‘They also have a rucksack that they claim contains a bomb which they’ve placed in the middle of the hostages, and one of them always keeps his foot close to the detonator.’
Standard nodded again. ‘And there’s another group being held in the ballroom on the mezzanine floor. Is that right?’
‘That’s what we believe, yes, but we have no idea of numbers, of the hostages or the hostage-takers. According to GCHQ, the hostage-takers aren’t communicating by radio, and there’s no mobile phone signal inside the hotel, so it’s impossible to track them. Our negotiations are being held on the telephone in the kitchen next door to the ballroom, so we think that’s the terrorist’s command centre.’
‘And what about our VIP hostage, Michael Prior? Do we have any idea where he’s being held?’
Arley shook her head, conscious of how limited their information was. ‘All I can tell you is that as of five p.m. he was being held in one of the guest rooms on the third floor at the front of the hotel, but we haven’t been able to find out which one because he wasn’t booked into the hotel under his own name, and neither his wife nor his office knew he was there. Since then his mobile phone’s moved within the building, and it’s now been switched off. We’ve asked the lead hostage-taker for permission to speak to him, but so far it hasn’t been forthcoming.’
Standard sighed. ‘It sounds like these gentlemen are very well organized. Not your usual Angry Brigade bunch of extremists. It’s clear they’ve been studying how we operate in these kinds of situations. What about their state of mind? Do they come across as agitated, or desperate?’
‘We’ve been dealing with one man, who calls himself Wolf, and he seems remarkably calm under the circumstances. I’m hoping we can negotiate a peaceful solution.’
‘We’re all hoping that.’
‘We’ve got the TV cameras well back from the scene and we’re operating a complete no-fly zone in central London, but if you go in from the roof or the front, your actions will be seen live on TV. With the technology they’ve got these days, there’s no way round that.’
‘I’m aware of that,’ said Standard with a frown.
‘Right now, the situation’s calm, but if things deteriorate rapidly, what’s your plan for penetrating the building?’
There it was. The life-or-death question. She asked it calmly enough, but all the time she was thinking of Howard, Oliver and India. Wondering if they were even still alive. Just as she had been ever since she’d received that phone call.
Standard looked at her, and the lines on his face seemed deeper than before. ‘If things go totally awry and we have to go in at a moment’s notice, our IA – the immediate action plan – is a multi-entry assault via the roof and neighbouring buildings. But I have to tell you, it’s a very risky strategy, given the way the terrorists have split the hostages, and our lack of knowledge of their numbers. Or what booby-traps, if any, they’ve laid.’
‘We can’t afford large numbers of civilian casualties.’
‘We know that,’ said Standard. ‘Which is why we’re currently in the process of formulating a more subtle surprise attack. But we only received the digital plans for the building in the last ten minutes, and we’re still waiting for the guest lists from the Stanhope’s owner, so it’s going to take time.’
Arley needed more than this. Much more. ‘The hostage-takers claim to have booby-trapped the whole building,’ she said, ‘including the ground floor entrances. And we know they’ve got ready access to explosives.’
‘In that case, we’d be looking at a silent entry through windows on the mezzanine floor into guest rooms on either side of the ballroom. That way we’re almost certain to bypass any booby-traps they’ve set. The idea would be to take out the terrorists in the ballroom, then continue through the building, securing it floor by floor, before engaging the hostage-takers in the restaurant. The terrorists think they’re being clever by not communicating by radio, but in a surprise attack like this it would actually count against them.’
Arley smiled, trying hard to look impressed. ‘What about Michael Prior? How do you intend to find him?’
‘We’re still working on that, but if you can get a location for him, it would be a huge step forward.’
‘We’ll do everything we can,’ Arley replied, feeling a knot in her stomach. Somehow they had to find a way to end the siege without the SAS having to go in. Somehow, too, Tina Boyd – a disgraced detective, with virtually no leads to work on – had to find her family and bring them home safely. Both things were still possible. They had to be. Hostages had been released, and right now, at least, the situation was calm inside the Stanhope.
Allowing herself to see the tiniest chink of hope, she stepped out of the office and into the street as her mobile rang.
‘Are you on your own?’ asked Tina.
‘Yes. What have you got?’
‘I’ve got bad news, and I’ve got good news. The bad news is bad, and there’s no easy way to say it.’
Arley felt her stomach lurch. ‘Go on.’
‘Your husband’s dead. I found his body in your house.’
The news was a terrible shock, but Arley didn’t have time to process it. ‘What about the twins?’
‘There’s no sign of them. I think they must have been taken this morning, not long after you left. Your husband’s been dead quite a long time.’
‘Christ …’
‘The better news is I’ve just come from one of your neighbours, a Mrs Thompson. She saw two men in a red van leaving your house just before eight o’clock this morning. She noted the registration number.’
Arley felt a rush of hope that seemed to lift her off her feet. As a senior police officer, she knew how much useful information you could glean from a simple registration plate. ‘Give me the number,’ she said, pulling a notebook and pen from her pocket. ‘I’ll get on to the ANPR guys.’
‘Arley, you know as well as I do that as soon as you make the request there’ll be a paper trail leading back to you, and you might have to answer some very awkward questions later.’
‘Right now, that’s the least of my worries.’
‘Have the kidnappers been back in contact?’
‘Not yet, no.’
‘They will be,’ said Tina emphatically. ‘You know, we shouldn’t be doing this alone, Arley. A single registration number isn’t going to lead us straight to your kids.’
‘Look, Tina, I really appreciate everything you’re doing for me but I can’t afford to tell anyone else what’s going on.’ She paused, wondering whether she should put her concern into words. ‘These people know so much I’m beginning to wonder if it’s an inside job. The thing is, I don’t know who I can trust.’
‘You’re going to have to put your trust in somebody.’
‘And I have done. You.’
‘I’m not enough, Arley. If the SAS go in and you give their plans to the terrorists, you’ll have a lot of blood on your hands. And so will I.’
‘I know, but just let me see what this registration number gives us. Where are you now?’
‘Just down the road from your house.’
‘Can you stay there for the moment? I’ll call back as soon as I can.’
‘OK. And while you’re at it, try and get a trace on your husband’s mobile too. It might help me pin down a location for your children.’
Arley hesitated. The man who’d called her on Howard’s phone had told her that if anything happened to him, the twins would be killed by the man who was actually holding them. But she also knew that Tina needed as much information as possible. ‘OK, I’ll do it. And, Tina?’
‘What?’
‘Thank you.’ She felt herself beginning to well up as the emotions of the evening fought to get the better of her.
Tina sighed. ‘Just get on with it, Arley. Time’s not on our side.’
Fifty-four
20.38
AS SOON AS Arley stepped back inside the mobile incident room, she knew that something was wrong.
