be able to get clear in a hurry. With the best will in the world, Larry, you're not going to be much use to me up here in The Hague. If it all goes belly-up, Petra's the one who's going to have to deal with it on the spot. We need an arrangement to cover that eventuality. It's not as if she's going to be sitting glued to her computer twenty-four seven. And if the shit hits the fan, I may not even be able to get back to the apartment to access the computer. I want an insurance policy, Larry, and from where I'm sitting, that's Petra.'
Candle pursed his lips. 'I'm not happy about this. Maybe it would be better if I came to Berlin too. Then you could liaise directly with me.'
Carol shook her head. 'You don't know the background like Petra does, and you certainly don't know the city like she does.' He still looked mutinous. Time to play her ace. 'Morgan told me I should set up systems that I felt comfortable with. And this works for me. If you're still not happy, I suggest we run it past him.'
Candle flushed. 'I don't think that will be necessary. If it's what you want, I'm prepared to support you. Though, for the record, I do have my reservations.'
'Thank you,' Carol said prettily. It was good to know that Morgan's name carried as much clout as she had suspected.
'That's settled, then. Petra, you said you wanted to talk about how I infiltrate Radecki's world. What did you have in mind?'
'If you are going to do these things, they should be done in style. I have a plan that I believe is both stylish and also calculated to hit Radecki in his weakest spot,' Petra said.
Carol grinned. 'I can't wait to hear it.'
The phone was ringing as Tony walked back into his office after a lecture that he feared had bored his students almost as much as it had him. He grabbed it as he slumped into his chair. 'Tony Hill,' he said, covering his ennui with a coating of brightness.
'Dr Hill? This is Penny Burgess. I don't know if you remember me...'
'I remember you,' he said abruptly. Penny Burgess had been the crime correspondent of the Bradfield Sentinel Times when Tony had been working with the local police on his first serial killer case. She'd dogged his footsteps and done her best to turn him into a household name.
'The thing is, Tony, I was hoping we might have a little chat. In the light of what happened in the Court of Appeal this afternoon.'
The danger signs were flashing before his eyes. If Vance's appeal had failed, nobody would care what he thought. 'I'm sorry,' he stalled. 'I haven't heard the news today. What are you talking about?'
'Nobody called you?' Penny sounded surprised.
'I've been teaching. I literally just walked through the door when you rang. What happened in the Court of Appeal?'
'The judges decided that Vance's conviction for the murder of Shaz Bowman was unsafe.'
Tony felt as if a pit had opened at his feet. A spasm of dizziness left him clinging with his free hand to the edge of the desk. Through the buzzing in his ears he could hear Penny Burgess speak. He compelled himself to listen to the words. 'It's not as bad as it seems,' she was saying. 'He was immediately rearrested and charged with the murder of Barbara Fenwick. He's back behind bars, on remand. According to a police source of mine, there was a witness statement from a market trader in the original investigation that completely undermined the case and made the GPS decide not to proceed on that charge back then.'
'I remember,' Tony acknowledged.
'Well, apparently, a BBC radio reporter has been investigating the case, and she's managed to get the witness on tape admitting that he only said what he did because Vance asked him to. He's now completely recanted his earlier statement. So there's going to be another trial, and I hear that the GPS are quietly confident. I wondered what your thoughts on the matter were.'
'I've got no comment to make,' he said wearily.
Tm not asking you to comment on the new charges, obviously that's sub judice. But you must be upset that he's walked free of the murder of someone you were mentoring.'
'Like I said, I've got no comment.' Tony gently replaced the receiver on its cradle. He wanted to slam it down hard enough to break the plastic