Redlaw - 01 (27 page)

“Actually, marm,” said Redlaw, “I was hoping I would see you and you’d give me this chance. We might still be able to salvage something out of this mess without anyone else getting killed. Here.” He fished inside his coat and produced the printout, which was folded into quarters. “Should take significantly less than five minutes, unless you’re a slow reader.”

Macarthur unfolded the two sheets of paper and studied them.

“I don’t know what to make of this,” she said. “What am I looking at here?”

“Evidence of a plot to mislead Parliament and the British people, and secure construction contracts worth, I’m guessing, close on a billion quid.”

“Or, an abnormality in the contents of a single blood pouch. I mean, I’m no biochemist, but if this vasopressin stuff is a naturally occurring substance, one dead cow having a lot of it in its bloodstream—surely all that signifies is that one cow had something wrong with it, some kind of hormone imbalance.”

“But don’t you see? It’s not just one cow. It’s all of them. Or all of the blood, rather. BovPlas has been shipping adulterated product into the SRAs for months, turning the ’Lesses gradually more and more violent until a tipping point was reached. The blood deliveries become a focus for their aggression. It’s the moment when they’re all together, jostling, eager. Tempers fray. Squabbles break out. Sometimes it peters out into nothing, other times it develops into a full-blown riot. That’s the intent behind it all—organising chaos, then exploiting that for gain.”

“There could be other causes for the riots. Maurice Wax said something on TV about inefficient distribution.”

“Maurice Wax couldn’t find his own backside with both hands and a map. He was probably just parroting something the Prime Minister told him to say, or Lambourne.”

“And it’s Lambourne who’s engineered this whole thing, just to make a bit of money?”

“A lot of money, for him and his consortium.”

“That’s awfully coldblooded, isn’t it?”

Redlaw shrugged. “There’s capitalism for you.”

“It’s also nothing short of impossible to prove.” Macarthur tapped the printout. “This is flimsy wee stuff. Not nearly enough to secure a prosecution, or even an arrest.”

“Maybe not, but it’s a start.”

“What I’m really having trouble accepting is that a high-profile public figure like Lambourne could think he could get away with this—if it’s true. It’s so overt. So brazen.”

“That’s precisely it. That’s why it’s credible. It
is
brazen. Almost contemptuous. The act of a man who truly considers himself above the law. A lesser mortal would have taken the subtle approach. Lambourne’s gone all-out, pulling off a con so big, nobody would ever think to suspect him. I don’t know him personally, but from what I’ve read about him he’s a high-functioning sociopath, an egotist and narcissist of the first order. Anything less than a bold, audacious strike like this would be beneath him.”

Macarthur perused the printout one more time. “If you’re right—”

“I am.”

“If you are, I still don’t see what we can do. It’s too late. The Solarville project is already up and running.”

“You could halt the transportation, for starters.”

“I could not. How? The army’s calling the shots. It’s out of my hands. I’m aiding and abetting, but not administrating.”

“All right, but we could still expose Lambourne.”

“On what grounds? This?” She tapped Dr Wing’s work. “I told you—not enough.”

“Then we requisition more blood pouches. Test more samples. Raid the BovPlas hub facility at Watford, even. My guess is that’s where the vasopressin gets added, in bulk, before the pouches go out to the distribution depots.”

“I don’t have the authority to do any of that, and I doubt we could obtain a search warrant anyway.”

“Talk to the Chief Inspector of Constabulary, see if he agrees.”

“It’s all so simple to you, John, isn’t it? So cut and dried. But the world’s not black and white the way you see it. You’re asking me to try to prompt an investigation into the affairs of a billionaire businessman who’s working hand in hand with the government. How can I? I’m just a glorified game warden. All shadies are, when you get down to it. The Sunless are a natural hazard, like tigers in the jungle or sharks in the sea, and we’re paid to keep people and them apart. That’s it. That’s all we’re here for.”

“I never thought you’d be so defeatist.”

“Pragmatic,” she corrected. “Like it or not, our elected representatives want to put Sunless in Solarvilles, so that’s where they’re going. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, either. They’ll be better protected from humans and vice versa. If you were in your right mind—if you still had a sense of proportion, which I think you’ve lost—you’d think so too. Whatever the method that’s got them there, the net result is a positive one.”

“The ends justify the means, eh?”

“Sometimes. What’s still bothering me is this woman you were running around with last night. Who is she? My guess would be an activist from one of the pro-Sunless pressure groups.”

“Oh, I’ve fallen under someone’s spell, is that what you’re thinking? I’ve become a convert to a cause.”

“She’s quite striking-looking, judging by the couple of fuzzy CCTV images I’ve seen. Am I on the right track? Is she some PETS-type do-gooder?”

“Does it matter?”

“It might account for your sudden obsession with BovPlas and bringing down Lambourne. Here’s my theory. She found you when you were vulnerable, this woman, shortly after Róisín’s death, and she’s been working her wiles on you ever since, wearing down your resistance. You’ve been keeping quiet about it. Now it’s finally all out in the open. This is your new creed, Sunless rights. Yes?”

Redlaw smiled bleakly. “You couldn’t be more wrong.”

“Then tell me, John,” Macarthur said with the patient insistence of a parent wanting to know who kicked the football through the greenhouse. “Explain to me what she is to you. I’d like to gain some insight into how my most trusted and dedicated officer could turn against his own and—”

She was interrupted by Noakes thrusting open the door. “Marm?”

“What?”

“Bit of a commotion downstairs. Thought you ought to know.”

“Commotion?”

“Just got a call from the front desk. Seems there’s been some sort of break-in.”

“Here? Who by?”

“Don’t know. Details are sketchy. Far as I can gather, it’s just one person.”

“Well, where are they?”

“That’s it. No one knows. Braithwaite, duty officer, says she came through the main door, took down three uniforms who happened to be in the lobby, then hit the lifts. Not sure where she is now.”

“Took them down? They’re dead?”

“Battered, unconscious, but otherwise not injured. That’s all I’ve been able to gather. This was a couple of minutes ago.”

“Then we need to go into lockdown,” said Macarthur. “Close all exits, shut down the lifts, task all able bodies in the building to look for the intruder. Why do I even have to say this? It should happen automatically.”

“I’ll see to it,” said Noakes, and hurried off to his station at the end of the corridor to pick up the phone.

Macarthur spun round. “It’s her, isn’t it, John? Your friend. Must be.”

“I have no idea.”

“Be honest. She’s come for you.”

“If she has, it’s nothing to do with me. I didn’t ask her to. I don’t know how she even knows where I am.”

“And she waltzed straight in through the front door and got the drop on three shadies—three armed, combat-trained individuals. Never mind who she is.
What
is she?”

From outside the cell there came a sudden gruff shout, the sounds of a struggle, a muffled cry, the thump of a body falling to the floor. The echoes faded along the corridor. Then silence.

“Noakes?” said Macarthur. “Noakes, you still out there? Noakes?”

No reply.

Macarthur took a step towards the doorway.

“Marm,” said Redlaw, “I advise you not to move. The safest place for you, now, is right here beside me.”

“Safest...?”

“She’s not killing anyone. At least”—he raised his voice a little—“she’d better not be. But I’d hate to see you accidentally get hurt.”

“For God’s sake, Redlaw, what are you mixed up in? What have you got yourself into?”

“You make it sound like he had no choice in the matter.”

Both Redlaw and Macarthur looked to the doorway.

There stood Illyria, insouciantly dangling Redlaw’s Cindermaker from one hand and his weapons vest from the other.

“What-ho, old bean. We haven’t got all night. Time we were gone.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Redlaw hesitated.

“Come on,” Illyria urged. “I’m officially busting you out of here.”

“My God,” said Macarthur, staring. Illyria’s scarf had fallen down from her face. “Those teeth...”

Illyria didn’t bother trying to cover them up. She seemed to enjoy the effect they were having on Macarthur. “Impressive, aren’t they?” she said.

“Real. Not filed. Fangs. You’re...”

“...losing patience. Redlaw. Men are coming. I hear them. We go now, together, this moment, or I leave you to make it on your own.”

Redlaw took a step towards her.

Macarthur regained some of her composure. “John,” she said, “you realise, if you do this, there’s no turning back. You’ll be a wanted man for the rest of your life.”

“Marm, there’s already no turning back,” Redlaw replied. “I think we both know that. I can’t belong to this institution any more—especially not now one of its members has killed the only man I counted a friend. SHADE is blighted for me, tainted beyond redemption. At least if I’m free I still have the chance to do some good, even if it has to be from the wrong side of the law.”

“But
she
”—Macarthur nodded at Illyria—“whoever, whatever she is, is no friend of yours.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“She’s just using you for what you can do for her. She’ll ditch you once she’s got what she wants.”

“And maybe I’m using her for what she can do for me. Did you ever think that?”

“Redlaw,” said Illyria. “Really, there’s no time for this. We must go
now
.”

“Just another moment. Listen, marm. You keep Dr Wing’s report. I’ll leave it to you and your conscience what to do with it. Go public with it if you want.”

“Maybe,” said Macarthur. “Or I keep a lid on it for the time being. Wait until the transportations are over and the dust has settled. Maybe Lambourne will say or do something then, something careless that’ll make what we have on him more incriminating.”

“If you like. But whatever you choose to do, I’m going to continue working on the case at my end. Lambourne’s still firmly in my sights and I won’t stop until I’ve got him. I’m sorry that it’s had to end on this note, marm... Gail. But the only way I can continue to do my job is not to be in my job any more.”

“
Redlaw
...” said Illyria.

“Yes, yes.” To Macarthur: “For what it’s worth, I’m sure Leary would have approved of what I’m doing.”

“John, I like to believe Róisín’s watching over me every day. And I hope to hell she’s watching over you too. Go on, get out of here. Do what you feel you have to. Enjoy your liberty. I doubt it’s going to last long.”

“As long as it’s long enough.” Redlaw snatched his vest and gun off Illyria and set off down the corridor.

“And you,” Macarthur said, poking an index finger at Illyria. “I don’t pretend to understand what your game is, but mark my words, there’ll be a reckoning between us. You’ll get what’s coming to you. No one beats up my officers and walks away scot-free.”

“Noted,” said Illyria. “I love what you’ve done with your hair, by the way,” she added. “Not many women can pull off the toilet-brush look. And those blonde highlights—they almost completely cover up the grey.”

“Bitch,” Macarthur hissed.

“
Kurve
,” Illyria retorted, in her own language. Then, slamming the door, she strode off after Redlaw.

Noakes lay in a crumpled heap beside his station. Redlaw, as he went past, knelt to check for a pulse. Faint but steady.

“Non-lethal force,” Illyria said. “You should be proud of me. I’ve been very restrained.”

“Make sure you keep it that way. These are good people. Innocents.”

“No shady is innocent in my book.”

Redlaw thought of Khalid. Some shadies weren’t, it was true.

“But I shall do my best,” Illyria carried on. “Those men I mentioned. They’re on the floor below, doing a sweep.”

“You can hear...? What am I saying? Of course you can.”

“They’re making for the main staircase, the one I used. This will be the next floor they try. The lift...”

“Out of action. Macarthur’s ordered a lockdown. This way—we’ll take the fire stairs.”

Redlaw led her to a door marked with a green emergency exit sign and pushed on the panic bar. As they descended the narrow stairwell he asked, “How did you find me? How did you even know I’d been arrested?”