Wolf removed the hand that he had placed unconsciously against the distinguished man’s back in an attempt to hurry him along.
‘I would like to be told what’s going on, right now.’
Wolf struggled to ignore the conceited tone. He answered through gritted teeth: ‘Simmons would prefer to brief you himself.’
The mayor was unaccustomed to being told ‘no’ and faltered.
‘Very well. Although, I must say, I’m surprised that Terrence would send you down here to babysit me. I heard you on the radio this morning. Shouldn’t you be working on this serial killer case?’
Wolf was aware that he should not have said anything, but he needed to get the man moving and was already tired of his haughty manner. He turned to the mayor and looked him in the eye.
‘I am.’
The mayor was faster than he looked.
If it had not been for the chronic asthma and decades of damage to his lungs, courtesy of the cigarettes, they might not have been able to keep up. The three men slowed to a brisk jog as they entered the main lobby.
The large minimalist space was one of the few areas of the building to have completely shaken off any trace of its 1960s design. The commissioner had point-blank refused Simmons’ request to close the lobby and stairwell while they moved the mayor, stating that the armed security, CCTV, metal detectors and building full of police officers already made it the safest place in the city to be.
The lobby was quieter than it would have been during the week, although, there were still several people passing through and loitering around the coffee bar in the centre. Spotting a gap in the pedestrian traffic, Wolf picked up the pace and headed for the door to the stairs.
The mayor, now visibly on edge, was the first to notice the balding man enter the building and start running at them.
‘Detective!’
Wolf turned to see the threat and pushed the mayor behind him as the armed officer raised his handgun.
‘Down on the floor! Get down!’ the officer screamed at the unremarkable man holding a brown paper bag.
He skidded to a stop and raised his hands in dazed shock.
‘On the floor!’ The officer had to repeat everything twice before the instructions seemed to sink in. ‘Drop the bag. Put it down!’
The man tossed the bag away from him, sending it skating across the polished floor in the mayor’s direction. Unsure whether this was a deliberate act or simply the misconstrued actions of a nervous man, Wolf pulled the mayor back several steps.
‘What’s in the bag?’ the officer yelled at the man, who glanced up at Wolf and the mayor. ‘Eyes down! Look at the floor! What. Is. In. The. Bag?’
‘Breakfast!’ shouted the terrified man.
‘Why were you running?’
‘I’m nearly twenty minutes late for work – IT department.’
The DPG officer kept the gun trained on the man and backed towards the bag. He cautiously knelt down beside it and then very, very slowly peered inside.
‘We’ve got some sort of hot wrap,’ he told Wolf, as if identifying a suspicious-looking device.
‘What flavour?’ Wolf called back.
‘What flavour?’ the officer barked.
‘Ham and cheese!’ cried the man on the floor.
Wolf grinned: ‘Confiscate it.’
They reached the office without further incident. Wolf thanked their escort and then Finlay led them inside. The seven-floor ascent had taken its toll; Wolf could hear a high-pitched whistle every time the red-faced mayor took a breath.
The office felt claustrophobic with all of the blinds closed, the stark artificial light a cheap imitation of the real thing. They walked swiftly through the room of faces watching them from behind computer screens and colourful bouquets. Simmons rushed out of his office when he spotted them coming and shook his old friend’s hand.
‘It’s good to see you, Ray,’ he said sincerely before turning to Wolf. ‘Trouble downstairs?’
‘False alarm,’ mumbled Wolf through a mouthful of ham and cheese wrap.
‘Terrence, I would appreciate it if you could explain what is happening,’ said the mayor.
‘Of course, let’s speak in private.’ Simmons led them into the interview room and closed the door. ‘I sent a patrol car over to your house. I thought you would want to know that Melanie and Rosie were safe.’
‘I apprec—’ The mayor’s breathing had worsened, even since walking through the office. He broke into a fit of wheezing coughs and splutters. All too accustomed to the feeling, as though someone were sitting on his chest, he rummaged through his briefcase and found his blue reliever inhaler this time. He took two long, deep breaths which seemed to help a little. ‘I appreciate that, thank you.’
The mayor waited expectantly. Taking the hint, Simmons started pacing the room.
‘OK, where to start? You heard, of course, that we found six bodies this morning? Well, it’s not quite as simple as that …’
Over the next fifteen minutes Simmons explained everything that had happened that morning. Wolf remained quiet throughout. He was surprised to hear the boss sharing details that they certainly would not want the press catching wind of, but Simmons obviously trusted his friend implicitly, and Wolf supposed that he had earned the right to know. The only details that Simmons refused to reveal, even when the mayor asked him outright, were the other five names on the list.
‘I don’t want you to worry. You are more than safe in here,’ Simmons assured him.
‘And how long exactly do you expect me to hide in here, Terrence?’
‘It makes sense to keep you until midnight at least. That way, the killer has failed to follow through on his threat. We’ll step up security around you, obviously, but you’ll be able to get back to relative normality.’
The mayor nodded in resignation.
‘If you’ll excuse me, the sooner we catch this bastard, the sooner you can get out of here,’ Simmons said confidently, moving towards the door. ‘Fawkes will stay with you.’
The mayor got up to speak privately with Simmons. Wolf turned away, as if facing the wall would prevent him overhearing what was being said in the small room.
‘Are you sure that is an entirely good idea?’ wheezed the mayor.
‘Of course. You’ll be fine.’
Simmons left the room. From inside they could hear him giving muffled instructions to the officer on the door. The mayor took two more long puffs on his inhaler before turning back to face Wolf. He forced another feigned smile, this one intended to convey his sheer delight at having the infamous detective as company for the day.
‘So,’ said the mayor, suppressing another violent coughing fit, ‘what now?’
Wolf picked up the first wad of paperwork that Simmons had thoughtfully left on the table for him. He put his feet up and leaned back in his chair.
‘Now, we wait.’
CHAPTER 5
Saturday 28 June 2014
12.10 p.m.