The Invisible Assassin(44)

The lift doors slid open and Jake stepped warily out. It was no James Bond villain who was waiting to greet him: no one with black-gloved metal claws for hands; or a golden gun; and certainly not a malicious-looking white cat. The man who greeted Jake was medium height, about forty, dressed in a plain but expensive-looking suit, and with a warm friendly smile on his face. It was the first warm and friendly smile Jake had seen in some time. Except for Gareth’s; but Jake already knew that Gareth’s smile was a complete fake.

‘Mr Wells.’ The man beamed. ‘I’m Alex Munro, a senior partner with the London office of Pierce Randall. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.’

Jake let his hand be shaken in welcome. It was a good handshake: firm and friendly, just like Munro’s smile.

‘I’m sure you’re bursting with questions,’ said Munro. ‘So why don’t we go into my office and get acquainted, and I can answer everything.’

They walked along a corridor decorated with heavy carpet. On either side were large offices, with people in shirtsleeves at their desks, on the phone, or sitting intently at computer screens. Jake looked at his watch. It was 8 p.m.

‘You’ve got a lot of people working late,’ he commented.

Munro smiled. ‘There is no such concept as “working late” at Pierce Randall,’ he said. ‘We are a global firm. Some of them are talking to clients in Australia, where it is early in the morning. The fact is, we operate twenty-four hours a day, because the world operates twenty-four hours a day.’ He came to an office door and pushed it open for Jake to enter.

It was a large office, but hardly luxurious. Certainly not when compared to Gareth’s, for example. The chairs were simple and minimalist, but looked comfortable. The large desk had a few files on it, a few sheets of paper, but not much else. Neither cluttered, nor clear.

‘Please, take a seat, Mr Wells,’ said Munro, gesturing at a chair. ‘Or may I call you Jake?’

‘Please do.’ Jake nodded.

Munro’s smile broadened.

‘In that case, please call me Alex,’ he said. ‘It’s far less formal. We like to think of our clients as our friends at Pierce Randall.’

Jake sat down.

‘Anything to drink?’ asked Munro. ‘Tea? Coffee? Brandy? Beer?’

‘No thanks,’ replied Jake.

The truth was, he’d love to sink a beer right now, but he was feeling so shattered he was worried if he did he’d do or say something stupid, and he felt he needed to be on his guard, however friendly Alex Munro seemed to be.

Munro settled himself down in an equally comfortable chair opposite Jake, and nodded sympathetically.

‘Getting right to the point, we know you were framed,’ he said, his face serious. ‘That dead man in your flat.’

‘I’m not the only one!’ burst out Jake. ‘This business of Lauren and Carl . . .’

‘Ah, Ms Graham.’ Munro nodded thoughtfully. ‘We’ll get to her in a moment.’

‘What happened to her and Parsons is connected with the book,’ insisted Jake.

‘Absolutely,’ agreed Munro. ‘I have no doubt of that whatsoever.’

‘She’s innocent!’

Munro hesitated, then nodded.

‘I know you think so, and you may well be right . . .’

‘I am right!’ said Jake emphatically. He calmed himself down, then said apologetically, ‘I’m sorry for flying off the handle. This has all been such a nightmare! It’s been unbelievable! Sue Clark told me you hired her to represent me.’ He looked at Munro, puzzled. ‘I’m still not sure how you even knew I was in custody.’

‘There are lots of things you don’t know, Jake. Maybe I’d better explain. It all begins with the secret library of the Order of Malichea.’

Jake studied him, his mind whirling.

‘You mean you believe in the secret library?’ he asked carefully.

Munro nodded. ‘Absolutely,’ he said. ‘And that the monks hid the books in the fifteenth century.’

Jake regarded him, still puzzled.

‘I don’t understand why you’re involved,’ he said. ‘Why are you interested in these ancient books? It hardly fits with a powerful, modern, twenty-first century law firm.’

Munro smiled. ‘I’m afraid our image belies what lies at the heart of Pierce Randall. The firm was set up early in the twentieth century by two idealist solicitors in Edinburgh, and they set it up for one reason only: to get justice and fair play for all. I admit, that since those days, the firm has gone on to occupy a very grand sphere in the legal world, but the basic principal remains the same: justice and fair play for all.