Next in Line (William Warwick, #5)(25)

‘Whoever that might be,’ said Sir Julian, the lines on his forehead creasing to reveal deep furrows. ‘But how does that help our cause?’

‘Mrs Christina Faulkner has signed an affidavit stating that the painting belongs to her,’ replied Clare, ‘and she therefore has the right to loan it to whomever she pleases.’

‘Unfortunately, we won’t find out which side that woman is on,’ said Grace, ‘until she enters the witness box, and that’s not a risk I’d be willing to take while BW has more to offer her than we do. And in any case, by then it may be too late.’

‘I fear you’re right,’ said Sir Julian. ‘And we’re already on shaky ground when it comes to defending our position, as Booth Watson will undoubtedly point out when he joins us for a preliminary consultation’ – he checked his watch – ‘in about twenty minutes’ time.’

‘I have a feeling,’ said Grace, ‘that he’ll be only too happy to make a deal that will allow him to get Faulkner off the hook, remembering that he stayed in contact with him after his escape from prison, and even played the conductor at his orchestrated funeral.’

‘Let’s hope you’re right,’ added Sir Julian. ‘But will it be enough to stop him raising the subjects of kidnap and theft?’ He paused for a moment before he picked up a sheet of paper from his desk. ‘I’ve already made a wish list for us to consider,’ he declared, ‘were we in his shoes.’

‘So have I,’ said Clare, extracting a sheet of lined yellow paper from the agreed bundle.

‘Good, then let’s compare notes,’ said Grace.

‘One,’ began Sir Julian, ‘BW will demand that the case be heard in open court so all the damning evidence concerning Chief Inspector Warwick will be in the public domain. And by that, I mean on the front pages of every tabloid newspaper, because if there’s one thing the press enjoy more than being responsible for putting a criminal behind bars, it’s having a go at the police.’

‘Judges aren’t influenced by the red-tops,’ said Grace.

‘But juries are,’ countered Sir Julian. ‘And don’t forget not many of them read the Guardian.’

‘But—’ began Grace.

‘Therefore,’ he continued, taking over from his daughter before she could offer an opinion. ‘Don’t be surprised if BW advises Faulkner to plead guilty to a lesser offence in exchange for a suspended sentence.’

‘Unlikely,’ said Grace. ‘If that were to happen, the press would want to know the reason why he’d got off so lightly.’

‘Two,’ said Sir Julian, ‘for not raising the subject of a stolen painting, he will demand his client’s current sentence be halved to four years, which would mean with good behaviour he’d be released in about a year’s time.’

‘Hogan should have left him in the safe,’ muttered Clare, before putting another tick on her list.

Sir Julian ignored the comment before summing up. ‘So, what we’re looking at is the Crown calling for the judge to double Faulkner’s sentence to sixteen years for absconding from prison, while the defence will be pushing for us to drop the latest charges in exchange for not raising the subject of kidnap and theft, while at the same time halving Faulkner’s present sentence if he’s willing to plead guilty, thus ensuring nothing gets into the press. So what have we got to offer,’ he continued, ‘to prevent that from happening? Because at the moment, frankly I can’t come up with a whole lot.’

‘As I mentioned,’ said Grace, ‘Booth Watson has one or two of his own problems that he certainly won’t want raised in open court.’

‘Rehearse your argument as if you were addressing the jury,’ instructed Sir Julian, gripping the lapels of his jacket before setting off on another circuit.

‘If Booth Watson attended Faulkner’s staged funeral in Geneva, as DCI Warwick will confirm he did, and later flew to Barcelona to see him, as witnessed by DC Pankhurst, he must have known all along that Faulkner was still alive, which means, under the 1967 Criminal Law Act, he was aiding and abetting a fugitive. If we can prove that, the police would have no choice but to open a preliminary investigation into his conduct, the results of which they’d pass on to the CPS and the Bar Council. That could result in Booth Watson being struck off, and even arrested for criminal conspiracy, which would make him ineligible to defend Faulkner, or anyone else for that matter.’

Sir Julian considered this for a few moments before saying, ‘Much as I dislike the man, let’s hope we don’t have to stoop that low.’

‘Even if we did,’ said Clare, ‘I feel confident BW will stoop even lower.’

? ? ?

Ross sat silently in the front passenger seat of the Jaguar while the Princess and Lady Victoria Campbell chatted happily in the back. He tried not to show how nervous he was, remembering this was his first official outing with the Princess.

He had already visited the Dorchester earlier that morning to liaise with the forward recce officer. Together they’d walked the course, so HRH couldn’t take a single step in any direction he hadn’t anticipated, and after that the sniffer dogs carried out their own form of surveillance.

The FRO briefed the hotel’s manager to expect a VIP visitor without naming them, while warning everyone that if any details were to leak, the event would be cancelled or moved to another venue at a moment’s notice. That usually ensured everyone involved kept their mouth shut.