The Last Enemy(5)

‘Who is Gareth?’ asked Bullen.

‘You’ll soon find out,’ said Jake.

And let’s hope I’m not exaggerating, thought Jake. Gareth Findlay-Weston, Jake’s boss at the Department of Science and a covert section head of MI5, had pulled strings on Jake’s behalf before. As the police officers pushed the handcuffed Jake into the back of the police car, Jake prayed that Gareth would be able to get him out of this one too.



The interview room was small, almost claustrophobic. The walls were painted a deep dark green, making it seem even smaller. There were no external windows; just one large internal blacked-out window in one wall. People outside could see in, but people in the room couldn’t see out. The overhead strip lights blazed harshly down.

Jake sat at the one table in the room looking at Detective Inspector Bullen, who sat opposite him. DS Usma Aziz sat next to DI Bullen. A uniformed constable stood by the door.

I should have someone here with me, thought Jake. This was the fourth or fifth time he’d found himself in a police interrogation room since he’d first become involved in the hidden library of the Order of Malichea. I should be used to it by now, he thought. But he wasn’t. There was still that feeling of helplessness that came with being in a windowless room, with accusing glares from unsmiling police officers.

‘Shouldn’t I have a solicitor with me?’ he asked.

‘This is just an initial interview,’ said Bullen.

‘Yes, but I’m accused of murdering someone,’ defended Jake.

‘Do you have a solicitor?’ asked Bullen. ‘This person you mentioned? Gareth?’

No, thought Jake. I used to have Alex Munro at Pierce Randall, but now he’s dead and I’m accused of killing him . . .

‘No,’ said Jake. ‘But my partner, Lauren, will be arranging one through Gareth. He’s my boss.’

‘And Gareth’s full name?’ asked Bullen.

‘Gareth Findlay-Weston at the Department of Science,’ replied Jake. ‘I’m a press officer there.’

He wondered whether DI Bullen knew that Gareth was a head of section with MI5. He doubted it. Gareth’s true role as a spook was only known high up the chain of command.

He looked around the interrogation room. Jake had been relieved when they’d actually pulled up outside a police station. He’d been sure that they’d been fake police officers with fake IDs, the next stage of trying to find out what Jake had picked up from his meeting at Muswell Hill. But no, they’d brought him to a real police station.

‘Has anyone told Lauren where I am?’ asked Jake. ‘She’ll need to know in order to arrange my solicitor.’

‘And I suppose she’ll arrange it with this boss of yours,’ said Bullen. ‘Gareth.’

‘Yes,’ said Jake.

‘He must be a very good boss if he doesn’t mind being disturbed on a Saturday night,’ said Bullen. ‘We find that’s very rare in the Civil Service.’

‘Gareth is a very rare boss,’ said Jake. ‘And can you please answer my question: has anyone told Lauren where I am? You said you’d let her know.’

‘That’s all in hand,’ said Bullen.

‘I’m allowed a phone call,’ said Jake. ‘I’d like to make that call now. To Lauren. To tell her where I am.’

Bullen looked directly at Jake.

‘If you give us her number, we’ll make that call,’ he said.

‘She gave it to you already,’ protested Jake. ‘I saw her give it you. Anyway, I thought I was allowed to make the call myself.’

‘That is a popular misconception.’ Bullen nodded. ‘And yes, she did give us her number. But just to make sure we’re calling the right one, if you could give it to us yourself?’

Jake gritted his teeth to stop himself from shouting out loud angrily. He knew it wouldn’t do him any good. He was sure they were playing for time, making sure they kept him for as long as possible without a lawyer being present; but there wasn’t a lot he could do about it right now. They were in charge.

DI Bullen passed a piece of paper and a pen across the table to Jake, and Jake wrote Lauren’s number down. Bullen took the pen back, and passed the piece of paper to DS Aziz.

‘Tell her where Mr Wells is,’ he said.

DS Aziz nodded, and got up and left the room, pulling the door shut after her.

‘For the tape, DS Aziz has just left the room,’ said Bullen. He turned back to Jake. ‘As I said, this is just an initial interview to find out if there is a case against you.’

‘So I haven’t officially been arrested, as such?’ asked Jake.