This morning he was at Edinburgh, in the Castle on the Mount, taking an interest in the serial killer case. Darcy Clarke had asked for the Necroscope’s help on this one, and it looks like Harry got hooked on it. Now he and Jordan seem to be working together on it; don’t ask me why, except that Penny Sanderson was one of the killer’s victims. Revenge? It could well be, for vampires are like that. If so, then sooner or later Harry and Co may be having a go at this sex freak.
‘As to how we know Jordan was in the Castle: he just casually latched on to a couple of plain-clothes men during their investigations up there! He was able to do it because he still has his Branch ID. Later, when one of the investigators mentioned Jordan to a superior – the fact that E-Branch still had a man on this thing – his boss got straight on the phone to us saying thanks but no, thanks, they don’t need our help any more, they think they’ve already got their man. Well, at least we managed to obtain the suspect’s name and address, which might come in very handy. Apparently he’s called John or Johnny Found and has a flat in Darlington. So there’ll be some common or garden Law watching Mr Found, too, and I’ll be detailing someone to watch them – with a warning to stay well out of the picture, for the moment, unless or until Keogh and Jordan decide to move on him.
‘What else about Jordan? Well, as you know, Trevor was – I mean is – a pretty good telepath. It could be that that’s where Harry got his new talent. For Harry’s also a necromancer, remember? And as such he might be able to accumulate talents as he goes, much as Dragosani did. That’s speculation, however, and still to be proven. Another thing about Jordan is this: he was always one hell of a nice bloke. Oh, I know, there’s no such thing as a nice vampire. You don’t have to tell me that! But what I’m saying is I don’t think evil will come naturally to him. It will probably be a gradual process. I hope so, anyway, because of course his vampirism will quickly enhance his already powerful telepathy. Following which . . . well, put it this way: there won’t be any sneaking up on him!
‘All right, I’m almost through. You’ll all be detailed to your new tasks within the hour, as soon as I can get them worked out. Anything else you’re busy with, drop it until you’re told otherwise.
‘So to sum up on how we’re going to work this thing:
‘We know that Harry Keogh’s favourite haunt – the place he rightly considers his “territory”, because it’s been his home for most of his life – is an old house near Bonnyrig not far out of Edinburgh. We think he must be working out of there, with Jordan assisting him in whatever he’s doing. Probably tracking down Johnny Found, or, if they’ve already located him, gearing themselves up to bring him to some kind of justice. So as well as watching the Sanderson girl and Mr Found, we’re also, obviously, going to keep a covert eye on Harry’s old house. But -and I can’t stress this too strongly – a very surreptitious eye, right?
‘If we can get the girl, Harry and Jordan all at the same time – especially if we can get them on their own, as individuals – that’s when we’ll move on them. Which might possibly be precipitated if or when Harry and Jordan decide to take out Found. Ideally, we’ll wait until we can move on all three of them simultaneously. That way they don’t get any warning. What we mustn’t do is try to pick them off one by one, which would be to alert the others. Are we straight on that?
‘Lastly – or rather before we go on to examine the tools of our trade – I have something to tell you that I know won’t go down at all well: namely that the Minister here has confided in Soviet E-Branch on this thing.’ Trask stared into the small sea of astonished faces, but no one spoke.