back of the Audi, while the Audi ploughed into the courtyard wall.
Both Ewart and Kate instinctively jumped clear as James began sprinting across the courtyard towards them. Ewart had kneed Kate in the chest and was twisting the gun from her hand.
Once he had control of the gun, Ewart knocked Kate to the ground with a powerful kick and turned the pistol on James.
‘Don’t shoot me,’ James gasped, raising his hands in the air.
Ewart hadn’t recognised James with his hood up, but he immediately knew the voice.
‘What the hell are you doing here?’ Ewart asked incredulously.
‘Behind you,’ James pointed, as he watched the driver jumping out of the car holding another silenced pistol.
Ewart swung around with the gun, so that he and the driver had identical weapons pointing across, with their muzzles less than twenty centimetres apart. James was tempted to turn and run, but then he noticed Kate crawling towards Ewart.
‘Watch your leg!’ James shouted.
But the warning was too late. Kate plunged a hunting knife through Ewart’s shoe and deep into his foot. As Ewart twisted around in pain, the Audi driver grinned. James was certain that Ewart was about to get a bullet through his head and that the driver would probably aim the next round at him.
As James turned to run away, he heard a crackling sound. The driver collapsed to the ground with blue sparks lighting up his face. James realised that Dana had shot him with one of the stun guns. It was a huge relief, but they wouldn’t be safe until they had both of the silenced pistols in their hands.
Kate stabbed Ewart for a second time; hitting him in the thigh as she snatched the gun. James raced across the courtyard and dived forward, landing heavily on her chest. Her ribs crunched as he wrestled the gun from her hand.
The front doors of the Audi were both open and James found himself staring at Dana through the plush interior of the car. ‘Have you got the other gun?’
Dana raised it limply.
‘Are you OK?’
‘Been better,’ Dana said. ‘My ears are ringing from the explosion, but thank god for airbags eh?’
‘Why are you two here?’ Ewart groaned, as he looked at the growing patch of blood on his jeans.
‘You lied about the security tape,’ James said, as Kate rolled on to her side and began coughing up blood. ‘We thought you were working for Hilton.’
Dana had grabbed her mobile. ‘This is agent eleven-sixty-two,’ she yelled. ‘I’m here with James and Ewart and we’ve got a situation. The cops will be here any minute and we need a response team to come and bail us out.’
Ewart was in a lot of pain from the two stab wounds, but still managed a tiny smile. ‘Whatever the reason, I reckon you two just saved my butt.’
36. CELLS
The CHERUB control room made immediate contact with the chief inspector in charge of the local police station. After hearing a security password, she agreed to seal the crime scene, take all of the casualties to the local hospital under police guard and await the arrival of an investigation and clean up team from CHERUB.
As he was loaded into an ambulance, Ewart told James not to let the padded envelope out of his sight. Kate, who’d suffered several broken ribs when James landed on her, shared the ambulance. The Audi driver had been restrained by Dana after recovering from his fifty-thousand-volt nip. He was arrested and driven to the police station.
After handing the pistols to the cops, James and Dana were given a ride by a tough-looking sergeant, who’d been instructed not to speak to them. When they arrived at the police station, he led them to a deserted corner of the staff canteen and told them that someone was coming to collect them.
As they drank Cokes from the vending machine, James slid out the contents of the envelope. The first page was typed on Madeline Cowell’s personal stationery using an old fashioned manual typewriter:
Dear Jason McLoud,
You and I have a long and combative history, but I have always admired your dedication and integrity as a reporter.
Lord Freddie Hilton and I worked together for more than thirty years and – as I am sure you suspected – we were also lovers. Perhaps it is this that blinded me to the evil nature of the man.
As always, I attended the Hilton summer barbecue this July. Freddie took me aside and made it clear that he was prepared to do whatever it took in