defeated.
Reluctantly Waverley folded the false cover back into its cardboard packing, slid it into the envelope and returned the envelope to his briefcase. He began to take off the gloves. Starling rose to his feet and said he had to go to the toilet. At the table, Waverley paused and reached back into the briefcase. ‘I think it would be best, Chief Inspector,’ he said, holding up the white envelope, ‘if you kept this in your possession. It is, after all, a very good copy, and we don’t want any mistakes.’ He smiled ruefully and handed it over to Brock, who put it into the inside pocket of his jacket.
They waited for Starling to return, his shoulders bowed. ‘OK, Sammy?’ Brock asked, and he nodded. ‘All right.’ Brock turned to the SO10 men. ‘What will they do, at four, when they ring?’
‘Step one, try to separate Mr Starling from us. Step two, separate the stamp from Mr Starling. Our priority is to prevent the first happening. Everything flows from that. You got your mobile, Mr Starling? Batteries charged up?’
Starling produced it from his hip pocket. The other man took it from him and began opening it up.
‘Encouraging they want to use this,’ Gallows went on placidly. He had an unruffled calm about him that seemed to soothe Starling.
‘You’ll be able to trace their call?’ he asked.
‘I doubt that will help, Mr Starling,’ Gallows said. ‘But we’ll be able to hear all your conversations. And if all else fails and you need to talk to us, just dial a number, any number, and we’ll be connected to you.’
‘Won’t they be able to tell?’ Starling asked doubtfully.
Gallows shook his head. ‘OK, Tony?’
The other man had the phone in pieces now on the table in front of him. ‘Yeah.’
Gallows reached into his jacket pocket and brought out a plastic pouch from which he emptied a coil of wires and attachments on to the table. ‘Member of Rotary, are we, sir?’
‘No.’
‘Well, we are now.’ He picked out a lapel pin and attached it to Starling’s jacket, then slipped a piece of equipment into Starling’s inside pocket. ‘And this is so you can listen to us.’ He offered a small pink plug and showed him how to insert it into his ear. ‘Make it the side you don’t use for the phone. OK?’
As they fussed over him, Kathy wondered if, in some other part of the city, Eva was also being prepared for that moment.
Heath had reassembled the mobile phone, and handed it back to Starling, who took it gingerly, as if it might explode.
‘What do I do now?’ he asked.
‘What would you do if we weren’t here?’ Gallows replied.
He considered that. ‘Go downstairs and look at the lots until they closed the room, I suppose. Then go for a walk or something, till it’s time for the auction.’
‘Then that’s exactly what you should do.’
Brock agreed. ‘You can give this electronic stuff a trial as you go, Sammy,’ he said. ‘You’ll soon get used to it.’
Sammy Starling straightened upright and began to walk slowly to the door, then stopped and turned to face them all. ‘I just want to say . . .’ his voice was little more than a whisper, and they had to strain to hear him ‘. . . that I’m very grateful for what you’re all doing. When Eva and I are reunited . . . I hope we can find a way to express our thanks properly.’ He turned and walked out of the room, poking at his ear.
‘Nice to see some manners these days,’ Gallows murmured to Heath.
‘Yeah,’ the other replied, getting heavily to his feet. ‘Touching.’
When they had gone, Brock turned to Melville. ‘How did his fundraising go?’ he asked quietly.
‘Remarkably smoothly, considering the shortage of time. It’s really rather frightening, how rapidly the assets which have taken a lifetime to accumulate can be valued and disposed of, if people put their minds to it. It was easier than—No, I’m sorry, that’s a macabre thought.’
‘What is?’
‘I was about to say that it was
Reluctantly Waverley folded the false cover back into its cardboard packing, slid it into the envelope and returned the envelope to his briefcase. He began to take off the gloves. Starling rose to his feet and said he had to go to the toilet. At the table, Waverley paused and reached back into the briefcase. ‘I think it would be best, Chief Inspector,’ he said, holding up the white envelope, ‘if you kept this in your possession. It is, after all, a very good copy, and we don’t want any mistakes.’ He smiled ruefully and handed it over to Brock, who put it into the inside pocket of his jacket.
They waited for Starling to return, his shoulders bowed. ‘OK, Sammy?’ Brock asked, and he nodded. ‘All right.’ Brock turned to the SO10 men. ‘What will they do, at four, when they ring?’
‘Step one, try to separate Mr Starling from us. Step two, separate the stamp from Mr Starling. Our priority is to prevent the first happening. Everything flows from that. You got your mobile, Mr Starling? Batteries charged up?’
Starling produced it from his hip pocket. The other man took it from him and began opening it up.
‘Encouraging they want to use this,’ Gallows went on placidly. He had an unruffled calm about him that seemed to soothe Starling.
‘You’ll be able to trace their call?’ he asked.
‘I doubt that will help, Mr Starling,’ Gallows said. ‘But we’ll be able to hear all your conversations. And if all else fails and you need to talk to us, just dial a number, any number, and we’ll be connected to you.’
‘Won’t they be able to tell?’ Starling asked doubtfully.
Gallows shook his head. ‘OK, Tony?’
The other man had the phone in pieces now on the table in front of him. ‘Yeah.’
Gallows reached into his jacket pocket and brought out a plastic pouch from which he emptied a coil of wires and attachments on to the table. ‘Member of Rotary, are we, sir?’
‘No.’
‘Well, we are now.’ He picked out a lapel pin and attached it to Starling’s jacket, then slipped a piece of equipment into Starling’s inside pocket. ‘And this is so you can listen to us.’ He offered a small pink plug and showed him how to insert it into his ear. ‘Make it the side you don’t use for the phone. OK?’
As they fussed over him, Kathy wondered if, in some other part of the city, Eva was also being prepared for that moment.
Heath had reassembled the mobile phone, and handed it back to Starling, who took it gingerly, as if it might explode.
‘What do I do now?’ he asked.
‘What would you do if we weren’t here?’ Gallows replied.
He considered that. ‘Go downstairs and look at the lots until they closed the room, I suppose. Then go for a walk or something, till it’s time for the auction.’
‘Then that’s exactly what you should do.’
Brock agreed. ‘You can give this electronic stuff a trial as you go, Sammy,’ he said. ‘You’ll soon get used to it.’
Sammy Starling straightened upright and began to walk slowly to the door, then stopped and turned to face them all. ‘I just want to say . . .’ his voice was little more than a whisper, and they had to strain to hear him ‘. . . that I’m very grateful for what you’re all doing. When Eva and I are reunited . . . I hope we can find a way to express our thanks properly.’ He turned and walked out of the room, poking at his ear.
‘Nice to see some manners these days,’ Gallows murmured to Heath.
‘Yeah,’ the other replied, getting heavily to his feet. ‘Touching.’
When they had gone, Brock turned to Melville. ‘How did his fundraising go?’ he asked quietly.
‘Remarkably smoothly, considering the shortage of time. It’s really rather frightening, how rapidly the assets which have taken a lifetime to accumulate can be valued and disposed of, if people put their minds to it. It was easier than—No, I’m sorry, that’s a macabre thought.’
‘What is?’
‘I was about to say that it was
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