Page 99 of Traitors Gate
‘Enlighten me.’
‘Faulkner is seeking revenge because I was responsible for taking his Rubens,Christ’s Descent from the Cross, off the wall of his apartment in Manhattan and replacing it with a fake worth only a few thousand dollars, while the original masterpiece can now be seen hanging in the Fitzmolean.’
‘But I always thought the museum owned the original?’ said Rebecca, unable to believe what she was hearing.
‘They do now,’ said William. ‘But only because Christina helped us switch them when Faulkner put his East 61st Street apartment on the market last year.’
‘It’s not a crime to take back something that belongs to you,’ the Hawk reminded him.
‘It is if Faulkner considers it belonged to him in the first place.’
‘But don’t forget,’ said Jackie, ‘Faulkner’s in custody while we’re in possession of the Sword of State and the Imperial State Crown.’
‘So what has he still got up his sleeve?’ demanded the Hawk.
‘I’ve no idea,’ admitted William. ‘But I have a feeling we’ll find out when Her Majesty delivers the Queen’s Speech to their Lordships tomorrow.’
‘Perhaps he plans to steal the speech,’ said Paul, trying to lighten the mood.
‘I doubt it,’ said William, ‘there will be several copies of the speech.’
‘Oh my God,’ said the Hawk. ‘You don’t think he could have …’
CHAPTER 25
THE INNER TEAM WERE SEATEDaround a table in the commander’s office, notepads open, Biros in hand, staring up at a large television screen at the far end of the room.
‘What are we looking for?’ asked Jackie.
‘I don’t know,’ admitted William, ‘and I suspect only Faulkner does.’
‘Could we be overreacting?’ asked the Hawk, playing devil’s advocate. ‘After all, we’ve got the crown and the sword back while Faulkner’s been locked up overnight in the Scrubs.’
‘I wish I knew,’ said William as the lettersBBCappeared on the screen, followed moments later by the caption,The State Opening of Parliament.
David Dimbleby’s familiar voice reminded the audience that Tony Blair had won the general election with a hundred-and-seventy-nine-seat majority and would be the first Labour Prime Minister to hold that office since James Callaghan some eighteen years before.
‘And now over to our political editor, Robin Oakley, whowill tell us what we can expect to hear in the Queen’s Speech.’
‘Frankly, David, there are unlikely to be too many shocks,’ said Oakley. ‘During the campaign, Tony Blair made it clear his priority was education, education and education. But there are always one or two surprises in any Queen’s Speech, as no Prime Minister likes to be thought of as predictable.’
‘And possibly one or two surprises that even the Prime Minister isn’t aware of,’ suggested William as he stared up at the screen.
A long-lens camera zoomed in on Buckingham Palace to pick up the Mall lined with expectant onlookers who’d travelled from all parts of the globe to witness the spectacle, along with millions more watching on television. Among them was Booth Watson, who’d stayed at home to watch the ceremony, and Miles Faulkner, who was sitting in the canteen at Wormwood Scrubs, having forgotten just how foul prison coffee was.
‘Never thought of you as a royalist,’ said Tulip as he sat down beside him.
‘I’m not,’ said Miles. ‘Just interested to see who works it out first. I have a feeling it might even be the Queen,’ which left Tulip even more puzzled.
‘The first coach you’ll see coming out of the palace,’ said Dimbleby, ‘is Queen Alexandra’s State Carriage, which transports the Cap of Maintenance and the Sword of State, which will be carried in front of the Queen as she processes into the Lords—’
‘At least that much is true,’ said Miles.
‘—Along with the Imperial State Crown, which King George VI first wore at his coronation in 1937 and will be worn today by Her Majesty when she delivers her speech.’
‘I’m afraid not,’ said Miles.
A loud cheer erupted as the second carriage made its way out of the palace and onto the Mall, with the Queen and Prince Philip returning the waves of a cheering crowd.