Stella Rimington: Dead Line

Oh well, she thought, as the bulk of Thames House loomed before her, at least I have a career I’m committed to – and care about. At the entrance as she showed her ID, she laughed at the usual bad joke made by Ralph, the security guard at the door, and as she went up in the lift she found a melancholy comfort at being back in her familiar surroundings. Gleneagles seemed to belong to a different world.

Once in her office, Liz began leafing through the stack of papers that had accumulated in her absence. She had not got far down the pile when there was a tactful knock on the open door of her office, and she saw Peggy in the doorway, white as a sheet.

‘What’s wrong?’ she said with concern.

‘Liz, I don’t know what to say. I’ve only just heard the news.’

‘What news?’ demanded Liz, wondering what could have gone wrong now. The peace conference had run its full if unedifying course, Hannah Gold was safe and sound back in Tel Aviv, and Danny Kollek had been caught. So what could be the matter?

‘It’s Charles,’ said Peggy tearfully. Liz felt her heart start to pound. What could have happened to Charles?

‘Joanne’s died,’ Peggy said. ‘It must be terrible for Charles. I know she’s been ill a long time, but now she’s gone and he’s all alone.’