CHERUB: The Fall (30 page)

It was
unbelievably
hot. James spluttered as steaming potato stuck to the top of his mouth. He ended up spitting a lump of meat on to the pavement, to the obvious distaste of three oldies sitting two tables across.

As he looked up, James saw a solidly built woman walking into the restaurant. She was middle aged, slightly odd-looking, with a chubby red face and a padded envelope under her arm. Ewart smiled and shook his guest warmly by the hand as the woman from the Audi drained her glass and stepped out into the cold. She grabbed her mobile and dialled. James guessed she was calling her companion back in the car.

He put his pasty down and took his walkie-talkie from inside his jacket. ‘Dana,’ he whispered. ‘Ewart’s with Sarah Thomas now. It looks like the girl from the Audi is on the blower to her driver.’

‘I’m listening to the Audi driver speaking with her,’ Dana said.

‘How have you managed that?’ James asked, surprised.

‘There’s toilets at the back of the car park. The driver got out to go for a pee, so I dashed over and put one of our sticky pads on his side window.’

‘Nice move,’ James grinned.

‘I’ll call you back,’ Dana said. ‘I’m trying to find out what they’re up to.’

James tucked his walkie-talkie away and took a more cautious bite out of his pasty. Inside the restaurant, a fit waitress was leading Ewart and Sarah Thomas to a table overlooking the river. James kept a discreet eye on them until his walkie-talkie spoke to him.

‘The woman’s name is Kate,’ Dana said hurriedly. ‘I’m not sure if they’re MI5 or private investigators but they’re definitely working for the Hiltons. Kate asked if McLoud had made any calls after Ewart left, so they must have his phone bugged.’

James ground his palm against his forehead with frustration. ‘So Ewart’s
not
working for Hilton?’

‘Certainly doesn’t sound like it,’ Dana said. ‘They seem to think Ewart is just some freelance journalist trying to stick his nose in. And apparently, Sarah Thomas is Madeline Cowell’s former cleaning lady.’

‘So that’s where she fits in,’ James said. ‘She’s brought Ewart a big envelope. No idea what’s inside, but it must be evidence against Hilton.’

‘Cowell was Lord Hilton’s loyal assistant for donkey’s years …’

James shrugged. ‘I guess her loyalty wore thin when her boss started bumping people off to protect his son. Cowell must have suspected that he was planning to top her and left a little sting behind.’

‘So what do you think will happen next?’ Dana asked.

‘They’re following Ewart. They think he’s only a journalist, so I reckon they’ll try and jump him and steal the evidence before he does anything with it.’

‘Agreed,’ Dana said. ‘It’ll either be when he leaves the restaurant or as he gets back in the car.’

‘I can warn him, but it might freak him out, so I’ll have to wait until Sarah Thomas is out of sight.’

*

James had been starving when he first bought the pasty, but the tension had got to him. It now lay on the slatted wooden table in front of him, half eaten and stone cold.

Kate sat at the bar inside the restaurant with a burger, whilst Ewart and Sarah Thomas were finishing their dessert. Judging from the body language, Ewart was bored, while Sarah Thomas seemed like a lonely soul who was milking her chance of a free meal and a decent conversation.

James had considered calling Ewart on his mobile, but he didn’t have the number programmed in to his brand new phone and the campus hotline staff wouldn’t give out that kind of information until they’d received lengthy explanations about what he and Dana were up to.

James watched Ewart get up from the table. He shook Sarah Thomas’ hand and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Sarah gestured towards the ladies’ toilet as James got off the wooden bench. Ewart tapped on his watch, indicating to Sarah that he was in a rush.

As Ewart tucked the envelope under his arm and headed for the exit, Kate wiped her lips on a napkin and settled her bill by placing a twenty-pound note inside her empty tumbler.

‘James,’ Dana said.

‘Yep,’ he replied as he put the walkie-talkie up to his ear.

‘The Audi is backing out of its parking space,’ Dana said.

‘Ewart’s coming out of the restaurant with Kate on his tail,’ James said hurriedly. ‘I wish I’d taken the stun gun out of your bag.’

‘Too late now,’ Dana said.

‘OK, I’m on the move,’ James said. ‘I’ll keep in touch.’

Ewart walked briskly, so Kate had to jog to catch up with him. Ewart heard her coming and looked backwards, with a curious smile.

James considered shouting a warning, but Ewart’s expression changed from
are you flirting with me
to
oh my god
before he got the chance. James couldn’t see much from behind, but saw enough to realise that Kate had pulled a gun from inside her jacket.

James’ guts somersaulted as Ewart walked obediently into an enclosed courtyard behind the restaurant. For all he knew, Kate was planning to kill Ewart as soon as he was out of sight. The closest thing James had to a weapon was his Swiss army knife. He pulled it from his pocket as the Audi tore down the road and swung sharply into the narrow yard.

James peeked around the corner and saw Ewart looking extremely tense as Kate held a silenced pistol to his chest. She opened the back door of the Audi and gestured for him to get inside as a car horn blasted less than twenty metres away.

James looked up and saw the red Volkswagen. Dana braked sharply before making the tight turn into the courtyard, but made a split-second decision to accelerate hard when she saw Ewart, Kate, the Audi and the gun. Airbags exploded in Dana’s face as the Volkswagen smashed into the back of the Audi, while the Audi ploughed into the courtyard wall.

Both Ewart and Kate instinctively jumped clear as James began sprinting across the courtyard towards them. Ewart had kneed Kate in the chest and was twisting the gun from her hand.

Once he had control of the gun, Ewart knocked Kate to the ground with a powerful kick and turned the pistol on James.

‘Don’t shoot
me
,’ James gasped, raising his hands in the air.

Ewart hadn’t recognised James with his hood up, but he immediately knew the voice.

‘What the hell are you doing here?’ Ewart asked incredulously.

‘Behind you,’ James pointed, as he watched the driver jumping out of the car holding another silenced pistol.

Ewart swung around with the gun, so that he and the driver had identical weapons pointing across, with their muzzles less than twenty centimetres apart. James was tempted to turn and run, but then he noticed Kate crawling towards Ewart.

‘Watch your leg!’ James shouted.

But the warning was too late. Kate plunged a hunting knife through Ewart’s shoe and deep into his foot. As Ewart twisted around in pain, the Audi driver grinned. James was certain that Ewart was about to get a bullet through his head and that the driver would probably aim the next round at him.

As James turned to run away, he heard a crackling sound. The driver collapsed to the ground with blue sparks lighting up his face. James realised that Dana had shot him with one of the stun guns. It was a huge relief, but they wouldn’t be safe until they had both of the silenced pistols in their hands.

Kate stabbed Ewart for a second time; hitting him in the thigh as she snatched the gun. James raced across the courtyard and dived forward, landing heavily on her chest. Her ribs crunched as he wrestled the gun from her hand.

The front doors of the Audi were both open and James found himself staring at Dana through the plush interior of the car. ‘Have you got the other gun?’

Dana raised it limply.

‘Are you OK?’

‘Been better,’ Dana said. ‘My ears are ringing from the explosion, but thank god for airbags eh?’

‘Why are you two here?’ Ewart groaned, as he looked at the growing patch of blood on his jeans.

‘You lied about the security tape,’ James said, as Kate rolled on to her side and began coughing up blood. ‘We thought you were working for Hilton.’

Dana had grabbed her mobile. ‘This is agent eleven-sixty-two,’ she yelled. ‘I’m here with James and Ewart and we’ve got a situation. The cops will be here any minute and we need a response team to come and bail us out.’

Ewart was in a lot of pain from the two stab wounds, but still managed a tiny smile. ‘Whatever the reason, I reckon you two just saved my butt.’

The CHERUB control room made immediate contact with the chief inspector in charge of the local police station. After hearing a security password, she agreed to seal the crime scene, take all of the casualties to the local hospital under police guard and await the arrival of an investigation and clean up team from CHERUB.

As he was loaded into an ambulance, Ewart told James not to let the padded envelope out of his sight. Kate, who’d suffered several broken ribs when James landed on her, shared the ambulance. The Audi driver had been restrained by Dana after recovering from his fifty-thousand-volt nip. He was arrested and driven to the police station.

After handing the pistols to the cops, James and Dana were given a ride by a tough-looking sergeant, who’d been instructed not to speak to them. When they arrived at the police station, he led them to a deserted corner of the staff canteen and told them that someone was coming to collect them.

As they drank Cokes from the vending machine, James slid out the contents of the envelope. The first page was typed on Madeline Cowell’s personal stationery using an old fashioned manual typewriter:

Dear Jason McLoud,

You and I have a long and combative history, but I have always admired your dedication and integrity as a reporter.

Lord Freddie Hilton and I worked together for more than thirty years and – as I am sure you suspected – we were also lovers. Perhaps it is this that blinded me to the evil nature of the man.

As always, I attended the Hilton summer barbecue this July. Freddie took me aside and made it clear that he was prepared to do whatever it took in order to allow his son Sebastian to reach the highest ranks within British politics. He asked me whether I was likely to have ‘any kind of problem’ with this.

When I said that I didn’t like his increasing appetite for power, Freddie began to issue veiled threats. I’d had a few glasses of champagne and soon found myself taking part in a distasteful scene, at the end of which I was escorted from the Hilton estate by a security guard.

Over many years, I have learned much about the Hilton family’s business and personal affairs. When I sobered up that evening, I realised that Lord Hilton is not a man who likes anyone to have a hold over him and reached the conclusion that my life might be in some danger. If you are reading this, then I have most likely been proved correct!

I could, of course, have brought this information to you or to the police during my lifetime, but it does not show me in a good light and may even have left me open to a criminal prosecution.

I did not involve my children in this, because I felt that their eyes might be irresistibly drawn towards the contents of this envelope. Instead, I entrusted the documents to my long-term housekeeper, Sarah Thomas, telling her to give them to you in the event of my untimely death. Sarah is a simple, honest soul. My children will be provided for from my estate, but I would ask that you divide any money that you make from this story with Sarah.

The following page contains an index of the cassette recordings and documents in this envelope. Wherever possible, I have also provided additional notes, including extensive details of the Hilton family’s overseas bank accounts and details of people who will be able (though not necessarily willing!) to corroborate all of the evidence within.

Yours sincerely,

Madeline Cowell

James flipped to the next page and skimmed over the list of documents. They appeared to detail everything from tax evasion, illegal bank accounts, sales of aircraft components to countries under United Nations embargos and favours done for senior politicians to secure Sebastian Hilton’s seat in parliament.

‘Is there anything about the murder of Obidin?’ Dana asked.

James shook his head. ‘I guess that was after Cowell retired, but with all these details of secret bank accounts, I’d bet that the investigators will find a link.’

Dana nodded. ‘Even if they don’t, there’s enough evidence here to put Lord Hilton and his son away for a good few years.’

James drummed his fingers nervously on the table top. ‘I guess that’s Lord Hilton’s fate sorted. I just wish I knew my own.’

*

Zara arrived an hour later. James was relieved to see her smiling as she entered the canteen.

‘Have you seen Ewart at the hospital?’ Dana asked.

Zara nodded. ‘I popped in briefly. He seems OK. He’s moaning that they’re not giving him enough pain relief, but that’s just Ewart. You should see the fuss I have to put up with at home when he puts his back out.’

‘Cool,’ James said. ‘I’m glad it’s not serious.’

‘I have to admit I’m still confused,’ Zara said. ‘We realised that you’d both disappeared with the Volkswagen early this morning. Lauren thought you might have run off together, but her theory didn’t make any sense because you hadn’t packed any clothes or possessions.’