‘I know, Christopher, and that’s why you can’t bail out now. Besides, your salvation is what you have on the dame. You could put her away for years, though she’d still squeal. If you didn’t want to be muddied, you really should have found a different line of work by now, my friend. Even you leave a trail.’

Slater looked at Tooting, and beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.

‘Besides, how will you explain to your wife that you can’t go to Barbados this year? I’ve always got on so well with your family, Christopher. It would be with a heavy heart that I would have to explain your role in the messy deaths of some employees of mine. But I’m sure I could arrange some personal support for them.’ He smiled and picked his teeth with a wooden pick from the silver pot that sat on a low table, next to olives, peanuts and some sort of sweet crisp.

‘You are going to blackmail me?’ Slater’s eyes widened.

‘Oh Christopher. Your hands are so dirty, you’d better be careful wiping the tears away; you might catch a nasty illness. Benji, are you still awake?’

‘Yes, Philip.’

‘I want you to find someone we can rely on; not one of your washed-up soldiers but someone who costs a little more. Get to the little scrapper and shut him up. Those holding cells can be violent places if one has to share with someone volatile with a desperate family on the outside.’

The Colonel fiddled with his tie. Slater paced up and down.

‘What about Cyprus, Benji?’ Tooting asked.

‘I’m on it. I’ve got a few favours owed there. It hasn’t been confirmed yet.’

‘Well bloody hurry it along, man! I suggest we give the investigation somebody closer to the deceased to toy with. After all, Sebastian harboured a virulent jealousy towards George, especially once he found out that he was to look after his money until he proved himself capable of fucking a woman and providing heirs of his own. He’s tried to slow the solicitors down, but I think we should do the opposite.’ Everybody knew that Sebastian was beholden to Philip until he could get his hands on his grandfather’s money. But then perhaps he’d be a liability.

‘That’s it. That’s what we go with.’ Slater was animated. Philip found it amusing that only a minute ago he’d been threatening to walk out on them. Now he was back on board simply because a fall guy had been provided to cover for him.

Philip nodded. ‘What about the journalist. Why can’t we find her?’

‘She’s vanished. She was snooping around asking questions. We had eyes on her but she got spooked. She was with a man. Graeme Millar. The same one who found George’s body.’