‘I can’t go into specifics,’ he said. ‘All I can tell you is that this business about a body double was nothing to do with us. If we had known anything about it, we would have told your team. You have my word on that.’

Bowman watched him closely, looking for a tell. But Mallet’s expression was utterly unreadable. He might as well try to read a brick wall. Something else occurred to him then.

He said, ‘The Russians must have planned that attack at Westminster Abbey as well. The assassination attempt.’

‘What makes you think that?’

‘Something that bothered me at the time. That assassination plot was well planned. A few anti-government protestors wouldn’t have the discipline or the resources to mount an attack like that. It’s got to be the Russians.’

Studley scratched his head. ‘Why would the Russians sanction a dummy attack on the president?’

‘To create a distraction. The killers knew we’d be focused on Seguma after the attempt on his life. No one would be looking at Lang. They staged the hit to throw us off the scent.’

Studley puffed out his cheeks and exhaled. ‘The Kremlin must have really wanted this guy dead.’

‘Them, or the Russian mob,’ said Bowman.

‘Isn’t that the same thing these days?’ A knowing smile crept across Mallet’s face.

‘What about David Lang?’ asked Bowman.

‘What about him?’

‘If what Freddie Lang said is true, he’s in trouble.’

Studley contorted his face into a contemptuous sneer. ‘I wouldn’t shed any tears over him, Josh. That fucker is probably out in France fixing a drug deal. If the Russians do get to him, it’ll be one less thick mobster to worry about.’

Bowman shook his head forcefully. ‘David Lang isn’t stupid. He might be a bastard, but he’s clever.’

‘He’s a gangster,’ Studley said. ‘They’re all idiots.’

‘David Lang is different. He’s not like other crime bosses. The bloke has got an IQ of 182. That makes him a genius. He reads philosophy books for fun, studies economics in his spare time. He’s evil, but first and foremost he considers himself a businessman.’

Studley grunted. ‘You sound like you admire the prick.’

‘I’m just telling you how it is. And I’ll tell you something else. Whatever he’s doing in Monte Carlo, it must be big. David isn’t the kind of bloke who spends his time arranging petty drug deals. He’s always been more interested in the big picture, even when he was a kid.’

Mallet narrowed his eyes to razors. ‘How do you know all this?’

‘I grew up around the Langs.’

‘A Cockney boy, eh?’

‘Romford born and bred,’ Bowman said. ‘Toughest people in the country, boss.’

Mallet grinned. ‘Except for us Scots, of course.’

‘Maybe. But we’re craftier.’