Page 67 of End Game

•••

‘Ross?’ said William. ‘Where are you?’

‘Still in the park, but I think he spotted me, so I ran straight past him and didn’t look back.’

‘Paul?’

‘I can see the Rolls-Royce coming into view,’ Paul replied.

‘Don’t lose it. This time, arrest Faulkner when he gets out of the car and, more importantly, find out what’s in that box and let me know immediately.’

‘Will do, sir,’ said Paul, who swung his bike around and began to follow the Rolls.

‘And don’t forget that Collins is as sharp as a tack,’ said William, ‘and he’ll spot a motorbike following him within moments. Petrov has played his part, Ross is blown and Jackie’s on her way back to Scotland Yard, so, Paul, make a name for yourself.’

William got out of bed and headed for a shower that had been on cold for the past month.

•••

Faulkner’s car phone began to ring. He grabbed it.

‘Plan B,’ said a voice he immediately recognized.

Faulkner put the phone down.

‘We’re being followed,’ said Collins. ‘A motorbike aboutfifty yards back. He’s been with us for the last couple of miles.’

Faulkner looked down at the box on his lap. He could hear Booth Watson saying,Get out while you still can.But it was too late now, and one thing was certain, he couldn’t afford to be caught with the box. He carried out the second part of plan B.

‘Head for the North Greenwich cable car,’ said Faulkner.

Collins made a u-turn and headed for the Thames, followed by the motorbike. He only slowed down when they reached the cable car.

Faulkner leapt out of the Rolls carrying a shoebox. He went straight to the front of a long queue, handed the ticket collector a twenty-pound note and jumped into the first available cabin, while ignoring the murmurs of protest coming from behind him. When the cable car moved off, Faulkner sat back and watched his pursuer dump his motorbike and also run to the front of the queue. He showed the ticket collector his warrant card – a dead giveaway – then jumped into the first available cabin. Faulkner double-checked: his pursuer was five cars behind, but had no way of joining him.

Faulkner thought for a moment, before phoning Bernie Longe. This was Longe’s backyard, after all, and it was time to call in a favour if Longe wanted the rest of the ten million.

Longe told him exactly what he should do the moment he got off the cable car.

Paul called William and brought him up to date. After William had put the phone down, he rang the senior officer at Greenwich police station.

During the fifteen-minute aerial journey above the city, most of the passengers enjoyed identifying landmarks – the London Eye, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Thames Barrier and the Olympic Park – as they continued on their journey ninety metres above the Thames.

Paul sat back and avoided looking in the direction of his quarry, as Faulkner had nowhere else to go.

By the time they came to a halt on the other side of the river, Paul was sitting on the edge of his seat, preparing to leap off the moment he could. When Faulkner reached the terminal and his door was opened, he jumped out of his cabin, but didn’t head straight for the exit. He ran to the signal box at the other end of the platform, to find the controller was waiting for him.

The cable car suddenly came to a halt, leaving Paul stranded in mid-air. He would have jumped the last few feet, but his cabin door remained resolutely closed.

Faulkner emerged from the signal box a few moments later, his wallet two hundred pounds lighter. The controller had given him more than enough time to make good his escape.

To add insult to injury, the controller made a public announcement over the loudspeaker apologizing to customers for the short delay. Technical problems, he explained.

•••

‘I’ve lost him,’ Paul said over the line. ‘Bloody cable car – someone must have bribed the controller.’

‘Not to worry,’ said William. ‘He’s not going anywhere, so catch up with him as quickly as you can.’