Ashe had come out of his coma during the early hours. As his mind finally merged with his surroundings, the strange dream about a blonde girl dancing naked with a man covered in green leaves faded. The bare room now had the unpleasant edge of reality about it. Outside it was grey.
Two SIS officers in smart blue suits entered the dim ward of Aldershot Military Hospital. They whispered to each other, then approached his bed.
‘Dr Ashe, can you talk?’
‘Depends on the subject.’
‘I’m Giles Bagot. This is Tony Colquitt.’
‘Weren’t you Major Bagot the last time we met? And you were—’
‘A lieutenant, yes, Toby. It’s all civil-service style now.’
‘Even for you… Giles?’
‘We’ve been asked to supervise in Commodore Marston’s absence.’
‘Absence?’
‘Lost a leg. Above the knee. Intensive care, not far from here.’
‘I’m very sorry.’
Bagot smiled weakly. ‘I’m afraid you must prepare yourself for a shock.’
‘Shocks are for the unprepared.’
‘Mrs Lindars is a friend of yours?’
Ashe’s heart sank. ‘Is she…?’
‘Oh no! She’s OK.’
Bagot smiled. ‘Shaken, of course. Surgery on her right ear. Residual neck and back pain. Otherwise, fine.’
‘And the archdeacon? He’s an old friend too.’
Bagot looked down at the polished floor. ‘The er… I’m sorry to say, the old boy didn’t make it. Dreadfully sorry.’
Tears welled up in Ashe’s throbbing eyes.
‘You OK, Ashe?’
‘It’s this pain in my eyes – one in particular.’
‘It’s concussion. How’s your memory?’
‘A bit peculiar. I remember being at the meeting… vaguely. And I remember going outside, until… But nothing else about the day at all. How I got there, the previous day… nothing.’ Ashe shook his head. ‘I remember Brigadier Radclyffe turning up. That was a surprise. Is he all right?’
‘Not a scratch. When the Tower blew up, he was in the house bog. Just in time.’
‘Merciful relief.’
Stone-faced, Colquitt withdrew a checklist from his briefcase. ‘We have some questions.’
Ashe nodded.
‘Have you any ideas at all about the explosion? Special recollections? Who might be responsible?’
‘God knows. Presumably a bomb.’
‘Forensics are still combing the site. We’re investigating the security aspect. If the location was known to our enemies, then what else did they know? Who’s the leak?’
‘I presume the taxi drivers are vetted.’
‘Of course.’
Ashe was desperate to lighten the atmosphere. ‘You don’t think the butler did it, do you, Tony?’
‘Reynolds? Well, it’s funny you say that, isn’t it, Giles?’
‘Not really, Tony. The er… butler’s whereabouts are a mystery.’
Ashe’s sore face cracked into a pained laugh. ‘The butler!’
‘May have been involved, yes. Not that it adds up. According to survivors, without Reynolds, they’d have burned to death.’
‘Survivors, Giles? How many?’
‘That’s what’s puzzling. Thanks to Reynolds, we’ve only one funeral. He’d have been up for a medal if he hadn’t scarpered. Now he’s a suspect. But then… you yourself were not in the Tower at the time of the explosion…’
‘I got a call. Remember that vividly. Very embarrassing.’
‘Contrary to committee rules, I believe. Who spoke to you?’
‘Don’t know.’
‘You don’t know?’
‘The sound was breaking up.’
‘Breaking up?’
‘Yes, Giles, breaking up. Could’ve been anyone, couldn’t it? Except I presume you’ve already swiped my mobile?’
Colquitt withdrew it from his briefcase and handed it to Bagot. Bagot handed the mobile to Ashe.
‘Appears your last call came from someone based in Staffordshire. A woman, name of… Amanda Dyott.’
Ashe laughed, painfully. ‘So dear Amanda saved the bastard’s life!’ He shook his head. ‘And I thought she wanted to kill me!’
Colquitt and Bagot looked confused. ‘Are you related to this woman, Ashe?’
‘Not if I can help it, Giles. She’s a girl I know.’
‘Know?’
‘Bit of a limpet.’
Colquitt whispered something to Bagot, then turned to Ashe.
‘Evidently, Toby, somebody wanted you alive.’
‘I hope my wanting to be alive is not held against me.’
‘But that’s a problem, isn’t it? Your uncanny survival.’
‘Not exactly unharmed though, Giles, am I? The question, surely, is why anybody would want me – and everybody else – dead?’
‘Apart from your Ms Dyott, you mean. There’s the question of motive. Your phone call was certainly a lucky coincidence.’
Ashe felt the pressure beneath Bagot and Colquitt’s emollient tones. ‘Are you suggesting I pre-arranged the call so I could get out of harm’s way?’
‘We’d be foolish not to consider it. However, at this moment, you definitely look more the victim than the perpetrator.’
‘Thank you very much.’
‘By the way, Ashe, it’s been decided that B5(b) will no longer concern itself with investigations into the Kartal Lodge bombing.’
Ashe couldn’t believe his ears.
‘No official encouragement for such activities, is there Tony?’
‘No, Giles. Not in the light of reassurances from the Turkish Embassy. The ambassador has personally assured the PM that there is no British security interest to consider; they have the guilty people. It’s an internal matter. We must focus our attention on this new atrocity here at home in the light of current evidence.’
‘What “evidence”?’
‘We’re simply conveying to you the official position.’
‘Am I to draw my own conclusions?’
‘You are to act in conformity with official expectation. The PM is most concerned, above all, that we focus our intelligence efforts on Iraq, where it’s most needed.’
‘Still, Toby, every cloud, eh?’
‘I see no silver lining, Giles.’
‘We’ve been authorised to inform you of your appointment as acting chair of the B5(b) Advisory Committee.’
‘Shouldn’t that be “acting bed”? Anyhow, aren’t I on your suspect list?’
‘Yes, that surprised us too. But then, we don’t make the policies. Just cogs in the great wheel. Like you. Now, there are a number of new security clearances to settle, and we shall need your signature on declarations in conformity with the Official Secrets Act and subsequent amendments, codicils, internal arrangements and so on.’
‘I’m not even a serving officer.’
‘It’s the direction things are going in, as you know. We’re all civil servants now.’
‘Expenses?’
‘There are additional expense allowances. Travel; secretarial; research.’
‘As chair, I can choose areas for investigation, can I not?’
‘Subject to general agreement.’
‘And which general would that be?’
Colquitt rose to his feet and fumbled inside his briefcase. He handed Ashe a file. ‘You don’t have to sign at once. Forty-eight hours would be acceptable.’
As Ashe began to read the secrets priority status on the brown cover, his mobile rang. Bagot immediately grabbed it off the bed covers.
‘Yes? No, this is not Dr Ashe. Who is speaking please?’
Ashe lurched forwards and snatched the phone. ‘Ashe speaking. Who is that? Right. Call back in ten minutes.’
‘That was a foreign voice, Ashe. I must ask you—’
‘Until I know more about the caller, Tony, that information is reserved for the acting chair.’
‘Not exactly, Ashe. In fact, not at all. Your activities are subject to scrutiny, until we get to the bottom of the Tower bombing. May we expect your unreserved cooperation?’
Ashe looked Bagot and Colquitt hard in the eyes. ‘Be assured, I shall devote all my resources to getting hold of whoever killed my dear friend – and who very nearly killed me.’