Chapter 53

 

They walked around the lake for the last time, and as usual, April linked her arm in Paddy’s.

“So, the painting is going to be delivered to you at what time?” Paddy asked.

“Ten thirty.”

“And you’re supposed to head straight for the Tunnel?”

“Yep. Seemingly I’m going to have a technician with me.”

“You’re absolutely certain he still doesn’t suspect anything?”

“No, not at all.”

Nothing to be gained by telling him now that someone had been in her flat.

“He’ll have every angle covered though,” she reminded him, “anyone with any sense wouldn’t let a painting of that value out of their sight.”

“Still not an inkling where it could be right now?”

“No.”

“We’ve reached a dead end, too,” he scowled, “if only we could have found where it’s stored.”

“It’s unlikely though, now,” April said, “but we’ll still have enough with my evidence surely, won’t we? We said at the beginning we might not get the whole gang. The insurers want the painting, but it’s us that want Dylan and his brother.”

“Yeah. And we can probably link Jit Monks with stealing the painting. Those emails you managed to get should help. Whether it’s enough, we’ll have to see.”

She widened her eyes. “So we’re all good?”

“We are. You’ve done a great job, April. I never envisaged when we started out, we’d come this far. I hoped, of course, once you came onboard. I knew then if anyone could get us the info, it would be you.”

She pointed out the obvious, “It’s been a bloody long slog, though. That spell in prison was soul-destroying. It dragged on for so long.”

He nodded. “I’m sure. But we wouldn’t be where we are now without it. It was absolutely necessary.”

“I know,” she agreed. “We just need to hold tight and keep everything crossed from now on. The team are all briefed and in place, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, they’re ready.”

“Good. So, once we’ve got the van with the painting, we’ll nick Rider.”

“You can bet on it. If anything changes before then, you know how to contact me.”

She nodded. “Do you think we’ll have enough to get both brothers?”

“I hope so. The main thing is, because of your diligence, we’ll get the Portillo back, which the insurance bods will be relieved about, and then we’ll have to hope we’ve got enough evidence to nick both of them. We’ll bring in Jit Monks and some of the suspects to see if any will grass.”

“Let’s hope the final sting goes without a hitch, then.”

“I’m confident it will. You’ve come this far, April, you’ll see it through.”

She nodded.

Of course she would.

“So,” he smiled, “it’s a wrap then. Watch your back, though. We don’t know how these brothers will react if they suspect they’re being double-crossed, or the gang responsible for stealing the painting. Any hint something might be wrong, and they could come for you.”

Her gut twisted. Someone was onto her.

“I’ll be careful, don’t you worry.”

“Make sure you are,” he warned. “Anything unexpected between now and then, let me know.”

“I will.”

Paddy hugged her. A proper hug like a father would hug his daughter. It still felt awkward even after all this time. Her eyes followed him as he walked away, and she waited until he disappeared around the side of the park café towards the exit before turning in the opposite direction to head back to her flat.

Detective Inspector April Masters prided herself on being equipped to deal with every eventuality, but nothing had prepared her for the person standing directly in front of her, barring her way.

She reeled back. “What on earth are you doing here?”