Carver

60

Aberystwyth

‘ You’d better get someone to put a guard on Deirdre Bull’s bed,’ Carver said to Grantham, making the call as he walked across the hospital car park. ‘And I mean more than just a local plod in a skirt. Because the moment Zorn or Razzaq twig that she’s alive, they’re going to need her silenced.’

‘Really? So she talked?’

‘Oh yeah — we’ve got our connection. The attack was carried out by a bunch of eco-freaks called the Forces of Gaia. Their leader was one Brynmor Gryffud. They were into peaceful protest until a mysterious woman, calling herself Uschi Kremer and pretending to be a Swiss heiress, showed up. She used her powers of seduction to persuade Gryffud that the only way he was going to change anything was through violence. You want to know what this woman looked like?’

‘Let me guess,’ replied Jack Grantham. ‘Redheaded, older than she looks, borderline psychopathic?’

‘Got it in one. Looks like I wasn’t the only one that got Gingered. She works for Razzaq. Razzaq works for Zorn. Zorn needed a terrorist outrage. She got it for him.’

‘Fair enough, I’ll buy that.’

‘Good,’ said Carver. ‘And while you’re at it, there’s a few other things I need you to buy.’

He was within sight of the green space where the helicopter was waiting for him by the time he had finished outlining his plans.

‘And you want me to make this possible?’ Grantham asked.

‘You and whoever else it takes, yes.’

‘You’re not giving me a lot of time. It won’t be easy, getting hold of some of the stuff you want.’

‘Don’t see why not. It’s all available off the shelf. And the modifications I need could be carried out by any half-decent mechanic.’

‘Maybe, but it means going public. I won’t even contemplate something like this unless my arse is not just covered, but armourplated. This has to be signed off all the way to the top.’

‘Does that mean going public about me, too?’

‘As long as you’re the man who’s going to do it, yes. But don’t worry, I’ll be discreet. I’ll emphasize the bits of your record that make you look like an acceptable individual.’

‘And you’ll bury the ones that don’t?’

‘Got it in one.’

‘Good luck with that.’

‘Forget it,’ said Grantham. ‘You’re the one who’s going to need all the luck. You’re taking a hell of a risk with this. If it turns out you were wrong, don’t expect me or anyone else to protect you.’

‘I never expect anyone to protect me,’ said Carver. ‘Except me.’