17
In just a few short hours, life at TPHQ had taken an abrupt turn for the worse.
‘Well now,’ said Commander Hay brightly, endeavouring to generate some enthusiasm for her second PMT in a week. ‘Our last meeting was interrupted, for which I apologise. Let’s see if we can get this finished today, shall we?’
Captain Farenden, making ready to take notes, glanced at his scratchpad, stiffened and quietly left the room.
Commander Hay watched him from the corner of her eye. ‘Now then, shall we start with individual departmental budgets? I believe we’re looking at a carry-forward of . . .’
‘Ma’am,’ said Captain Farenden, returning, ‘your urgent attention is required.’
She glanced at his face and then said, ‘It would appear we are fated, gentlemen.’ She began to shut down her data stack. ‘If you would all excuse me, please.’
Once again, the PMT officers gathered their papers and filed out.
She leaned back in her chair. ‘Go on then, Charlie, hit me with the bad news.’
‘It’s very bad, ma’am. A friend of mine is in the River Police. Sometimes she’s in a position to give me a heads-up.’
Commander Hay was seized with a sudden foreboding. Leaning forwards, she said, ‘Go on.’
‘This morning, two naked bodies were taken from the river at Vauxhall.’
‘Go on.’
‘They’ve been knocked about. Whether that was the river or . . .’
‘Just say it, Charlie,’ she said wearily.
‘Ma’am, from the preliminary descriptions – I think it’s Klein and Nuñez.’
‘Were they found at the same location?’
‘Handcuffed together, ma’am.’
‘Sending a message.’
He was silent.
‘Give me a moment, will you?’
‘Of course, ma’am.’
He left the room. Commander Hay rose stiffly from her seat, turned and looked out of the window. The shining Thames flowed as it always had, thick with shipping. A River Police launch raced downriver, bouncing across the water. A long line of laden barges was being towed slowly in the opposite direction. On the north bank, almost directly opposite, a water taxi cast off and followed them upriver. The sun shone – the Madrid airship chugged sedately overhead. Business as usual for the rest of the world.
For a long time, she stood motionless, looking but not seeing, until she drew a long breath and turned back to her desk. ‘Could you come in, please, Charlie.’
They both seated themselves and looked at each other.
‘Shall I set things in motion, ma’am? Body recovery procedures, notifying relatives, section heads, paperwork and so on?’
She said flatly, ‘No.’
‘Ma’am?’
‘It’s not going to make any difference to them, poor beggars. Let’s keep a lid on things while I implement our next move.’
‘Which is?’
‘I want two more people in the field as quickly as possible. Before we’re officially notified of the deaths of our two officers.’
‘Who? Who else have we got? They were Hunters, ma’am. Among the best we had to offer.’
She regarded him grimly. ‘Exactly. I think that’s the problem, Charlie. All our Time Police officers look like Time Police officers. There’s something about us that is instantly recognisable.’
‘Well, yes, ma’am. That’s the whole point.’
She stood up and began to pace. ‘I don’t want you to do anything, Charlie. Don’t claim the bodies. Don’t start the wheels turning. Officially, we know nothing. We’ll wait until we’re formally notified that the bodies of two of our officers have been recovered. However long that takes. Can you trust your friend to say nothing?’
‘I can, ma’am, yes.’
‘Then we’ll wait before taking any action regarding Nuñez and Klein. Once we know officially, Major Callen and I will contact the relatives. We’ll formally express our sympathies and send the appropriate people to assist with funerals and financial arrangements. All the usual stuff. Do they have any relatives?’
He looked up from his scratchpad. ‘Klein lists an aunt in Stuttgart and Nuñez has a father and sister. Both in this country.’
She nodded. ‘Now – we need to move quickly. For the time being, this is between the two of us, Charlie.’
‘Not even Major Callen?’
‘No.’
‘They’re his people, ma’am.’
‘I know.’
There was a delicate pause. ‘Is this because of the incident in the Pod Bay? When he pulled a gun on you?’
‘At this point, I’m not trusting anyone. Either Nuñez and Klein betrayed themselves – a possibility but not likely – or someone betrayed them. I know we joke about it, Charlie, but there are still a lot of people in this building who don’t like the way I do things.’
‘Not to the extent of betraying their own, surely?’
‘We’re the Time Police. We’re brutal and ruthless and we do things the Time Police way. No – I’m not taking any chances with this one. And I’m already thinking about their replacements.’
Farenden sighed and stretched his bad leg in front of him. ‘It’s a pity we can’t utilise Imogen Farnborough in some way. She already had the entrée. She was rich, well-connected, selfish, out for a good time, heedless of consequences – and did I say rich? She would have been ideal bait. But, she’s in prison, and we, as the ones who put her there, are unlikely to be her favourite people at the moment.’
Hay regarded him enigmatically. ‘Oh, I think we can go one better than Imogen Farnborough, don’t you?’
It took him a second to grasp her point. ‘Ma’am, you cannot be serious.’
‘Ask yourself, Captain. Who have we got who still don’t look like real Time Police officers? And probably never will?’
They looked at each other. Captain Farenden consulted his scratchpad again. ‘We sent them on leave, ma’am. Before someone got hurt.’
‘Recall them. And Ellis as well. He’ll have to know what’s going on, but I have no doubts about him.’ She sat up and began to move files around her desk.
‘I thought you didn’t want to draw any attention.’