base. An odoriferous lime and purple chemical compound was sprouting in a Tupperware dish. The power point under his desk had been held open with the blade of a kitchen knife so that he could leave a light burning over his hydroponic marijuana plant. A hardback book lay open by his keyboard. Land idly examined the chapter Bryant had been reading.
His eye fell upon Madame Blavatsky. She seemed to be perfectly at home in here. He wandered over to it, checked the coin slot and dug out an old penny. Dropping it in, he watched as the seer rummaged awkwardly for a card and dropped it into the delivery tray. He reached in and picked it up.
It read:
YOUR WIFE IS HAVING AFFAIRS BEHIND YOUR BACK
Startled, he shoved the card back in the tray.
He looked back at Madame Blavatsky. “Don’t be so ridiculous,” he said aloud.
The clairvoyant winked at him grotesquely. One of her eyes was shorting out, causing her hand to tremble. Suddenly she spoke. “Your wife, Leanne, is not in Wales, Raymond, she’s at the Regent Palace Hotel with her Spanish flamenco instructor. You will find them checked in under the name of Cheryl and Roger Boothby.” Blavatsky’s voice was low and ominous and seemed to come from a place far within the cold earth.
“How do you know this?” Land asked.
“Don’t be stupid, I’m a clairvoyant. I see all.”
“What should I do?”
“I tell you nothing you have not suspected before. You must face your demons.”
“How do I do that?”
“Go there at once, before they leave the room. Confront her. Take back control of your life. The power is in your hands.”
“You’re right,” said Land, suddenly filled with conviction. “By God, you’re right. I should have done this a long time ago.” He turned on his heel and quickly left the room.
Arthur Bryant emerged from his place inside the old armchair that he had turned to face the wall. He yawned and stretched.
“I say, I say, I say,” said Madame Blavatsky. “Did you hear about my clairvoyant friend Madame Raya? She won the lottery. I said to her, ‘Well done, Medium Raya’.”
“What on earth’s going on?” asked John May, coming in and throwing his newspaper onto his desk.
“Oh, years ago Dudley Salterton taught me ventriloquism,” Bryant replied. “I went to see Maggie Armitage to get my memory back, and her treatment made me remember his lessons. I got bored sticking little hints on Madame Blavatsky’s cards – Raymondo’s so hopeless I knew he’d never get the message – so I made the old dear tell him about Leanne. He’s gone off to sort her out. He completely fell for it.”
May made a sound of disapproval but was not really surprised. “Arthur, you are completely incorrigible.”
“I should hope so. It’s one of the few benefits of my age. Anyway, I’ve nothing better to do. Ray Pryce is behind bars. My desk is clear once more. Except – ”
“I know,” said May. “But you’re not going to be able to sort this one out. It’s far too big.”
“I know, but I have to find a way, John. I can’t leave her murder on my conscience.”
“You wouldn’t be fighting an individual over Anna Marquand’s death. You’d be taking on the entire British government. You’re not a political animal, Arthur. You’d be beaten.”
“I wouldn’t do it alone,” said Bryant.
“No,” May agreed. “I wouldn’t let you do it alone. We’re a team. But whatever the outcome, you know it would be our final investigation. It would be the end of us.”
“Yes, I know that. But still, I think I have to do it.”
“Then I’ll do it with you,” said May. “We’ll find a way to put things right somehow.”
“There’s always another fight, isn’t there?” said Bryant. “You strip away one mask and find another beneath it.”
“That’s this city for you. It’s filled with infinite impossibilities, but it has survived for more than two thousand years, and it’ll still be here long after we’ve gone. There’s one small consolation.”
“What’s that?”
“It will remember your name, Arthur. You did something with your life. London remembers all those who make a difference.”
“So you think we should go out with a bang?” Bryant asked. He raised one dangerously mischievous eyebrow.
“Why not?” said May, unable to contain a rueful smile. “That was the way we came in, wasn’t it?”
