‘You’ve taken enough risks for one day.’
‘I don’t want my daughter to grow up thinking I walked away from justice because I was scared,’ she said.
‘Do you want to be here to see her grow up at all?’
It was a low blow, but Kelly admired his tenacity. He was trying everything. It made her admire and respect him. It was an equal fight.
She looked up at the Lion and the Lamb, as if for inspiration, but the mountain gave her none.
‘Just take a minute to calm down,’ he said.
She nodded and leant against a low wall as they watched an AR team arrive and get out of their response car, looking forKelly to update them on the whereabouts of the armed man. After she’d done so, she used some of her nervous energy to open emails from Eden House but the knowledge that Streeting had scarpered and was out there somewhere changed everything.
She sought out Hank Hampton but instead of finding him handcuffed and in the back of a squad car, he was walking around freely, talking on his phone. Johnny pulled her back.
She shrugged him off and walked right up to the American and confronted him. He had the temerity to grin at her.
‘I know you think you’ve won. I know you think you’re above the law. But I also know what you’re doing.’
‘Ma’am, I admire your enthusiasm, but I have a job to do. Excuse me,’ he said, pushing past her.
‘Sandy Cooper, the scientist.Yourscientist,’ she said.
He stopped and stared back at her.
‘Any idea where she is? I know she was here with you, so where is she now?’
Hank stared past her as if longing for the opportunity to get into a car and disappear, but that luxury wasn’t something she was going to allow him just yet. If he was going to be allowed to board a plane out of here, due to some kind of reciprocal love-in law with the US, then she wanted to get as much out of him beforehand as she could.
‘She left before Paul attacked us.’
‘What do you mean, she left?’
‘I don’t know; I heard her talking on the phone. They argued.’
‘Who argued?’
‘She and Paul, I don’t know. Perhaps they were lovers?’
‘That’s a convenient get-out clause, isn’t it? You all seem to be bed hopping when it most suits you. I don’t buy it.’
‘Ma’am, you seem to have a growing grudge against me, and I’m at a loss to understand why. As far as I can see, I’m the victim here, and my associate, Tilda Dent.’
Kelly stood her ground. He had some neck.
‘I’m just trying to work out, Hank, how many people fall for your charm.’
He grinned.
‘Exactly that. I wonder if that’s why Jamie was selling you out, because he saw through you. Was it you who arranged Angelina’s murder too?’
He shook his head. ‘Angelina was an angel indeed. Her work was exquisite. I bought a lot of it.’
‘I know. I’ve seen the pictures.’
‘You think you’re very clever don’t you, ma’am? Too clever for me.’
She leant in close, her nose almost touching his now cream and brown suit where the blood had dried. It was now more barista coffee than ice cream.
