Personal

‘Therefore the things you told us were merely theories you believe in.’

‘I can’t prove them.’

‘But?’

‘I know they’re true.’

‘Because?’

‘Human nature,’ he said. ‘You know how it is. Whatever your intentions, if you have the ability to do something, then you will do it, sooner or later. The temptation is always there, and it can’t be resisted for ever. Don’t tell me you think any different.’

‘What about the other things you told us?’

‘Like what?’

‘You think Kott and Carson are definitely in London.’

‘Hundred per cent certain.’

‘Based on your skill and insider judgement?’

‘Everything I know says they’re here.’

‘And they’re being guarded, and fed, and entertained by the Romford Boys.’

‘It’s how things are done. The courtesies are very elaborate.’

‘Hundred per cent certain?’

He said, ‘More than.’

‘And the guards and the food and the entertainment would be quarterbacked by Joey himself.’

‘No question about that. Hundred per cent.’

‘But no one is dashing back and forth between Joey’s house and wherever.’

‘And that’s not just my belief. That’s a fact.’

I said, ‘Ms Nice and I had a conversation. The whole British government is getting nowhere. So how likely is it a rookie analyst and a retired military cop are going to provide the vital breakthrough?’

Bennett said nothing.

‘But I guess you want it to look that way. You want it to be one of us who comes out and says it. So you can act all surprised. To ease your conscience a little.’

He said nothing.

‘A simple chain of logic,’ I said again. ‘Kott and Carson are in London, the Romford Boys are hiding them, but there’s no traffic in and out of Little Joey’s driveway.’

Bennett said, ‘All true.’

‘Therefore Kott and Carson are inside Little Joey’s house.’

Bennett said nothing.

‘Joey doubled his guard for a reason. He was expecting house guests. I mean, where could be safer? The cops can’t get near the place, and no civilian would dare to try. And if Joey wants to keep these guys close, maybe with an eye to the future, then there’s no place like home for a thing like that. He’ll let them hole up there as long as they want. They’ll leave when the time is right. They could walk from here to Wallace Court, if they had to. They arrived inside one of those stray vehicles you saw. Maybe driven around the back. No use following the vehicle afterwards, because it wasn’t going anywhere. It had been hauling stuff in, not hauling it out. But aside from all of that, you’re seeing exactly what you’d expect to see. Two teams of house guards rotating in and out, and lots of food coming in. Enough for three people.’

Bennett didn’t answer.

‘Now you can say wow, you must be right, we had no idea, and we’re so sorry for accidentally bringing you to a spot exactly four hundred yards from where two of the world’s greatest riflemen are watching out the window.’

‘I am sorry,’ he said.

‘But there’s a silver lining, right? There always is. If you see a weapon discharged inside that house, you could order up all kinds of SWAT and armoured vehicles. Job done, right there. If you see a weapon discharged. Which isn’t a given. But which might become more likely if they had something to shoot at.’

‘Not my idea,’ he said.

‘Whose, then?’

‘Like I said before, they didn’t rule the world by being nice.’

‘They?’

‘We. But not me. Not personally.’

‘Don’t apologize,’ I said. ‘This is exactly where I wanted to be.’

THIRTY-NINE

I STAYED WHERE I wanted to be for about thirty more minutes, with Casey Nice alongside me at her own pair of binoculars, both of us watching the static scene and trying to draw what conclusions we could from it. Bennett stood behind us, listing the activity they had already seen, and answering the few questions we had.

I asked him, ‘What kind of probable cause would get you in there?’

He said, ‘Apart from a muzzle flash?’

‘Let’s hope things don’t go that far.’

‘A positive visual ID on either one of them would work.’

‘Which you haven’t gotten yet.’

‘Not yet.’

There were lights in some of the windows, both upstairs and down, behind what looked like semi-transparent roller shades. But there were no shadows cast, no figures, no movement. And no blue glow from a television set. Probably the occupied core of the house was in the back, or on the far side, neither of which we could see. A kitchen and a family room, possibly, with guest bedrooms upstairs. Or a self-contained suite of their own. Like a pied-à-terre apartment, except 50 per cent larger. Designed either for the present purpose, or for giant and incapacitated parents, twenty years in the future.

I asked, ‘You got an opinion on when exactly they’ll move into position down at Wallace Court?’

Bennett said, ‘That’s the big question, isn’t it?’

‘What’s the big answer?’

‘We’ll be closing roads a day or two before it starts. I’m sure they’re aware of that. And I’m sure they know a day or two means three or four, sometimes. So my guess is they’ll move five days ahead.’

‘That gives them a long wait.’

‘Snipers love all that lying-up bullshit. All part of the mystique.’