’t be sure,’ said William, ‘but for the moment I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.’

‘Pity. I was looking forward to putting him in solitary with only bread and water on the menu.’

‘Not yet, governor, because if his information turns out to be reliable, we might well be returning again in the near future.’

‘So be it. Goodbye, Superintendent. And remember to givemy best wishes to your commander, as I won’t be seeing him on Saturday. We’ll be sitting on opposite sides of the ground – that’s assuming the idiot still supports Arsenal.’

‘I’ll pass on your best wishes, sir.’

‘Ten points if you remember which team I support, Constable.’

‘Tottenham Hotspur.’

‘Not bad, Superintendent. And you?’

‘Chelsea, sir.’

‘I will allow vagabonds, scoundrels and even perverts to enter my prison, but not Chelsea supporters. By the way, do you have any idea who Faulkner supports?’

‘Himself,’ replied William.

•••

When William got back home that evening, he found James Buchanan had arrived from the States and was sitting in the kitchen with Beth and the children, having supper.

James leapt up, shook hands with William and said, ‘Good to see you.’

‘You too,’ said William as he sat down. ‘No doubt the children have been entertaining you.’

‘They sure have. I’ve been learning all about Artemisia’s new best friend – Princess Diana.’

‘The long or the short version?’ asked William.

‘I was about half-way through when you walked in,’ said Artemisia, ‘and was just about to tell James …’

‘James didn’t come to London to talk about Princess Diana.’

‘Then why did he come to London?’ Artemisia asked.

‘Behave yourself,’ said Beth. ‘Try to remember James is our guest, and don’t speak with your mouth full.’

‘It’s quite simple really,’ said James. ‘I came to seek your mother’s advice on a delicate matter.’

‘Must be about art,’ said Artemisia, ‘and not crime.’

‘A little bit of both,’ admitted James.

‘Do you still own one of the biggest shipping lines in the world?’ asked Peter.

‘Peter!’ said William, sounding exasperated.

‘I was only asking.’

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