‘It was kind of you to agree to see me, colonel,’ said William when the two men met in the reception area. ‘I know the commander is looking forward to catching up with you.’
‘Hawksby was one of my better junior subalterns. He would have made a damn fine soldier,’ said the colonel, as he followed William into the lift. ‘It will be good to see the young man again after all these years.’
William stifled a smile as he stepped out of the lift and led the colonel down the corridor to the commander’s office. He knocked on the door, and as they entered, the Hawk sprang to attention. ‘It’s an honour to see you again, sir,’ he said.
‘At my age, I’m always surprised anyone still remembers me,’ said the colonel, as they shook hands.
‘How could anyone forget,’ said Hawksby. ‘My generation was raised on Colditz, Dunkirk and Navarone.’
‘So, it wasn’t David Niven who led that raid?’ said William, playing along.
‘No,’ said the colonel, ‘but I can’t complain. When Niven landed the part it did my reputation with the ladies no harm. So how can I help?’
‘May I ask, colonel, if you think DS Warwick’s idea has any merit?’
‘It most certainly does, and what’s more I know the ideal man for the job. He’s actually already one of your chaps. When Captain Scott Cairns left the regiment, the Met recruited him to set up its counter-terrorist division, which is more or less the SAS in different-coloured uniforms. I think you’ll find it’s fully operational by now, although it’s being kept under wraps.’
‘Then we’ll have to unwrap it,’ said William. ‘How do I get in touch with Captain Cairns?’
‘I don’t know,’ said the colonel. ‘But I wouldn’t be surprised if he was holed up somewhere in this building.’
‘Scotland Yard employs over two thousand people in over three hundred offices on nineteen floors, but if he’s here I’ll have tracked him down before the end of the day,’ said the Hawk. ‘Now all we have to hope is our boys are as good as your lot were.’
‘They’re a damn sight better,’ said the colonel. ‘We were a bunch of amateurs by comparison. This new lot are highly trained professionals, who’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done.’
‘But are they just as mad?’ asked the Hawk.
‘Certifiable! It’s still the only essential qualification for the job. But now that I’ve solved your problem, can I ask a favour?’
‘Anything,’ said the Hawk.
‘Since I’ve finally made it to Scotland Yard without being arrested, would it be possible to have a guided tour of the Black Museum?’
‘When’s the baby due?’ asked Christina, as William turned off the motorway and followed the signs to Limpton, which brought back so many memories.
‘Not long now,’ replied Beth.
‘You must both be so excited.’
‘William’s got one or two other things on his mind at the moment.’
‘What could possibly be more important than your firstborn?’
‘Arson and art theft,’ said William. ‘But I hope to have solved both cases before Alexander or Vivien make their presence known.’
‘Boudicca or Leonardo,’ said Beth. ‘As you can see, we haven’t yet settled on the name. But let’s concentrate on arson for the time being.’
‘Proving someone has committed arson is never easy,’ said William. ‘Unless there are obvious, tell-tale signs, like traces of accelerant on a floorboard, or a petrol-soaked rag that’s been dropped through a letterbox – the sort of crass mistake only amateurs think they could get away with.’
‘And the professionals?’ asked Christina.
‘A pile of tissues placed just below a wooden roof next to an immersion heater, and then one match is all it takes. There aren’t many people serving prison sentences for arson, as it’s one of the easiest crimes to get away with. So, we’ll have to concentrate on proving that Miles stole the pictures before the house went up in flames.’
‘Of course he did.’
‘However much you believe that’s the case, Christina, and I’m not saying I don’t agree with you, you’ll still need concrete evidence for a case to stand up in a court of law. Without it, vexatious claims from an angry ex-wife tend to be laughed out of court.’
‘William,’ said Beth sharply, ‘that’s very harsh after all Christina’s been through.’
‘I’m on her side,’ said William. ‘But unless I find what I’m looking for, we’ll all be wasting our time,’ he added, as he turned into the lane that led up to Limpton Hall. This time he drove slowly.
‘So where do we start?’ asked Christina.
‘We go over the site with the proverbial fine-tooth comb.’
‘What are we looking for?’ asked Beth.
‘Anything that’s survived the fire.’
William drove past the abandoned gatehouse and on up the long drive, not quite sure what to expect. He only just avoided crashing into a tree when he first caught sight of what was left of the beautiful Lutyens manor house that had once stood so proudly on the hill dominating the surrounding countryside. All that remained was half an acre of ash and rubble.
William parked the car on the drive, opened the boot and took out three sets of overalls, Wellington boots and rubber gloves. Once they had put them on, the three of them walked across to where the front door had once stood.
‘Right,’ said William. ‘We have to be as methodical as possible. We’ll begin on this side and work our way across the site in a straight line, then move three paces to the right and repeat the same exercise on the way back. If you come across anything that has survived the blaze, let me know.’
‘Does this count?’ asked Beth, bending down and extracting the front door knocker from the ashes.
‘A promising start,’ said William, after he’d taken a closer look. He dropped their first find into a large black bin liner.
A few minutes later, it was Beth again. This time a bath tap, followed by Christina who added a marble egg. ‘I bought
