Tenfold

by Mark Hayden

  I held out my hand and helped him to his feet. ‘And this is the first time you’ve remembered what happened inside?’

  ‘Swear to god, Conrad. When I gave evidence at the inquest, I had to make it up because I couldn’t remember. And the only person who’d been found inside was Mikhail Rothman. No trace of the other bodies, and cause of fire, unknown. Death by misadventure. They found some references to the address in his notes on a fraud case, but that’s it. Are you gonna leave that knife in the grass?’

  ‘What dagger?’ I said. It seems that Nimue had taken more than just the badge of office, and McKeever’s Artefact had disappeared completely.

  Smithy stared at the shallow pool and grunted, then started walking down the road. It was getting later, and dog walkers were starting to appear. I fell in step and we arrived at a car park. The four other cars had all given the marked police vehicle a wide berth. Smithy looked around and opened the boot of the patrol car.

  ‘There’s another reason I’m telling you this,’ he said, and showed me a sniper’s rifle in the boot. ‘I came out of curiosity, Conrad, and because I was worried about you. I had you under obs, all the time, but when that bloke legged it back here, I wasn’t going to tackle him on my own. You going to meet him unarmed was either brave or reckless.’

  My two guns are protected by Dwarven magick. When they’re in their holsters, only strong Mages can see them. ‘Who says I was unarmed?’ I said. ‘Outgunned, clearly, but not unarmed.’

  ‘Figures. That’s why I let him go past me. I’ve got him on film, though, and the index of his car. Give me your private email address and I’ll wing it over.’

  I passed him a card, and he shut the boot. ‘You’re not catching the train. I’m going to take you to Tesco, and then the Premier Inn, and I’m going to put a constable with you tonight, not because they’ll stop any of this nonsense, but because you might go into shock or cardiac arrest. All right?’

  ‘Thank you, sergeant.’

  ‘Good. But first we’re going back to base. There’s a doctor on the way to check your heart, and I imagine you’ll want to call someone.’

  When we got back to base, I passed him a Merlyn’s Tower Irregulars badge. ‘What’s this?’

  ‘You’ve got my mobile. If anything happens, and you can’t get hold of me, call the number on that back of that badge. Merlyn’s Tower is a real place, as it happens. It’s where Nimue lives.’

  He put the badge carefully in a pocket. ‘Thanks, but tell her not to invite me for tea, will you?’

  17 — ‘War by other Means’

  Of course I wanted to call someone. I called Hannah on her personal mobile from the privacy of the firearms centre medical room as soon as the doctor and his portable ECG machine had given me the all-clear.

  In all the jokes I’d made about the firearms course to Hannah, I hadn’t mentioned Smithy by name, and I didn’t do so now. One day, we’ll talk about the Revenant of Upper Brook Street, but not today. There was no swearing in Yiddish when I told her about McKeever.

  ‘Why?’ she said when I’d finished.

  ‘Blackmail. Threats to his family, if he has one.’

  ‘He’s engaged to a Mage from America. They met when he went to some function at Salomon’s House last year. Why do you say that? Why don’t you think he’s part of this group?’

  ‘He didn’t want to kill me.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘He wanted someone on the other end of that phone to hear him serving up that rubbish about the Gnomes, then he was going to resign, duty done. He knows more. A lot more, but he’ll be at Heathrow, I reckon. Unless you want to put a stop on his flight and get down there yourself, we’ll have to let him go. For now.’

  She managed a laugh. ‘I am not sending you to the States to follow him. We don’t have the budget for that, but we do have Li Cheng. I’ll send him down to the Premier Inn to pick up that phone. Does is still work?’

  ‘Don’t know, ma’am. Thought it best to isolate it.’

  ‘Good. And you’re sure this police officer saw nothing?’

  ‘He saw me get into a fight. I told him that McKeever had tasered me.’

  ‘Then I’ll let you get some rest. Are you going to be able to finish the course?’

  ‘Yes. I am not going to be without ammunition again. What are you going to say about McKeever?’

  ‘This is Project Talpa restricted. What happened to him was because of the Codex, and we’ll keep it to ourselves. I’ll just put out a statement that he brought forward his resignation suddenly for personal reasons.’ She laughed. ‘And I’ll tell Tennille to hold all outstanding money until he comes in for an exit interview.’

  ‘No cloud without a silver lining, ma’am.’

  ‘Take care, Conrad. See you Friday.’

  Because of staying at the Premier Inn, I didn’t get to read Mina’s letter until Thursday afternoon. I’ll give you an extract:

  Bolton is a very strange place. I thought places like that only existed on television. It’s very Northern, isn’t it? Have you been? You seem to have been everywhere. Maybe you have. It took a while to work out why they were staring at me. The men were looking at my head, and I thought it was my jaw. Then I heard comments. In Urdu. I think they were saying something about my not dressing modestly. Whatever. The reason they were staring was that I couldn’t find the temple. Francesca didn’t give me an address, just directions. To an empty street. It’s a good job that Kelly waited in the car, because I’d have been stuck there.

  Kelly took me to her mother’s house, you know. That was very strange, too. We Googled the regular temples, and Kelly took me to one after lunch. I made Puja and then I spoke to the priest, and showed him the directions from Francesca. He took my number and said that someone would get back to me. To say thank you to Kelly, I insisted on babysitting on Saturday night so that she and Joe could go out. I have not slept on a camp bed since my cousin’s wedding in India. When I was nine years old.

  They did get back to me in the end. I shall tell you all about it at the weekend. My train gets into Cheltenham at four o’clock, and I shall get a taxi. I can’t wait…

  At one o’clock on Friday afternoon, I handed my Part Two certificate to Tennille and was shown into Hannah’s office, where Vicky was already ensconced at the coffee table. She’d finally been cleared to drive, and in a first for our partnership, she was driving her own car down to Clerkswell this afternoon with me as a passenger.

  ‘Congratulations,’ said Hannah. ‘I believe that these are yours.’ She held out a box with thirty-two 9mm enhanced magickal rounds.

  I took them, opened my gun case and began to stow them away. ‘I don’t think I’ll need them on the way home. Thank you, ma’am.’

  ‘You do realise that you’ve just started an arms race, don’t you? As soon as word gets around, Mages will be trying to improve their Anciles.’

  ‘That thought had crossed my mind, ma’am. A teacher once told me that there would always be someone taller, stronger, faster and smarter than me just round the corner. It stops me getting above myself.’

  ‘Could’ve fooled me,’ said Vicky.

  ‘I’m still alive, aren’t I?’

  ‘Sit down,’ said Hannah. ‘I’ll let Vicky fill you in on the details of the Project Talpa Steering Committee later. That was before your encounter with Mack, of course.’

  ‘There was nowt,’ said Vicky. ‘Now you know.’

  Hannah gave her a stare. ‘I was going to say that the structural issues were more important than the content.’

  ‘I don’t believe you, ma’am. Structure has never been interesting.’

  ‘What if I told you that Salomon’s House will be represented by five Mages? The Keeper and Desirée, yes, but also the Chaplain, the Provost and the Custodian.’

  I made a face.

  Vicky saw me and said, ‘That’s what I thought, too. Not exactly friends of the Watch, are they?’

  ‘What about Cora?’

/>   ‘Poor woman,’ said Hannah. ‘She overdid it and pulled out two of the internal stitches. Had to have emergency surgery.’

  ‘Ouch. I know how she feels. When I was convalescing with my leg, I overdid it and got sepsis. It was touch and go for a while. Mina believes that Ganesh saved me.’

  ‘I won’t try to top that,’ said Hannah. ‘Let’s just all count ourselves lucky to be alive, shall we? And give thanks at dinner tonight, wherever that may be and whoever may be with you.’

  She straightened her headscarf, and I couldn’t help thinking about what Smithy had said. His head. On a spike. Had Hannah seen that before she was attacked? What was the real extent of her injuries, and how much of a role had Nimue played in her survival?

  She caught me staring at her. ‘What? Isn’t it straight?’

  ‘Erm. Sorry. I was admiring your earrings.’

  ‘If you say so. Now. About McKeever.’ She picked up a piece of paper. ‘That was a burner phone you brought in. Cheng got it working, so it’s gone to Ruth for her to pursue it through police channels. Nothing’s come up yet. What I can tell you is that Mack, and his fiancée, flew out of Heathrow on Wednesday evening. Not only that, but there was no activity on her phone for 72 hours beforehand. Completely dark until three hours before the flight. That supports your theory that Mack was coerced, Conrad.’

  ‘Mmm. Sorry to be ignorant, ma’am, but how do Watch Captains with territories work? Do they have a base? Will there be records up in the Midlands?’

  ‘They’re supposed to file everything with Maxine, and only keep rough notes at home. I’ve checked the file on Clan Flint – bland to the point of innocuous. He was a bit preoccupied recently, but Mack was a good officer before that. All of this leaves us back at base camp with a big mountain in front of us. Or a big hole, as we’re dealing with Dwarves.’

  ‘I’ll stick with mountains, thanks,’ said Vicky. ‘Until I have to think about holes, I’d rather not, if it’s all the same, ma’am.’

  Hannah turned round her empty coffee cup. ‘Don’t take this the wrong way, Conrad, but I’ve been talking to Ian, as he’s part of the Talpa team, and he’s got a lot of experience.’

  ‘Good,’ I said. Ian Drummond does have a lot of experience. His field experience might be decades ago (I checked), but he has his finger on the pulse.

  ‘When we go to Clan Flint, I’m going to lead,’ said Hannah. ‘There’s too much at stake. And I’m going to try something risky – a writ of Habeas Corpus. Gnomes don’t like lawyers, or the courts, and it will make them show their hand. They may be innocent, complicit or guilty. Who knows. Ian and I will go to the Cloister Court on Tuesday morning, and I’ll travel up with the writ after that. Can you pick me up from Birmingham?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘Well, have a nice weekend, both of you.’

  We stood up. ‘Give my love to Ruth,’ I said, ‘and give her this.’ I passed over a dry-cleaning receipt.

  ‘You can’t give her that!’ said Hannah. ‘It was an accident.’

  I turned to Vicky. ‘No it wasn’t. It was a deliberate act of criminal damage. By a four-year old, yes, but definitely deliberate.’

  ‘Even so,’ said Hannah.

  I blinked at her. ‘You know why I’m sending it. You were there.’

  ‘Yes. Ruth made you promise to give me the bill to pass on.’ She checked it. ‘You’ve paid it, haven’t you? Good. Well, I didn’t promise anything, so consider your promise fulfilled.’

  She screwed the paper into a ball and dropped it in the bin as we left.

  Vicky waited all of five minutes to get down to the important stuff: what was Ruth’s house like, and did Hannah really get drunk. I lied. A bit. I did give her the gist of our chat in the garden though, and of my campaign to get Mina rehabilitated, which led to Rachael and my problems with my sister’s reputation. Vicky was sympathetic, of course, but she didn’t have much to say until I told her about the two Chelsea girls who’d turned up.

  ‘How do you know how much their outfits cost?’ was her considered, incisive question. ‘They might have been from Primark for all you know about fashion. Don’t forget, you’re the man who wears cords to go to the pub.’

  ‘As I was leaving, I heard Rachael say, “My God, JJ, is that the new Versace?” so I think I’m covered on the cost front.’

  ‘Aye. Fair enough. You reckon Rachael can afford that lifestyle, so what’s the problem?’

  ‘She wasn’t born to it.’

  It was a good job we were stuck in traffic, because Vicky forgot she was driving and turned right round. ‘Hey! What do you mean born to it? I suppose I was born to work in Tesco’s because me dad was a lorry driver, was I? And should I tug me forelock to you as well as saluting? Never heard such rubbish from you before, and that’s saying something.’

  I held my hands up. ‘Sorry. How about this: all wealth tends to corrupt, and enormous wealth…’

  ‘Now you sound like a vicar, and I don’t see you selling all you have to give to the poor.’

  ‘It was her sunglasses. JJ was wearing shades well after dark, and I saw why when she went to give Rachael a kiss. She’d had a lot of coke before she came out. The Dispatchers in Helmand sometimes took it when they had to work a twenty-four hour turn.’

  The driver behind us blared his horn to tell Vicky that we were finally going to get on to the Hammersmith Flyover. ‘Wind your neck in,’ she muttered, then nearly crashed into the vehicle in front by sending a massive power surge through the transmission. ‘I’m still getting used to this car, as you may have noticed.’

  It was a bright red Audi Quattro TT convertible, seized from one of the Dragon brigade. I said nothing, and let her get the measure of the Friday afternoon traffic. When we’d reached a cruising speed of twenty miles an hour, she said, ‘What about you? Did you ever need stimulation? You said you’d been a consumer…’

  ‘Just cannabis. The Afghans used to grow it in their compounds to sell on the base.’

  ‘And it’s very commendable of you, Conrad, to resist temptation. You can be very strong-willed, so why can’t your sister? Who’s to say she’ll join in?’

  ‘Point taken. Let’s focus on the weekend.’

  ‘You do realise that I haven’t played cricket since I was eight, and that was on the beach. I’m not sure I’m going to be much use to Clerkswell Ladies. Is it Ladies or Women?’

  ‘According to Myvvy, they decided that Ladies was more euphonious. Clerkswell Ladies rolls off the tongue better than Clerkswell Women. You’re going to be there to support Mina, who’s going to be there to support Myfanwy, but that’s on Sunday. You’ll see a proper game tomorrow.’

  ‘I can’t believe that Myfanwy – and Mina – have agreed to help with the teas. That’s so … patriarchal. Sorry. I know you love the game, but getting the women to do the tea. Come on.’

  ‘It’s so last century, is what you really mean. It varies, but clubs rarely do the actual prep themselves. There’s a healthy competition in the local outside caterers to supply them, and all the non-players do is put out the tables and fill the teapots.’

  ‘So who pays for all that?’

  ‘The players, with our match fees. And general fundraising.’

  ‘Fair enough. You said that Rachael mentioned Carole Thewlis. Did she mention Isaac Fisher? I’m not happy that a Mage would avoid the Watch like that. Even those who aren’t in our fan club usually say hello.’

  ‘Sorry. Rachael has never met him. Honestly. And there wasn’t an opening last Saturday to bring him up. Maybe next time.’

  We got a shock when we arrived at Elvenham. Well, I did. Vicky and I got out of her car and both saluted the dragon, then something very strange happened: the front doors opened. That usually only happens for weddings and funerals. I thought one of them was rusted shut.

  Mina, in full sari, stepped out and made namaste. ‘Welcome home,’ she said.

  I heard Vicky mutter something, and I was stumped. What’s this all abou
t? I bowed in return, and Mina lifted her skirts to walk down the three steps. I went up to her and she broke into a big grin, holding out her arms.

  ‘What was that all about?’ I whispered into her hair as we embraced.

  ‘I wanted to practise being lady of the manor,’ she giggled, ‘welcoming home her lord, or other VIPs. Myvvy got the builder to re-hang the doors for me. And fix the bell.’

  The doors are very big, taking up most of the tower front, and Vicky had given us a wide berth to go inside. I gave Mina an extra squeeze and a big kiss. ‘How did it feel, Ōha mahāna rājakumārī?’

  ‘You’ve been at Google again, haven’t you?’

  ‘Yes, Oh Great Princess.’

  I took her hand, and we walked inside. Wow. How much was Myfanwy paying these new cleaners, and could I afford it?

  ‘It looks lovely, Myfanwy,’ I said. ‘Thank you.’

  Vicky and Myvvy were standing at the side of the hall. ‘Apparently the sad singletons are going to the Inkwell ,’ said Vicky, ‘so that youse two can have a date-night. Don’t overdo it, mind, you’ve got a match to play tomorrow.’

  ‘Aah. About that,’ said Myfanwy as we drifted through to the kitchen. ‘Ben gave me a message.’

  ‘Oh, aye,’ said Vicky. ‘And when was that? Been on a date yet?’

  Myfanwy waved her hands in embarrassment, and I took a good look at her. The tunic dress she’d bought in the Undercroft was already loose on her. Either there was magick involved, or Slimming World should be prescribed on the National Health, a point I made to Mina later. She told me it is available on the NHS, and that several of her larger fellow prisoners were looking forward to starting on it. Oh well.

  ‘It’s complicated,’ said Myfanwy. ‘Ben’s asked me twice to go to Cheltenham with him. I reckon that he thinks it’s too public in the Inkwell and it would be too creepy to ask me round to his place on a first date. I don’t know what to do.’

  ‘Bring him here next week,’ said Mina.

  ‘Maybe,’ said Myfanwy. ‘Anyway, the message. He says you’ll understand, but he’s got two leg spinners and only room for one in the team. The other guy has been to every practice, and you haven’t. He says he wants you both in the nets at eleven o’clock tomorrow.’