Archer, Jeffrey - Hidden in Plain Sight

TO JOHN AND MARGARET ASHLEY

My thanks for their invaluable advice and research to:

Simon Bainbridge, Jonathan Caplan QC,

Vicki Mellor, Alison Prince, Catherine Richards,

Marcus Rutherford, Jonathan Ticehurst

and Johnny Van Haeften.

Special thanks to Detective Sergeant Michelle Roycroft (rtd), Chief Superintendent John Sutherland (rtd) and Detective Superintendent Robin Bhairam QPM (rtd).

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

1

14 APRIL 1986

THE FOUR OF them sat around the table staring at the hamper.

Whos it addressed to? asked the commander.

William read the handwritten label. Happy Birthday Commander Hawksby.

Youd better open it, DC Warwick, said the Hawk, leaning back in his chair.

William stood up, unfastened the two leather straps, and lifted the lid of the huge wicker basket that was packed with what his father would have called goodies.

Clearly someone appreciates us, said DCI Lamont, removing a bottle of Scotch from the top of the basket, delighted to find it was Black Label.

And also knows our weaknesses, said the commander, as he took out a box of Montecristo cigars and placed them on the table in front of him. Your turn, DC Roycroft, he added, as he rolled one of the Cuban cigars between his fingers.

Jackie took her time removing some of the packing straw before she discovered a jar of foie gras, a luxury way beyond her pay grade.

And finally, DC Warwick, said the commander.

William rummaged around in the hamper until he came across a bottle of olive oil from Umbria that he knew Beth would appreciate. He was about to sit back down when he spotted a small envelope. It was addressed to Commander Hawksby QPM, and marked Personal. He handed it to the boss.

Hawksby ripped the envelope open and extracted a handwritten card. His expression revealed nothing, although the unsigned note could not have been clearer. Better luck next time.

When the card was passed around the table the smiles turned to frowns, and the recently acquired gifts were quickly returned to the hamper.

Do you know what makes it worse? said the commander. It is my birthday.

And thats not all, said William, who then told the team about his conversation with Miles Faulkner at the Fitzmolean soon after the unveiling of the Rubens painting, Christs Descent from the Cross.

But if the Rubens is a fake, said Lamont, why dont we arrest Faulkner, send him back to the Old Bailey, and Mr Justice Nourse will remove the word suspended from his sentence, and lock him up for the next four years.

Nothing would give me greater pleasure, said Hawksby. But if the painting turns out to be the original, Faulkner will have made a fool of us a second time, and in the most public of arenas.

William was taken by surprise by the commanders next question.

Have you warned your fiance that the Rubens might be a fake?

No, sir. I thought Id say nothing to Beth until youd decided what course of action we should take.

Good. Lets keep it that way. It will give us all a little more time to consider what our next move should be, because we have to start thinking like Faulkner if were ever going to bring the damn man down. Now get that thing out of my sight, he demanded, pointing at the hamper. And make sure its entered into the gratuities register. But not before its been checked for fingerprints not that I expect the dabs expert to find any prints other than ours, and possibly those of an innocent sales assistant from Harrods.

William picked up the wicker basket and took it into the next room, where he asked Angela, the commanders secretary, if she would send it down to D705 for fingerprinting. He couldnt help noticing that she looked a little disappointed. I was hoping to get the cranberry sauce, she admitted. When he returned to the bosss office a few moments later, he was puzzled to find the rest of the team banging the palms of their hands on the table.

Have a seat, Detective Sergeant Warwick, said the commander.

Choirboy is speechless, for a change, said Lamont.

That wont last long, promised Jackie, and they all burst out laughing.

Do you want to hear the good news or the bad news? asked the commander once theyd all settled back down.

The good news, said DCI Lamont, because youre not going to enjoy my latest report on the diamond smugglers.

Let me guess, said Hawksby. They saw you coming and have all escaped.

Worse than that, Im afraid. They didnt even turn up, and neither did the shipment of diamonds. I spent an evening with twenty of my men armed to the teeth, staring out to sea. So do tell me the good news, sir.

As you all know, DC Warwick has passed his sergeants exam, despite kicking one of the anti-nuclear protesters in the

I did nothing of the sort, protested William. I simply asked him politely to calm down.

Which the examiner accepted without question; such is your choirboys reputation.

So whats the bad news? asked William.

In your new role as a detective sergeant, youre being transferred to the drugs squad.

Rather you than me, said Lamont with a sigh.

However, continued the commander, the commissioner, in his wisdom, felt a winning team shouldnt be broken up, so you two will be joining him as part of an elite drugs unit on the first of the month.

I resign, said Lamont, leaping to his feet in mock protest.

I dont think so, Bruce. You only have eighteen months left before you retire, and as the head of the new unit, youll be promoted to detective superintendent.

This announcement provoked a second eruption of enthusiastic banging on the table.

The unit is to work separately from any of the existing drugs squads. It will only have one purpose, which I will come to in a moment. But first, I wanted to let you know that the team will have a new DC added to its complement, who may even outshine our resident choirboy.

This I want to see, said Jackie.

Well, you wont have to wait long. Hell be joining us in a few minutes. He has an outstanding CV, having read law at Cambridge where he was awarded a blue in the Boat Race.

Did he win? asked William.

Two years in a row, said the Hawk.

Then perhaps he should have joined the river police, said William. If I remember correctly, the Boat Race takes place between Putney and Mortlake, so hed be back on the beat. This elicited more banging on the table.

I think youll find hes just as impressive on dry land, said the commander, after the applause had died down. Hes already served for three years with the Regional Crime Squad in Crawley. However, theres something else I ought to mention before

A sharp knock on the door interrupted the Hawk before he could finish the sentence. Enter, he said.

The door opened and a tall, handsome young man entered the room. He looked as if hed stepped straight off the set of a popular television police drama, rather than just arrived from the Regional Crime Squad.

Good afternoon, sir, he said. Im DC Paul Adaja. I was told to report to you.

Take a seat, Adaja, said the Hawk, and Ill introduce you to the rest of the team.

William watched Lamonts face closely as Adaja shook hands with an unsmiling superintendent. The Mets policy was to try and recruit more officers from minority ethnic backgrounds, but to date it had been about as successful in that ambition as it had been at arresting diamond smugglers. William was curious to find out why someone like Paul had even considered joining the force, and was determined to make him quickly feel part of the team.