chest.
'Knocked me for six when Owen took the petrol out,' said Shepherd. 'He was going to do it, too. If the warehouse staff find out we knew there was going to be a robbery, they could sue for millions.'
'We didn't have a choice, you know that,' said Hargrove. 'There were too many warehouses at Gatwick to put our own people in every one.'
Shepherd shrugged.
'You did everything you could,' said Hargrove. 'The transmitter on the minibus led us to the right warehouse.'
'Eventually,' said Shepherd.
'We got them. That's what counts.'
'We risked civilians.'
'It was my decision, Spider. It was either that or just do them for conspiracy. I wanted Verity there with his trousers round his knees.' He paused, then leaned forward. 'I'm putting you forward for a commendation. You did a great job.'
Shepherd already had a string of commendations and awards for his undercover work, but he didn't do it for the glory. Or for the money. He did it because he was good at it. And he enjoyed it.
'So, what do you think?' asked Hargrove.
'About Carpenter? He's got people fetching and carrying for him on the wing. The prison officers seem a decent bunch. I presume you've already done financial checks?'
'All clean. But they wouldn't be stupid enough to pay money into their bank accounts.'
'Might not be money,' said Shepherd. 'He could be threatening them. Guy like Carpenter could reach their families any time he wanted.'
'Hopefully you'll hear about it on the wing. That's all we need, Spider. A nod in the right direction. Once we've got a name we can put him under the microscope.'
'Or her,' said Shepherd. 'There are female officers in here.'
'Only two on the remand spur where you are. It's not unknown for female officers to develop crushes on prisoners, which is why they get moved around more than the men. But Amelia Heartfield's married with four kids and, believe me, he's not her type. We had a good look at Joanne Lloyd-Davies too, but she's got a boyfriend. Several, as it happens.' He adjusted his cuffs. 'And she's very highly thought of. Graduate entrant, studied psychology at Exeter University. She could be running her own prison before she's thirty-five. Not the sort to start taking bungs from a drug-dealer. Don't rule her out on my say-so, but I'd look elsewhere if I were you.' Hargrove pushed back his chair and stood up. 'I'll fix an appointment to see you tomorrow.'
Shepherd got to his feet. Hargrove pressed the bell by the door and the grey-haired officer opened the door and took him down the corridor. A man Shepherd hadn't seen before escorted him back to the remand wing.
By the time he was back on the wing the evening meal was being served. Shepherd wasn't hungry but he joined the queue. He was given the vegetarian option - curried beans - and put a roll and a pot of strawberry yoghurt on his plastic tray with it. As he headed for the stairs he passed Lloyd-Davies and flashed her a tight smile.
'How was the meeting with your lawyer?' she asked.
'He agreed with you,' said Shepherd. 'Said I should start co-operating. Would it be possible to speak to a governor some time?'
'About what?'
'About registering, or whatever you call it. I want to start making phone calls, maybe arrange a visit.'
A smile of triumph flicked across her face. 'Decided to face reality, have you?'
'Seems pointless playing the strong, silent type.'
'Cutting off your nose to spite your face - I told you that your first day on the wing,' said Lloyd-Davies.
'I should have listened to you. So I can have a meet with a governor, can I? Run through my details?'
'You don't need to see the governor for that,' said Lloyd-Davies. 'I can take care of it. What do we call you?'
'Macdonald. Bob Macdonald.'
'And this is your first time inside, is it?'
Shepherd nodded.
'I'm sure it won't be your last. Now up the stairs with you.'
'You sound just like my old mum when you say that, ma'am,' said Shepherd. He saw her fighting not to smile as he headed up the stairs to the first-floor landing.
Lee was sitting at the desk, his head down over his plate. He grunted as Shepherd walked in. 'Where'd you get to?' he asked, his mouth full.
'My brief,' said Shepherd. He put the tray down on the table. 'You can have mine, I'm not hungry.'
'Gut trouble?'
'Just not hungry.' Shepherd sat on his bunk.
'The yoghurt, too?'
'Have it all.'
'Cheers, mate.'
Shepherd lay back on the bunk and interlinked his fingers behind his neck. 'Just so you know, I'm Bob Macdonald.'
'No more man-of-mystery, huh?'
'Figured it wasn't getting me anywhere. At least I'll start getting my money and I can register for the phone.'
'Means the screws'll cut you some slack, too.' Lee ripped his roll in half and used it to wipe his plate, then reached for Shepherd's. 'So was it your brief's idea to come clean?' he asked.
'He said they could put me away for just as long even if they didn't know who I was.'
'Makes sense. Is he expensive?'
'I suppose so.'
'It's worth paying the extra, that's what I always say. My brief's a diamond. Worth his weight in gold.'
Shepherd noticed the mixed metaphor but didn't say anything.
'He's the reason I'm in here,' said Lee, digging his plastic fork into Shepherd's beans.
Shepherd rolled on to his side so that he could look at his cellmate. 'Run that by me again, will you, Jason? Your brief's a diamond and he's the reason you're in prison?'
'Not in prison, you soft bugger.' Lee waved his plastic fork around the cell. 'Remand. He's the one who got me in here instead of doing hard time.'
'This is a Category A prison,' said Shepherd, still not following his cellmate's logic.
'It's Cat A, but we're on the remand wing, and remand time is always easier than hard time,' said Lee. He twisted round in the metal chair and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. 'Look, I'm as guilty as sin, right? So Joe, he's my brief, says we plead not guilty on the basis that there's no way I'm going to get bail whatever happens. I sit here on remand, Joe drags his feet as much as he can before we get to trial, then we put our hands up to it. Judge looks at us favourably because we're saving the taxpayer the expense of a trial and I get a reduced sentence. Any time served here is knocked off the total.' He raised his eyebrows. 'See?'
'Got it,' said Shepherd. He rolled on to his back and stared up at the ceiling.
'He's all right, is Joe,' said Lee, turning back to his meal. 'For a Yid. Always make the best lawyers, Yids do.'
Lee continued to talk, but Shepherd closed his eyes and blanked him out as he went through the information he'd read about Gerald Carpenter. Father of three, married to his wife Bonnie for fourteen years, a keen rugby union fan and an experienced scuba diver. He had a private pilot's licence, a collection of expensive sports cars and a driving licence that had twice been suspended for speeding offences. Educated at Chiswick grammar school, he'd gone on to study economics at Exeter University then dropped out at the start of his second year to spend three years backpacking around the world.
Carpenter was almost fifteen years older than Lloyd-Davies, so there was no possibility of them having met at Exeter, but it might have given him a way to get close to her.
Carpenter had ended up in South East Asia, teaching English in the north of Thailand before coming to the
