The CROWN AFFAIR trilogy Book One: WESTMINSTER

A trilogy set about the environs of Westminster

– the centre of real power in London

Book One

THE WESTMINSTER AFFAIR

Book Two

THE CROWN AFFAIR

Book Three

MELTDOWN

Copyright © 2012 Michael Vidal

Published in the United States by

CUSTOM BOOK PUBLICATIONS

SMASHWORD EDITION

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THE WESTMINSTER

AFFAIR

by

MICHAEL VIDAL

Book One of a Trilogy

Authors Note

This story is a work of fiction. The UK does not have a police department called the Office of the Chief Investigator and police officers do not routinely assault their prisoners when interviewing.

With the exception of some of the news reporters who are real people, all the characters are a figment of my imagination and any resemblance to any living person is purely coincidental. The events depicted in this book are fictional.

This book is dedicated to the memory of my late parents.

THE AUTHOR

Michael Vidal was raised in London. After his formal education, ten years was spent with High Street firms of solicitors and gaining a law degree. The years following were in government as a civil servant before finally transferring to the Office of Treasury Solicitor. He retired from the civil service in 2007 but remains a member of the Independent Appeals Panel.

He still lives in Hackney where he writes.

The Westminster Affair is his first full-length novel, one of three in the planned series. The second, The Crown Affair continues the story and will be published in early 2013.The final book in the trilogy, Meltdown is planned for later in the year.

ONE

Friday, 21 April

The Office of the Chief Investigator was a misnomer.

In fact it was an autonomous police force created as a successor body to the National Crime Agency. When it wanted to, it could take over any investigation and handle it. In practice this meant that it took on only the most serious crimes. Rather unusually it was not obliged to follow PACE when investigating a crime, even if this was deemed necessary. A rather helpful power when you did not want an interfering solicitor getting in the way or asking questions about the bruise on his client's cheek.

Johnny Grimes realised he was in real trouble when the arresting officer, a rather attractive thirty-something blonde female walked into his local, slammed him against the wall and told him he was nicked. Johnny was too embarrassed to argue as the officer was only five foot four and Johnny was a good foot taller. But Big John came to his defence. Apparently he only has two cracked ribs and one broken arm to go with his bruised pride. Now Johnny was in an interview room with the same officer, being questioned in a rather unique fashion. He was sure that a police officer was not supposed to have their arm around your neck threatening to break it if you did not start telling the truth, but he could be wrong.

'Let's start again, Johnny. Last Wednesday night... what where you doing? A simple question. Are you going to answer or do you want me to do a facial realignment.'

Johnny tried to play for time.

'What's a facial... what you said?'

Investigator 21 punched him hard in the mouth.

'That is the preparation. Now answer the question.'

What scared Johnny the most was how calmly the officer acted. Johnny was in a real fix as he was not sure who he was more scared of, the officer in front of him or the people he was working for.

Johnny tried to plead to the officer's better nature, 'Listen darling, it is...'

'I am not your fucking darling, you retarded bit of turd so just give me the information,' the officer interrupted.

'Fucking Dyke,' Johnny muttered, but not quietly enough under his breath.

I-21, on hearing this stood him up and punched him hard in the stomach. 'That is for calling me names. Next time you get worse.'

'Where's my solicitor?' Johnny demanded.

Investigator 21 opened the door to the interrogation room and told the guard outside, 'Take this stupid piece of shit back to his cell before I lose my temper.' Then turning to Johnny said, 'Next time we have a chat you, better be more informative or else.'

The guard took Johnny back to his cell. Investigator 21 went back to the team pod on the fourth floor.

In the pod, Investigator 19 was busy trying to develop a new lead in case her colleague I-21 did not get anywhere with the interview. She came storming into the pod and said, 'That piece of shit called me a fucking dyke. I should have done more than give him a punch. Who did he think he was... insulting me like that.'

I-19 said, 'So he didn't tell you anything useful then. Do you want me to try a more subtle approach, it might work?'

She considered the suggestion for a while before saying, 'No, I will give it one more try. I want you to try your charm on his wife, maybe she will tell you where he was.'

'He is divorced, lives on his own with no known current girlfriend.'

'We need a break on this case soon. Have a word with your mate in tech support, see if he can tap all Johnny's phones and put a key logger on his computer.'

'I suppose this will be without a warrant... I guess I will have to persuade him in my usual way.' I-19 sighed.

Down in tech support, I-19 spoke to Tech-5. 'Listen James, I need a favour. 21 wants a suspect's phones and computers bugged. Can you do it without a warrant or do I have to resort to crude blackmail.'

James was going to do it anyway, but wanted to make it look as if he was being forced.

'19, as you know you need to fill in a Req2128 and submit it in triplicate to Tech-1 who will authorise it if there is any supporting evidence to justify the exercise.'

'Alright then, if you want to do this the formal way I suppose I will just have to report my suspicions about your other activities to the Board of Supervisors for investigation.'

James still not being sure which of his activities she was referring to and not wanting an investigation decided to give in, but not before some cross blackmailing. 'Okay, this one time I will do it but next time you try to blackmail me I will tell 21 about your little perversion.'

'James, you tell 21 about that and I will have to publish the photos of you at the Blues party.'

'The bugs will be done by five.'

She was left wondering what he got up to at the Blues party as she only had to mention it and he cooperated.

Johnny was back in the interview room with Investigator 21.

'So Johnny, last Wednesday... where were you at seven that night.'

Johnny considered his answer carefully then said, 'I was at the Pink Flamingo conducting business with an associate who I do not wish to name.'

'That is strange; your fingerprints put you in Maida Vale at the Carlton Hotel, which was the subject of a break in at one of the serviced apartments. Do you wish to revise your answer?'

Johnny contemplated trying his usual outraged indignation at being accused of lying but was sure this would be met with a violent response. He therefore thought he would try a lie. 'It is like this, I am married and I would not want my wife to find out.'

I-21 punched him again in the mouth and in the stomach before saying. 'Stop lying, you toe rag. I already know you are not married and don't have a current girlfriend. One more lie and I get very angry.'

Johnny decided that the truth might be the only way to go.

'Alright... I did do the apartment at the Carlton but I had no option. They said if I didn't do it, they'd kneecap me. I got two grand for the job and if I told anybody they would kill me.'

I-21 thought about this. She knew what had been taken and decided to see what other information she could extract with minimal violence. 'That was not too hard? Now who were these people?'

'I can't tell you; it would be more than my life is worth.'

She punched him in the stomach, 'It will be more than your life is worth, not to tell me.'

'I am even more scared of them than I am of you. These are real vicious people; they would shoot you as quick as look at you. If they thought I told you anything. I would be dead.'

'Listen toe rag, if you do not tell me everything, then you will be dead.'

As Johnny contemplated his position, a man of about fifty entered the room causing I-21 to stand up.

'Sir,' she said.

'21, I hope you have not broken any of this suspect's bones. You are to release him into the custody of the Met; we are kicking the matter back to them. Report to my office.'

'Sir,' then turning to Johnny, added, 'Your lucky day, toe rag.'

After Johnny was transferred to Met Police custody, Investigator 21 went up to see her boss. As I-21 entered the office of the Chief Investigator, she stood in front of the desk waiting to be told to sit down. The Chief Investigator was fifty-five and always immaculately dressed, six feet-five and fit. It was said that if you had a peccadillo then he knew about it. There was a rumour that he got the job because of what he knew about the Home Secretary. Those who had met the Home Secretary, as well as both of his friends, said that this is not true – it was actually what he knew about the Prime Minister that got him the job. After making I-21 stand for five minutes, resulting in her becoming increasingly nervous, CI said, 'How many bones did you break this time.'

'I did not lay a finger on him.'

'21, I do not believe that for one minute.'

'It is the truth, but I may have punched him a couple of times... nothing more.'

CI looked up at the ceiling of his office with a resigned sigh. 'When are you going to learn you cannot beat the shit out of prisoners just because they lie to you. Anyway, I have managed to persuade the Board to promote you.'

'How did you manage that, sir, if I may ask... I have the worse disciplinary record of all the investigators?'

'Simple, I pointed out that if they approved your promotion you would be a team leader and then would not have to interview as many prisoners in your unique way.'

'Thank you, sir; may I ask where I am going?'

'From Monday, you will be the new head of Team Eleven.' I-21 was confused as there were only ten teams. She was being put in charge of a new team and why her?

CI left I-21 to think it through and after several minutes said, 'As you have guessed you lose your current designation and from Monday will be Senior Investigator 5. Here is your new badge. This will be a new team of ten investigators that will be tasked with handling sensitive government investigations. You will be based in Tintagel House, we have taken over five floors; your team will have floor seven. Unless you have any questions you can have the weekend off and start your new job first thing Monday.'

She took her new badge, left her old one. 'Thank you, sir.'

SI-5 went to her fourth floor flat in Wonder House on the Dalston Square development. It was a pleasant two bedroom flat. The best thing was the ensuite bathroom in the master bedroom which allowed her to shower and get dressed before going into the kitchen and living room. She lived alone, so did not have need of the second bedroom except when she had visitors. She entered the flat and turned off the alarm. Changing from her work clothes, she poured herself a drink and went onto the balcony. With a weekend off she could go to the residents gym for a workout. As an afterthought, she took out her mobile phone and dialled a number. When the person answered, she said, 'I have the weekend off; like to join me in celebrating my promotion?'

'I will be there in half an hour,' the other end answered.

*****

TWO

Monday, 24 April

Steve Jefferson had been working in the kitchens at the Palace of Westminster for over a year, planning and preparing. He planned to exact a terrible revenge on the government for the death of his brother at the hands of a man who should not have been allowed to be free to roam about the country. Steve was going to expose the weakness in any vetting process. As he had never been in trouble with the police and held no extreme political views he had no problem in getting a job as a chef in the kitchens at the Palace of Westminster.

For the last nine months he had been bringing in vegetables from his allotment to add flavour to the food he prepared. Therefore when he bought in a large sack of mushrooms and carrots nobody said anything. However these were no ordinary mushrooms, they were fool's webcap impregnated with oils from the oleander plant. The carrots were