Next in Line (William Warwick, #5)(96)

‘There’s been nothing until this moment to suggest otherwise,’ said Commander Hawksby, coming to William’s aid. ‘However, I must confess that in the course of his duties as the Princess’s personal protection officer, Inspector Hogan has warned me on more than one occasion that Chalabi shouldn’t be underestimated, and that he was convinced, and I quote,’ he said, looking down at his briefing notes, ‘“That he’s not quite as na?ve as he would have us believe.”’

‘That’s for sure,’ said the Prime Minister, ‘because he’s certainly made fools of you lot, and—’

‘Was there anything else you learnt from the conversation with Hogan, Superintendent?’ asked the Cabinet Secretary, butting in before the PM said something she might later regret.

‘His answers to the security questions were actually a way of passing on vital information without arousing Chalabi’s suspicions. DI Hogan mentioned the number ten when I asked how many officers I have under my command at Buckingham Gate. The correct answer is fourteen, so we can assume that ten is the number of terrorists involved in the raid, plus Chalabi, making eleven.’

‘So how long does it take on average for an ambulance to reach a traffic accident in London?’ asked the Cabinet Secretary.

‘About seven to eight minutes,’ replied William. ‘So I suspect eighteen to twenty knots is the speed the Lowlander is currently travelling.’

‘And is currently about a thousand miles away from its destination,’ suggested the First Sea Lord.

‘Clever,’ said the Cabinet Secretary. ‘But what about the six brothers and four sisters?’

‘I also know that Inspector Hogan was an only child,’ said William, ‘so I suspect the six brothers are active terrorists, while the four sisters are non-combatants. And rod of iron is slang for a Dragunov sniper rifle, which was presumably responsible for the death of the photographer on the beach.’

‘And Bill didn’t sit easily with the rest of the conversation,’ suggested the Cabinet Secretary. ‘I have a feeling you’re a William, and Inspector Hogan would normally call you “sir”.’

‘It’s an agreed code to let me know that everything he’s said can be relied on, and is not being forced out of him at the point of a gun, or worse.’

The First Sea Lord gave William a respectful nod, before saying, ‘We have less than an hour before we find out what Chalabi’s next demands will be, by which time the SBS transport plane should be on its way to HMS Cornwall. You’re going to have to buy me some time, Superintendent, because my lads will need total darkness before they attempt to board that yacht, and sunset isn’t for another five hours.’

‘No pressure,’ whispered the Hawk, without any suggestion of irony.

‘As I mentioned before,’ said the Prime Minister, ‘we never negotiate with terrorists. But that needn’t stop us coming up with any excuse to keep them talking until the SBS are ready to play their part. With that in mind, Superintendent, if I might give you a word of advice: be sure your phone is fully charged.’





CHAPTER 34





‘THANK GOD YOU’RE STILL ALIVE,’ were Victoria’s first words after the cabin door had been opened and Ross thrown back inside.

‘Well, at least for another hour,’ said Ross, trying to make light of it.

‘What makes you say that?’ she asked, anxiously clinging to him.

‘I’ll tell you later,’ he said, although he had no intention of repeating what he’d overheard of the conversation between Chalabi and William. ‘Right now, I need to speak to the Princess.’

‘She’s sitting on the balcony of her cabin, and she’s still on the same page of her paperback as she was an hour ago.’

Victoria followed Ross out onto her adjoining balcony, to see the Princess, head down, looking fragile and lost, her usual shy smile replaced by a look of intense foreboding. When she saw the two of them, she leapt up and ran across to their side of the balcony.

‘I owe you an apology,’ were her first words. Ross didn’t comment. ‘You never left me in any doubt how you felt about him,’ said Diana. ‘If only I hadn’t ignored your undisguised loathing of the man.’

‘You weren’t the only one who was fooled, ma’am. But for now, we have to concentrate on the present. So, if I tell either of you to do something, anything, don’t even think about questioning me. Is that understood?’

They both nodded obediently, before Diana said, ‘I’m just thankful you’re still alive.’

‘I think you mean surprised, ma’am,’ said Ross, once again trying to lighten the mood.

‘Did you learn anything from him?’ Diana asked, pointing to the upper deck, but no longer able to mention his name.

Ross chose his words carefully. ‘Yes, ma’am. He’s been in contact with London, who were already aware of the situation, and are now trying to strike a deal to get you released.’

‘What kind of deal?’ asked Victoria.

‘For now, ma’am, I want you to change into your swimsuit and sit on the balcony as if you were still on holiday,’ said Ross, making no attempt to answer Victoria’s question.

‘What about Victoria?’ demanded Diana, a little defiance returning.