He slipped onto the chair, sitting with his knees together, and with the palms of his hands resting on them, head still bowed. Jo wondered for a moment whether he was actually going to cry. But when he looked up his eyes were angry.
“Cat should never have come to you. God knows what she was thinking about. All she’s done is put herself in danger. Kadawe would kill her if he found out – both of us, probably. So you can’t use what she told you. She’ll deny everything…”
“She can’t deny it now, Dagger. We’ve got it on tape.”
“I mean she’ll say it wasn’t true, that she was just getting at Mickey because she’s pissed off with him – the way he treats her. She’ll say the party thing was just a load of crap she made up.”
“This is what you’ve told her to say, right?” said Jo, narrowing her eyes. “But the truth is exactly what Catrina told us yesterday, isn’t that also right?”
Dagger raised his head but avoided looking at them, moving it rapidly from side to side.
“Isn’t that right?” Jo was almost shouting now. She took a deep breath. “Look, Dagger, no recorders, just us three here. So tell me – isn’t what Catrina told us exactly what happened?”
“Yes,” he looked her in the eye, “but it makes no difference. She’ll deny it. It’s simply a matter of life and death – nothing else.”
*
Jo was leaning back in her chair, side-on to the desk, staring at the blank wall of her office. She barely heard the tap on the door, only waking from her trance when Tina stepped into the room. The sergeant laid a sheet of paper on the desk and sat down.
“Address in Dorking for the four under police protection – the ones who phoned in then agreed to be interviewed. It’s a small combo the Witness Protection guys use from time-to-time. Part of a complex of thirty-four apartments, with its own swimming pool, sauna and stuff. They’re on a corner block of four. Looks good, I wouldn’t mind being a protected witness if I could live there free of charge.”
“And how much longer will they be there, basking in the lap of luxury? I take it they won’t be applying to be released early for good behaviour.”
“It should be until the end of October but they could be released early for bad behaviour. The other residents aren’t very happy with them. The deal, as always, is that they behave themselves and keep a low profile. I think filling the communal pool with empty lager cans and urinating into it falls outside those terms and conditions.”
“I take it there won’t be any ludicrous red tape crap to get through before we can speak to them?”
Tina smiled. “Don’t be too sure. The guy in charge said he’d have to check whether no further questioning by the police was part of the contract.”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake! He might also want to check whether permission to piss in the pool was in the small print.”
“I think we’ll be okay. I’ve worked with him before. Any more thoughts on Dagger’s speech?
“I’ve thought of nothing else for…” she checked her watch “… three hours. What about you?”
“Well, looking at the glass half-full, we know what happened, don’t we? I’ve been thinking it’s like getting an anonymous letter or phone call. One that we’ve no reason to disbelieve. So, how would we move forward from something like that?”
“Go on.”
“Well, we wouldn’t spend a lot of time trying to find who sent it – or made it – would we? Our main push would be to verify the information through other sources – in this case, for example, getting Mickey to give himself away – somehow – and/or check other stuff – CCTV at the party, get forensics in the van, question other guests. Somebody just might have seen Mickey there, but wouldn’t know he hadn’t checked in properly.”
“I doubt that. Jack and Katey were sure that he hadn’t attended the party, and he’d make certain no-one would see him – or at least recognise him – or he’d have some explaining to do later. Why didn’t we check if he had an alibi on the night?”
“Because he didn’t need an alibi – he wasn’t accused of anything – or even suspected of anything. He was asked where he was – as much out of curiosity as anything. He explained he’d taken a friend to Heathrow who was returning to Jo’burg, and that was that. His attendance or non-attendance on the night was never an issue.”
They were both silent for a while, Jo drumming her fingers on the desk, a habit she had picked up from her boss.
“You’re right, Tina. Let’s put Catrina and Dagger on one side for now and work with what we know. CCTV seems like a good place to start. Let’s get the team looking at the tapes from the party – please God, we still have them. Particularly the cameras covering where the vans were parked. And get the full list of guests just in case we need to go down that route. Let’s do that first before we visit the Dorking Four.”
Tina stood up to leave just as Jo’s desk phone sounded. She lifted the receiver.
“This is DI Cottrell.” She looked across at Tina, her eyes wide. “Hi, Catrina. Just hold on a second, do you mind if I put you on the speaker, I’ve got a colleague with me here. The one who spoke to Dagger with me earlier. Thank you.” Jo pressed a button on the phone and replaced the handset. Catrina’s tinkling voice filled the room.
“Listen, I’m sorry about Dags. He’s only looking out for me and what he said was right. Mickey would kill us both if he found out – or get someone else to do it, I mean. He’d never risk doing it himself. What I told you was true, but having thought about it I don’t want it ever to come out that you found out from me.”
“I understand that you’re frightened, Catrina, and all the more credit to you for coming forward. But other officers are already aware of our conversation yesterday. So what do you expect us to do now? Just pretend it didn’t happen like that?”
“No, but if Mickey were to admit he’d been there on the night, you wouldn’t need to use me, would you?”
“No, I guess not, but…”
“Well, I’ve got an idea.”
*
Wednesday; 16 September
One of the first meetings the new Home Secretary attended was an informal one with the person she had just defeated in the unofficial race for the position. They took their seats in a quiet corner of the vast atrium which is the ground floor of Portcullis House, with its predominance of glass and flora providing a real essence of the outdoors.
“I feel I should start with a sort of apology, if that doesn’t sound patronising.”
Jonathan laughed. “Not necessary, Jackie – as I’m sure you know. I’ve got a promotion and you’ve got a sideways move – albeit one with a very steep gradient – so why should I be anything but pleased. And I’m really looking forward to working with you – I mean that very sincerely.”
Jackie Hewlett smiled. “You’re too good to be true, at times, Jonathan. Although,” she continued with a shake of the head, “I’d rather be getting this under different circumstances. I mean, not by replacing Tom. You know I feel really bad – I haven’t been in touch with him for weeks. We were such good friends – are such good friends – and it seems he really needs help right now. The problem is, of course, the longer you leave it without contacting someone, the harder it is to do it. Have you seen him recently?”
“No, I’ve not been in touch either. I probably know a bit more of what he’s doing because I’m getting reports from the police that, thankfully, aren’t making the papers. I’ve not shared any of these with Andrew – although I mentioned it to Grace recently. They were really close as well, of course, and I know she’s very concerned about his welfare.”
Jackie’s face clouded over.
“Sorry, Jackie, did I say something wrong?”
“To be honest, Grace was the main reason why I wanted to meet with you like this – I mean, unofficially.”
Jonathan raised his eyebrows. “Sounds fascinating. Do go on.”
Jackie paused.
“I don’t think it’s a secret that Grace has a very close relationship with Andrew – I mean close in the professional sense. Nothing wrong in that – it goes back a long way, though no-one seems to know in what capacity. But I get the impression that she feeds back stuff to Andrew all the time – alerting him to what people are doing or thinking, just so he can keep on top of them.” She smiled, a little embarrassed. “I’m not explaining it very well, but I shared this with Tom when I went to visit him shortly after he handed in his resignation, and I think it started him wondering along the same lines. We never got to discuss it because – ironically – Grace turned up at his apartment.”
Jonathan frowned and shook his head. “So what exactly are you suggesting we do, Jackie? I have to say, my relationship with Grace is very good at the moment. I don’t get the feeling that she’s spying on me, if that’s what you mean.”
Jackie shifted on her seat. “I’m not suggesting we do anything. But I thought it only right that I shared my concerns with you. If I’m wrong, then all to the good. Perhaps this was not a good subject for a first meeting between two senior ministers.”
*
“So the chief actually sanctioned this?” Tina couldn’t hide her surprise.
“Absolutely, albeit with less than gushing enthusiasm, and with the proviso that any arrest at this stage must not be related in any way to perversion of justice. I had to point out to him that, depending on how it went, we might have to step in at some point.”
“Well, you can’t fault our Little Polly Flinders for courage. When is she due here?”
Jo checked her watch. “She said around six-thirty, so any minute now. I’ve asked the desk to contact me so you can bring her up. She’ll never get through the team room if any of the guys get to her first.”
“Yes, I did notice the fever of excitement out there.”
The desk phone rang. “This could be her,” Jo said, reaching for it.
*
At 7.00 pm, Jo stepped out of her office into the MIT room. With her was Catrina Thompson, the focus of seven pairs of male eyes and an unwelcome, albeit innocent, distraction from Jo’s critical final briefing of her surveillance team. At 8.00 pm, the group dispersed, leaving Jo to oversee the fitting and testing of the tiny transmitter/receiver Catrina would be carrying the following day. Danny, the surveillance technician, had commented on – though not complained about – the lack of options for concealing the device, given her minimal amount of clothing. In the end, with little chance of hiding it, he had placed it in full view, as part of a pair of large earrings designed specifically for the job.
“Okay,” he said. “The really important thing is to make sure you switch off the receiver when I tell you. The equipment is virtually impossible to detect visually, so as long as you remember that, there’ll be no problem. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“You’ll still be able to receive the warning pulses, but no-one else will be able to hear them – that’s a promise.” He beamed and received a nervous smile in return.
“So let’s do one last check on the pulsed signals. Turn off the receiver, I’ll pulse you and you tell me what the signal means. Okay?”
“Okay,” Catrina said, briefly touching her left earring and turning away from Danny.
“Here goes,” he said.
*
The two men speaking together in hushed voices near the line of cars in the reserved spaces in front of the building watched her leave. They stopped talking as she passed, then resumed again as soon as she was out of earshot.
“‘Undercover’ is hardly an appropriate description, is it?” Chief Constable Eddie Mills said, leering at the girl’s token outfit. “‘Uncovered’ would be more accurate. Just about enough material to prevent her own arrest for indecent exposure.”
John Mackay gave a quick smile.
“I’m dreading the fall-out from this…”
“What fall-out?” Eddie jumped in. “There’ll be no fall-out. There’s no reason to believe Kadawe put the stuff there. His explanation hangs together. And if he was complicit in sending these guys to approach Jack, then that would be consistent with him checking him out. You know, to see if he’s dealing the stuff. When he gets no joy, he searches the place. He finds the stuff, has to leave it because he gets disturbed or something. Then we find it. There’s nothing so far that the girl’s told us, and Kadawe’s told her, that doesn’t fit with the Brown kid being guilty. So that’s why we need the news black-out, John, because this perversion of justice business has to be made to go away. As I said – there will be no fall-out.”
“That’s fine with me, but DI Cottrell is in no doubt. She found the stuff in the house and saw Jack’s reaction. And her instincts are exceptional, according to Rayburn; in addition to which she’s like a dog with a bone. Short of calling her off…”
“Yes, well, just think about that. Your little terrier might have a hard lesson coming her way.”
“Lesson?” John said. “What lesson?”
“The principle of the greater good,” Eddie replied. “That some actions and decisions which appear to lack reason and integrity when appraised on a stand-alone basis are totally justified in the wider context. And that’s a direct quote from our ex-Home Secretary, because it’s that very principle which justifies the NJR’s permanent and brutal banishment of senior adolescents. So it won’t be completely new to our Jo, will it?”
“Well, no, but…”
“This whole fucking thing has gone too far, John. We should have cut her off at the knees as soon as we knew she’d gone it alone with Gerrard – and hit him with a fucking harassment charge or something. Instead she gets carte blanche to do what she likes…”
“Hold on!” John interrupted, getting angry himself. “And what about the singer? Should we have cut her off as well? Charged her with wasting police time? Perhaps the best thing to do would be to get rid of Kadawe. That would just about solve everything, wouldn’t it?”
Eddie glared back at him for several seconds.
“Just hold that thought,” he said.
He turned and got into his black Jaguar Coupe, leaving the Chief Superintendent to ponder the meaning of his last remark as he drove away.
*
Thursday; 17 September
The two-person surveillance team in the white van with the blue ‘CountryNet’ lettering was already in place, parked at the rear of the Sweet Rock Hall concert venue, well before Lilli Bo-Peep was due to arrive by taxi at 10.00 am for her rehearsal with the Rams an hour later.
“I’m here.” They picked up her voice in the van at just after five past the hour.
“That’s great, Catrina,” Jo said. “You’re loud and clear. Let’s test the pulsed signals again.”
Danny sent the three pre-arranged signals – each one a number of beeps – directly into her ear through a carbon fibre half the thickness of a human hair attached to her earring.
“Did you get those, Cat?” Danny this time.
“Yes, got them all.”
“Okay,” Jo said. “De-activating voice transmitter now. Switch off the receiver your end. Good luck, Catrina, and don’t worry; remember we’re right here for you. But please be careful.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Danny switched it off. Jo radioed the two unmarked police cars – three plain-clothes officers in each – both on post within fifty yards and between them covering the main and side entrances.
Everyone settled down to await the target.
*
At 10.35, Mickey Kadawe burst into the hall in the same way he had done two weeks earlier, and with the same scowling impatience. The band was tuning up and carrying out sound checks.
�
�Can we get going, for fuck’s sake? All this was supposed to be done last night. Where’s Cat?”
“In her room,” Dagger said. “And we’re not due to start until eleven.”
Mickey rounded on him.
“And it would be terrible if someone started work a fucking minute before they had to, wouldn’t it?”
Mickey didn’t burst into her room straight away this time but hammered on the door.
“Cat! You ready?”
“Not yet. We’ve got another…”
Mickey opened the door and walked in. Cat jumped up from the chair and turned to face him.
“I wish you wouldn’t do that. I could be standing here…”
“Naked?” Mickey sneered. “That can be arranged right now. It wouldn’t take much, would it?”
He moved towards her. Cat picked up the chair and held it up between them. Mickey laughed.
“Don’t worry, Cat. I’m not into skinny little girls.”
“I know that, Mickey. You like tall, statuesque, rich ones, don’t you? I guess she’s all yours now. Now you’ve got rid of the opposition.”
Mickey stiffened.
“Meaning what, exactly?”
“Oh, nothing,” the girl replied.
“No, come on,” Mickey shouted. “What the fuck did you mean by that?”
Cat thrust her face forward.
“I mean Katey. It’s just worked out so well, hasn’t it? Jason out of the way for good; and Jack. Now she’s all yours – or you hope so.”
“And what the fuck’s wrong with that? Don’t you think she’ll need some support? Her world’s fallen apart, hasn’t it, you selfish little cow?”
“Oh, come on, Mickey. Did it really fall or was it pulled apart?”
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