Now, Jane realised exactly why Natalie was there. ‘No,’ she said. ‘I told you, the witness who could have identified him sadly died in hospital. Now, what about my hair?’
‘Oh, well… I don’t think you need to put it up in a chignon. It looks lovely loose.’
Stanley overheard the relaxed conversation and moved silently to the front door, easing it open. He began to hurry down the stairs.
Natalie ran her fingers through Jane’s hair and shook it out to make it looser.
‘I like it the way it is. You’ve done your make-up beautifully. What about earrings?’
‘Oh, I’ve got a necklace… it’s in the box on the bedside table.’
Natalie opened the little leather box and took out the gold chain with the small teardrop pearl.
‘Oh, this is lovely! Turn around and let me put it on for you. The clasp is tiny.’
Jane turned her back to Natalie and waited while she carefully hung the necklace chain around her neck and did up the clasp.
‘There — let me see. Oh, it’s really sweet.’
‘It was given to my mother.’
Halfway down the stairs, Stanley’s radio chattered into life, and the transmitter bleeped loudly. He froze and looked back at Jane’s flat door. He had left it wide open.
Natalie turned towards the bedroom door.
‘What was that?’
‘Oh, it might have been the bell on the cooker? I haven’t got used to the timer yet and I keep on setting it by mistake.’
Natalie stood still, listening. She suddenly seemed very wary. She crossed over to the bed to pick up her handbag.
‘I have to go.’
‘Oh, just wait — let me try your jacket on to see what it looks like.’
Jane put on the velvet bolero just as Natalie pulled open the bedroom door and saw that the flat door was wide open. She turned back to Jane.
‘Yes, that looks good,’ she said mechanically. She put her arm through the shoulder strap of her handbag, but Jane stepped forward and snatched it.
‘What are you doing?’ Natalie exclaimed.
‘Isn’t it more what you’re doing? I don’t know how you can live with yourself!’
Natalie’s face twisted as she tried to pull her handbag away from Jane. There was a moment when they were both tugging to hold on to it, but then Jane yanked hard and stepped backwards, almost losing her balance as she held on. Natalie threw a hard punch, which Jane dodged by stepping sideways, but Natalie made contact with her shoulder. Jane hurled the handbag aside and all the contents tumbled out onto the carpet. Using all her training Jane went for Natalie’s right arm, pulling it back and up almost out of the socket before bending it behind her back and then twisted her hand towards her wrist.
‘You murdered a young mother and injured God knows how many others — for what?’
Natalie was bent over in agony, but she didn’t scream or call out as she was forced to lie on the ground. She stopped struggling.
‘The British army murdered my father,’ she snarled. ‘I hate you, and all that you stand for! Tonight you’ll see what we’re capable of!’
Jane was leaning over, still putting pressure on Natalie’s arm but Natalie had such strength and venom that she seemed completely numb to the pain. In a flash, she turned and caught hold of Jane’s necklace with her free hand. The next moment she had pulled Jane down and was twisting the necklace like a garrotte, choking her until Jane could hardly breathe.
Just then Stanley hurtled into the bedroom and grabbed Natalie by her hair, stamping with all his force on her back to make her release Jane. Pressing her face into the ground with his foot, he dragged her arms behind her back. Natalie screamed in agony, her face twisting with rage as she realised she was helpless. By the time the two other officers Stanley had called in rushed into the flat, it was over.
Stanley cuffed Natalie and dragged to her feet.
She spat in his face. ‘You bastards! You’re all fucking bastards who’ll rot in hell.’
Stanley handed her to the uniformed officers ‘Get that bitch out of here… take her to the Yard, radio ahead for DCI Crowley to meet you.’ He helped Jane to her feet.
Natalie kicked and swore, but it was pointless. Together the two uniformed officers hauled her out into the hall, and dragged her down the stairs screaming at the top of her voice.
Stanley yelled at them to wait as he picked up the contents of Natalie’s handbag and stuffed them back inside. He looked up at Jane as he picked up a small .22 Ruger pistol.
‘I know why she came here,’ said Jane. ‘She was asking about me being able to identify the bomber.’
‘I think the bitch would have used this on you. Let me take this out to the guys.’
Left alone Jane took a few deep breaths, then went over to the mirror. She had a vivid red welt around her throat and, touching her neck, she realised that her mother’s pearl necklace was missing. She began to search the room getting down on her hands and knees to pat the carpet where she had been forced down by Natalie.
Stanley walked back into the bedroom holding his radio and swearing.
‘This is dead as a fucking dodo… the guys called in to Crowley to pull in all officers still around Baker Street underground station with their thumbs up their arses.’
Jane was close to tears as she searched for the necklace. Stanley knelt beside her.
‘Hey… come on, it’s over. You were brilliant. Let’s get you up… I don’t know about you, but I need a drink.’
‘No, it’s my mother’s necklace. Natalie tore it from my throat and I can’t find it!’
‘All right, all right… let me help you. What does it look like?’
‘It’s a teardrop pearl on a thin gold chain.’
Stanley patted the carpet with the flat of his hand, lifting the bedspread from around her bed. He peered under the bed, then sat back on his heels.
‘I’ve found it!’ Jane exclaimed, standing up and holding the broken chain between her fingers.
Stanley looked up at her. ‘I’ve found something too.’ In his hand he held a radio-controlled detonator. ‘Either Natalie was going to set a bomb off or hand this detonator over to someone else. Without this, there’s no bang.’
‘Can you make it safe?’
‘No, but Dexter can and he’ll be at the hotel.’
Jane’s voice shook. ‘Oh, my God! Natalie said: “Tonight you’ll see what we’re capable of”… there could be a spare detonator for a bomb… Crowley and Dexter were using more than one when I watched them on the explosives range.’
‘Pull yourself together!’ Stanley almost lost his cool as he tried his radio again to contact Crowley.
‘DS Stanley to Crowley, are you receiving? Over.’ There was a hissing noise but no reply. ‘God damn this bloody cheap piece of shit!’ Stanley swore at the dead radio.
‘Use my phone.’
Stanley picked up the receiver, but Crowley’s number was continually engaged.
‘Come on, come on, Crowley… put the phone down!’ Stanley shouted becoming more and more impatient as he tried to redial with no success. He slammed the phone down.
‘We need to get to the hotel right now.’ He quickly ushered Jane ahead of him. ‘Go on! Get moving! We can’t wait for a patrol car.’
Jane moved as quickly as she could down the stairs, which was not easy in evening wear. Stanley stepped on the back of her dress, and Jane stopped dead as the frill around the bottom of her skirt came loose. She bent down to look at the damage.
‘Never mind your effing dress Jane… move it! Come on, hurry up!’
Holding the loose frill in her hand, Jane hurried out into the street. At first she thought Stanley was hailing a cab as he stepped into the middle of the road holding his warrant card. He raised his hand to stop an approaching old Ford Anglia, which braked sharply. The driver swore loudly and was even more shocked when Stanley suddenly opened the door and pulled him out.