Steel was through with taking the Tube. The task at hand had evolved now to a new degree of difficulty. It was time to act, and act fast. She showed up at the HGI complex on Farringdon Street in a Metropolitan Police squad car with two others behind her. She strode into the lobby with three uniformed officers, mostly for show. She wanted to know what had happened with the surviving members of the Tatum family, what Heaton knew about Adam Tatum’s past, who recruited Adam Tatum, and what Heaton and the good people at Heaton Global had to do with the bombing at Number 10, now a full five days earlier.
Once again she was given a lot of dead air. A noncommittal receptionist told her to have a seat while she got a representative to discuss the matters with her.
“Do I look like I’m in the mood to wait very long?”
“No, ma’am. I’ll be sure to let them know that you’re not. Please have a seat.” She did wait. Almost five minutes. Too long for her. She wasn’t anywhere close to the calm place she would need to be in to “have a seat.” She was even dressed differently this time, in black jeans, high black leather boots, and a Met Police parka, plus a Glock 17 on her belt, mostly for show.
She had had enough waiting. She left the uniformed officers at the front, stomped down the back lobby to the private elevators, and went straight up to Heaton’s suite. When she stepped off the elevator she was once again greeted by the young woman with the perfect hair and the pretty nose.
“Ms. Steel, hello.”
“It’s Inspector Steel. It’s not often I require the title to be used. This just seems like the perfect time.” The good-looking blonde hid a chuckle and a smile. There was something about Steel that she liked, something cute about her. She was a company woman, though, this blonde, so she played her part.
“Yes, of course. Inspector Steel. One of my associates is coming to see you right now.”
“That’s okay, I’m done waiting. I’m going in to see Sir David.”
The pretty young woman tried to talk her out of it, but Steel pushed past her, barging into Heaton’s private den. He was in the middle of a meeting with three Asian men. They looked like accountants to Steel. There were number-filled papers strewn over the couches and the table in between the couches. Heaton stood up, once again acting more than happy to see Steel, eager to banter, more than fine with how she had barged into the den. The shampoo lady tried to apologize.
“I’m so sorry, Sir David. I’ve called security—”
Heaton cut her off, as Steel knew he would. “It’s fine, Rebecca.”
He turned to the Asian men, spoke to them in Japanese. They bowed. Heaton bowed. They answered him in more Japanese. They picked up their papers, everyone bowed some more, and then they were gone.
Heaton waved a reluctant Rebecca out as well. It was now just he and Steel.
“Alone at last. Look at us. Should I order up some drinks?”
He had already gotten to Steel, two moves in. She didn’t back down, though. She torqued her normally back-row Scottish accent up to the main stage, and gave it a bit of a Glasgow street lilt.
“Don’t be smug. You know who I’m here representing and what I want to know. I’m not here to wait in your lobby or suffer your arrogant theatrics. Do you have a firm grip on that now? Do you, Sir David?”
He flashed his best “life’s a big game grin” at her.
“I do. I get it. You’re in a foul way. Don’t want to banter. What can I help you with?”
“First off, I want to know how much you personally knew of Adam Tatum’s past?”
“Very little. I’m learning more and more every day. In truth, the whole thing disgusts me. The fact that we—inadvertently—could have had something to do with all this. I had no idea of his prior criminal history until sometime yesterday. Neither myself nor anyone else at the company had any idea of what he did or, for that matter, what he was capable of doing.”
“And you have no knowledge of who killed him? No knowledge where the rest of his family is or what happened to them?”
“Of course, I do not. I didn’t even know he had been killed until just now.”
“How is it that he came to be working here? Who here hired him?”
“I’m looking into that. As soon as I know, I’ll get that name to you. As I’ve told you before, we have many thousands of employees.” He sat back down for the first time since she’d come into the den and motioned for her to take the couch opposite, to get comfortable.
“I’m not staying long enough. Not this time.”
“I am sorry to hear that he’s dead. If he indeed was involved in the bombing, I’d have liked to see him stand trial.”
“I’m sure you would have. In the meantime, I need to know who his connection was here at the company. We want to find his family before any harm comes to them, find out how much his wife knows about his involvement.”
“Of course. I’ll have that name to you by the time you reach the front lobby, Inspector.” Steel turned to leave. He wanted to play some more. He was almost snickering. He called to her with a cackle as Rebecca and her head of great hair led her back to the elevator. “Burst in anytime, Davina. I’m going to make myself always available to you. How’s that?”
She stopped dead in her tracks and turned back, her eyes glaring at him with an intensity he hadn’t seen from her yet.
“I’m here under the direct authority of the head of the DPG and the home secretary himself. I’m investigating the attempted assassination of the prime minister. Our lead suspect was a member of your staff. There should be nothing about this that you find funny. That’s the last time I’m going to tell you this quite so nicely.” Heaton kept his grin in check as much as he could and nodded sincerely.
“I’ll take that as a fair warning.”
As she left, she looked down the hall. She saw Harris and Peet on either side of her. She recognized Peet from his time following her. She wanted to laugh, to let him know how incompetent she found his work, but decided to let her unplanned outburst be her last words. She walked past Rebecca down to the private elevator and left.
At the front lobby desk she was given the name and phone number of a man named Gordon Thompson, an employee of HGI there in London. Thompson apparently had the day off, but Steel was told to call him at her earliest convenience regarding any information she needed on Mr. Tatum.