A Devil is vaiting

EIGHT

With only failure to report, Henri Legrande and Kelly had kept quiet about the two attempts to cause mischief with Holley and Sara. It left Owen Rashid, seated at his laptop by the terrace in his apartment, with little to say when Abu came on the line.

I ve heard nothing from you. What s happening with Legrande and Kelly?

I understand they re familiarizing themselves with the background of Ferguson s people.

Then I trust they were at the riot in Hyde Park yesterday morning. They were all there.

What do you want from me? Owen asked him.

I thought I d made that clear. Ferguson and his people have not only caused constant trouble for Ali Selim, they have murdered some of our most important people over the last few years. Death for death, Owen, that s what they deserve and it s a result I intend to have.

And this includes the woman?

I m surprised you need to ask. Her service record speaks for itself, and not only in Afghanistan. Owen, these people call us terrorists and speak of being at war with us. Well, we are at war with them, and to the knife. So what about some action from the Frenchman? He was supposed to be serious business, but I ve seen little evidence of it. A bullet in the back when your target walks home in the rain is serious business; so is a bomb under someone s car. What I m getting here is nothing.

He s only been on the case for a couple of days, Owen protested.

I m not interested in excuses. If he lets me down, my retribution will be not only swift but final. I want results and I want them now. Fire from heaven, Owen. That would be appropriate while the President is in town, don t you think?

Owen sat there thinking about it, thoroughly angry at the position he was in, but there was no way out, so he phoned Kelly.

Where are you?

The shop.

And Legrande is with you?

Yes. Is there a problem?

Not for me, for you. I ve had Abu on my back, and he isn t pleased at the lack of action from you two. I ll be round in fifteen minutes.

Henri Legrande was in the workshop repairing an antique chair when Kelly hurried in to warn him of Owen Rashid s imminent arrival. He was worried, and it showed.

What the hell are we going to do?

Well, for one thing, we still keep quiet about the Dark Man affair and the business with the woman last night, Henri told him. Failure is the last thing Abu wants to hear about, so not a hint to Rashid. So we tell him we ve been making a general reconnaissance, checked out the Salters pub, followed Holley from the Dorchester to Highfield Court, where the woman lives, sussed out the situation at her house.

And you followed them to Hyde Park, Kelly said.

Exactly. Not bad for two days.

There was no time for more, because the bell sounded as the shop door opened and Owen Rashid called, I m here. Where are you?

Henri produced a bottle of Beaujolais and three glasses. They sat around the workbench, and Owen told them exactly what Abu had said. Henri offered the defense he and Kelly had prepared, pointing out that he had followed Sara and Holley to Hyde Park and witnessed Ali Selim s speech and the riot that had followed.

We ve been on the case surely you can see that?

I can, but that isn t the point. I ve told you what Abu said. The bullet in the back, the car bomb.

I heard you, Henri told him. Fire from heaven.

And can you handle that?

Henri got up and went to a door in one corner. He reached up to a lintel, found a key and opened it, and switched on a light. Have a look, why don t you?

Owen was amazed. There were three shotguns, two Lee Enfield rifles and an AK-47, ranged neatly against one wall on racks. A shelf on the other side displayed a number of handguns. There were boxes of assorted ammunition and several large tin boxes painted khaki green.

What s that? Owen asked.

Semtex in one, pencil timers in the other. I ve had this stuff for years. The guns came from house sales. It s astonishing what turns up in the antiques business.

Kelly was examining a Beretta. This is in lovely condition. He replaced it on the shelf and took another.

Walther PPK with a Carswell silencer. Real stopping power.

Owen said, When did you last use any of these?

This particular weaponry? Never. It just came into my possession through the house sales, as I told you. The Semtex is a different matter, but I ve kept it carefully preserved. I m sure Jack has told you my story. It was last used many years ago when I sought retribution for a great wrong.

They went out, and he locked the door, then poured them each another glass of wine. Owen said, Fire from heaven, a spectacular to ruin the President s visit and demonstrate the power of Al Qaeda. Would you be up for that a car bomb?

I don t see why not.

It would be like old times to Jack here, he was involved in so many similar affairs during his IRA past. But why are you sure of yourself?

So Legrande told him. As Jack knows, I have a cancer. Six months is all I ve got.

Owen pretended shock. My God, that s terrible.

No it isn t, it s a fact, so I don t give a damn about anything anymore. That s why I took on the job.

And if the woman were involved?

To me, my friend, she is no longer a woman as you mean it. She is a soldier, and a damn good one, so she is just another member of Ferguson s team.

Owen nodded. So what do you intend to do?

I haven t the slightest idea what Holley plans for this evening. With a man like him as my quarry, I ll certainly wear a bulletproof vest. I may be on borrowed time, but there s no need to hurry things. All I can say is that if a suitable opportunity presents itself, I ll take advantage of it, but Abu must understand that I can t promise anything.

Which is perfectly reasonable, Owen said.

The only problem there is that he s the most unreasonable sod I know. He stood up. I d better go and leave you to get on with it. I ll be in touch, and he went out.

Lunch at a Lebanese restaurant in Shepherd Market had been so convivial that it lasted until three.

Nine-thirty tomorrow morning at Holland Park, Roper said as Tony Doyle loaded him into the van, Dillon already on board.

Well, that was nice. Sara slipped her hand inside Holley s arm as they started the short walk to the Dorchester.

What shall we do tonight?

I haven t the slightest idea.

They arrived at the small art-house cinema on the corner, the Curzon. She paused to look at the posters and said, Hey, they re showing Manhattan.

Woody Allen. A great movie, Holley said.

She was checking the performance times and turned, delight on her face. It s starting in fifteen minutes. I truly adore this film, Daniel, all that glorious Gershwin music.

Then let s go and see it. He put an arm around her, pushed open the door, and they went in.

It was a quarter to six when they came out, happy, into the early-evening darkness and walked back toward the Dorchester.

What are you going to do? Holley asked. Come up to my suite?

Love to, but it might be a good idea to check the house out, since Sadie is away get the mail and so on.

Fine by me, he said. I ll tell them to bring the Alfa round.

Standing on the steps a few moments later, handing his car keys to the doorman, Sara at his side, he was immediately spotted by Jack Kelly, who had taken turns with Henri to stand on the corner of the side street where they d parked the Citro n. He watched them for a moment, then hurried back to the Frenchman, who sat behind the wheel with a magazine, the silenced Walther in his pocket.

They re here, he said, and got in the Citro n.

About time. What are they doing? Henri asked.

It looks like they re waiting for the Alfa to be brought round.

Then let s be ready, Henri said. You drive. Take me round to South Audley Street to wait for them. My bet is they re going to her home. I ll get ready in the rear.

There was a magnet on the lid of the cake tin box that he held on his knees. He removed the lid, revealing the block of Semtex, three scarlet-rimmed pencil timers in a small box beside it. He sat back.

A few moments later, the Alfa passed him, and Kelly went after it.

Don t follow them into Highfield Court, Henri said. Drop me at the entrance of the street, then continue into Grosvenor Square and wait for me. It will all happen very fast, so be ready for a quick departure.

The Alfa swung into the drive of the house and the security lights came on. Holley switched off the engine. Sara got out, taking the key from her shoulder bag, and as she went up the steps, a lean brown Burmese cat meowed and brushed her feet.

On your way, Samson, she said, and glanced at Holley as she turned the key. From next door. An absolute rascal.

She went into the hall, switched on the light, and Holley followed her, closing the door behind him. The security lights died as she started to take off her coat.

Henri had been waiting for the dark. He gave each pencil timer a half-turn, inserted them into the Semtex, replaced the lid, and left the Citro n quickly, crouching as low as possible to avoid activating the lights, dropped on his knees, and reached under the Alfa with the cake box, the magnet clicking firmly into place. At the same moment, Samson, who had been crouching underneath, let out a loud wailing cry and fled, bounding up the steps and leaping onto the balustrade of the side terrace, the security lights turning the darkness into day.

Holley had just helped Sara off with her coat. Samson again. What s wrong with him? She glanced out through the window beside the door and saw Henri as he rose up. Daniel, there s a man outside, she said, and reached for her Colt, which she was carrying in a spring holster against the small of her back.

Holley moved on the instant, reaching to open the door with one hand, drawing his Colt with the other. Henri, dazzled by the sudden lights, pulled out the Walther, fired blindly in the general direction of the door, and ran for it, Holley s shot chasing him into the street, missing by inches and striking the gate post.

He got there in time to see Henri vanish round the corner, hesitated, then turned. Seeing no sign of Sara, he ran in panic up the steps and through the open door. He found her on one knee, pulling herself up with the aid of a large chair, the cheval mirror on the wall starred with a bullet hole.

I m all right, she said as he reached her. A dull thud was all I heard. I dropped down instinctively.

He was probably using a Carswell. He pulled her close, for a moment holding her tight, and she smiled. At least we now know for certain that we are being targeted.

What was he doing when you saw him?

He just rose up as if he d been crouching beside the car. Could he have been messing about with the brakes again?

I ll take a look. Do you have a light?

There s a spotlight in the cloakroom.

She gave it to him, and followed as he went down the steps to the Alfa, got on his knees, and found the cake tin.

Oh, dear, he said, and straightened. I ve got a strong feeling that if I ask you to go away, you ll refuse.

Yes, I damn well will, if it s what I think it is. What are you going to do?

Well, I m trying to be logical. If whatever is in the cake tin that s attached to this car was remote-controlled, we d have been blown to bits by now. He d have already activated it while he was running away.

She said calmly, Which would leave pencil timers. Fifteen-minute, thirty, one-hour?

I d say thirty to give him ample time to be elsewhere.

That would seem reasonable.

Let s hope so. I d just like to say I love you.

I know you do. She smiled gravely. You d better get on with it, then.

He handed her the spotlight, got on his back, reached up, gripped the box in both hands, and pulled so hard that it came away from the lid. He eased back, got up, staring down at the red-ringed pencil timers, pulled them out quickly, and tossed them into the birdbath beside the steps.

You must live right, Sara Gideon. They were fifteens fifteen bloody minutes. We should have been dead by now, and, somewhere, the bastard who concocted this very special cake is kicking himself because he s been waiting for the sound of an explosion that hasn t come.

I suppose you ll have to report in? Ferguson will go ballistic.

I ll call Roper now, he said as they went up the steps.

There was a meow, and Samson slipped out of the darkness, wound himself around her right ankle. She reached for him, and he faded into the night again.

He saved our lives, Sara said. It s as simple as that. She turned and smiled at him as they went into the hall. Thank you for your dying declaration. Naturally, I ll hold you to it.

Somehow I thought you would.

Henri had found Kelly in Grosvenor Square with no problem, then scrambled into the Citro n, breathless from his running.

Is it done? Kelly demanded as he switched on and drove round the square past the Eisenhower statue.

If you mean did I plant the bomb, yes. We should hear the explosion any moment, so pull over.

They sat waiting, Henri checking his watch until, with a certain despair in his voice, he said, I put in three pencils, the extras just to make sure in case of a malfunction. Fifteen minutes. They should have heard the explosion all over Mayfair by now. Let s get going I m beginning to feel cursed.

But what went wrong? Kelly asked as he drove away.

I d just placed the bomb under the Alfa when Holley appeared. There was an exchange of fire, silenced shots, I ran for it. I can only conclude he suspected a device and found it just in time to remove the pencils. He didn t mention the cat it would have been too embarrassing.

Well, Rashid won t be pleased.

We don t tell Rashid we tried again and failed. It s beginning to smack of burlesque.

If you think so, Kelly said. What do you want to do now?

Well, at this particular moment, getting drunk sounds like a very attractive idea.

Dillon happened to be at Holland Park when Roper received the news, so they all came together to Sara Gideon s house. Tony Doyle recovered the box s lid from the Alfa s chassis, and they were now sitting in the Victorian library by the fireplace while Roper examined the Semtex with a professional eye.

This has been around for years, he said. Highly volatile. It s absolutely incredible that you got away with handling it, Daniel. These pencil timers remind me of my Irish time as a bomb-disposal officer wouldn t you agree, Tony?

Doyle was checking one of them now, and he nodded. Takes me back to Ulster in the bad days, but on the other hand, I can remember stuff like this turning up years ago right here in London when IRA sympathizers were run to earth. Maybe it s just been sitting around in somebody s cellar.

I agree, Roper said. But it s dangerous stuff. It s a miracle you two are with us.

Which raises the obvious question, Dillon said.

What s going on? Who s behind this?

I haven t the slightest idea, Roper said.

All I would say is that it makes it highly unlikely that the attack on Sara last night was a mugging. There s a pattern to all this. If only we d caught them.

I admit I should have done better, Holley said.

But if I d given chase to tonight s villain, Sara would have come out of the front door in search of me and walked straight into the Alfa blowing up.

We can all see that, Roper said, and his Codex signaled. Yes, General? He made a gesture to them and went out into the hall, returning ten minutes later.

So tell us the worst, Dillon said.

Well, no surprises here. With the President s visit, talk of car bombs is the last thing the government wants. In other words, this little incident never happened. No police involvement. It is entirely our baby.

And we can do that? Sara asked.

Charles Ferguson can do anything, Sara, Dillon said. Get used to that now. What happens here, Giles?

Best not to stay in the house right now. I doubt they ll return here now that we re onto them, but it s safer if you stay somewhere else for the next few days.

She can stay with me, Holley said. What about Parliament tomorrow?

I ll join Roper at Holland Park, Dillon told him. We ll pick you up at ten-thirty tomorrow morning.

Excellent, Holley said. Let s all get some sleep. To put it mildly, it s been a memorable evening.

To Owen Rashid, who was dressing the following morning before picking up Jean Talbot for the reception, Abu s phone call came as no surprise.

I ve been waiting to hear from you about the Saudi delegation that was due to arrive yesterday. You said you would introduce them to Talbot s nephew.

Which I did. They arrived yesterday, two sheikhs and a couple of generals. I took them to the Le Caprice for lunch and persuaded Jean to join the party. They were impressed with her, and the fact that she owns most of the stock in Talbot International impressed them even more.

Hmm. You know, it occurs to me that it might suit our plans if you could persuade her to make a trip to Rubat with you. She could see the Bacu Railway for herself, meet Sultan Ibrahim Rashid, your uncle.

The prospect did not particularly appeal to Owen, but, as usual, it was diplomatic to agree. It s certainly an idea worth pursuing.

See what she thinks about it. I ll let you go now. I look forward to a full report on the reception. It should be mem-orable.

A slight chuckle, and he was gone. Owen puzzled over it for a moment, then reached for his blazer, pulled it on, walked out into the sitting room, and as he approached the balcony window, a flurry of rain tapped against it. Good old British weather. You could always rely on it to be bad when it was particularly essential that it should be good. There were awnings there, however, so the show could go on. He found himself a light raincoat in the cloakroom, slipped it on, and went to pick up Jean. It was far too early, but it didn t matter. It would take her ages to dress, but what else was new? After all, she was meeting the President of the United States of America for drinks.

An hour and a half earlier, Ali Selim had said good-bye at Stukely Towers to Asan and Jemal, holding his niece close to him for a moment.

Allah protect you, child, and aid you in this great enterprise.

It is a privilege to have been chosen, Uncle.

He shook Jemal s hand. My blessings go with you both, and I await your return anxiously. I shall spend the day in prayer for you.

They got into the ambulance, Asan at the wheel, for she was a better driver, and as she drove round the circular lawn, she reached out and waved to her uncle. He waved back, and then they were out of the main gate and on their way.

Ali Selim turned to the steps leading up to the front door, which was opened by an Arab in a chauffeur s uniform. Are you ready to leave, master?

Certainly, Mahmud. Have you brought down my luggage?

It s already in the Mercedes in the rear courtyard. I ll go and get it.

You ve notified the airfield that I m ready to leave?

I called them the moment I saw the ambulance start down the drive, master. The Hawker will depart as soon as we get there.

He put up an umbrella, since it had started to rain, and hurried away, and Ali Selim stepped back into the porch. The sooner he was out of England, the better. There was nothing to stay for, certainly not his niece and Jemal. They were the walking dead now. He had no doubt the ambulance would be admitted, and, once inside, when the real plan came into play, the one they knew nothing about, the results would be shattering. Ali Selim s bomb maker had packed every possible cavity in the ambulance with Semtex, and the electronic timer in the paramedic s bag, which Jemal had been told was timed to give them thirty minutes to walk away, was actually set for the instant it was turned on. The explosion was bound to be catastrophic, although unfortunate for Asan and Jemal. On the other hand, that was no bad thing. He had, after all, been too open with them concerning the flight to Peshawar and his stay in Amira. There was no advantage in making that public at the moment.

The Mercedes came round the side of the house. Mahmud got out and raised an umbrella and mounted the steps. Ali Selim flicked the stub of the cigarette into a flower bed.

Fast as you like, Mahmud, he said as he joined him. I can t wait to get out of here.

Doyle, Dillon, and Roper pulled up at the Dorchester, where Sara and Holley waited at the top of the steps, sheltering under the canopy from the rain. A doorman held an umbrella for them as they piled in, and Doyle pulled out into the Park Lane traffic.

Well, the President won t be impressed with the weather, that s for sure, Sara said.

So they ll have the canopies out, Dillon said. And everybody crowding in a bit, but on the good side, there s Captain Sara Gideon, with red hair to thank God for, and nicely set off by a scarlet blazer from Valentino, and I adore those navy blue raw-silk jeans. That s got to be Gucci. You ll be a sensation, girl dear.

Why, Sean, is it your feminine side you re revealing?

Well, I was once an actor, he told her.

Yes, we all know that, but you ll have to spend more time on your lines. The silk jeans are Valentino and the blazer s by Gucci. Not bad for an alpha male, though.

Sara turned round to Roper in his wheelchair behind her. Are you looking forward to meeting the great man?

You could say that. He s certainly a remarkable human being, but with anything as important as this, all I want is for it to be over. All those years with the bombs in Belfast taught me one thing with complete certainty. No matter how well you organize and plan, something unlooked for comes round the next corner and screws everything up. It s a kind of chaos theory.

They were into the press of traffic heading to Westminster, vehicles three abreast. As Sara glanced out, looking to the left across Holley, she saw the yellow ambulance ease past, noticed particularly the young girl at the wheel for no better reason than that she was extremely pretty. Asan glanced over briefly, then eased the ambulance forward in the column of vehicles aiming for the entrance to the underground garage at the House of Commons.

Sara frowned, leaning across Holley as the van moved close to the ambulance again. He said, What is it?

The ambulance had moved again, for they had joined the double queue of vehicles entering the garage.

The driver of that ambulance, Sara told him.

Dillon said, I noticed her, too. Pretty girl. What about her?

The ambulance was being passed through. It s just that I seem to know her from somewhere.

With the documents Doyle showed the security men, they were passed through themselves, and as they moved forward, it struck Sara like a thunderbolt.

Oh, my God, I know where I ve seen her before.

Roper said, What are you talking about, Sara?

That girl was at Speakers Corner with the men carrying Ali Selim. She was running alongside with a hand clutching his palanquin. She was all in black and wore a silk chador.

Doyle braked to a halt involuntarily, and Dillon said, God in heaven, girl, are you sure about this?

Of course she is, Roper said. Get after them, Tony. There s no place for them to hide, not in that ambulance. If it s a bomb job, there s no time to lose, so be ready to go in hard.

Asan and Jemal had no idea they were in trouble. The trip into London had been without incident, and their identities and the work documents relating to the delivery of oxygen cylinders to level three had been accepted without question. Level three itself seemed pretty parked up, so Asan cruised, glancing from side to side, and it was Jemal who was stressed and cursing softly.

Calm yourself, Jemal, all will be well, she said serenely, for she was on a complete high, never so certain. A moment later, at the far end, they came to a section of what obviously were work vehicles of one kind or another, and she pulled in on the end at a row and switched off. There was a wide gap to the next vehicle, a red Ford van.

So it begins, she said. Just as my uncle said it would. We are here.

Jemal was so nervous that he was close to coming apart at the seams. And here we ll stay one way or another unless we get out of here fast. I ll go and set the timer.

Which was in the paramedic s bag in the back of the ambulance. He got out, went to open the rear door, and Dillon s van arrived in a sudden rush as Doyle took it past in a burst of speed. Jemal pulled out the silenced Walther he had been provided with and fired twice, and the van turned in to the other side of the red Ford for protection.

Jemal opened the door on the passenger side of the ambulance, reached in, and pulled Asan across. There was a look of total astonishment on her face as she tumbled out, then struggled to her feet.

Roper s voice boomed out. It s over. Throw any weapons into the open and then lie down.

I don t know who they are, but he s right, Jemal said. It s finished.

Only if I say so. Her left hand found the pillbox, and she pulled out the capsule it contained, put it in her mouth, then took out her own Walther. She stood, leaned across to the driver s window, which she had left open, and fired several times across at the red Ford. It was a strange and eerie sensation, only the dull thuds of the silenced weapons as Dillon and Holley returned fire.

Jemal grabbed at her, turning her and slapping her face. No more. It s over.

She pushed him away, turned, and fired wildly again at the van, her teeth crunching down on the capsule, the sickly sweet smell of cyanide apparent at once. He had no idea what it was, only that it was bad, and he pushed a fresh clip into his Walther.

Damn you to hell, he called, and emptied the gun into the van. It was Sara, crouched on the other side with Dillon and Holley, who took the practical approach.

She dropped down flat and saw Asan s body at once, and the lower half of Jemal s legs beside it. He was at that moment reloading. She took careful aim and shot him through the right kneecap. He cried out, lurched backward into a Mercedes limousine, and went down.

That s the man taken care of, Sara said.

But I get a bad feeling about the girl.

Then we d better go and see, Holley told her.

Doyle had found a large police sign saying Entry Prohibited, and placed it at the entrance to give them peace. Jemal was lying beside Asan, an arm around her, blood oozing from his shattered kneecap. He looked up in agony at Sara. It wasn t supposed to be like this. What s the smell on her mouth?

Cyanide, I m afraid, Sara said. A quick exit to the next world. The Nazis made it popular after they lost their war. Hitler handed them out like candy to his nearest and dearest.

Jemal came apart then. Oh, dear God, it s her uncle who s responsible for this. He must have given it to her.

Tony Doyle had pushed Roper close in his wheelchair, and with Dillon and Holley they stood waiting for Sara to put the obvious question.

And who is her uncle?

Mullah Ali Selim. I can see now he was using us. I only got involved because I adored her beyond reason.

I see. She frowned at the others, motioning them to be still. I think we re going to have to do something about your knee. She turned to Doyle. See if you can find a first-aid kit in the rear, Tony.

Jemal said dully, Better take care. There s a couple of blocks of Semtex in a bag, and a thirty-minute timer I was supposed to switch on.

There was a stillness for a moment, then Giles Roper said,

Well, as you haven t done that, it leaves the Semtex about as deadly as a large block of plasticine. Bring the bag to me, Tony, and find a first-aid kit for Sara.

As Roper questioned Jemal further, Sara worked deftly, bandaging Jemal s knee, giving him morphine, aided by Holley and Dillon, a double dose to help with the pain. Battlefield style, she said. He could be crippled. How do you feel, Jemal?

Lousy, but the pain is not as much. Who are you?

I m the person who shot you.

Allah will forgive you for that.

I don t think so, but Jehovah might. I m Jewish.

Well, that s not your fault. He was fading fast.

Roper, who d gotten on his Codex, said, Don t fall asleep yet, Jemal. You did say he intended to leave Frensham in a Hawker jet and would be waiting for you and Asan to join him?

That s true. The boy sounded very tired, his words slurring.

Such a plane did leave Frensham about four hours ago, and I do know one thing for certain.

What s that? Jemal really was almost out of it now.

He wasn t waiting around for you, because he knew you wouldn t be coming back. That timer I took to pieces wasn t thirty minutes, it was instant. You and Asan would have been vaporized the moment you switched it on.

But she was his niece. Jemal shook his head.

What kind of man would do such a thing? May he rot in hell.

His head rolled, and Dillon and Holley picked him up and passed him to Doyle in the ambulance, who laid him out on one of the stretchers. Asan lay on the other in a body bag. Some of the paneling of the ambulance had been pulled away to disclose a considerable quantity of Semtex.

The major s suspicions were right, Doyle said. It would have been a total disaster, one of the worst bombs to hit London since the Second World War. He looked up.

No telling what it could have done to this garage and the building above it.

Well, it didn t, Roper said. I noticed a couple of paramedic jackets in one of the lockers. Put one on, you ll be driving.

Rosedene?

No, the disposal unit. I ve warned Mr. Teague. He s familiar with Muslim customs, so he ll ensure she s properly treated, God rest her.

And the boy?

Bellamy knows what to expect. The general will see we do right by him. To be frank, now the iron s entered his soul, he might prove useful. Is that okay with you, Sara?

She surprised herself by saying, If you mean does it worry me that he ll walk with a limp for the rest of his life because I shot him in the kneecap, no it doesn t. That s what you get. She gave a crooked smile. And there s a bonus you can always tell it s going to rain, because your leg hurts even before you get out of bed, just like mine did this morning.

Point taken, Roper said. Wave good-bye to Tony, everybody.

They watched him go, stop to move the No Entry sign, then get back in and drive away. Sara said, I can t say I m impressed with the security here. Where are the police, for God s sake? We must have been on every camera in the place.

No, we haven t, thanks to this. Roper held up what looked like a TV remote. This is a Howler. The moment we started to chase them, I punched a button that killed the entire camera system on this floor. There s no record of any of this happening. It s also highly illegal, needless to say.

Too bad we can t market it, said Dillon.

We d make a fortune.

I m sure we would. Now let me call Ferguson.

He pressed a priority button on his Codex.

Ferguson answered at once and said in a half whisper, Not now, Major, I m with the Prime Minister and the President. What on earth can be so urgent?

We ve just experienced a serious incident involving Empire, General.

Ferguson s voice changed completely. During the Second World War, there had been several attempts on Winston Churchill s life, and the term had come to refer only to matters of the highest seriousness concerning the leadership of the country at either the royal or political level.

Just a moment, Ferguson said, and there was a brief pause before he returned. Meet me at once at the Cabinet Office.

Of course, General. What about the others? Dillon, Holley, Gideon?

Too many people might cause curiosity. We don t want people talking. You fill me in, Roper. The others can go to the reception, act normal.

Roper put his Codex away. Rage in heaven over this one. How could it happen?

But we stopped it, Sara said. That s all that counts.

Dillon said, Jesus, girl, but you really do have a lot to learn. They re very unreasonable, politicians. The way they look at it, we should have known it was going to happen before it did happen.

That s politicians for you, she said.

Exactly, Holley told her. But let s get Roper upstairs to the Cabinet Office before they set the dogs on him, and we ll all go on our merry way and try to pretend it didn t happen.

On the terrace at lunchtime, all the awnings were out, as the rain showed no sign of stopping. Members of Parliament were starting to appear, guests crowding in behind them, some in traditional dress. In spite of the rain, there was a good atmosphere, a sense of expectancy. And then Jean Talbot appeared, and stopped as she saw Dillon.

She looked remarkably attractive, astonishingly so for her age. Granted, the streaked blond hair owed a great deal to an expert hairdresser, but the black velvet jacket over a white blouse contrasted well with the vivid blue skirt. Owen Rashid paused behind her.

Why, Mr. Dillon, still alive and kicking? said Talbot.

As ever was, ma am, Dillon told her.

We ll have to see if we can do something about that.

Well, as I ve told you before: People have been trying to kill me for years. I m still here. You re welcome to try. He offered her a visiting card, and she accepted.

You may regret that invitation. She smiled at Sara. I don t know who you are, my dear, but it s a pity to see a charming young woman like you in such bad company.

She turned away, and Owen, who couldn t think of a thing to say, went after her. She took a glass of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter and leaned against the balustrade, sipping it as Owen reached her.

The young woman looked interesting, she said.

I wonder who she is.

Owen answered without thinking. She s an army captain, wounded and decorated in Afghanistan. A gifted linguist, I understand. Her name s Sara Gideon.

Any connection with the Gideon Bank?

She inherited it some years ago when her parents were killed in a bomb attack in Israel. Her grandfather sits in for her as chairman.

So what is she doing with Dillon and Holley?

There was no way round it except to tell the truth. I believe Charles Ferguson has recruited her for his team.

You seem very well informed.

Well, you know how it is these days. It pays to keep up, and there s not much that can t be found on a computer.

There was more to it, she knew that, but she shied away from perhaps learning an uncomfortable truth about him. In any case, an announcement sounded over the loudspeakers.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Prime Minister and the President of the United States.

They came through the entrance, Ferguson, Miller, Roper, and Blake Johnson behind them, and the applause was deafening.

The glad-handing went on for thirty or forty minutes, Blake Johnson at the President s side the whole time, as was Harry Miller with the Prime Minister. Ferguson, who had been standing back, crossed the terrace to speak to them.

It s not over yet.

No problem, Dillon said.

Ferguson turned to Sara. Your performance since you ve joined us has been remarkable. I m beginning to wonder how on earth we managed without you.

It was a daily occurrence in Afghanistan, General, this sort of thing.

But not in Mayfair, he said. At least not since the high tide of the IRA s London campaign. We ve still got the rest of the day to get through. Then there s the early-evening cocktail party at Downing Street, but you won t be required for that. The President flies out to Berlin at ten o clock, and then it will all be over.

Watch out behind you, General, Dillon said, and Ferguson turned to find both the Prime Minister and the President aiming for the doorway.

The President said, Mr. Dillon, Mr. Holley, good to see you. But it was the man in the wheelchair to whom he extended his hand. Major Roper, it s an honor to see you. The official accounts I ve read of your bravery are outstanding especially that time in the Portland Hotel foyer nine hours on your own.

Not quite true, Mr. President. I had the bomb as company, which I found myself occasionally talking to.

The President roared with laughter. It s been a joy meeting you, and if I could, I d give you the Congressional Medal of Honor to go with your George Cross.

The words were for public consumption, but at a private meeting he had said as much to Roper already, along with a commendation to all of them for the way they d handled the incident in the garage, which the powers that be had decided had not taken place at all. No point giving Al Qaeda the oxygen of publicity.

He shook Roper s hand warmly and went out, followed by the Prime Minister and his entourage. Ferguson said quietly to Roper as he passed, I ll speak to you soon.

Suddenly it was all over, people drifting out in twos and threes, no sign of Jean Talbot and Owen Rashid.

Now what? Sara asked.

Back to Holland Park. Let s see if any interesting business has come our way. He took his wheelchair out through the entrance, and they followed.

Early evening, Owen Rashid gave Jean Talbot a call and invited her to join him in an Irish bar in Shepherd Market. They sat in a corner booth and had Irish coffees.

What did the President say to you? Owen asked.

I got caught up with the crowd the Secret Service were holding back.

Oh, he said what a tragic accident it was, the plane crashing into the Irish Sea like that with my son inside.

Do you think he believed that?

No, he was just being civilized. Dillon, Holley, Kelly, and myself were all there when Justin slammed the door on all of us and flew off to his death. The President would have been told the facts. She smiled a little bleakly. Don t worry about me, Owen. I ve survived, and I ll go on surviving.

He took her hand. You re a remarkable woman.

Not really, just practical. Now that the President s come and gone, what s next on your agenda?

I need to go to Rubat for a few days. I haven t been for a while, as you know.

Because you don t want to go. She laughed. Without Mayfair, you re like a fish out of water.

On the other hand, the Sultan does like to see me every so often. I mean, it s protocol even if he is my uncle. Just a few days, a week at the most. He took her hand again. Is there any chance you d consider coming with me? You ve often talked about it. I could show you the Bacu Railway.

When would this be? she asked.

I m pretty flexible where that s concerned.

Well, as it happens, we have a half-term vacation coming up at the university on Friday.

How long for?

Two weeks.

So you ll come?

Only if you take me to dinner tonight. Do you think we could go to that little Italian place again?

He smiled. Only if you ask me in for coffee afterward.

Oh, I think that could be arranged. Let s go, shall we?

At the antiques shop, Kelly was in the kitchen, checking on an Irish stew he was preparing for the evening meal. Henri was dozing in a wingback chair beside the fire when he came awake with a start, because he d suddenly realized why that Frenchman s face at Hyde Park had been familiar to him.

Kelly appeared in the kitchen doorway. Are you okay?

I ve just realized that I can put a name to the face of that Frenchman I was following. Colonel Claude Duval. He s with the DGSE, the Secret Service. His face was in newspapers a lot six months ago, having to do with a Muslim terrorism trial.

What would he be doing over here? Kelly asked.

How do I know? It explains why he was in Roper s company, though. Kelly returned to the kitchen, and Henri followed him, found a bottle of red wine, and poured two glasses. I ve been thinking. If Rashid phones, which he probably will, I ll tell him our impression is that the Gideon woman is staying at the hotel with Holley, so we re looking at a new target.

And what would that be?

The Salters place, the Dark Man, down by the river.

It s a thought, Kelly said. Okay, that s what we ll say. Mind you, I think Rashid s occupied with other things at the moment.

Like your boss?

I think so. She doesn t answer her mobile, and I walked round again today and knocked on her door in Marley Court, but no answer.

Wasn t I with you twice yesterday and no response? Perhaps they were in bed. She s no chicken, but she s a fine-looking woman for all that.

Maybe so, Kelly said. Anyway, go and sit down, and I ll serve the meal.

So Henri took the two glasses and the bottle of wine and went off to the dining room.

At Holland Park, Dillon had decided to keep Roper company by staying over in staff quarters, something he often did. Holley and Sara, having long since departed for the Dorchester, had dined in The Grill and ended up, as before, enjoying a nightcap on the terrace of his suite.

Holley checked his watch. Eleven o clock, so the President is well on his way by now, and things can get back to normal.

Whatever normal means to you people, Sara said.

His Codex sounded, Roper on the line, and Holley switched to speaker. Roper s voice boomed. All hell s broken out at Downing Street.

Why?

The Prime Minister feels humiliated about what happened while he was entertaining the world s most important head of state

But we prevented it from happening, Sara cut in.

That s not good enough, it seems. Young Jemal the boy you shot, Sara has told us exactly what Ali Selim s plans are, and where he s going. The Prime Minister has ordered Ferguson to take us in hot pursuit. Ferguson will bring you up to speed on everything. He s on his way now. You d better get here fast.

He switched off, and Holley said, So much for the quiet life. You heard the man, Sara. Get dressed, and I ll call the doorman to have the Alfa ready.