Strange Affair

Burgess picked up the photo and examined it closely. “Well, bugger me,” he said. “It can’t be. Where did you get this?”

Banks told him.

“When was it taken?”

“According to the computer details, it was taken on Tuesday, the eighth of June, at three-fifteen P.M.”

“But that’s last Tuesday.”

“Who is it?”

“Gareth Lambert.”

“You said he was history.”

“That’s what I thought. But look.” Burgess placed the photo in front of Banks and pointed to the gray-haired man. “He’s put on a bit of weight and his hair’s turned gray, but it’s him all right.”

“Is he bent?”

“Definitely.”

“What was his line?”

“Import-export. At least it used to be. Fancy word for smuggling, if you ask me. Knows the Balkan route like the back of his hand.”

“Smuggling what?”

“You name it.” Burgess ran his hand over his shaved head. “Look, you might as well know. In his time, Gareth Lambert was a very nasty piece of work, indeed. I don’t mean tough, but nasty, sly. Maybe he’s mellowed with old age, though I doubt it.”

“What did he do?”

“It wasn’t always so much what he did as who he knew. He rubbed shoulders with some of the nastiest bastards in Europe. Smuggled arms, drugs, people, anything. He had co

That didn’t make Banks feel any easier about the situation at all. “Who’s that with him?”

“I don’t know. I don’t recognize him. Lambert and his crew aren’t really my problem anymore. Can I hang on to this? I’ve still got a few contacts where it counts, and I’ll make a few inquiries. There’ll be quite a lot of old-timers around the Yard interested to know Gareth Lambert’s back in business, if they don’t know already.”

“Of course,” said Banks. “I’ve got copies. And the mobile?”

“Hang on to it for the moment. You might need it. If that picture was intended for you, then more messages might follow.”

“I suppose you’re right,” said Banks, pocketing the mobile. Maybe A

“Right,” said Burgess, “I’d better be off now.”

Banks wondered if he’d done the right thing in telling all and handing over the photo of the two men to Burgess. Now that he’d made Roy’s disappearance semi-official, there could be no turning back, whatever happened. He had already gone too far to avoid some sort of disciplinary proceedings by not reporting the first phone call and by living in Roy’s house and accessing his computer data. He thought he could rely on Burgess’s discretion, but there was a limit to everything.

At least this way he could continue his own investigation. He had already made a list of names and numbers, almost a hundred, and he still couldn’t remember seeing any Gareth Lambert. He would have to check again, of course, but if Lambert was back in the picture, maybe there was a reason why neither he nor Roy wanted any records of their communications.

“Look,” he said to Burgess, “I appreciate your help, but if Roy’s in the clear and there’s nothing really to link him with any serious criminal business…”

“You want me to keep your brother out of it?”

“If you can.”

“No guarantees,” said Burgess. “Gareth Lambert turning up like this out of the blue changes everything. But I promise I’ll do my best.”

“You’ll keep me informed? I’d like to know where to find this Lambert, for a start.”

“Like I said, I’ll do my best. I’ll keep my ear to the ground. I’d ask you to bugger off back to Yorkshire and stay out of the way if I thought it would do any good, but at least try to avoid getting under my feet.”

“I’ll think about it,” Banks said. He gave Burgess Roy’s telephone numbers and glanced toward the window. “It’s almost stopped raining. I’d better go, too.”

Burgess gave him a stern look. “Be careful, Banksy,” he said. “Remember, I know you. And this conversation never took place.”

Banks walked out. His car was still parked near Cori

While he was on the concourse of the mainline station, he wandered over to look at the Kindertransport Memorial. A sculpture to commemorate the rescue mission that helped over ten thousand children escape Nazi persecution in Europe during 1938 and 1939, it consisted of a glass case shaped like a large suitcase, which held a selection of objects the children had brought with them and, standing beside it, a bronze sculpture of a young girl.

Through the rain-beaded glass, among other things Banks could see school exercise books, pages filled with ma

Looking at the children’s personal belongings arrayed like this before him, Banks thought of all the mementos he had lost forever when his cottage burned down: the family photographs and videos – wedding, holidays, kids growing up – letters, keep-sakes, the poems he had written as a teenager, old diaries and notebooks, school report cards, the records of a life.

But he couldn’t feel self-pity in the face of this memorial. He hadn’t lost nearly as much as these children, who’d lost their homeland and, in many cases, their whole families. Perhaps they had gained something, too, though. They had at least escaped the concentration camps, been taken in by good, caring families, and had grown up to live their lives in relative freedom.

Banks looked at the bronze statue of the girl in her skirt and jacket. The raindrops looked like tears flowing down her face. He turned away and headed for the underground.

A

Brooke was in his Sunday best, red-faced, collar too tight around his neck, looking like a farmer just come from church. A

“Well, Dave,” said A

Brooke blushed. “The suit? I’ve got a christening to go to this afternoon.” He sat down and pulled at his collar, finally undoing the button. “There, that’s better. Plenty of time to choke myself to death in church later.”

A

“I don’t have a lot to report,” Brooke said, “but I had a couple of lads ask around the victim’s neighborhood. I’ve also had a word with the uniform who walks the beat there, PC Latham.”

“What does he say?” A

“Quiet sort of area. No trouble lately.”

“What about the inquiries your lads made?”

“A bit more interesting. A bloke down the street was looking for a parking spot about ten o’clock on Friday night. Seems he usually managed to park right outside his house, but this time he couldn’t because someone was already there. Said it had happened before, a couple of evenings that same week. He was a bit miffed, but there was nothing he could do. After all, it was a free spot. Anyway, he remembered there were two men in the car, one in the front and one in the back. He thought they might be leaving, so he hung back for a couple of minutes but they ignored him.”