Next in Line (William Warwick, #5)(63)

‘Then you must stay with us,’ said Beth. ‘Though I have to warn you the spare room is about the size of a below-deck cabin on a Buchanan cruise liner.’

‘Couldn’t be better because it’s a deckhand you’re dealing with.’

‘When were you thinking of coming?’

‘Next Monday.’

‘Then that’s something else you’ve inherited from your grandfather, James. You don’t hang about.’





CHAPTER 24





‘WHY ARE YOU LOOKING SO pleased with yourself?’ asked Beth as William parked the car on the far side of the cricket ground.

‘To start with, there isn’t a cloud in the sky, so there must be a fair chance we’ll get in a full day’s play.’

‘I can’t think of a more exciting way of spending a Sunday afternoon than having to watch a cricket match for five hours.’

‘Be thankful it’s not a test match that can last for five days,’ said William. He got out of the car and opened the back door, releasing three caged children.

‘Daddy,’ said Artemisia, grabbing his trouser leg. ‘Can we have an ice cream?’

‘Certainly not,’ said Beth firmly. ‘You’ve only just had lunch. So you’ll have to wait until the tea interval.’

‘I told you Mum would say that,’ said Peter, who left them and ran off to watch the players warming up in the nets.

‘Ah, I spot a cloud,’ said William as they walked around the boundary.

Beth was puzzled, because the sky was clear with the sun beating down on a contented crowd. Then she saw Christina, sitting on her own.

‘Why don’t you grab the deckchair next to her,’ said William. ‘Give you the chance to find out what she’s been up to recently – no good, I predict.’

‘Do you ever stop thinking like a policeman?’ Beth sighed.

‘Not while she’s sitting there like a praying mantis, because I can’t believe she’s come to watch the cricket.’

‘The cricketers, perhaps,’ said Beth, when she spotted Paul chatting to Christina.

‘And that’s never going to happen,’ said William. He looked around the ground until his eyes settled on Ross and Jackie, who were sitting next to each other, deep in conversation.

? ? ?

‘Whose idea was this?’ asked Jackie as she looked around the ground to see that almost every deckchair had been taken, while others sat on the grass.

‘Choirboy’s of course,’ said Ross. ‘He felt there was a schism between the Royalty Protection officers and uniformed branch.’

‘Not helped by the fact that a Royalty Protection officer can remain working for their principal for many years, while officers protecting cabinet ministers usually have a shelf life of about three or four years, less than the average football manager.’

‘That’s why the Super thought a cricket match might break down some of the barriers,’ said Ross.

‘Who’s that walking out onto the middle of the pitch with William?’ asked Jackie, shielding her eyes from the afternoon sun.

‘Chief Inspector Colin Brooks. He was on the PM’s security detail until the Hawk transferred him to head up Royalty Protection in place of Milner.’

‘He can only be an improvement on that man.’

‘He may be doing Milner’s old job, but that’s where the similarities end. Brooks is an old-fashioned copper who thinks of himself as a small cog in a big wheel. Milner had begun to believe he was the wheel.’ Ross frowned. ‘Looks like we lost the toss.’

‘How come an Irishman knows so much about cricket?’

‘Don’t forget I spent my youth at a boarding school in Belfast,’ said Ross, ‘before I was expelled.’

‘What did you do to deserve that?’ asked Jackie as the two captains walked off the pitch together, chatting amicably.

‘I broke the sixth commandment for the first time.’

‘Who was the lucky girl?’

‘My housemaster’s wife. If the truth be known, it was she who seduced me, but they couldn’t expel her, so I had to go,’ said Ross as William walked across to join them.

‘We’re fielding,’ he said. ‘You’ll be opening the bowling, Ross, so you’d better get warmed up.’

Ross stood up to find someone pulling at his trouser leg.

‘Can I have an ice cream?’ asked Jojo.

‘Please,’ prompted Ross.

‘Can I have an ice cream, please?’

Ross took a pound coin out of his pocket and handed it to her. ‘Make sure Artemisia and Peter get one as well.’

‘Yes, Daddy,’ said Jojo as she ran away.

‘Wrapped around her little finger may well be a cliché,’ said Jackie, ‘but it sure applies to you.’

‘Guilty as charged,’ said Ross, watching as Jojo, holding up the coin in triumph, joined Artemisia and Peter, who had been waiting for her by the ice cream van.

Jackie smiled. ‘Thank heavens she’s got Beth to keep her feet planted firmly on the ground.’

‘Right again. Truth is, I couldn’t have taken on my present job without her support system.’