Next in Line (William Warwick, #5)(58)

‘Warwick,’ he barked, even before he had sat down. ‘It has come to my attention that, while I was accompanying Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales on their official tour, you broke into my office, rifled through my files, and removed several items, including my diary, without my knowledge or permission. Is that correct?’

‘Yes, sir,’ said William, not flinching.

‘Who gave you the authority to carry out this unwarranted intrusion?’

‘Commander Hawksby, sir.’

‘Hawksby has no authority over Royalty Protection. I report only to the Prince of Wales.’

‘And to the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, who will be seeing His Royal Highness at twelve o’clock today.’

‘At which time he will be told in no uncertain terms who is in charge of this department.’

‘If you say so, sir.’

‘I do say so, Warwick, and what’s more, I will be recommending to the Commissioner, who is not only a colleague but an old friend, that you should be suspended with immediate effect, pending a full inquiry into your disgraceful and unprofessional behaviour. That recommendation will also include your accomplices, DS Adaja, DS Roycroft and DC Pankhurst.’

‘They were simply carrying out my orders.’ William paused before adding, ‘Sir.’

‘Don’t get cocky with me, Warwick,’ Milner said, staring directly at William. ‘You’re in quite enough trouble as it is. I’m also told by Inspector Reynolds that his office was broken into by DC Pankhurst, despite her claiming she was attending her grandmother’s funeral in Cornwall at the time.’

‘She didn’t need to break into Reynolds’s office, sir – it wasn’t locked.’

‘She still had no right to enter the room without his permission,’ snapped back Milner. ‘And I’m told DS Roycroft was also involved in your clandestine behaviour, despite being on sick leave.’

‘Yes, sir. I admit it was out of order for her to return to work when she should have been convalescing, having risked her life to arrest one of the world’s most dangerous terrorists, for which she was awarded the Queen’s Gallantry Medal. But no such courage was required for her to unlock a dozen filing cabinets and inspect your expenses claims over the past eleven years.’

‘I’m glad you mentioned expenses, Warwick, because your colleague DS Adaja will be facing a full inquiry for submitting false claims to the tune of ￡4,332.’ He threw down a thick wad of claims on the table in triumph.

‘He paid back every penny of those expenses, which you yourself authorized without questioning him.’

‘Don’t bother to try and get him off the hook, because it’s no more than you can expect when that sort join the force.’

‘What sort might that be, sir?’

‘Well, let’s face it, Warwick. He’s not one of us, if you catch my drift?’

‘That’s possibly why he got on so well with your Royalty Protection forward liaison officer, the late lamented Sergeant Nigel Hicks.’

Milner turned chalk white.

‘Who I understand the Commissioner is keen to have a word with before he visits the Prince of Wales later this morning.’

Milner’s whole body began to shake.

‘If I might be allowed to give you one piece of advice,’ said William, ‘I would write your letter of resignation now, and make sure it’s delivered to the Commissioner’s office before midday. That way, he’ll be able to cancel his appointment with the Prince of Wales, and avoid having to tell HRH the real reason you had to resign.’

Milner was now breathing heavily, large beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

‘I would also suggest you advise DI Reynolds and Sergeant Jennings to take the same course of action – unless of course they are willing to face a full inquiry, that would undoubtedly result in them also being dismissed from the service. I have a feeling they wouldn’t hesitate to drag you down with them if they thought it might save their own skins.’

‘Yes, I’ve always suspected those two were fiddling their expenses,’ said Milner calmly, ‘and I was about to make a full report on what they’ve been up to. I’ll have it ready for you by midday, Bill. Then perhaps you could have a word with your friend, the commander?’

‘What word did you have in mind, sir?’ said William. ‘Crook? Embezzler? Thief? I don’t think so. In fact, if I were the Commissioner, I’d instigate a full public inquiry, confident you’d be spending your retirement in a cell in Belmarsh, rather than a cottage in the Cotswolds. However, I suspect Commander Hawksby will do everything in his power to avoid that, as he no doubt considers the Met’s reputation as rather more important than yours.’

William glanced at the photographs on the office walls and added, ‘Not to mention the reputation of your close friend, the Prince of Wales. So I’m sorry to say you’ll probably get away with it, unless of course you decide to dispute the allegations. I confess I hope you do – not least because it will allow DS Adaja to receive the praise he richly deserves for identifying the gravestone of the late Sergeant Nigel Hicks – if you catch my drift.’

? ? ?

‘How did your meeting with Milner go?’ Rebecca asked as they left Buckingham Gate and set off for the Yard.