Eric dropped to one knee and relieved Devlin of the Smith and Wesson. ‘It won’t work twice, you cunning sod.’
‘My friends?’ Devlin said calmly. ‘What happened?’
Carver was enjoying himself. He took a cigar from his pocket, bit off the end and stuck it in his mouth. ‘I put the word out on you, my son. Didn’t get anywhere and then we had a stroke of luck. Eric saw the bird in Wapping High Street last evening. Followed her home.’
‘And?’
‘We paid them a visit not long after you left. A little persuasion was all it took and here we are.’
‘And he talked, my friend, as easily as that?’ Devlin said. ‘I find that hard to believe.’ He turned to Steiner. ‘Don’t you, Colonel?’
‘I do indeed,’ Steiner said.
‘Oh, I wouldn’t think too badly of him.’ Carver flicked his lighter and put the flame to his cigar. ‘I mean, it was his niece he was concerned about. He had to do the decent thing there.’
‘Not that it did either of them much good.’ Eric smiled sadistically. ‘Want to know what happened to her? She made a run for it, went over the rail down to that jetty by the house. Broke her neck.’
‘And Michael?’ Devlin asked Carver, barely managing to keep from choking,
‘I shot him, didn’t I? Isn’t that what you do with dogs?’
Devlin took a step towards him and the look on his face was terrible to see. ‘You’re dead, the both of you.’
Carver stopped smiling. ‘Not us, you little sod _ you. What’s more, I’m going to give it you in the bell, so it takes time.’
It was at that moment that Shaw came back to life. He opened his eyes, stretched and looked around him. ‘Now then, what’s all this?’
At the same moment, the double doors were flung open and Lavinia appeared, holding a tray, Asa beside her. ‘Tea, everyone,’ she said, then froze.
‘Just hold it right there, the both of you,’ Carver told them.
She looked absolutely terrified, but didn’t say a word.
It was Dougal Munro who tried to help her. ‘Steady, rny dear. Just keep calm.’
Shaw, on his feet, swayed drunkenly, eyes bloodshot, speech slurred. ‘You bloody swine. Who do you think you are, coming into my house waving guns about?’
‘Another step, you old fool, and I’ll blow you away,’ Carver told him.
Lavinia shouted, ‘Do as he says, Max.’ She dropped the tray with a crash and took a step forward.
Carver turned and shot her, more as a reflex action than anything else. Maxwell Shaw, with a cry of rage, jumped at him and Carver fired again, shooting him twice at close quarters.
Asa was on his knees beside Lavinia. He looked up. ‘She’s dead.’
‘I warned you, didn’t I?’ Carver said, his face contorted.
‘You certainly did, Mr Carver,’ Kurt Steiner told him.
His hand went into Devlin’s open holdall on the table, found the butt of the silenced Walther, brought it out in one smooth motion and fired once. The bullet caught Carver in the centre of the forehead and he went back over the chair.
‘Jack!’ Eric screamed and as he took a step forward, Devlin grabbed for his wrist, twisting it until Eric dropped the revolver.
Eric backed away and Devlin said, ‘You killed that girl, is that what you’re telling me?’
He leaned down and picked up Maxwell Shaw’s shotgun from the floor beside the chair.
Eric was terrified. ‘It was an accident. She was running away. Went over the rail.’ The curtains billowed in the wind from the open French windows and he backed out on to the terrace.
‘But what made her run, that’s the thing?’ Devlin said, thumbing back the hammers.
‘No!’ Eric cried and Devlin gave him both barrels, lifting him over the balustrade.
At Chernay it was almost two o’clock, Schellenberg dozing in the chair in the corner of the radio room when Leber called to him.
‘Falcon coming in, General…’
Schellenberg hurried to his side. ‘What is it?’
‘Another check on the weather. I’ve told him how bad things are here.’
‘And?’
‘Just a moment, General, he’s coming in again.’ He listened intently and looked up. ‘He says he’s not prepared to wait any longer. He’s leaving now.’