‘I know that.’
‘Even then . . . a foreign policeman, not even one of your rank, can’t just walk in and talk to these guys.’
‘I guessed that too.’
His friend sighed. ‘So you want me to go with you.’
‘You guessed it in three. Can you?’
‘It’s important?’
‘We’re got a major event in Edinburgh on Friday. There’s a public rally in the rugby stadium, at which Pope John the Twenty-fifth will meet his people. The Prime Minister will be sat next to him. These dead Belgians were supposed to be playing for him. Their band still is.’
‘It’s important,’ Arrow exclaimed. ‘Right, the people we’ll need to see are in the security division of the Belgian General Intelligence and Security Service. They can get access to everything without any questions being asked, so it’ll be much quicker than going through their personnel section. The head of that division’s a contact of mine; I see him regularly at NATO meetings. How soon can you get to Brussels?’
‘There’s a flight from Edinburgh this afternoon; there’s a seat held on it for me. I can be there this evening.’
‘I’ll meet you at the British Airways desk in Brussels airport. Half six?’
‘Make it six forty-five. See you there.’
63
‘Does it really mean anything, Stevie?’ asked Detective Superintendent Chambers. ‘This thing the boy found? It’s only a few letters grouped together after all.’
‘It could do, Mary. If Ivor was on to her, and she found out, it’s possible she did away with him, or that she and her husband did. I’m assuming they’re acting in concert.’
‘Why should they run now, with Whetstone set up to take the blame?’
‘Maybe they always intended to run, but maybe they couldn’t just then, not until the money had hit its final destination.’
‘That’s plausible, I’ll grant you. But as proof of anything, what does this all mean?’
‘Next to bugger all, I admit, as I told Murphy.’
Chambers smiled grimly. ‘Not next to it, Stevie,’ she said. ‘It means precisely bugger all. It doesn’t tell us anything for sure and it doesn’t lead us any closer to them either. If it makes the Whetstones feel better, that’s good, but that’s all it’ll do.’
‘I know, Mary,’ Steele conceded. ‘The lad was so pleased with himself, though.’
‘And I hope he stays that way, but what are you planning to do next? I appreciate you keeping me involved, but this is your inquiry, remember; I’m still feeling my way into this job, so I don’t plan on muscling in.’
‘I’m going to dig into Aurelia’s past,’ he told her. ‘I’ve requested her file, formally and in writing, from the SFB human-resources manager; she’s consulting the data controller, just to stay on the right side of the Data Protection Act, but I don’t anticipate problems. I want to see if it gives us any pointers to where she and her husband might have headed.’
‘What about his file?’
‘I’ve made the same request to Heriot-Watt University. They’re more used to police requests for information. With a bit of luck I’ll have both files by the end of the day. If I have to I’ll take them home with me and look through them tonight.’
‘They’ll be well protected, then.’
Steele gave her a curious look. ‘What do you mean by that?’
‘Maggie had a quiet word with me while you were out. I don’t know whether it was woman to woman, or senior officer to senior officer, but she told me about her . . . How do I put it? Relocation. I’ve never seen her look so happy; I’m very pleased for you both, and I really do hope it works out.’
‘Thanks, Mary,’ he said, ‘that means a lot to us. I hope everyone takes it as well.’
‘They will, don’t you worry. Does Mario know yet?’
‘I think he’s guessed that we were seeing each other, but not that Maggie’s moving in. She wants to tell him herself, but face to face, first opportunity she gets. She’s going to leave it for a couple of days, though. Apparently he’s pretty broken up about the American guy.’
‘He’ll be steamed up now, after the outcome of the autopsy.’
‘Why? What’s up?’
‘The DCC’s wife found fresh tap-water in the lungs. She proved that he was drowned somewhere else then chucked in the dock. She’s a sharp operator, that one; there’s a few pathologists would have missed it. Dan Pringle called to tell me, as a courtesy, so I didn’t hear about it first on the telly. There’s a press conference this afternoon.’
‘Is Mario taking it?’
‘No, Mario isn’t in charge. McIlhenney’s running this one, and Alan Royston’s handling the media himself.’
‘Why big Neil?’
‘Because Special Branch does organised crime, and that’s where the investigation’s focused.’
‘Bloody hell!’
‘That’s more or less what I said, but when you think about it, who else would pick a New York copper off the street, and drown him in the bath?’
‘There aren’t many other candidates, I’ll admit,’ said Steele, just as the door opened behind him and DS George Regan’s head appeared.
‘Excuse me, ma’am,’ he said to Chambers, then looked at Steele. ‘Got a minute, Stevie?’
‘If it’s important, yes. What is it?’
‘That car, the one you told us to trace?’
‘Yup. Mitsubishi Pajero, number SQ02ZZL, registered to Jose-Maria Alsina.’
‘We’ve found it.’
‘Where?’
‘In the long-stay car park at Edinburgh airport.’
‘Outstanding. Any idea how long it had been there?’
‘Can’t give you that, sir, I’m afraid. You know how crowded that place is.’
‘Anything from the airlines?’ asked Chambers.
‘We’re working on that, ma’am.’
‘No, you’re not, George,’ the superintendent replied amiably. ‘You’re standing in my doorway, waiting for someone to pat you on the head. Consider that done; now please go back and help Tarvil. We need to know which flight those two caught, and whether they had an ultimate destination beyond that.’
64
If Bob Skinner had ever been asked to nominate, as a frequent flyer, his least favourite European airport, Brussels would have come a close second to Heathrow. For all its turn-of-the-century improvements, he still found it annoying, claustrophobic and difficult to get around. Professionally he felt that its lay-out must make it a nightmare to police.
His flight from Edinburgh had been late, after an air-traffic-control departure delay had thrown it off schedule, so it was just past seven o’clock as he approached the British Airways information desk.
Adam Arrow was nowhere to be seen.
He walked up to the counter, where a richly dressed black woman was querying something on a flight ticket, then turned and looked around. Suddenly he felt something being pressed into the small of his back, something small and round.
‘Turn around very slowly,’ a voice growled.
