‘Congratulations, sarge,’ she said. ‘A triumphant night for everyone.’ She paused. ‘Well, everyone except DC Adaja.’
‘Why, what happened to him?’
‘I think it might be better if he told you himself.’
William took one last look at the havoc and squalor of what had once been the heart of Rashidi’s empire. He reluctantly left the boiler room and began to jog down the stone steps, past graffiti-covered walls where one word was repeated again and again. He ignored the stench of urine as he continued on down to the ground floor, passing several handcuffed prisoners who would not be profiting from the drugs trade for a long time, if ever again.
When he emerged onto the street, he took a deep breath of fresh air and watched as another Black Maria that couldn’t accommodate any more occupants was driven away. He walked over to the bus and made his way upstairs to the command centre.
‘What are you doing here, DS Warwick?’ snapped the Hawk. ‘I made it clear that you were not to leave the crime scene until the job was done.’
‘The super has taken over, sir, and he said you wanted to see me.’
‘Did he indeed?’
27
Saturday
It wasn’t until the last painting had been stored safely in the hold that the captain gave the order to cast off.
He set out on the voyage to England at least a couple of times a year, always docking in Christchurch, but not tomorrow evening. The Christina slipped out of the bay on Saturday morning in broad daylight without attracting any unwanted attention. But then several far grander yachts were making their way into the harbour to watch the Monte Carlo Grand Prix the following week, so why would anyone give them a second look?
The captain had locked the villa and handed over the keys to the estate agent, along with clear instructions as to which Swiss bank the funds should be deposited in once the sale had been completed.
All the valuables, including the fabled art collection, were already on board, and when they eventually came under the hammer the boss would have more than enough money to begin a new life in any country he chose, while the police would be convinced he was dead and buried.
The Christina would only drop anchor once, to pick up a passenger who would instruct the captain where his next port of call should be.
The voyage around the Bay of Biscay was calmer than usual. As he sailed into the English Channel the following day, a ball of fiery red disappeared in the west, and by the time it reappeared in the east his mission would be accomplished, or he would be on his way back to Monte Carlo.
Sunday
‘The Observer has done you proud, William,’ said Sir Julian, ‘and it’s not always complimentary about the police. And as you’ve never once mentioned Operation Trojan Horse during the past year, it must have been a tightly guarded secret.’
‘Not even Beth knew until she heard about it on the news this morning.’
‘The raid has even made the first leader,’ said Sir Julian. ‘I quote: “The arrest of Assem Rashidi is a genuine breakthrough in the war against drugs, and the Metropolitan Police are to be congratulated on their relentless pursuit of these ruthless criminals who do so much harm to our society.” ’ He looked up from behind the paper. ‘There’s a photograph of Commander Hawksby sitting on a bus. Not his normal mode of transport, I suspect.’ He put down the paper and looked across at his son. ‘You don’t appear to be overwhelmed by your triumph.’
‘The press only has one side of the story.’
‘And the other side?’
‘Isn’t quite as commendable. In fact, it’s something I need to seek your guidance on.’
‘Take me through your concerns slowly, and don’t leave anything out,’ said his father, as he sat back in his chair and closed his eyes, as he always did during a consultation.
‘While I was in the slaughter—’
‘Slaughter?’
‘Boiler room, drugs factory... I came across three sports bags filled with cash — hundreds, possibly thousands, of pounds. By the time I got back to the Yard, there were only two.’
‘And you think you know who removed the third bag?’
‘I’m in no doubt who did. But I can’t prove it.’
‘Can’t have been anyone particularly bright, that’s for sure,’ said Sir Julian.
‘What makes you say that?’
‘It would have been more sensible to have taken the same amount of cash from each of the three bags, then no one would have been any the wiser.’
‘You even think like a criminal.’
‘I’m a QC,’ said Sir Julian, ‘a Qualified Criminal. But tell me, did you leave the bags where they were?’
‘Yes, I did,’ said William.
‘Then why did you leave the boiler room?’ asked Sir Julian, his eyes remaining closed.
‘Superintendent Lamont ordered me to report to the commander, who was overseeing the operation from the top of the bus. Told me it was urgent.’
‘And it wasn’t?’
‘No. In fact, the Hawk wasn’t pleased that I’d left the crime scene without his permission.’
‘Circumstantial at best. If that’s all you’ve got to go on, you should give Lamont the benefit of the doubt. However, I can see your dilemma. Do you tell Commander Hawksby that you suspect a senior officer of stealing a large sum of money from a crime scene?’ He still didn’t open his eyes. ‘If I recall correctly, Superintendent Lamont is due to retire in a few months’ time.’
‘Yes, but what difference does that make? If there’s one thing worse than a professional criminal, to quote the Hawk, it’s a bent copper.’
‘I agree with him. But I do like to know all the facts before I pass judgment.’
William pursed his lips.
‘Has Lamont ever come under investigation before?’
‘Once, many years ago. But since then he’s received three commendations.’
‘Ah yes, I remember he turned a blind eye when he was a young sergeant. And now you’re wondering if you should do the same.’
William was about to protest when Sir Julian added, ‘How do you get on with Lamont?’
‘Not that well,’ admitted William.
‘Which only adds to the problem, because if you were to report a senior officer for such a serious offence, it would have to be investigated at the highest level, although I suspect Lamont would resign before a disciplinary hearing was held — if he was found guilty, he would undoubtedly be dismissed from the force, lose his pension and might even end up serving a prison sentence.’
‘I’ve already considered that, and I realize turning a blind eye would be the easy way out.’
‘Not for you it wouldn’t,’ said his father. ‘However, if you do report him, whether he’s found guilty or not, you might well have to consider your own position.’
‘But why? I’ve done nothing wrong.’
‘I accept that without question. But it’s the one thing your fellow officers will remember about you. They might never say anything to your face, but behind your back you’d be called snitch, traitor or worse. And friends of Lamont will go out of their way to derail your chances of promotion. Never forget, the police are a tribe, and some of them will never forgive you for turning against one of their own.’
‘Only the dishonest ones, in which case I’m in the wrong profession.’
‘Possibly, but I hope you won’t do something in haste that you’ll later regret.’
‘What would you do, Father?’
‘I would...’ began Julian when there was a knock on the door, and Beth walked in. ‘Lunch is ready,’ she said. ‘And Marjorie is looking for a carver.’
‘We’ll have to talk about this again, my boy. And soon,’ said Julian, rising from his chair.