Страница 101 из 117
Craig was shaving when the phone rang. He cursed.
"They left the house together again."
"So he didn't go for a run this morning?"
"Not unless it was before five A.M. I'll call again if there's any change in his routine."
Craig flicked the phone closed and continued to shave. He cut himself. He cursed again.
He needed to be in court by ten o'clock, when the judge would pass sentence on his aggravated burglary case. His client would probably end up with a two-year sentence, despite the fact that he had asked for twenty-three other offenses to be taken into consideration.
Craig dabbed on some aftershave as he thought about the charges Cartwright would end up facing: escaping from Belmarsh while impersonating another prisoner, theft of a stamp collection worth over fifty million dollars, falsifying checks on two bank accounts, with at least twenty-three other offenses to be taken into consideration. Once the judge had considered that lot, Cartwright wouldn't be seeing the light of day until he was eligible for his old-age pension. Craig suspected that the girl would also end up facing a long spell behind bars for aiding and abetting a criminal. And once they found out exactly what Cartwright had been up to since escaping from prison, no one would be talking about offering him a pardon. Craig was even begi
"Wur bein followed," said Big Al.
"What makes you think that?" asked Da
"I spotted a car following us yisterday. Now it's there again."
"Take a left at the next junction and see if he stays with us."
Big Al nodded, and without indicating, suddenly swung left.
"Is he still following us?" asked Da
"Naw, he drove straight on," said Big Al, checking his rearview mirror.
"What type of car was it?"
"A dark blue Ford Mondeo."
"How many of those do you imagine there are in London?" asked Da
Big Al grunted. "He wis following us," he repeated as he turned into The Boltons.
"I'm going for a run," said Da
Big Al didn't laugh.
"Cartwright's chauffeur spotted me," said Payne, "so I had no choice but to drive on and keep out of sight for the rest of the day. I'm on my way to the hire company to exchange the car for a different model. I'll be back on duty first thing tomorrow morning. But I'm going to have to be more careful in future because Cartwright's driver is good. My bet is that he's ex-police or army, which means I'll need to change my car every day."
"What did you just say?" asked Craig.
"I'm going to have to change-"
"No, before that."
"Cartwright's driver must be police or army trained."
"Of course he is," said Craig. "Don't forget that Moncrieff's driver was locked up in the same cell as him and Cartwright."
"You're right," said Payne. "Cra
"Better known as Big Al. I've got a feeling that Detective Sergeant Fuller is going to end up with a royal flush-king, queen and now jerk."
"Do you want me to go back this evening and double-check?" asked Payne.
"No. Cra
As Da
"A year today, Nick," he said, "and it will be your turn to take your finals." Da
"Let's hope I live up to your expectations."
"Nothing wrong with my expectations," said Mori, "although you're typical of someone who gets himself educated outside of the mainstream and then imagines he has a lot of catching up to do. I think you'll find, Nick, that when the time comes to take your exams, you'll have not only caught up, but overtaken most of your contemporaries."
"I'm flattered, professor," said Da
"I don't do flattey," said the professor as he turned his attention to another student.
Da
"Naw, boss," said Big Al, climbing behind the wheel.
Da
When they drew up outside The Boltons, Da
"Do you want some tea?" Molly asked as he bounded up the stairs.
"No thanks, I'm going for a run."
Da
As he ran past Cheyne Walk he avoided looking up at Sarah's apartment, where he knew her brother was now living. If he had done so, he might have spotted another man he would have recognized standing by an open window taking a photograph of him. Da
He was standing on the opposite side of the road focusing his camera, trying to look like a tourist taking a picture of Big Ben.
"Did you get a half-decent photograph?" asked Craig.
"Enough to fill a gallery," replied Payne.
"Well done. Bring them over to my place now, and we can have a look at them over di
"Pizza again?" said Payne.
"Not for much longer. Once Hugo Moncrieff pays up, we'll not only finish off Cartwright, but make a handsome profit at the same time, which I'm fairly confident wasn't part of his long-term plan."
"I'm not quite sure what Davenport has done to deserve his million."
"I agree, but he's still a bit flaky, and we don't need him opening his mouth at the wrong time, especially now he's living with Sarah. See you soon, Gerald."
Craig put the phone down, poured himself a drink and thought about what he was going to say before he called the man he'd been looking forward to having a word with all week.
"Could I speak to Detective Sergeant Fuller?" he said when the phone was answered.
"Inspector Fuller," said a voice. "Who shall I say is calling?"