LITMIR.BIZ

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there was a rubbish bin at the base of a streetlight. She dropped the plastic bag inside, turned into the High Street and walked calmly away along the pavement.

      As Dillon entered the other part of the cemetery the side door was still open, light flooding out, and the old man in the cassock stood there.

      ‘What on earth’s going on?’ he demanded.

      ‘Police,’ Dillon told him because it was the easiest thing to say. ‘Who are you?’

      ‘Father Thomas.’

      ‘Did you see anyone?’

      ‘A woman ran past a few moments ago, Muslim, I think. She wore one of those headscarves. Oh, and baggy cotton trousers. What’s happened?’

      ‘There’s been a shooting, a neighbour of yours, Liam Bell.’

      The old man was shocked. ‘Oh, dear Lord!’

      ‘Back there on the path. You’ll find a young woman there. She’s a Chief Inspector Bernstein. Tell her I’ll contact her on my Cellnet phone.’

      Dillon hurried away, found the gate in the wall and ran to the end of the lane.

      Grace Browning reached Upper Street ten minutes later. There were already large numbers of people crowding into the King’s Head, one of the most celebrated pub theatres in London, and a poster on the wall featured her prominently. She walked through the crowd. Many people recognized her, smiled and said hallo, but she kept on going until she reached Curry, who was at the far end of the bar.

      ‘Oh, there you are, Tom,’ she called brightly.

      ‘Thought you were going to be late,’ he said. ‘And I’ve never known you do that.’

      All this was for the consumption of those standing nearby. She said, ‘Come through and talk to me while I dress.’

      Dillon hesitated on the corner of the lane and the High Street. It was quite busy in spite of the rain, plenty of people hurrying by and lots of traffic. Hopeless really and then he noticed the plastic shopping bag sticking out of the rubbish bin at the base of the streetlamp in front of him. It was the Harrod’s name that caught his eye, common enough in the right place, but not here. He took it out, opened it and found the muslin trousers and the chador.

      ‘Would you look at that, now,’ he said softly.

      He replaced them in the bag and pushed it inside the front of his trenchcoat, then he called Hannah on his Cellnet phone. She answered at once.

      ‘I’m on the High Street,’ he said. ‘You’ve seen Father Thomas?’

      ‘Yes, he’s here. Two police cars arrived already and I can hear the ambulance. A waste of time, I’m afraid. Liam Bell is dead.’

      ‘Poor sod,’ Dillon said. ‘Didn’t stand a chance. Did the priest tell you about the woman dressed like a Muslim?’

      ‘Yes.’

      ‘I’ve just found a Harrod’s shopping bag sticking out of a rubbish bin here on the corner of the back lane and the High Street. Inside are a pair of muslin trousers and one of those headscarves, the chador.’

      ‘Sounds like an Arab fundamentalist hit.’

      ‘I don’t think so. She called out to me, Hannah, called me by name. She had a very pronounced Pakistani accent. Another thing. I’ll bet you five pounds that January 30 claim this one within the next hour.’

      ‘But why?’

      ‘I’ll tell you later. I’m going to take a walk up the road, nothing I can do here. I’ll call you.’

      He put the Cellnet phone in his pocket, turned up the collar of his raincoat and walked rapidly away through the rain.

      A waste of time of course. After all, he’d no reason to know whether she’d gone left or right on the High Street. The rain increased in force, clearing the pavements to a certain degree as people sought shelter. He turned into Upper Street and paused, looking across at the welcoming lights of the King’s Head, remembering that Grace Browning had told him she was playing there in Private Lives. He could see the poster on the wall, darted across the road and paused in the doorway. He took out the Cellnet and called Hannah again.

      She answered at once. ‘Bernstein.’

      ‘Dillon.’

      ‘Where are you?’

      ‘Took a walk up the High Street and ended up at the King’s Head. What’s happening?’

      ‘All the usual things. Forensic are on to it now. They’ve just turned up with the scene-of-crime van.’

      ‘Have they taken him away?’

      ‘They’re bagging him now. The Brigadier’s here. I’ll see if he wants a word.’ She called to Ferguson. ‘Dillon, sir, do you want to speak to him?’

      Ferguson, who was talking to Father Thomas, called, ‘Tell him to come to Cavendish Square. I’ll see you there as well. I’m waiting for the American Ambassador.’

      ‘Dillon?’ she said. ‘Stay there. I’ll pick you up.’

      He got himself a Bushmills and moved to the door giving access to the theatre section. The young girl on duty had the door half-open and was peering through it.

      She half-turned as Dillon appeared at her shoulder. ‘It’s a sell-out, I’m afraid.’

      ‘That’s all right, I just wanted a peek, I happen to know Grace Browning.’

      He looked over her shoulder across the darkened room, the audience seated at the tables, to the brightly lit stage area, where Grace Browning, dressed in a costume from the nineteen thirties, was vigorously denouncing her leading man. She turned and stormed off and the audience applauded.

      The young girl said, ‘Isn’t she wonderful?’

      ‘You could say that,’ Dillon said and smiled. ‘Yes, I think you could.’

      He turned away as the interval crowd started to come out to the bar, and saw Hannah enter. He went to her, draining his glass and putting it on the bar.

      ‘I might have known. I meant you to wait outside, not inside,’ she said. ‘Let’s get going.’

      ‘Jesus, girl, the bad mood you’re in.’

      ‘I got both barrels from the Brigadier. In his opinion you and I have fallen down on the job rather badly.’ They got into her car and drove away. ‘Now, what happened back there?’

      ‘She stepped out from a mausoleum doorway on the other side of Bell. There wasn’t much light and she had the scarf around her head. I shouted to Bell to get down, but she shot him twice – silenced weapon, of course. As I fired in return, she faded away.’

      ‘And then.’

      ‘Rather stupid. I emptied my gun hoping for a lucky hit. While I was reloading she stepped into the path, levelled her gun and called to me.’

      ‘What did she say?’

      Dillon told her. ‘And the accent was very Pakistani, no doubt about that. When she made off, I opened fire again, which was when you arrived.’

      ‘So we’re looking for a Muslim woman?’

      ‘Or someone pretending to be one,’ Dillon took the Harrod’s shopping bag from inside his trenchcoat and opened it. ‘A pair of muslin trousers and one chador.’

      ‘Good,’ she said. ‘You can get good fingerprints from a plastic bag, did you know that?’

      ‘No, I didn’t.’

      ‘But why didn’t she shoot you?’ Hannah shook her head. ‘It doesn’t make sense. And how did she know who you were?’

      He lit a cigarette. ‘Oh, that’s easy.

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