`Why don't we go up to the Royal and ask 'im?'
`Christ, if we tried that, Adam,' said Martin, 'Sarah would cut our ears off. She said that he's out of immediate danger, but she's still worried about him. No… whether it would have been the boss's way or not, I'll tell you what we're going to do — assuming that you're game for it, that is.'
The soldier looked at him blankly.
`We're going to forget all about that file,' Martin told them, and conduct our own private investigation into Mr Davey and his background. Adam, I'd like you to run it, using your access through MoD security. I'll give you Brian and Mario as back-up, and young Sammy Pye, if you need him.
`We need to know whether there was anything in Colin Davey's ministerial life that might have compromised him, or made him serious enemies. At the same time, I want to know about the private person. Apart from his Who's Who entry and his party biography, we know sod all about him… and neither of those sources are famous for listing a man's less endearing traits.
`You look into things at the Ministry; dig as deep as you can. I'll have Brian and Mario ask some discreet questions around the constituency, and I'll go down myself with Pye to interview Davey's widow. Working together, we're going to find out what it was about the late Minister that's so disturbing that it puts the wind up Prime Ministers.
After that, we'll decide what we're going to do about it.
‘Everybody happy?' Grunts of approval followed each other round the conference table.
Abruptly Martin sat up in his chair at its head. 'Right,' he said. `That's one line of enquiry.
What about the others? Most of them seem to centre around Maurice Noble, don't they?
Adam, what I can you tell us about his wife and her mystery man?'
Arrow hunched his disproportionately wide shoulders. 'We've identified him, without too much trouble. He's a Lieutenant in the Sappers, and his name is Stephen William Richards. Known to 'is mates as Short Wave, apparently. He's in the same line of work as our friend Major Legge, only from the other side. His speciality is demolishing, not defusing.'
`That kinda makes him number one suspect, don't it?' drawled Doherty.
`Not necessarily, sir. His work's all battlefield stuff. He's never been involved in anything covert, or even trained in it. I reckon I know more about the sort of device that took out that plane than he does.'
`Nonetheless,' interrupted Martin, 'he would have the basic knowledge, wouldn't he?'
Aye, Andy, he would.' Arrow nodded in agreement. 'All that I'm saying is that we shouldn't make too big an assumption about him.'
`Fair enough; but right now he's the hottest lead we've got. What else do we know about him?'
`Basic background. He's twenty-six, educated at Westminster, then Sandhurst. His parents are both dead. He lost his mum when he was three, and was brought up after that by his old man… he was a vicar
… and his housekeeper. The Reverend Richards popped 'is clogs two years ago. No siblings noted. The old vicar didn't get wed till 'e was fifty.'
Interests?' asked Martin.
`Rifle shooting to near Olympic standard, cricket and squash. He represents the Army in all three.'
Women?'
`Well, he's single, for a start. We don't keep tabs on every officer's romantic entanglements, but this lad's love-life has brought him to his superiors' attention on a couple of occasions. The first time was on his first posting after Sandhurst. Silly bugger got himself involved with his CO's sister.'
`What did the CO say to that?' asked Doherty smiling.
A hell of a lot, according to Short Wave's file. The sister was ten years older than him, and 'ad just come through a very messy divorce. Our lad was told to cease and desist bloody quick, and he did.'
`The second time?' asked Martin.
`Just under a year ago. He was given a trial posting as an equerry to the Royal Household.
He was hardly through the door before he was picked out for special attention by another lady some years older than 'im. Not even around this table will I say who he was involved with, but when it came to light, he was returned to his Regiment overnight, literally — on the direct instruction of the Secretary of State. Straight afterwards, Sir Stewart Morelli 'ad him on the carpet, personally, and put a note in his docket saying that his next promotion should be deferred by five years.'
`Why didn't they just kick him out?'
I guess the J. Edgar Hoover principle came into play,' muttered Doherty.
`What's that?' said Arrow.
`Better to have him inside the tent pissing out, than outside pissing in!'
`Maybe so,' said Martin brusquely. He leaned forward across the desk, staring at Arrow.
'So what we've got here, Adam, is an explosives expert, with an established pattern of having it off with older women, who's been seen having a hand-holding dinner with Maurice Noble's widow three days after his death. On top of that, he could have held a personal grudge against Colin Davey. And you're telling me that I shouldn't make too many assumptions about him!'
Arrow chuckled ruefully. 'Well, if you put it that way.. Around the table, Martin, Doherty, Alison Higgins, Maggie Rose, and even the invariably tense Merle Gower joined in the laughter.
`So how are you going to play him?' asked Doherty eventually.
`Carefully,' said Martin. 'We'll keep up observation on him and on Ms Tucker. Donaldson and Mcllhenney are going to see her this evening to ask about these anonymous letters — '
And about her alarm system,' cut in Arrow.
`Good. I'll tell them to play that up. If she and Richards did it, it'll do no harm to let her think that we're on the trail of a mystery intruder… Look, Adam, you couldn't fix something with Richards' Regiment, could you? Something that'll keep him tied up for a day or two.'
`Probably. But what good would that do?'
It would ease the task of the watchers if they knew where he was. And it might force him to do something that would corroborate our theory. Make a phone call, maybe, that we could pick up through the tap you put on Ariadne Tucker's telephone. Ideally we should listen in on Lieutenant Richards' phone as well. Can you fix that?'
Arrow nodded. 'I can monitor the phone in his private apartment, but not the Officer's Mess. Mind you, he's hardly likely to use that to make a sensitive call.'
`There's something else I'd be grateful if you could do, Adam, and that's check the explosives stock at Richards' base. Is that possible?'
Of course — but I'll tell you now, it'll be all right. He couldn't get his hands on official ordnance without someone knowing If it were 'im, he'll have had another source.'
`Such as criminal, do you mean?'
Arrow shook his head. 'There's unofficial stock as well, Andy, The Special Forces have been known to be a bit lax in reporting material recovered from Ireland, or captured in overseas operations. There are other ways of acquiring explosives too, even for ordinary servicemen, if they have the know-how. If it was Richards, he's had access to some of that, but we'll have the Devil's own job proving it.'
`Do what you can, Adam. That's all I ask.'
`Sure.'
Okay,' said Martin. 'Now our other line of enquiry. General Yahic.'
Doherty tapped the table, and shook his head. 'Closed off. We just found out — Yahic has been dead for ten days.'
Of those around the table, only Merle Gower did not look surprised.
`What 'appened?' asked Arrow.
`His own men shot him. The guy was as mad as a hatter, and he was getting too many of them killed, so his second-in-command, a Colonel called Brisnich, gave him a round behind the ear. Since then he's been closing down Yahic's operations around the world, until this morning, when he contacted the UN and said that he and his followers would hand over their weapons at Mostar tomorrow. He even faxed a photograph of Yahic's body in confirmation. So, other than in that mugshot, the General is very definitely out of the picture.'
Arrow whistled. 'That's a blessing. I'd reckoned that the next step would have been for Merle and I and a few
