Blood Storm (27 page)

'I'd love to,' he lied, 'but before I came over I was dealing
with another problem and they will want to hear about it
back at Park Crescent. Certain phone calls have to be made
this evening. Maybe another time?'

She made a moue as he kissed her on both cheeks. Not
best pleased. She said good night, walked
in and closed the door in his face.

22

'So,' Nield concluded his narrative, 'I escaped without
being compromised. Coral looked furious.'

'I don't believe one word of what that woman says,'
decided Paula. 'Why is she twisting and turning the
situation in that building?'

'It's possible that she's acting on instructions from one of
the Cabal,' Tweed mused. 'But I doubt it.'

'Which one?' Paula asked.

'I have no idea. I rather doubt my theory. Can't think of
what she's up to.'

'Maybe she's barmy,' Nield suggested. 'It was someone
out of their mind who committed that horrible Viola murder.'

'She's too small to have done it,' Nield said.

'It's like a mosaic,' Tweed ruminated. 'Every piece fits in
somewhere. But we're missing the main picture.'

'Oh Lord!' Newman burst out. 'I'm missing one
expensive present. I've left the scarf for Roma on the rack
on the Eurostar.'

'No you haven't,' Paula told him. She opened her hold
all on the floor beside her, produced the wrapped scarf, handed it to Newman. 'I always check nothing's been left when I leave a plane or a
train.'

'I can't thank you enough,' Newman responded, the
relief showing in his face. 'I do feel better now.'

'Romance for Roma,' Paula chaffed him.

'And while you two are blathering,' Tweed said grimly, 'I'm wondering what Marler and Harry are up to.'

Wearing masks over their faces, Marler and Harry were
showing infinite patience as they waited. Harry was leaning
against the wall on one side of the metal door guarding the
entrance to Special Branch HQ. Marler had adopted the
same position on the other side.

They had positioned themselves so they were invisible to the slow swivel of the security cameras on the wall above them. Every now and again Harry stretched his legs up and
down to fight off cramp. Marler remained still as a statue.
He checked his watch. They'd kept up their vigil for over an
hour. Patience was a virtue.

The side street was so dark, so ill-lit, that anyone passing
down Whitehall who glanced their way would not see their
faces, let alone their masks. Marler raised a hand holding
one of the grenades. He had heard something. Harry pulled
a face. He didn't believe Marler had heard a thing.

The steel door rose slowly without warning, sliding up
and over into its slot. Marler risked peering inside. The slow escalator was on the move. Nelson was standing still, letting
the escalator do the
work.

A few steps behind him Benton, clad in a shaggy coat,
was studying a report. Behind him Noel was standing quite
still. So Noel was back from France. Which meant Radek
was in town.

As the step Nelson stood on neared the bottom Marler
nodded to Harry. They acted as one. Marler's first tear-gas grenade landed on Nelson's step, burst, sending up a great
cloud of the gas. At the same moment Harry had thrown
another higher up, a perfect throw, hitting Benton's tread. Another great cloud of gas erupted.

Nelson was choking, his eyes hurting as he wobbled, not
sure what to do next. Marler lobbed his second grenade
high up, actually hitting Noel on the knee, where it burst.

All three men were choking, coughing, wobbling all over
the place. The Parrot appeared at the top, stared in
disbelief, caught a whiff of the gas, ran back into the office
to call an ambulance. Marler and Harry, masks off, were
gone.

Tweed was talking to Nield when Marler and Harry
returned to the office. He thought Harry looked pleased with himself while Marler's expression was his normal
blank.

'Pete,' Tweed continued, 'what game do you think Coral
Flenton is playing?'

'No idea. Except she is playing some game. I'd sooner
not go near her again.'

'Then I'll go tomorrow,' Paula piped up. 'I got on well
with her and we agreed to meet again soon. Because I'm a
woman she'll find it harder to manipulate me.'

'Good idea,' agreed Tweed. 'Now Marler, Harry, what
have you been up to?'

Marler, in a few words, explained what they had done at
the Cabal's HQ. 'Teach them to send a fake TV van to try
and photograph this place.'

'Think I'll have a bit of fun,' Tweed said. 'Monica, can
you get their number? I'll take over immediately.'

'May I speak to Miss Partridge?' Tweed asked when he
took over the line. 'That is Miss Partridge speaking? Good.
Tweed here. I gather Benton Macomber wanted me to
contact him.'

'They're ill,' she blurted out. 'In hospital.'

'Nothing serious, I hope? Expected back maybe
tomorrow? I know there have been a lot of cases of food
poisoning.'

'Yes, there have,' she said, having recovered her wits.

'Well, give them all my regards and wishes for a speedy
recovery. Don't eat in any strange restaurants.'

'I cook my own meals at home,' she responded sharply.

'I don't think I know where you live.'

'Hammersmith. In a big flat I bought ages ago.' A pause.
'Maybe you'd come over and see me for supper one day. My address is . . .'

Tweed scribbled down her address, phone number,
mobile number.

'I shall look forward to that,' he told her. 'Maybe we
could meet soon.'

'Soon as you like,' she replied in a seductive tone he
didn't know she was capable of. 'Thanks for calling. See you . . .'

'You must be smitten,' Paula joked.

'I'd like to smite her. But she's a piece of the mosaic we are assembling. Away from the Cabal she may let her guard down.'

'She'll tell them.'

'You know, I don't think she will,' Tweed replied. 'Now
it's time Newman took you home. I saw you yawn. You
must be exhausted.'

'Bed would be nice.'

Newman drove off first and Paula followed him. The traffic was lighter and as he moved up Brompton Road he slowed
almost to a crawl. She wondered why. Then he parked, turned and gestured for her to join him.

'Something wrong?' she enquired as she settled beside
him.

'Couldn't be more wrong.'

'What is it?'

'See that battered old Ford outside the entrance to your
yard? Two men in front, the driver gesturing towards your place to his companion. Recognize anyone?'

'Oh God! Not the driver, but his passenger is Radek.'

'And the driver is Fitch. Inside that car is the most deadly
killing machine in town. They're checking your place.
Aren't you glad Tweed told me to look after you? I could
kill them both,' he went on. On his lap was a Smith & Wesson. 'Perfect opportunity.'

'Don't.' She placed her hand on his. 'It would be murder. I don't think the police would take into account what they
are.'

'This isn't my normal revolver,' he argued. 'It's one
Harry gave me. Never been used before. Serial number
filed off. No check on the bullets would be found in the
records . . .'

'Don't!' she repeated more emphatically. 'I'd like to kill
them myself but it's too dangerous. And it's just outside my
flat. I'd be the first one the police grill.'

The argument was settled as the Ford drove off down the
Fulham Road. Newman waited to give them time to get
well clear, then drove on, crossed the road into the yard,
parked the car out of sight at the back of the building.
Paula, who had returned to her car, followed him.

'I won't use the spare bedroom tonight,' Newman
decided as she fiddled with her door keys. 'I'll sleep on the
couch in the living room, then I can see and hear anyone
coming.'

'I'll make up the couch into a bed,' she promised him. 'It
has one of these pull-out beds underneath it. I'll make you
comfortable.'

'I know you will. And I'll have my normal revolver
handy. No, I don't want anything to eat. Just a carafe of
water.'

In the living room overlooking the street she fussed with
pillows and sheets and blankets. Then she gave a great yawn
as she said good night. In her bedroom she forced herself to
take a quick
shower, dried, flopped into bed and was fast
asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

In the morning, when it was still dark, Paula was up first.
She found Newman still awake. She went to close the
curtains.

'Don't do that,' he warned. 'I need a view of the street.
You look a million dollars,' he remarked as he put on his
shoes and windcheater. 'I take it you slept well.'

'It was glorious. I didn't dream once. Breakfast now, then
back to the office, I expect. I'm wondering how Radek got here so quickly.'

'Simple. Radek flies over from Paris with Noel. Then
Noel drives him in the car he's left at airport parking to
Fitch's hangout.'

'Which is where?' she asked as she skilfully broke eggs
over a pan in the compact kitchen leading off the living
room. 'I hope you're hungry.'

'Could eat a horse,' Newman said.

'Sorry, not on the menu. You were saying?'

'Harry knows he has a warehouse in the East End. He's
never been inside but a pal has, described it. Fitch sleeps in a small messy room. The main feature is a vast room which
has nothing in it. The floor is the old planks. Noel will know
the place.'

'Why Noel?'

'Because he's the Planner. Fitch is just the type of scum
Noel would use for dirty jobs. I've got Noel, with his public-
school accent, weighed up.'

'Sit down. Eat. . .'

At Nelson's insistence, against the doctor's wishes, the
three men were released from hospital after promising to
drink plenty of water. They were walking down the exit
stairs, watched by the doctor, when Nelson stumbled,
grabbed hold of the banister.