‘You’ve made a dreadful mistake,’ protested Faulkner. ‘I’m Captain Ralph Neville RN.’
‘And I’m Mother Teresa RC,’ said Ross.
This time William couldn’t stop himself laughing.
Danny drove through the prison gates to find a reception party waiting for them. When he came to a halt, the governor stepped forward.
‘Welcome back, 0249,’ he said as the prisoner was dragged out of the squad car. ‘I’m afraid your old cell is currently occupied, but we’ve found you a larger one, which you’ll be sharing with a couple of lifers. One murdered his mother, and the other’s a heroin addict, who just can’t get to sleep at night, poor fellow. Still, you should be safely out of harm’s way on the top bunk.’ He gave Faulkner a warm smile, before adding, ‘Just be thankful you’re not in solitary. But do let me know if that would be your preference.’
‘I demand to speak to my lawyer,’ said Faulkner.
‘I’m afraid he’s out of the country at the moment,’ said William, as two guards grabbed the prisoner’s arms and led him into the high-security wing. ‘But I’ll be sure to let him know the moment he gets back.’
? ? ?
Collins got out of the police car just as a taxi drove through the front gates.
‘Did you get him out of the safe in time?’ were Booth Watson’s first words as he climbed out of the cab.
‘I was about to call Se?ora Martinez when I saw your taxi coming up the drive.’
‘But I told you to do that hours ago,’ said an exasperated Booth Watson as he waited for Collins to unlock the front door.
‘I would have done it hours ago,’ snapped Collins, ‘if Sanchez hadn’t arrested me on spurious charges. I’ve only just got back from what was so obviously a set-up.’
‘Then we haven’t a moment to lose,’ Booth Watson snapped back as Collins ran into the house and along the corridor, coming to a halt outside the study door. The butler waited for a breathless Booth Watson to join him before they both entered the room. Neither of them could help noticing that the solid metal door was still firmly closed. Collins walked quickly over to the boss’s desk and started leafing through his private telephone book.
‘How long has he been in there?’ asked Booth Watson, pointing at the safe door.
‘Over four hours,’ Collins replied. ‘We might still be able to save him, but we’ll have to move quickly.’
Collins began dialling the number of Faulkner’s Spanish lawyer, when Booth Watson asked, ‘What were Mr Faulkner’s instructions before the police turned up?’
‘He told me I was to pack up every one of his paintings and put them in the hold of the yacht as soon as it arrives this evening.’
‘Then you should carry out those orders, and leave me to speak to Se?ora Martinez.’
The butler reluctantly handed the phone over to Booth Watson. ‘Should anyone ever ask you, Collins, you will tell them that Mr Faulkner died in Switzerland last year, where he was cremated, which I can confirm, as I attended the funeral along with Inspector Warwick.’
‘Se?ora Martinez’s office,’ said a voice as Collins closed the door behind him.
Booth Watson quietly replaced the receiver.
? ? ?
‘I told you to brief me on everything you two were up to, Chief Inspector,’ said the commander at the top of his voice. ‘And I meant everything.’
‘I didn’t think you would want me to wake you in the middle of the night, sir,’ replied William unconvincingly.
‘Then you were wrong, Chief Inspector. Both of you will report to my office immediately – immediately!’ repeated The Hawk, before he slammed the phone down.
His wife turned over, blinked and looked across at her husband as he climbed out of bed. ‘What are you smiling about?’ she asked, but he’d already closed the bathroom door.
The Hawk clenched a fist and punched the air several times, the smile not leaving his face.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My thanks for their invaluable advice and research to:
Simon Bainbridge, Michael Benmore, Jonathan Caplan QC,
Kate Elton, Alison Prince and Johnny Van Haeften.
Special thanks to:
Detective Sergeant Michelle Roycroft （Ret.）
Chief Superintendent John Sutherland （Ret.）
and Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Malton （Ret.）
About the Author
Jeffrey Archer is one of the world’s bestselling authors, with sales of over 275 million copies in 97 countries.