He pushed open a door that led into a long, brightly lit corridor. He walked slowly, aware that he still had a little time to spare. Better to be a few minutes early than a minute late, according to the gospel of St. Julian. Lights were blazing in every room he passed. The fight against crime knew no hours. One door was ajar, and William caught his breath when he spotted a painting that was propped up against the far wall.
Two men and a young woman were examining the picture carefully.
‘Well done, Jackie,’ said the older man, in a distinct Scottish accent. ‘A personal triumph.’
‘Thank you, guv,’ she replied.
‘Let’s hope,’ said the younger man, pointing at the picture, ‘this will put Faulkner behind bars for at least six years. God knows we’ve waited long enough to nail the bastard.’
‘Agreed, DC Hogan,’ said the older man, who turned and spotted William standing in the doorway. ‘Can I help you?’ he asked sharply.
‘No, thank you, sir.’
While you’re still a constable, Fred had warned him, call anything that moves ‘sir.’ That way you can’t go far wrong. ‘I was just admiring the painting.’ The older man was about to close the door when William added, ‘I’ve seen the original.’
The three officers turned to take a closer look at the intruder.
‘This is the original,’ said the young woman, sounding irritated.
‘That’s not possible,’ said William.
‘What makes you so sure?’ demanded her colleague.
‘The original used to hang in the Fitzmolean Museum in Kensington until it was stolen some years ago. A crime that still hasn’t been solved.’
‘We’ve just solved it,’ said the woman with conviction.
‘I don’t think so,’ responded William. ‘The original was signed by Rembrandt in the bottom right-hand corner with his initials, RvR.’
The three officers peered at the right-hand corner of the canvas, but there was no sign of any initials.
‘Tim Knox, the director of the Fitzmolean, will be joining us in a few minutes’ time, laddie,’ said the older man. ‘I think I’ll rely on his judgment rather than yours.’
‘Of course, sir,’ said William.
‘Do you have any idea how much this painting is worth?’ asked the young woman.
William stepped into the room and took a closer look. He thought it best not to remind her of Oscar Wilde’s comment on the difference between value and price.
‘I’m not an expert,’ he said, ‘but I would think somewhere between two and three hundred pounds.’
‘And the original?’ asked the young woman, no longer sounding quite as confident.
‘No idea, but every major gallery on earth would want to add such a masterpiece to its collection, not to mention several leading collectors, for whom money wouldn’t be an object.’
‘So you haven’t got a clue what it’s worth?’ said the younger officer.
‘No, sir. A Rembrandt of this quality is rarely seen on the open market. The last one to come under the hammer was at Sotheby Parke Bernet in New York.’
‘We know where Sotheby Parke Bernet is,’ said the older man, making no attempt to hide his sarcasm.
‘Then you’ll know it went for twenty-three million dollars,’ said William, immediately regretting his words.
‘We are all grateful for your opinion, laddie, but don’t let us hold you up any longer, as I am sure you have more important things to do,’ he said, nodding toward the door.
William tried to retreat gracefully as he stepped back into the corridor only to hear the door close firmly behind him. He checked his watch 7:57. He hurried on toward the far end of the corridor, not wanting to be late for his appointment.
He knocked on a door that announced in gold lettering, COMMANDER JACK HAWKSBY OBE, and walked in to find a secretary seated behind a desk. She stopped typing, looked up and said, ‘PC Warwick?’
‘Yes,’ said William nervously.
‘The commander is expecting you. Please go straight through,’ she said, pointing to another door.
William knocked a second time, and waited until he heard the word, ‘Come.’
A smartly dressed, middle-aged man with penetrating blue eyes and a lined forehead, making him look older than his years, rose from behind his desk. Hawksby shook William’s outstretched hand and pointed to a chair on the other side of the desk. He opened a file and studied it for a few moments before he spoke. ‘Let me begin by asking you if you are by any chance related to Sir Julian Warwick QC?’
William’s heart sank. ‘He’s my father,’ he said, presuming that the interview was about to come to a premature end.
‘A man I greatly admire,’ said Hawksby. ‘Never breaks the rules, never bends the law, but still defends even the most dubious charlatans as if they were saints, and I don’t suppose he’s come across many of those in his professional capacity.’ William laughed nervously.
‘I wanted to see you personally,’ continued Hawksby, clearly not a man who wasted time on small talk, ‘as you passed out top in your detective’s exam, and by a considerable margin.’
William hadn’t even realized he’d passed.
‘Congratulations,’ the commander added. ‘I also noted that you’re a graduate, but chose not to take advantage of our accelerated promotion scheme.’
‘No, sir. I wanted to—’
‘Prove yourself. As I did myself. Now, as you know, Warwick, if you are to become a detective, you will have to be transferred to another patch. With that in mind, I’ve decided to send you to Peckham to learn the ropes. If you’re any good, I’ll be seeing you again in a couple of years’ time, and then I’ll decide if you’re ready to join us here at Scotland Yard, and take on the first division criminals, or if you should remain in the outer reaches and continue your apprenticeship.’
William allowed himself a smile, and settled back in his chair only to be shocked by the commander’s next question.
‘Are you absolutely sure you want to be a detective?’
‘Yes, sir. From the age of eight.’
‘It’s not the white-collar criminals your father comes across that you’ll be dealing with, but the worst scum on earth. You’ll be expected to cope with everything from the suicide of a pregnant mother who can’t take being abused by her partner any longer, to finding a young drug addict with a needle sticking out of his arm who’s not much older than you. Frankly, you won’t always be able to sleep at night. And you’ll get paid less than a manager at Tesco.’
‘You sound like my father, sir, and he couldn’t put me off.’
The commander stood up. ‘Then so be it, Warwick. See you in two years’ time.’ They shook hands again; the obligatory interview over.
‘Thank you, sir,’ said William. After closing the door quietly behind him he wanted to leap in the air and cry Hallelujah, until he saw three figures standing in the outer office looking directly at him.
‘Name and rank?’ said the older man he’d seen earlier.
‘Warwick, sir. Constable William Warwick.’
‘Make sure Constable Warwick doesn’t move, sergeant,’ said the older man to the young woman, before knocking on the commander’s door and going in.
‘Good morning, Bruce,’ said Hawksby. ‘I hear you’re about to arrest Miles Faulkner. Not a moment too soon.’
‘I’m afraid not, sir. But that wasn’t why I wanted to see you...’ was all William heard before the door closed.
‘Who’s he?’ William asked the young woman.
‘Detective Chief Inspector Lamont. He heads up the Art and Antiques unit and reports directly to Commander Hawksby.’
‘Do you also work for the art squad?’