by Jack Higgins
“You did suggest we should see the prisoner, Sir Lionel,” Quilch reminded him. “Have an official word and all that. Offer him a last cigarette.”
Sir Lionel sniffed. “Do no harm, I suppose. Quick word. Spell out the trouble he’s in. Organise it, Ardman.”
“Don’t underestimate them,” Dad said to Jade when Ardman had led Sir Lionel and Quilch out. “Either of them. Sir Lionel technically only has supervisory power. He can’t tell us what to do. But he can withhold our budget and cripple us if we step out of line.”
“And Mr Creepy-Crawly?”
“Quilch is what they call a Special Ministerial Advisor. So he’s expensive and I guess Sir Lionel thinks he’s worth it. He and Sir Lionel were business partners before Sir Lionel went into politics. Angus Quilch still runs the company they set up – and a few more of his own besides. Sir Lionel resigned from the board when he was selected by his local party as a candidate. Bit of a shoo-in really.”
Ardman had returned in time to hear this. “I remember it rekindled all those rumours that he paid for his knighthood,” he said. “Beneath that bluster, Sir Lionel is a highly adept politician, believe you me. He doesn’t miss much. He brought in Quilch as soon as he became a minister, to make use of his – I quote – ‘outstanding skills and experience of a non-political kind’. That sparked accusations of cronyism. But between them they run the department very efficiently. In fact, it’s about the only part of the Home Office that comes in on budget and actually does what it says in the job description.” He sighed. “The downside of course is that Sir Lionel is always looking over our shoulders and minding our pennies. So we have to keep him sweet.”
“Sweet?” Jade laughed.
Ardman smiled back. “In a manner of speaking.”
“So we let him see Hayman to read him the riot act,” Chance said.
“If that’s what it takes to be allowed to pursue this, yes.”
“Do you know what Calder is yet?” Jade asked. “I mean, it’s been hours.”
“I know,” Ardman admitted. “And we’re doing what we can – believe me.”
* * *
Rich was bruised all over. He sat in an armchair in the Banker’s luxurious cell and tried to massage some feeling back into his legs. He and the Banker were talking in whispers in case the room was bugged, while classical music played loudly from a CD.
“Mind you,” the banker said, “if they have gone to the trouble of hiding microphones, there may be cameras as well.”
“In which case we’re stuffed,” Rich pointed out. “Not that we’re in great shape as it is.”
“They don’t know that you’re here. That has to be to our advantage.”
“Would be if I wasn’t stuck in this room,” Rich agreed. “If I can get out somehow, I can go for help. Call Ardman and tell him where we are.”
“We don’t know where we are,” the Banker said. “Apart from being inside a castle, we could be anywhere.”
“We won’t find out just sitting around.” Rich experimented with walking slowly round the room and found that the numbness was fading from his legs. They ached like hell, but he could walk. If he had to, he could probably run.
“There are no windows,” the Banker said. “The only way out is that door and it’s locked. I think there may be a guard outside too.”
“But they don’t know I’m here,” Rich reminded him, still whispering.
“How does that help?”
“From what you said, you can’t tell Bannock what he wants to know because you don’t know yourself, right?”
“Right.”
Rich grinned. “So ask to see him and tell him that.”
“But he won’t believe me.”
Rich shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. Trust me.”
Sir Lionel and Quilch both seemed a little more understanding after they had met the prisoner. “Unresponsive fellow,” Sir Lionel said. “Good luck with him.”
“Obviously, you will let us know the moment you discover anything germane,” Quilch added.
“Obviously,” Ardman told them.
“Don’t worry,” Sir Lionel said to Jade as he and Quilch left. “I’m sure they’ll soon have your school open again.”
“Can’t wait.”
Her sarcasm was lost on him. “That’s the spirit.”
“I hate all this sitting around,” Jade told Dad as soon as they were alone. “We need to be doing something.”
“Nothing we can do,” Dad replied. “Not until we know what he meant by Calder. That’s our biggest problem.”
“No, it’s not,” another voice said. Goddard stood in the doorway. “Where’s the boss?”
“Just seeing Sir Lionel off the premises,” Dad told him. “Why?”
“Our gunman is lying dead in his cell.”
Dad wouldn’t let Jade go with him to see. Not that she wanted to, but she didn’t want to be alone either. She didn’t have to wait long before Dad was back with Ardman, Goddard and the department’s doctor.
“Definitely cyanide,” the doctor was saying.
“If he had a suicide pill, why wait till now?” Dad wondered.
“Maybe he thought the Tiger would believe he’d betrayed him,” Ardman said. “Once he knew we’d found out about Calder.”
“Oh, I found a funny thing about that. Bit of a coincidence,” Goddard said, grinning. His grin faded as he caught the doctor’s expression. “I’ll tell you later.”
“What makes you think it was a pill?” the doctor asked.
“Simple to hide and to take,” Ardman said. “Not unusual.”
“Possibly. But I’d expect some residue. He’d bite into the pill and crush it. Maybe it would be concealed as a false tooth or in a plastic shell under the tongue.”
“So?” Dad asked.
“So, no residue. And from the speed and violence of his death…” The doctor paused and tapped his chin. “No, if I had to venture an opinion this early, I’d say he inhaled the poison.”
“Inhaled?” Goddard said. “But where from? A tiny pill he could maybe conceal, but we searched him thoroughly.”
“What quantity are we talking about?” Ardman wondered. “Would it be in a spray? Or what?”
“A cigarette?” Jade asked suddenly as she remembered.
“Conceivably,” the doctor agreed. “He would draw air in, over the poison. It doesn’t take a lot. Particles come too, particularly if the filter has been replaced.”
“But he didn’t have any cigarettes,” Goddard pointed out.
“No,” Ardman agreed. He nodded at Jade to say well done. “But Sir Lionel mentioned offering him a last cigarette. Goddard – check the CCTV footage for the last half hour.”
“Already have, sir. But Sir Lionel and Quilch are sitting right in front of it, blocking the view of Hayman. It doesn’t tell us anything, I’m afraid. Except what their backs look like.”
Ardman’s phone rang before anyone could comment. He went quickly to answer it.
“Yes, well, I’ll leave that with you then,” the doctor said to Goddard. “But I’d check the cell and see if there’s a cigarette end in there.”
“Unless he took it with him,” Dad said. “Did anyone see the man alive after Sir Lionel left?”
“I’ll check,” Goddard told them. “But you can’t seriously believe that Sir Lionel is behind that man’s death?”
“Believe it!” Ardman put down the phone. “That was Pete. He’s traced the call that Hayman made.”
“And?” Dad asked.
“And it was to the switchboard at the ministry.”
“There’s a lot of people at the ministry,” Goddard said.
“Agreed. But the extension number of each call is logged by the system. Of course, we don’t officially have access to that information. But Pete thought we might like to know that their data security could be improved. And that the call was put through to Sir Lionel’s personal office. Which, gentlemen,” Ardman continued, his face grave, “means we
have a problem.”
“Are you sure, Lionel?” Quilch asked.
“Oh, absolutely,” Sir Lionel Ffinch told him. “You take the rest of the week off. I can manage quite well. And I’m still a shareholder even if I’m not on the board. You toddle off and make sure the businesses are running smoothly.”
“Well, just so long as you’re sure it isn’t a problem.” Quilch still sounded dubious. “What with this Ardman business coming to a head and everything.”
Sir Lionel smiled. “Oh, don’t worry, Angus. I can handle Ardman, you know. And there are a few others matters that I’m hoping to give my personal attention to this week.”
When he was alone, Sir Lionel pulled out a packet of cigarettes from his jacket pocket and looked at them thoughtfully for a moment. There was just one cigarette missing from the pack. “Yes, I don’t think Ardman will be a problem,” he said. Then he tossed the cigarettes into the waste bin.
The Banker hammered on the door until it was opened. On Rich’s suggestion he had first announced loudly that he knew the room was bugged and wanted to talk to Bannock. When nothing happened and no one came after ten minutes, they changed tactics, reasonably sure now that the room was not bugged after all.
Banging on the door achieved quicker results. The guard outside opened it and glared at the Banker. Rich could just see him from where he was hiding behind the almost-closed bedroom door.
“I need to speak to Mr Bannock, urgently,” the Banker said. “Take me to him.”
Rich counted slowly to ten after they had left before he went to try the door. He had not heard the key in the lock, but he still let out a long breath of relief as the door swung open.
The castle was evidently a big place and Rich was hoping there were not many gunmen around. But, ever cautious, he kept to the shadows as he moved along the corridor, hoping he was heading back to the main courtyard where the helicopters had landed.
He pressed himself into a doorway as someone appeared further along the corridor, stepping out of another room. But he went the same way as Rich – moving ahead of him along the corridor. Rich gave the man time to get clear, then continued.
After what seemed forever, but his watch told him was only five minutes, Rich found himself at the end of the long corridor. There was a heavy wooden door, with glass panels in the top. Through them, Rich could see the castle courtyard. One of the helicopters had gone and the courtyard looked bigger than ever. If he simply ran across to the gatehouse on the opposite side, someone would be sure to see him.
In any case, he could see that the massive wooden gates were shut. There must be a mechanism somewhere to open them, but he had no idea where. And it was probably guarded. His only advantage was that no one in the castle knew he was even there, let alone running around free. He needed to keep that advantage.
There was a chance he’d find a phone, possibly even get an outside line. But what would he say – that he was in a castle somewhere but had no idea where? Big help. No, Rich’s main priority had to be to get as far away as possible. Maybe there was another way out of the castle. Or perhaps he could climb down the outside of the walls. If he could get up on top of the ramparts, he could at least see the extent of the challenge that faced him and maybe get an idea of where he was.
He cautiously opened the door at the end of the corridor. Keeping close to the wall, he looked round for a way of getting up on to the battlements high above. He was in luck – nearby was a flight of steps cut sideways into the castle wall. It was early morning and the sun was still low in the sky. The steps were in shadow, so there was a chance that no one would see him – or if they did they wouldn’t be able to tell who he was.
Trying to look like a ruthless mercenary gunman who had every right to be there, Rich climbed the steps. It was hard work – they were steeper than they looked and it was a long way up to the battlements. When he reached the top, he paused to get his breath back. Then he crossed the narrow walkway to look out over the battlements.
He stood there for a while, his mouth hanging open in shock. All thoughts of somehow climbing down or escaping from the castle and running for help… gone in an instant.
“You have got to be kidding,” Rich said out loud.
* * *
“I’m sorry, sir, I should have realised.” Goddard was looking embarrassed as he stood before Ardman’s desk. “I thought it was a funny coincidence. But now, well…”
“What is it?” Ardman demanded.
“You’ve found it, haven’t you?” Jade realised. She felt a moment’s elation. Then it subsided as she remembered Rich’s predicament. “You’ve found Calder.”
“Have you?” Dad demanded. “Do you know where or what it is?”
“I think so, yes.” Goddard went to a bookcase and pulled out a map – one of a whole set of Ordnance Survey maps. He unfolded it across Ardman’s desk. Jade joined her father and Ardman as they looked at where Goddard was pointing. It was a map of the north of Scotland.
“Calder is just here.” Goddard’s finger jabbed down at a point on the coast. “It used to belong to the state, but a small company has leased it in perpetuity.”
“Can they do that?” Jade wondered.
“They can if a Minister of the Crown lobbies hard enough for them.”
“Sir Lionel?” Dad asked.
Goddard nodded. “And that same small company used to be owned by Sir Lionel Ffinch himself. He still retains a large shareholding. Forty per cent, I think.”
“So what is Calder? A house?” Jade asked.
“Not exactly. It’s a castle. Been there since the fifteenth century and incredibly well preserved. Sir Lionel’s company had it renovated and made into a conference centre with accommodation, and even a helicopter landing area in the main courtyard.”
“Helicopters,” said Jade quietly.
“And you need them,” Goddard said. He lifted his finger so they could all see that it had been covering a small ragged island just off the coast. In neat black print it was labelled: CALDER CASTLE
“An island,” Chance said.
“The castle covers it entirely,” Goddard explained. “There’s a small jetty at the main gates and the helicopter pad. Other than by boat or helicopter, it’s impossible to get on or off the island.”
Rich stared out over the battlements. He watched the waves crashing into the craggy rock on which the castle was built. He could just about make out the thin ribbon of the mainland in the distance – across the churning, freezing water.
He felt the cold, salty spray on his face and he knew there was no way he could get away from the castle to find help. He was trapped.
17
Ardman was holding a small war council in his office. Apart from Ardman himself, Jade and her dad were the only others present.
“We have to work on the assumption that Sir Lionel is the Tiger,” Ardman said.
“Can’t you just arrest him?” Jade asked.
“I doubt very much that I’d get permission.”
“And if he gets any hint that we are on to him,” Dad said, “he’ll make a run for it, or have Rich and the Banker moved, or both.”
“We have to tread very carefully,” said Ardman. “He keeps us on a tight leash so it will be difficult to do anything without him knowing. Goddard tells me that we even need his signature to order paperclips. Now, normally, we’d go ahead and act, then worry about justifying the cost afterwards. But he’ll be keeping an eye on us. A very close eye.”
“But we are going to rescue Rich,” Jade insisted. “We can’t abandon him.”
“Of course we can’t. But at the moment, it’s tricky. As well as keeping tabs on the paperclips – or more importantly any travel we authorise or equipment we check out – I wouldn’t put it past him to have MI5 watching us. If we make any move, he’ll know.”
“Can’t you do something unofficial?” Jade wanted to know. “Fly up there with guns and sort this Tiger out?”
Dad was shaking his head. “A
uthority for weapons on a plane would go through Sir Lionel’s office. And even if we got there, as soon as we tried anything, he’d have it blocked from here. He’d insist we call it off. We use anyone directly connected with this office and he’ll know about it.” As he finished speaking, Dad glanced at Ardman.
Ardman was looking back at Dad and Jade sensed there was something they were both thinking but not saying. “I’ll go over Sir Lionel’s head,” Ardman decided, looking away. “Cut him out. With luck, he won’t know. We’ve got enough circumstantial evidence to make a case for bypassing the system. If I go to Henderson in the PM’s office, he can get the armed forces involved and Sir Lionel need never know. In theory we report to COBRA, the Cabinet Office emergencies committee, except they’ve delegated that to Sir Lionel.”
“So, let’s do it,” said Jade. “What are we waiting for?”
“There are channels, formalities. It all takes time. The higher up the chain you go, the less time people have and the longer everything takes.”
“Trouble is,” Dad said, “we don’t know how much time we have. It may already be too late. We need something now – something completely unofficial. Deniable. But in play.”
Ardman frowned. “And if we’re wrong about Calder, if we’ve misinterpreted the evidence against Sir Lionel, if we mess it up and come away with nothing…”
“Then we lose our jobs,” Chance said. “More that than we lose my son.”
Jade had had enough. She stood up and leaned across Ardman’s desk. “So – are you going to do something or not? We’re just sitting round here talking, and God knows what’s happening to Rich or to your precious Banker.”
“Indeed, but as you see our hands are tied.”
“All I see is two grown-up men nattering away and doing sod all.”
“Jade!” her father snapped. “That isn’t fair. This is a very delicate and complicated matter.”
“And what about you, Dad? I don’t see you rushing to Rich’s rescue. He got you out of Krejikistan and now you won’t lift a finger to help him.”
“Because Sir Lionel – the Tiger – is watching. He knows I’m desperate to get Rich back. Hell, maybe that’s why he was taken in the first place, as a hostage to ensure I’d do what I’m supposed to. Out of all of us, it’ll be me he’s watching to see if we’ve worked it all out yet and know where Rich has gone. Or he may already have had them moved from Calder – we just don’t know.”