Next in Line (William Warwick, #5)(28)

Sir Julian reluctantly stood and shook hands with his rival as if they were old friends before accompanying him to the door, where he said, ‘I look forward to hearing from you, BW.’

Clare waited until after the door had been closed before she said, ‘What’s he up to?’

‘One of two things,’ said Sir Julian. ‘He’s either keeping his powder dry until after he’s consulted Faulkner, which seems to me the most likely explanation, unless—’ The two of them waited for him to complete the sentence. ‘No,’ he said eventually. ‘I’m unwilling to believe that even BW would sink that low …’





CHAPTER 11





WILLIAM WAS THE SECOND PERSON to arrive at the meeting that morning, and wondered if the commander ever went to bed.

The rest of the team were all seated around the table long before the appointed hour and, as each one of them had placed a thick file on the table, it was clear no one had been keeping office hours.

‘Welcome back,’ said the Hawk. ‘As I’ve not been on the ground for this particular operation, I’ll ask DCI Warwick to bring us up to date.’

William outlined in detail the reception he’d received when he and Rebecca had first arrived at Buckingham Gate, before he turned to Jackie and Paul to find out if they’d fared any better at Windsor.

No one was surprised that Paul was the first to offer an opinion.

‘You wouldn’t think we were all serving in the same outfit,’ he told them. ‘Milner addressed me as Detective Sergeant Sambo when he first met me the other day, so heaven knows what he calls me behind my back.’

‘I wish I could say I’m surprised,’ said William, unable to hide his anger.

‘That lot are sexist as well as racist,’ said Rebecca. ‘Women are only good for two things in Milner’s opinion, and one of them isn’t being a Royalty Protection officer.’

‘At least you’ve got an office,’ said Jackie. ‘They’ve put me in an outbuilding that must have been a garden shed before I turned up. I don’t have a desk, just a wheelbarrow and a flower pot.’

Nobody laughed.

‘That’s good to hear,’ said the Hawk, taking them all by surprise. ‘Because it only confirms my feeling that they’ve got something to hide. Our job is to find out what that something is.’

‘Check with Admin for a start,’ said Ross. ‘I took a taxi from my home to Kensington Palace last Thursday, and claimed it on expenses, despite the fact that the number fifty-two bus would have dropped me outside the palace gates. Milner didn’t even query it.’

‘We’re lucky to have you on the inside,’ said William, ‘because the rest of us are still on the starting line.’

‘And I’m fed up with being told that if I’ve got a complaint, I should have a word with the Prince of Wales,’ said Paul.

‘I suspect,’ said the commander, ‘that the Royal Family have no idea what’s going on in their names.’

‘And worse,’ said William, ‘when I was given the one chance to discuss a possible terrorist threat with Milner, he dismissed it out of hand. Told me I was overreacting and, in time, I’d realize he had everything under control.’

‘Until the one time something does go wrong,’ came back the commander, ‘when he’ll realize it’s too late to do anything about it.’

‘Meanwhile,’ said William, ‘we’re just banging our heads against a brick wall.’

‘It’s just possible, sir,’ said Jackie, ‘that I may have found a loose brick in that wall, and if I could remove it, the whole edifice could come tumbling down.’ She paused for a moment, clearly enjoying herself.

‘Take your time, Detective Sergeant,’ teased William.

‘There’s a Constable Jenny Smart who currently works in admin, who’s considering applying for reassignment.’

‘Why?’ asked the Hawk.

‘I think that Milner has promised her once too often that she’ll be next in line to join a Royalty Protection team, and be allocated to her own principal,’ said Jackie. ‘But the last three officers to retire have all been replaced by men, one of them a young Constable only three years into the job, who just happens to be the son of a recently retired officer. Constable Smart remains stuck on the bench while less experienced colleagues are invited onto the field of play. If Milner passes her over one more time, he may end up shooting himself in the foot.’

‘The foot’s far too good for him,’ said Paul. ‘He’d take early retirement and claim a full disability pension.’

‘Patience,’ said Jackie once the laughter had died down. ‘We may not have too long to wait before the odds change in our favour.’

‘How come?’ asked William.

‘Princess Anne’s personal protection officer retires at the end of the month, and Constable Smart is the obvious person to take his place.’

‘If Constable Smart doesn’t get the job,’ said William, ‘that might be our chance to turn her into a whistleblower.’

‘I’ve no doubt she knows where all the bodies are buried,’ said Jackie. ‘So I’ll keep working on her.’