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Chapter 24

‘Whothe hell is Brian Price?’ Flynn said.

Wilson the SPAD unlocked her iPad and opened a file. She flipped the screen so they could see it. It was a vetting document.

‘Detective Constable Brian Price,’ she said. ‘Been with Protection Command for ten years, attached to Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection for the last three. Accredited and authorised to carry a firearm operationally. He was with the Met before he moved across. Has Developed Vetting clearance, pretty much the highest you can have as a police officer. As with any job like this, the team was asked to disclose any conflicts of interest before selection was confirmed.’

Flynn opened her file and checked something. ‘The rota says Brian Price wasn’t on duty when Cummings died,’ she said. ‘Wasn’t due for three hours, and as they were on twelve/twelve shifts, he’d not been around for nine.’

‘We need to speak to the shift commander,’ Poe said. ‘See if there were staffing changes not recorded on the rota.’

Flynn nodded and started thumbing a text to someone. Poe heard the ‘whoosh’ as it was sent.

‘What did the Mole People find, Tilly?’ Poe said. ‘What did vetting miss?’

‘The vetting didn’t miss anything, Poe,’ Bradshaw said. ‘But that’s because they only checked connections to Harrison Cummings.Wechecked for connections to Kane Hunt as well.’

Poe looked pointedly at Wilson.

‘Oh, for God’s sake, man,’ she grumbled. ‘His protection detail was put together in two days. You can’t possibly expect us to have thought of everything.’

‘Why not?’ Poe said. ‘Tilly did, and she’s had far less time on this than you.’

‘You are an insufferable man, Sergeant Poe! As soon as this is over I’ll be having words—’

‘They made a mistake, Poe,’ Flynn said, clipping Wilson mid-sentence. ‘Let’s not make it worse. What’s Brian Price’s connection to Kane Hunt, Tilly?’

‘Natasha Price, his daughter,’ she said. ‘She was being abused online by one of Hunt’s so-called bodyguards after she refused to speak to him on a dating site. I have screenshot printouts of their interaction.’

She handed them all copies. Poe read his.

Ashley3782:

Hi, I’m Ash, a gentleman looking for long-term friendship, possibly romance. Would you like to talk?

Natasha: