Кен Макклюр - The Devil's Landscape

Steven took over again. ‘I’m pretty sure that Barrowman believed he was on the brink of being able to manipulate the switch in psychopathic killers and turn them into normal people, but somewhere along the line, he screwed up and flicked it the wrong way in himself. He turned into a complete monster.

‘Do you think he was working on turning it back in himself?’ Jean Roberts asked. ‘I was thinking about the chemicals he ordered.’

‘It would be nice to think so,’ said Macmillan.

‘Having read his notes, I think it far more likely he was intent on creating more monsters,’ said Lukas.

‘Which brings us to our intelligence services,’ said Steven. ‘Does anyone know if they have succeeded in breaking the code to get into Barrowman’s last disk?’

‘I’ve not had confirmation of that,’ said the Home Secretary.

‘Well, if we see the Queen’s own regiment of psychopathic killers trooping the colour next year we’ll know that’s a yes...’ said Steven.

The Home secretary made a face but didn’t take Steven to task. As he left the room, she said to Macmillan. ‘He did a magnificent job.’

‘We can agree on that, Home Secretary.’

‘The way he planned the assault on Moorlock Hall and the danger he put himself in to rescue Dr Simmons was quite extraordinary.’

‘I suspect he doesn’t know he’s just a collection of proteins and chemicals, Home Secretary...’

Before leaving for home, Steven called Neil Tyler to tell him all that had transpired.

‘I think you’ve just told me I’m out of a job.’

‘Sorry about that.’

‘No problem, it was Barrowman’s work I was interested in, but I’d like to be kept in the loop if any progress is made with understanding his switch mechanism.’

‘If I hear it, you’ll hear it’

‘Thanks, Steven. Bye the way, did you contact the Americans with your thoughts on the Yale fire?’

‘Not yet,’ Steven confessed.

‘If it helps your decision, the New Haven Connecticut police found the body of Father Liam Crossan hanging under a bridge last night. You might say justice has been done.’

‘Wow.’

‘There are some tills you just don’t put your fingers in.’

‘How did it go?’ Tally asked.

‘It’s over and that’s all I care about right now. We should go away, take a holiday, sunshine, blue skies...’

Steven stopped when he saw Tally shake her head. ‘No,’ she said, ‘I want to go and spend some time with Mum, tell her all the things I should tell her before it’s too late. You should go and see your daughter before she’s completely grown up. You can meet Jason...’

‘Mm, right.’

Tally hid a smile. ‘Steven?’

‘Yes?’

‘You did give that gun back, didn’t you?’