Really, he hardly knew me, yet he already knew how to flatter me!
Sitting now, we were grinning at each other like hyenas. His pleasure was infectious and I was revelling in his enjoyment.
‘So, what do you think the numbers mean?’
‘I think it’s the combination for a safe’s lock. There’s a safe in the Provost’s rooms in the Chapter House behind King’s College, only no one knows what the combination is. Lost in the midst of time.’
‘And no one’s ever tried to crack it?’
‘No, both the current and previous Provosts were two of the world’s most unimaginative men, and didn’t bother to investigate. The first said nothing is truly hidden from God’s eye, the second simply installed a lock to his desk drawer, promptly making everyone wonder exactly what it was that he needed to hide.’
‘And did you ever find out?’
‘Yes, as a prank Charlie broke into the office and returned with a beer mat.’
‘I don’t get it.’
‘The dean was a rabid teetotaller, but locked in the drawer was a flask of whiskey, a glass and a variety of beer mats. The man was a closet drinker.’
‘Is it illegal for Provosts to drink?’
‘Nope.’
‘So why do that to yourself?’
‘Ah, now who can understand the hypocrisy of the human soul? The thing is, it means that at some point he was in the Provost’s office and may have cracked the safe’s combination, and in fact from the postcard clue I would guess that he did.’
‘Wouldn’t he have told you?’
‘Why? We all love a secret, plus how fabulous to have a private safe.’
‘But isn’t it in someone else’s office?’
‘Not perfect, I’ll grant you. But I bet it added to the spice. Charlie always says...’
Julius paused, and his face fell as he realised he’d got the tense wrong. In amongst all my concerns, I had to remember I was sitting with someone that had just lost a friend to a violent end.
‘So, is the Provost’s office difficult to break into?’
‘I doubt the door is even locked, but we don’t want anyone walking in whilst we are trying to open the safe, which is why I hope you have some clever ideas up your sleeve.’
I sat back and sipped my stout. It made sense, and breaking-in sounded almost dull. But quite frankly, at this stage in the mission I could do with dullness. It was time to plan the next step. My gut feeling was that we were close to finding the egg. It made sense that Charlie had placed it somewhere secure when he went to London, and a smart move to send his friend a clue as to its location. I needed to ready the team. If we did find the egg, then we needed to depart immediately.
Julius had explained his idea, and whilst it meant we had to wait an hour or two, I liked the idea of working under the cover of nightfall. Plus, it meant we could have some food before we left. Some people liked to step through the Q Field on an empty stomach. Personally, I couldn’t see the point. Plus, the smells from the kitchen were unctuous and I’d already seen Sticky Toffee pudding on the blackboard. I was having some of that. It was a new one on me, and I had no idea what it was, but it sounded divine.
What I needed right now though, was a back door to leave the pub. If I was Paul, left without any technological ways to track us, I’d go back to basics and establish visuals. I’d been scanning the crowds, but so far I hadn’t spotted him. That didn’t mean he wasn’t there though, following our every step. If I could get away from the tourists and students, then he would lose his cover. Having determined that he wasn’t in the actual pub, I left Julius and nipped to the loo.
On my return, I told Julius my plan. ‘Right, I’ve found a way out that leads to an alley. When it’s time to go I need you to get us to the Provost’s study via the least crowded routes.’ The chances were that Paul wouldn’t make a move until we had the egg in our hands, but I needed Julius to be on high alert. Now that we had broken the clue, he ran the risk of being tortured for his knowledge. I ran through various protocols with him.
‘If I shout “down”, drop to the ground and find cover. If you see me pull my gun, drop to the ground and find cover. If you hear shots —’
‘Drop to the ground and find cover?’
Julius’ tone didn’t seem to suggest he was taking me seriously.
‘While I’m dropping to the ground and finding cover, do you think I can do so, in a constructive, manly fashion?’
‘I don’t care what fashion you do it in so long as you don’t get in my way or end up dead. Both options would be hugely helpful. If you do choose to die, could you do it after I have retrieved the egg? A failed recovery and a dead civilian will play hell with my performance metrics.’
‘I’ll try not to spoil your clean-up rate. That’s obviously at the top of my priorities.’
I sighed. This wasn’t what I needed. We both needed to be alert, not at odds. I was used to telling people what they needed to do, and then they did it. I didn’t mind when Clio or Ramin talked back because I valued their insight and experience. Julius had none of that. Clearly, he had native intelligence, but he had zero experience in self-preservation. Plus, it would have been nice to know that my partner was capable of covering my back.
‘Sorry.’ Inwardly I could almost see Clio rolling her eyes. ‘It’s just I need to try to keep you alive. It would be easier for me if you had zero agency, but of course that’s not possible. You’re scared and sad and trying to
