CHERUB: The Fall - Robert Muchamore Page 0,88

pasty. Inside the restaurant, a fit waitress was leading Ewart and Sarah Thomas to a table overlooking the river. James kept a discreet eye on them until his walkie-talkie spoke to him.

‘The woman’s name is Kate,’ Dana said hurriedly. ‘I’m not sure if they’re MI5 or private investigators but they’re definitely working for the Hiltons. Kate asked if McLoud had made any calls after Ewart left, so they must have his phone bugged.’

James ground his palm against his forehead with frustration. ‘So Ewart’s not working for Hilton?’

‘Certainly doesn’t sound like it,’ Dana said. ‘They seem to think Ewart is just some freelance journalist trying to stick his nose in. And apparently, Sarah Thomas is Madeline Cowell’s former cleaning lady.’

‘So that’s where she fits in,’ James said. ‘She’s brought Ewart a big envelope. No idea what’s inside, but it must be evidence against Hilton.’

‘Cowell was Lord Hilton’s loyal assistant for donkey’s years …’

James shrugged. ‘I guess her loyalty wore thin when her boss started bumping people off to protect his son. Cowell must have suspected that he was planning to top her and left a little sting behind.’

‘So what do you think will happen next?’ Dana asked.

‘They’re following Ewart. They think he’s only a journalist, so I reckon they’ll try and jump him and steal the evidence before he does anything with it.’

‘Agreed,’ Dana said. ‘It’ll either be when he leaves the restaurant or as he gets back in the car.’

‘I can warn him, but it might freak him out, so I’ll have to wait until Sarah Thomas is out of sight.’

*

James had been starving when he first bought the pasty, but the tension had got to him. It now lay on the slatted wooden table in front of him, half eaten and stone cold.

Kate sat at the bar inside the restaurant with a burger, whilst Ewart and Sarah Thomas were finishing their dessert. Judging from the body language, Ewart was bored, while Sarah Thomas seemed like a lonely soul who was milking her chance of a free meal and a decent conversation.

James had considered calling Ewart on his mobile, but he didn’t have the number programmed in to his brand new phone and the campus hotline staff wouldn’t give out that kind of information until they’d received lengthy explanations about what he and Dana were up to.

James watched Ewart get up from the table. He shook Sarah Thomas’ hand and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Sarah gestured towards the ladies’ toilet as James got off the wooden bench. Ewart tapped on his watch, indicating to Sarah that he was in a rush.

As Ewart tucked the envelope under his arm and headed for the exit, Kate wiped her lips on a napkin and settled her bill by placing a twenty-pound note inside her empty tumbler.

‘James,’ Dana said.

‘Yep,’ he replied as he put the walkie-talkie up to his ear.

‘The Audi is backing out of its parking space,’ Dana said.

‘Ewart’s coming out of the restaurant with Kate on his tail,’ James said hurriedly. ‘I wish I’d taken the stun gun out of your bag.’

‘Too late now,’ Dana said.

‘OK, I’m on the move,’ James said. ‘I’ll keep in touch.’

Ewart walked briskly, so Kate had to jog to catch up with him. Ewart heard her coming and looked backwards, with a curious smile.

James considered shouting a warning, but Ewart’s expression changed from are you flirting with me to oh my god before he got the chance. James couldn’t see much from behind, but saw enough to realise that Kate had pulled a gun from inside her jacket.

James’ guts somersaulted as Ewart walked obediently into an enclosed courtyard behind the restaurant. For all he knew, Kate was planning to kill Ewart as soon as he was out of sight. The closest thing James had to a weapon was his Swiss army knife. He pulled it from his pocket as the Audi tore down the road and swung sharply into the narrow yard.

James peeked around the corner and saw Ewart looking extremely tense as Kate held a silenced pistol to his chest. She opened the back door of the Audi and gestured for him to get inside as a car horn blasted less than twenty metres away.

James looked up and saw the red Volkswagen. Dana braked sharply before making the tight turn into the courtyard, but made a split-second decision to accelerate hard when she saw Ewart, Kate, the Audi and the gun. Airbags exploded in Dana’s face as the Volkswagen smashed into the