The Jubilee Plot by David Field

Author:David Field [Field, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781912786381
Publisher: Sapere Books
Published: 2018-12-20T07:00:00+00:00

‘We may as well travel into work together,’ Jack suggested as he joined Percy at the breakfast table the following morning. Percy looked up from his kippers and nodded.

‘However, I plan to be in the East End for most of the day, assessing how we can possibly even begin to guarantee the Queen’s security at St Paul’s. The damned idiot who dreamed up that particular folly obviously had no experience of life on the streets of the East End. Add to that a bunch of anarchists only too eager to assassinate the old bat, and we don’t stand a rat’s chance in a kennel.’

‘It may well have been “the old bat” herself who asked for whatever it is you’re complaining about, Percy Enright, and don’t let me hear you referring to our Queen in such terms again,’ Beattie said tersely as she all but slammed the jam pot down on the table next to the toast rack. ‘And don’t get jam on the tablecloth — it’s clean on this morning.’

‘What do you want me to do?’ Jack asked.

‘No idea, during the day. But how did you go in the anarchist playpen yesterday evening?’

‘Interesting, if somewhat depressing. From various things said in conversation, they obviously have no love for the Queen and the existing political set-up, yet they’re all men sworn to defend both. There’s a distinct Irish flavour about the place, and they’re probably being used by Fenians; the really scary thing is that they’ll be the ones the Queen will look to for her protection on the big day, and they’ll obviously be armed. At least, the soldiers will, and with enough corrupt police officers in strategic positions along the ceremonial route they could easily hide an assassin in their ranks.’

‘Do they suspect you, do you think?’

Jack shook his head. ‘Far from it. Just the opposite, in fact — I think they’re testing me out for membership. Which is all very well, in one sense, but I have two serious problems. The first is that I can’t, with any continuing credibility, hang around Bow Street like a bad smell, doing a job that could have been completed by now, even working at half speed. The other is that those traitorous bastards in that club make my skin crawl, and it’s all I can do keep my hands off their throats.’

‘You’re just going to have to grin and bear it, Jack,’ Percy advised him as he loaded jam onto his third slice of toast. ‘It’s the best possible lead we could have into what those anarchists are planning. As for your daily work, Bow Street isn’t the only police station that’s going to be heavily involved at the western end of the festivities. There’s Mayfair and Soho in “C” Division, and Kensington in “F” Division, for a start. We also need to look at the possibility of drafting men across from one station to another, like for example Marylebone and Hampstead. You could do us all a valuable service by

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