“All of it. Millions of pounds of investment and over a decade of work.”
“Christ,” Sarabeth said.
“It was only a matter of time before they acted. We knew that.”
“And yet it doesn’t make it any easier.”
“I know.”
Sarabeth stared out the window. She blinked back tears. When she turned back to Diana, her expression was steely. “What are we going to do about it?”
“I’ve had a thought. Jamie Whitelaw is a third-year student here. I’m not sure if you’ve come across him?”
“I know we’ve been keeping tabs on him. His mother is Amelia Whitelaw?”
“Exactly. Her sister is treasurer of the Order of St. Katherine.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“Jamie’s a star player on the university rugby team. He has the potential to be an international. I was thinking, wouldn’t it be a shame if he suffered a career-ending injury?”
Sarabeth smiled.
“The rugby club has a social tomorrow night, at the student union. I expect Jamie will drink a lot, as usual. He might have an accident on the way home.”
“That will hurt them.”
“It’s the best we can do at short notice. We need to strike back fast. Charlotte agrees.”
“As do I. Who started the fire at the lab, do we know?”
“Not yet. Charlotte thinks it could have been one of the women who worked in the canteen.”
“Nobody checked her out?”
“An oversight we’re going to have to live with.” Diana hated to make mistakes. They weighed on her. She wondered if she looked as tired as she felt. Her adrenaline was dipping, and there was still so much to do.
“Can you please tell our girls about our plans for Jamie? I woulddo it myself, but Charlotte wants me in London. She promises me it’s good news. She wants me to bring Anya, too, to introduce her to the benefactor. She says it’s time.”
“It’s way too soon for her to meet him. We need to get her settled here first.”
“I agree. I said the same, but Charlotte wants what she wants. She’s spooked. She has been since we disposed of Eleanor Bruton.”
“It’s not like her to be so squeamish,” Sarabeth said. “She’d also do well to remember that the Order of St. Katherine isn’t averse to taking lethal action. We’re more certain than ever that they killed that detective, by the way, Lillian Shapiro.”
Sarabeth was always braver talking about Charlotte than to her face, Diana thought, but it was pointless to say so. “I thought they must have,” she said. “Shapiro must have been digging and got too close, so they’ve done us a favor, too.”
“We always knew that there would be a human cost to findingThe Book of Wonder,” Sarabeth said.
“We did,” Diana agreed, though she thought Sarabeth sounded haughty, which bothered her. For Diana this wasn’t a comfortable thing to think about, let alone talk about. It was time to end the conversation.
“Are you clear on what needs doing about Jamie Whitelaw?”
“Crystal clear.”
“Thank you.” Diana stood and smoothed the front of her skirt. “Okay. We must be ready for Anya’s arrival.”
“She’s a born teacher’s pet, so I imagine that will be any minute now.”
