The New Europeans by James Ward

Author:James Ward
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: espionage novels set in London, spy thrillers set in England, English espionage thrillers, MI5 and MI6 spy novels, Political thrillers set in England, Secret Service thrillers from the UK, Brexit thrillers, Action and adventure, Action hero
Publisher: Cool Millennium
Published: 2017-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19: Possibly Young Conservatives

Mordred and his driver went to a service station while, seven miles further up the road, Talbot was flagged down by traffic officers, arrested and taken back to Salisbury to be charged. Mordred ate a vegetable slice in Mike’s Kitchen Garden while Kevin sat in the taxi with a flask of coffee and a beef tongue sandwich. Like all motorway cafés, the outside was cold, noisy and windswept with the passing of cars, and the inside was anonymous and somehow dominated by the toilets. Afterwards, they went to find the police station.

When Mordred walked in, the officer at reception – a young WPC with a bob - was expecting him. “Mr Talbot’s in a cell right now, sir,” she said. “Would you like to wait till he sobers up, or do you want to deal with him right away?”

“As soon as possible, please,” Mordred said, putting his card back in his pocket. “I’ll speak to him alone at this stage, keep it as informal as possible. Do you have an interview room available?”

“It’s all arranged, sir. Would you like a cup of tea or coffee?”

“That’s very kind, but no thank you.”

She introduced him briefly to some of the other officers – a matter of etiquette - then took him straight to the room where Talbot was waiting, seated at a table. She closed the door as she left and Mordred sat down. Talbot looked at the floor. His eyes bulged manically.

“You’re a university lecturer, I understand,” Mordred began. “This probably isn’t going to look good for you. 120 miles per hour, eh? What were you trying to prove?”

Talbot shrugged. He wiped his nose on his sleeve, avoided eye contact and said nothing.

“However, I’m not here to talk about that,” Mordred went on. “I’m here to talk about Frances Holland. The woman whose funeral you just attended,” he added, to prevent a quibble. “I know you two were having a relationship.”

Talbot seemed to wake up from a dream in which he’d decided to be uncooperative. “Er, what?”

“Are you denying it?”

“Wha – how? Who are you?”

“A friend of hers.”

“Here, in the police station?

“DI Jonas Eagleton. When I say I’m her friend, I don’t mean I knew her personally. I mean, I’m on her side. And I’m not sure you are.”

“How dare you? She and I were always friends. Always. I’ve known her since she was at university.”

“Is that when you started sleeping with her?”

Talbot deep breathed for a few moments, then relaxed as if a weight had been taken from him. He spent a few seconds swallowing his indignation, then sat up. “For what it’s worth, it wasn’t a crime in those days,” he said meekly.

“Granted. It isn’t now.”

Another long pause, then: “It wasn’t even considered unethical. We were in love. Correction: I loved her. She didn’t love me.” He grinned acrimoniously. “Obviously, I was younger and better looking in those days. What was your name again?”

“Eagleton.”

“Do you – suspect anything?”

“About what?” Mordred asked.

“You tell me.”

This didn’t come out as a declaration of defiance.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.