Before he could reach the man, Tommy heard a voice that he had hoped never to hear again. "Lynley!"
He turned to see Assistant Commissioner Hillier standing beside a man in a Chief Constable's dress uniform. "You arrived quickly." Tommy did not feel the need to add 'Sir'.
"I was choppered in. We're establishing a command centre on Christ Church Meadow."
Barbara came running up and stopped beside Tommy. "Evening, Sir."
"Havers," Hillier replied, "this is Chief Constable Coleman."
"Sir." Barbara respectfully nodded, which surprised Lynley.
"If you'll excuse me," Tommy said politely, "I need to see if the man they pulled free is James Hathaway."
"Superintendent, that can wait."
Barbara looked at Tommy. "Superintendent?"
He shrugged. "It's a long story."
Hillier chuckled with what Tommy thought was glee. "He never told you about his promotion? You knew he was made DCI shortly after the Thompson case?"
"Yes, Sir." Barbara continued to glare at Tommy.
"I was going to tell you, and then we had that case, and I decided to leave."
Hillier reached into his pocket then thrust a wallet at Tommy. "You'll be needing this."
Tommy stepped back. "No, Sir. I won't. Now if you'll excuse me."
The Chief Constable pointed his finger directly at Tommy. It was a gesture Lynley hated, but he did not flinch. "No, we won't excuse you. I've lost at least twenty good men and women tonight. I want an answer, and I want it quickly. You are supposed to be the Met's finest. Are you telling me that you won't help find the people who murdered my officers?"
Tommy felt trapped. "No, Sir, of course, I will help, but I am no longer a policeman."
"Really? That's why you organised everything here and risked your life was it? I've heard the reports. The emergency services thought you were in charge, along with Havers here. You both acted quickly and saved lives. Now take your damned warrant card. The Met are lending you to me to head up the investigation. My best men were in that building and are now dead or in the hospital. You can have DI Havers of course and any other resources you need. I want them found - quickly."
Tommy knew that he could not walk away. They were right. Good, innocent people had been killed, and they needed to find the perpetrators. "Sir, you should know that DI Havers and I are in a relationship."
"I know."
Barbara sounded perplexed. "How?"
"The AC explained that he only allowed you to be seconded to Thames Valley because Lynley was here and you were moping around with a face like a Bassett hound."
Barbara and Tommy both turned to look at Hillier. He shrugged. "I wasn't altruistic. I thought she'd convince you to come back."
"Frankly, I don't care if you're sleeping with the Archbishop of Canterbury so long as you bring me the murderers' heads on a platter," Coleman said, "anyway, technically you work for the Met and Havers reports to Thames Valley. You are only collaborating. Just don't collaborate too publicly."
"Yes, Sir. Who's manning the command centre?"
"Mostly my officers from Reading and Slough. I can't move everyone here in case there are other attacks. All the forces in the UK are now on high alert. The Met can spare some officers, but you won't have a huge team. I'm liaising with Suffolk to get Assistant Chief Constable Innocent seconded here. She used to be my Chief Superintendent in Oxford. Jean knows the local area and would be of great help."
"Yes, Sir. Local knowledge would be invaluable. Sir, there's a young probationary constable we pulled from the wreckage earlier. Fitzsimons. He wants to be a detective at some stage. He's observant and has a good instinct. I think he'll be on light duties for a while. I could use him as a gopher. It'd free up more experienced officers."
"Makes sense. I'm going to the hospital now to see the survivors. I'll inform him that you've asked for him. Now find my murderers!"
Tommy and Barbara walked up the road and along the sandy, gravel driveway that led from St Aldates to Christ Church Meadow. He knew she was angry with him. "I'm sorry I never mentioned my promotion."
"I obviously wasn't on the need-to-know list."
Tommy gently took her elbow and guided Barbara towards the trees. "I felt ashamed and guilty after what happened. I couldn't tell you because... I didn't want you to think less of me. I thought you blamed me for her death and would think it was typical of my lot to accept a promotion for stuffing up. What's your saying? Only cream and effluent float to the top." He pulled her behind an old oak. This was a private argument that needed to be settled.
"You're an idiot, Sir."
"What happened to Tommy?"
"We're working together again now."
"No! Please, Barbara, don't do that. I'm not your boss. I want to be your friend, your lover, your husband."
"You are my friend and will be my... Husband?"
Tommy laughed at her expression even though he knew he should be serious. "Sorry, I want us to marry, but that was not my proposal. I was just saying what I feel. I will ask properly after this is over."
"Cart. Horse. You are not effluent, and only you blamed you for her death. You're a good detective. If you don't feel worthy, then prove you are by cracking this case."
"I love you."
"What?"
"I love you. You always know what to say to make me feel better. We said it hurriedly before, but I want to say it so that you can see it in my eyes and know I mean it. I love you, Barbara."
Her face flushed, but she did not look away. "I love you too."
Tommy kissed her. This time neither wasted time on preliminaries. He needed to feel connected to her, and Barbara's kiss reassured him. When they stopped for air, they continued to hold each other so tightly that their breathing was restricted.
"When I saw you helping, I was so scared the building would collapse," she said, "yet I was so proud of you. But don't do anything foolish, Tommy. I couldn't bear to lose you."
"I promise," he said solemnly. "Now, we should get started."
It did not take long for three marquees to be set up. Tommy recognised them from Christ Church's many garden parties. One was the comms centre which had direct connections to London and major agencies. The second was a common area where trestles holding tea urns and platters of food was set up along the rear wall. Tables and plastic chairs were grouped together for people to eat. A large portable generator sat between that tent and the porta-potties. Tommy was amazed at how quickly the centre was coming together. A third tent functioned as the ops room. Inside, banks of tables and computers were being hooked up by technicians. There was a meeting area in one corner with a large whiteboard.
"Home," Barbara said as she looked around.
"Mmm. Looks functional. Winston should be here soon. He can find out who they sent. I want to know who we have on the team and what experience they possess. If they have specialised skills, keep them aside. See if you can find some maps of Oxford and the area. Most people won't know where things are. And find out if there have been any claims of responsibility or other demands. I'm going to make a few calls and see what the agencies know about threats. And tell everyone I want this centre operational in thirty minutes." Tommy saw Barbara's grin. "What?"
"It's good to see you working again."
Lynley shrugged and returned a shy smile. "Once Winston gets here, we should go to the hospital and interview survivors. I want to know if anyone saw or heard anything. Any updates on SOCO?"
Barbara shook her head and rushed off. Tommy wondered if it was to avoid being assigned any more tasks. He glanced up and noticed Fitzsimons limping through the tent flap. His uniform was torn and grey. Apart from a small bandage around his head, he looked remarkably well. He was taller than Tommy remembered and solid with a thick neck. Tommy wondered if he played front row in rugby. The Met team needed a new tight head.
"Sir, the Chief Constable told me to report to you. Thank you, Sir. It's an honour to serve under you."
"You make me sound like royalty."
"Almost. Thomas Lynley, also known as Lord Asherton, 8th Earl of Asherton with your seat at Howenstowe, Cornwall. Superintendent with the Met. Highest crime clearance rate for ten years, surpassing that of DCI Hillier who held the record since the 1980s until your first year with Sergeant, I mean DI, Havers."
"Hillier? Really? I didn't know that. You seem to know a lot about me, David."
"I Googled you, Sir."
Tommy tried not to smile. The young man was honest and curious. Goodness knows what else the man had found in the tabloid press and online 'news' sites. "Don't believe everything on Google. Do you live far away?"
"Bristol, Sir."
"You commute from Bristol?"
"Oh, no Sir. I have a flat five minutes walk away. I come from Bristol."
"You look a mess. Go home, clean up and come back in neat, comfortable civvies. I'm going to make you my admin clerk. You can work with Detective Constable Nkata and help organise all the correspondence, assign and collect the paperwork, and keep everyone on track. Do you think you can handle that, Constable?"
"Yes, Sir." He looked at his watch. "I should be back in eighteen minutes."
David left just as Barbara returned. Tommy was still smiling."What?"
"Our new constable. He's the man I pulled from the building, David Fitzsimons. He told me he would be back in eighteen minutes. Not twenty, eighteen. He's observant and got potential. He told me the man with him was Catholic because he was praying in Latin."
"So it was James?"
"We still don't know."
"Winston's just arrived. Stuart's gone straight to the crime scene. So far they've found seventeen bodies. One was Chief Superintendant Moody. ACC Innocent has been confirmed. She'll be here in two hours. And I had Winston bring up your spare suit. You left it hanging on the back of my office door."
"Your office? You have settled in."
"As Super, you won't need it. You'll get the big one in the corner."
"I'm helping here. That does not mean I intend to race back to London." Lynley accepted his clothes. He must look as bad as Fitzsimons. "I'll change then we'll brief everyone and head to the hospital."
"Winston was pleased to see you," Barbara said as they drove to the John Radcliffe Hospital.
"Did you tell him about us?"
"No. There is no use in us being together until this case is solved."
"There is, we just can't act on it, at least not as much as I would like. We should tell Winston and Stuart."
"Yeah, okay. Park there. Where that car's coming out."
Their first stop was at the main desk to find out if the man pulled from the building had been James. After ten minutes of phone calls and fussing, the receptionist was unable to confirm it. "The man who came in had no identification on him. He needed surgery and is in theatre now. We operated under emergency powers as we have no idea of his next of kin."
"Is he tall, with a blonde crewcut?" Tommy asked.
"I honestly can't say. I'm sorry.'
"What operation is he having?" Barbara asked.
"I really don't know. They said he had back and head injuries and possible internal bleeding. He should be back in the ward in about an hour."
"Thank you." Tommy turned to Barbara. "Should we interview the survivors together or separately?"
"Robbie and Laura together then split up. It'll be quicker, and I don't think you'll have lost your skills in nine weeks."
Laura was sitting holding Robbie's hand. "Is he asleep?" Tommy asked quietly.
"No, I'm not. Any word on James?"
Barbara took Robbie's other hand. "Not yet. Nothing definite. There's a man in surgery who might be James but we don't know yet. We are hoping it's him."
Robbie nodded. "Anyone else?"
Tommy hated this part. Even though Laura and Robbie were more used to death, they still knew the victims. "They have seventeen bodies so far. I'm afraid your boss was one of them."
Robbie nodded. "Any survivors?"
"A young uniformed constable; it was his first week on the job. There are two other survivors, but I don't know their names yet. Both uniform. They almost made it out the back entrance. They are still searching."
"They should never have moved us from Cowley."
"I don't think it would have made much difference. Both three storey buildings. The limestone probably created more pockets than the Cowley building would have," Laura said with the professional tone of a pathologist.
"Do you recall anything before the blast?" Barbara asked.
"I was talking to someone outside. James had gone in. He sent Lizzie home. Is she alright?"
"Yes, she's fine, and Tony is safe too," Tommy assured him.
"Good. I'd just turned, and I saw a flash coming down the stairs. I think the explosion was above us. Then I was knocked over, and that bloody awning tried to take my head off. Other than that, I can't offer any help. No one came past me. So the bomb was either on a timer or remotely detonated."
"Or it was a suicide bomber." Everyone turned and stared at Barbara. "Well, it might be. We can't rule that out."
Robbie shook his head. "That'd make it one of ours. I know everyone there except the two new constables who started last week. I'd vouch for all of them."
Tommy ran his hand through his hair, pushing the loose lock back behind his ear. "Someone knew that the threat would get everyone back to the building. Even some of the Cowley officers came over. They timed it for maximum effect. The bomber knows about our procedures."
"I can't believe it'd be a copper," Robbie said.
"I don't want it to be either, but we can't rule it out at this stage." Tommy realised he had not asked about Robbie's injuries. "How's the leg?"
"Still attached. They've pinned it. I'll be out of action for a few weeks, but I can still help. I keep trying to get this one to go in." He turned to Laura. "With seventeen bodies love, they'll need you." Laura began to protest, but Robbie cut her off. "I'm not going anywhere, am I? They'll look after me here."
Barbara put her hand on Laura's shoulder. "Stuart Lafferty would appreciate your help. He's trying to test for residue to see what explosive we are dealing with."
Laura sighed heavily. "Yes, okay. I'll go over."
"We'll leave you alone while we..."
"Superintendent Lynley?" A solemn nurse strode into the room. She reminded Tommy of the old matron at Truro who terrorised him when he had his tonsils out as a child.
"Yes."
"The man you were asking about. I have some news."
