Chapter 29

‘Are you stark raving mad, Poe?!' Linus snapped. ‘I don't know how many times I have to say this: I work for the National Audit Office!'

‘Of course you do,' Poe said. He turned his back on him and faced Bradshaw. ‘It's why he knew so much about Cornelius Green's tattoos. The biggest threat to Western democracy right now isn't Islamic fundamentalism, it's the far right. And they love hiding behind crosses and Bibles. In the old days, it was speaking Russian and Farsi that got you through MI5's door. Now it's a theology degree.'

‘Golly,' Bradshaw said. ‘What a sneak.'

‘This is absurd,' Linus said. ‘Do you want to ring head office? Confirm it with them?'

‘Oh shut up,' Poe said. ‘The National Audit Office doesn't have the capabilities to track a mobile phone and that's the only way you could have found us. Hell, the National Crime Agency barely has it. Not in real time anyway.'

‘Can I go now, Sergeant Poe?' Bugger Rumble asked. ‘It's about to rain.'

‘Yeah, you get away, Bugger. I'll bring Tilly for a chat when all this has finished. You have my word.'

After the happy tramp had disappeared, Linus said, ‘I'm not your enemy, Sergeant Poe.'

‘But you're not my friend either, are you?'

‘It seems we might have got off on the wrong foot.'

‘And I suppose now that you and the other covert bellend have had your trousers pulled down by a man so conspicuous he wears a top hat, you want to do what – pool resources?'

‘I was going to suggest mutual cooperation.'

‘And why should we do that?'

‘Because it's the right thing to do.'

Poe considered that for a moment. ‘OK then, you can start this mutual cooperation by answering this question: what exactly is MI5's interest in Cornelius Green?'