‘But not the guards,’ William reminded them.
‘There are six of them in all,’ said Juan. ‘They work around the clock in eight-hour shifts. One pair will be on patrol from ten o’clock tonight until six tomorrow morning. We know that it takes them fourteen minutes to carry out a complete circuit of the house, and they take a fifteen-minute break around two in the morning.’
‘How did you get hold of such valuable intel?’ asked Ross.
‘One of my men still can’t make up his mind if he wants to be a gardener or a policeman, so for the past three weeks he’s been both.’
A rare look of respect crossed Ross’s face.
‘Right,’ said William, ‘let’s go over the plan one last time. Juan, don’t hesitate to query even the slightest detail you’re unsure about, because, one thing’s for certain, we won’t be given a third chance.’ He felt this must be what it was like to be a mountaineer attempting to conquer Everest. He had planned the expedition and would lead them to base camp, at which point Ross, as climbing leader, would take over, with the task of getting them to the summit, in this case an open window on the fourth floor of the house. Once they were inside the building, William would resume command.
After everyone had been briefed yet again on their individual responsibilities, they took a break for a meal they barely touched, as heightened anticipation, accompanied by a rush of adrenaline, took over.
Finally, they changed into outfits more suited to criminals than upholders of the law. Sleeveless black T-shirts, black tracksuits, black socks, black trainers, even black laces.
‘Not on my watch,’ said Juan, as Ross took off his jacket to reveal a gun in its holster. ‘My boss has made it clear there will be no firearms on this operation.’
‘I hope your boss has mentioned that to Faulkner’s guards,’ said Ross.
‘They won’t be any trouble when they realize we’re police officers,’ said Juan.
‘Right,’ said Ross. ‘So once you’ve pointed that out, they’re just going to stick their hands in the air and say, “Fair cop, guv.”’
‘DI Hogan,’ said William sharply, ‘don’t forget we’re guests in this country, and the success of this operation is entirely dependent on the local police’s cooperation.’
‘Yes, sir,’ said Ross, as he reluctantly handed his gun to Sanchez. But it was all he could do to prevent himself from adding, Then I’ll have to strangle him, won’t I?
They spent the next half hour pacing around the room like caged animals desperate to be released, especially Ross, who when the curtain rose had no intention of keeping to the script.
‘Let’s move,’ said Juan, when the first of several church clocks began to strike twelve times, reminding William they were in a Catholic country.
The same unmarked black car was waiting for them in the street outside. They sat in anticipatory silence as they headed towards the target, no longer needing to discuss the plan.
The driver turned off the motorway at exit 9, and after a few miles he pulled over to the side of the road. The three black-clad men climbed out of the car and watched silently as the driver turned around and left them.
William had calculated that, on foot and in the dark, it would take around forty minutes to cover the five kilometres before they reached the edge of the forest. He took the lead, while Ross brought up the rear. None of them spoke as they progressed slowly down the narrow road, alert to the slightest danger. Only a startled hare paused to take a closer look at the passing strangers, while an owl didn’t stop offering his opinion.
When the dense barrier of the forest loomed up in front of them, William raised a hand, the sign for Ross to take over. He moved quickly to the front, taking NP’s modified video camera from his backpack. He switched it on and stepped cautiously into the thick undergrowth. The three of them advanced one step at a time, like soldiers on a slow march, aware that a single foot fault could trigger an alarm, light up the grounds and give Faulkner more than enough time to escape.
The long circuitous route demanded by the video camera took them nearly an hour to complete. When they reached the river, they crossed the bridge cautiously, and not long afterwards the forbidding grey stone building came into view, sharply silhouetted in the moonlight.
As they were about to emerge from the forest, Ross gestured firmly to his cohorts with a wave of the hand to get back down. Two guards were patrolling the north side of the building, the wide beams of their torches making sweeping circles that illuminated the deserted grounds.