Nightshade

80

Nightingale pushed open the door to his office. Before he could take off his coat Jenny rushed over to him holding a newspaper. ‘Did you see the Express yesterday?’ she asked.

‘I’m more of a Sun man, as you know.’

‘Well, you need to take a look at the Express,’ she said, thrusting the paper at him.

Nightingale went through to his office and sat down behind his desk, still wearing his raincoat as he scanned the Express. There was a news story on the front page and a feature article across the two centre pages of the paper, a couple of thousand words, with photographs of Bella Harper and her family. There were also photographs of the Prime Minister, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Prince William. The headline read: ‘BELLA’S MESSAGES FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE’.

‘It’s a world exclusive,’ said Jennie. ‘But it’ll be syndicated around the world tomorrow.’

‘This is bad,’ said Nightingale, gesturing at the newspaper.

‘Do you think?’

‘The Prime Minister? She wants to talk to the PM? And Prince William?’

‘Not so worried about the Archbishop then?’

‘I figure he can take care of himself,’ said Nightingale.

‘You think it’s a joke, Jack?’

Nightingale threw up his hands. ‘I don’t know what to think.’

‘We can’t let the PM talk to her. We can’t let anyone talk to her.’

‘I know that. You think I don’t know that?’

Jenny folded her arms. ‘So what are you going to do? What are WE going to do?’

‘I don’t know. I’m thinking.’

‘Oh, that’s all right then. The great Jack Nightingale has his thinking cap on so it’s all going to turn out for the best.’

‘Sarcasm doesn’t suit you, Jenny.’

Nightingale pointed at the headline. ‘She wants to see three of the most important people in the country. She wants to talk to them. And we know what happens to people that she talks to. That nurse killed himself and his family.

‘I don’t see any of them turning up at her front door.’

‘You don’t? Then you underestimate the power of public relations. They got the Queen to jump out of a helicopter at the Olympics opening ceremony. You think they wouldn’t persuade the Prince to pop around for a photo opportunity with a girl who came back from the dead? And you think the PM’s PR won’t be telling him that this would be a great way of connecting with voters?’

Nightingale grinned. ‘You know that wasn’t actually the Queen that leapt out of the helicopter, right?’

Jenny didn’t smile. ‘This isn’t funny, Jack. We have to do something.’

‘Let me talk to Robbie.’

‘Robbie? You think the police can help?’

‘I’ll ask Robbie to see if anyone else connected with Bella has …’ He shrugged. ‘Let me talk to Robbie, then we’ll work out what we should do.’

Jenny nodded and walked out of the office. Nightingale reached for his phone. He’d call Robbie all right. But there was someone else he needed to talk to, and for that he’d need more than a mobile phone.