"Drink?" he said, holding up the bottle. The movement revealed a Patek Philippe watch on his wrist. "I was about to have one myself and after all, it's not something we ever did when we worked together."
Jamie nodded. "That would be great."
He turned and she followed him through the open-plan workspace into his office. There were piles of boxes everywhere, paperwork strewn over desktops and pictures still in bubble wrap.
"We're still moving in," Cameron said, pouring the wine into two Riedel glasses. His eyes twinkled with excitement. "Lots to do. Exciting times for the city."
Jamie felt the edge of his charisma as she sipped the wine. He had the ability to make people feel special, his gaze a sunbeam of energy, like they were the only person in the world to him.
"It's good to see you, Jamie," Cameron said softly. "You were a great Detective, and I'm sorry you left when you did. I apologize if I made things hard for you, especially when you were coping with the death of your daughter."
Jamie let him talk. He was still a smooth bastard, that was for sure. No wonder the city loved him. But now she knew what was underneath that facade and she just had to draw it out.
"I need people I can trust now and as Mayor, I can make connections for you," Cameron continued, his voice confident. "You could come and work for me. Or you could go back into the police if you want, perhaps even at a higher level. I can make that happen. Or I know some people in private security, where you could earn more money than you ever have before, doing the work you love."
She pulled the silver pen from her pocket.
"I actually came to return this," she said, laying it on the desk.
His grey eyes narrowed a little as he reached for it.
"I wondered where that had gone." He looked at her closely. "Where did you find it?"
"I've been doing some private investigation work on behalf of the Southwark community since the murders. We've had difficult times in recent days."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Cameron said, his response almost automated, trotted out in interviews to display compassion. But the words were empty, his eyes suspicious.
"The company behind the evictions and the security company at Cross Bones is called Vera Causa. I found your pen at their offices."
Cameron raised an eyebrow. "I've been doing a lot of community work for the Mayoral campaign. I must have left it there. Thanks for returning it." He paused for a moment, leaning back in his chair. The shadows shifted and for a moment, he was shrouded in darkness.
He pointed to a staircase in the corner of the room. "Let's go up to the roof. There's something I want to show you. Something I think you'll appreciate with your love for the city."
He pushed his chair out and walked up the stairs without looking back.
Jamie sat for a moment. Cameron was dangerous and following him was a risk, but she needed evidence to stop him. She grabbed the silver pen from his desk and slipped it back in her pocket before following him up the stairs.
Chapter 30
Blake woke in the darkness of his room. His heart pounded as he emerged from a nightmare of gleaming knives and blood.
Jamie.
She had been here when he had fallen asleep and now she was gone. A coldness swept over him as he realized that she must have gone to meet Cameron. After his reading last night, she had decided to face him alone.
Blake jumped out of bed and grabbed his phone, dialing Jamie's number quickly. It rang and rang and then switched to voicemail.
"Damn it, Jamie," he whispered. He needed to get down there, but he needed local help.
"Magda, it's Blake Daniel. We met at O's flat earlier this week. I'm sorry to call so late."
"Oh, not at all." Magda's voice was dull. "I'm back at the hospital and O is recovering from surgery. Maybe Jamie told you?"
"Yes," Blake said. "It's about Jamie. I need your help."
He explained about his reading, his suspicions that Jamie had gone to meet Cameron.
"I'm coming," Magda said, her voice stronger now, galvanized into action. "This has gone too far. I will not have another of our number hurt tonight. I'll meet you on the corner of Stoney Street next to Borough Market."
***
Jamie emerged from the stairwell onto one of the very top floors of the Shard. The view was stunning, a 360-degree panorama of London with the river a dark ribbon running through its heart. This level was still under construction with glass panels enclosing three sides of the structure, but the east side and the roof were partially open to the elements, with only a safety barrier blocking access.
A gust of wind whipped through and Jamie pulled her jacket close about her shoulders. The metal girders creaked a little and the glass rattled, the sound of the building shifting in the sky.
Cameron stood looking north over the city, his nose inches from the glass. He turned at Jamie's approach.
"Isn't it amazing up here?" His grey eyes shone with passion. "This is where I come to get some perspective, and I hope that you will be able to see as I do." Jamie stepped slowly towards him, needing to get closer to record his words. He pointed out, sweeping his arm in a wide arc. "This is London, as far as you can see. The city is not just Southwark, it's not just your Kitchen or Cross Bones Graveyard. It's millions of people who deserve a city where they can thrive. A city that has been cleaned of those who don't deserve to be here. Like a cancer, they must be cut out so the healthy body can survive."
Jamie looked down into the streets of Southwark. She thought she could see Cross Bones Graveyard below them, a patch of dark in the bright orange spectrum of streetlights.
How insignificant our lives are, Jamie thought. The Shard was built upon the ground of an ancient borough and the blood of two millennia had been spilled here. Now the anger of the Outcast Dead rose up, the shades of those buried by the advance of the rich and powerful over the years.
She placed a hand on the glass.
"I don't see the city as you do," she said softly. "I see people who need help, communities that need leaders who will stand up to your plans." She turned. "Like we did at Cross Bones."
"And look how that ended for your friends," Cameron spat as he walked behind her and stood at the top of the stairs.
"I will clean up London, Jamie," he said, his eyes cold, a steel grey as hard as the girders that surrounded them. "I have powerful backers who have the money and power we need for rejuvenation and redevelopment."
"But you'll destroy the diversity that makes this borough a unique historical community," Jamie said.
"Local color is overrated." Cameron chuckled. "People would rather have more wealth. They've demonstrated that in the way they voted and it's time your 'community' moved on. I'm only helping them move on faster."
Cameron cocked his head to one side, regarding her as if she were a problem to be solved. Jamie tensed, realizing how much of a mistake she had made in coming up here.
She darted sideways, ducking under his arm as she rushed for the stairs.