Jameson arrived at the agreed rendezvous point, in the car park outside the local school. A blacked-out Range Rover pulled up behind him. He climbed into the rear and found four Royal Marine SBS officers inside. The Special Boat Service was the naval equivalent of the SAS. These guys did not mess about. Marines were some of the toughest and the SBS were the elite of the elite. He wasn’t entirely surprised that Grey had sent these guys: the Navy pulled no punches when it came to looking after their own.

‘Morning, gents,’ he said closing the door. ‘The target building is a quarter of a mile up this road.’

‘Roger that,’ said the driver, pulling away.

‘Who do you think is in there with the family?’ said the officer in the front passenger seat.

‘That I can’t tell you. All I know is that the son is wearing a smartwatch and the mother tracked it to this location. I had a look earlier. There’s one entrance with a keypad on the door. I rang the building owner who said there are thirty-seven serviced apartments in total but only four are occupied at the moment, and only one of those by people who arrived in the last twenty-four hours.’

‘They just told you that?’

‘I can be quite convincing.’

‘So I hear. And where is Captain Peterson currently?’

‘I can’t say.’

‘Can’t or won’t?’

‘Actually can’t. What’s your interest in his location?’

A look passed between the officer and one of his team.

‘What was that? That look? What do you boys know? There was a porter that died at Stanford Hall. I think he was there to protect Peterson. Was he one of yours?’

‘I can’t say,’ said the officer in the front seat.

Jameson watched the driver turn left and drive between the stone pillars of the mansion gateway. ‘Can’t or won’t?’

He didn’t expect a reply and he didn’t get one. But, for Jameson, that was answer enough.

77

George Selaisse stood to answer his phone again.

‘Sir?’ he said, walking into the hallway and then out of the apartment and into the corridor.

‘I need to use the bathroom,’ Bloom said.

The foot soldier thought for a moment then gestured with his gun towards the bedroom. She moved slowly and he followed her, pausing in the doorway between the two rooms.

The bedroom was small but light with a large window to the left and a compact en-suite to the right. There was only one double bed, so they clearly weren’t planning to stay very long. Was that a good thing? She wasn’t sure.