'Do you know anything about the Parrot's earlier life?'
'She grew up in the Midlands, in some place called Walkhampton. A small industrial town, I gather. She was educated in a prep school and then passed into a grammar. She left Walkhampton when she was twenty, came down here, whipped through the civil service exam. Her parents died in a car crash soon after she'd arrived down here. After passing top in the exam she set to work – she's said this to me – to push her way up quickly, shoving other people out of the way.'
'But now she's turned friendly with you?' Paula suggested.
'She did. I told you about that. Now she's turned really nasty again. She humiliates me.' Coral mimicked the Parrot's way of speaking fast. '"Miss Flenton, I gave you these pencils to be sharpened. They've still got thick ends. I need them with needle points. Try again. Can't you do even a simple job like that properly? Your problem is you're lazy. Spend half your time thinking about men, I suspect. Men are for when you've left the building. That is, if you can find one. Well, don't just listen to me. Sharpen those damned pencils." She's started finding fault with everything,' Coral concluded.
'Goes up and down a bit, doesn't she?'
'A friend of mine in the next department thinks she's manic. Bit strong, I thought. I suppose she based her idea on the Parrot's wild mood swings. Sorry to drop all this stuff on you. Next time we won't mention my job.'
'I'd better go now,' said Paula, standing up. 'Actually, you are always interesting. I'll come again if it suits you.'
'Please! And don't forget you've got my spare front-door key so you can come in when you want and wait for me to leave work.'
Outside, hunched down in his car, Tweed watched the door open. Paula and Coral hugged each other. Then Paula, head down in thought, walked slowly towards him.
The moment the two women appeared the Parrot took off, striding briskly in the opposite direction. Tweed opened the passenger car door and Paula slipped inside. She reported every word which had been exchanged, described the layout of Coral's flat. Tweed waited until she had finished, talking quickly, before he told her about the Parrot's vigil.
'I can't make head nor tail of that,' Paula commented.
'I can,' Tweed said as he began to drive. 'The fact that she walked off as soon as the two of you appeared tells me a lot.'
'Such as?'
'She was expecting a man to come out, a man who'd spent the night with Coral.'
'Who?'
'I just wish I knew. It doesn't help me to solve those two murders with these women at each other's throats.' He frowned. 'Or maybe it does.'
*
The Cabal were assembled round their strange three-sided table. Nelson kept moving his blotter, rearranging his pens, which showed nervousness unusual for him. The other two waited until he spoke.
'I think we've got to do something damned quickly to make those few wobbly Cabinet ministers support our draft bill to merge the security services.'
'Maybe it's time to frighten them,' Noel suggested. 'If an explosion – terrorists, of course – took place in London, that would do it.'
'In London? Where in London?' Nelson's expression was appalled. 'We must not risk any casualties.'
'In Richmond Park.'
'You must be mad,' sneered Benton, glaring through his glasses.
'Mad as a hatter,' roared Nelson.
'My intermediary,' Noel began in his soft voice, 'has found a part of Richmond Park a long way from the river. There is an entrance never used at this time of the year, on the outskirts. The only casualty, if any, will be a tree or two. It will be thought by the police the driver was taking it by a roundabout route to the populous area of the park but the bomb exploded prematurely. Panic, but no one even injured.'
'You have complete confidence in this intermediary?' demanded Nelson.
'Complete.'
It was a tactic of Noel's to invent so-called intermediaries, so no one in the room knew he was making the contacts himself.
'What do you think?' Nelson asked.
'We do need something to wake those ministers up now,' Benton suggested.
'I suppose we do.' Nelson's large fleshy face was a picture of uncertainty. 'If we all vote in favour we'll do it,' he decided.
They all lifted a left hand. Noel stood up, careful not to smile. 'Then I'd better go outside and make a phone call.'
Tweed and Paula arrived at Park Crescent to find the whole team in the office. Marler was stuffing his flying gear into a large bag, first trying on his flying helmet to make sure it fitted comfortably.
'What's going on?' Tweed asked as Monica took his overcoat.
It was Harry who answered. He wore his camouflage jacket. He was tucking away grenades, one into each pocket.
'Marler and I have decided we'd better check up on that truck, make sure it's still there. Marler is flying me down there. He says you told him there was a landing place on top of the big hill.'
'Mountain High,' Tweed recalled. 'I want everything tricky dealt with. And fast.'
'Then if the truck's still there with no one about I could blow the thing up myself,' Harry offered.
'Do it. Paula and I cleaned up one dangerous aspect in the early morning. I presume you all know there's been another horrific murder. Another woman. Same beastly method.'
'It's in the late edition of the Daily Nation,' Newman said. 'Drew Franklin's column. He really does have a marvellous network of contacts.'
'And off the record,' Tweed snapped, 'I imagine a chief inspector's wallet is fat with another two hundred pounds. Can I see the report?'
'We're off,' Marler said, leaving with Harry as Tweed read:
SECOND VANDER-BROWNE HORROR MURDER
Another House of Death now exists in London. The brutally mutilated body of Marina Vander-Browne was discovered at her Mayfair address early this morning, similar to how her sister, Viola, was cut to pieces only a week ago. Chief Inspector Hammer said they were making progress with their investigation.
'Making progress backwards,' Tweed snorted, handing the newspaper back to Newman.
He stood up, swept his gaze round the remaining members of his team. From his expression they knew something grim was coming.
'You should all know that Professor Saafeld believes this fiend – man or woman – may strike again during the next few days.' The timbre of his voice was deep. 'Saafeld calls it blood storm. The killer gets a surge of desire to murder and as this surge accelerates, the time gap between his slaughters decreases. We have only days to identify who it is. I want to know as much as we can extract from all the members of the Cabal, as one approach. Newman, you will do your best link up with Noel, to grill him. Nield, your target is Benton. Paula, you interview the Parrot.'
'Can I wait a few hours to do that?' Paula requested. 'I've somewhere I want to go before I see her.'
'Agreed,' Tweed said abruptly. 'I will take on Nelson, but that may have to wait until the end of the day. Howard wants me to go through the report for the PM with him. The timing of showing him that document is vital. Marler and Harry will be given their assignments when they return from Peckham Mallet. Then I may have to make a quick trip to interview General Macomber. I will be back late this afternoon.'
'You're going down there alone?' Paula asked anxiously.
'Yes. No argument. The General is up to something. Here is a tip which might help you all. We are looking for someone – again man or woman – who is capable of the most sadistic cruelty.'
'Who screwed the cat's neck through a hundred and eighty degrees all those years ago,' Paula suggested.