named Amy Collins. She was only eleven, but my god did she know her stuff. I often wonder what became of her.’
‘Better not to ask,’ McEwen said gruffly. ‘You know how it is.’
‘She’s not at CHERUB any more,’ Callum said. ‘She’s in her twenties now.’
McEwen flicked Callum’s ear and told him to shut his mouth. The guard looked at Callum guiltily but didn’t say anything more until they reached the third floor and crossed a meeting room fitted with a long oak table.
‘The shaft is only about two metres long and leads to a ventilation grille inside the embassy,’ the guard explained. ‘I’ve been up there and cleaned out every speck of dirt so that you don’t spoil your clothes. The office workers will start arriving here in a couple of hours, but I’ll lock this room and nobody will come inside.’
The guard reached up and pulled a large picture off the wall, revealing a crude plasterboard hatch directly behind it. Callum looked inside, and could see the embassy’s polished wooden floor through the grille about half a metre above his head.
‘You can make tea or coffee, there’s biscuits,’ the guard continued. ‘If you need to urinate there’s a flask, and I think that’s everything. I’ll give you a call when I see Steve Nolan arriving at the embassy.’
‘All sounds good to me,’ McEwen said. ‘We stopped to pick up newspapers and some breakfast on the way in, so we’ll just squat here until show time.’
7.22 a.m.
Connor liked a good blast in the shower when he woke up in the morning, but he couldn’t go near water because of the make-up job and he felt grotty as he met with Steve Nolan in the hotel lobby.
‘So you’re my new nephew,’ Steve said airily. ‘How lovely to meet you.’
Maureen didn’t like Steve’s tone and spoke sharply. ‘Concentrate on what you’ve been taught, Mr Nolan. Remember, you only earn your get-out-of-jail-free card if this all comes off perfectly. Have you got any questions?’
‘Is there anywhere around here where I could get a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel?’ Steve asked. ‘I’m not used to being up this early and I don’t want to start feeling queasy.’
Maureen was slightly irritated by the request, but Steve was going undercover with no training and she had to do everything she could to keep him calm. They rerouted their driver so that they passed a branch of Bagel Factory and Steve satisfied his craving as they took the fifteen-minute drive to Regent’s Park.
The embassy was regarded as a likely terrorist target. Concrete bollards protected it from car bombs and a miserable police officer stood by the main door, looking damp. The lobby had a mahogany reception desk and walls decorated with Aztec shields.
The rugged-looking suspect introduced himself as Ramiro and was surprised to see Connor.
‘Last-minute thing,’ Steve explained. ‘My brother’s away on business and this little fella has a habit of not making it to school if you don’t watch him walk through the gate.’
Ramiro laughed. ‘The same in my country,’ he said. ‘My daughter at school is very good. My son’s not so much. It’s not a manly thing to study hard. Now, if you don’t mind.’
They’d crossed a small marble hallway, but the main part of the embassy building was behind an airport-style security checkpoint. An embassy guard stood up as Connor and Steve placed their backpacks on the conveyor belt. When he was satisfied with their bags, he spoke in bad English, ordering them to remove their belts and shoes and turn out their pockets before passing through a metal detector.
‘I’m sorry about this,’ Ramiro said. ‘But there are drug wars and terrorists in my country. We must do this to everyone.’
‘Not a problem,’ Steve said politely, as he pushed his feet back inside his shoes.
The guard was less friendly. He swivelled the LCD display from the X-ray machine towards Steve and tapped accusingly on the outline of a dark purple contraption.
‘What is this?’
‘Weighing scales and an optical magnifier.’
‘What for?’
Ramiro broke into a broad smile. ‘Sergeant, Mr Nolan is my guest.’
The guard turned sharply towards Ramiro. ‘You do your job and I do mine. You either get clearance from the ambassador, or your friends pass through security the same as everyone else.’
‘It’s not a problem at all,’ Steve said, as he unzipped his pack. ‘Look all you like.’
The guard seemed to consider this for a few seconds before giving a wave. ‘Take it through.’
Connor saw an exchange of nasty looks between Ramiro and