Page 107 of End Game
‘Fitting and appropriate for the occasion,’ she had assured him, as he climbed out of the bath and dried himself, before donning a dark blue, double-breasted suit, white shirt and West Ham tie.
A passing waiter refilled his champagne glass as he continued chatting to the mayor about his twenty-seven years on the council, ending his days as chairman of the Development and New Projects Committee.
‘And how will you be spending your well-earned retirement, Maurice?’ asked the mayor.
‘I’ve purchased a small residence in Marbella, so shouldyou ever find yourself in that part of the world, I do hope you will visit us,’ he replied, as he looked over the mayor’s shoulder to see a smartly dressed couple entering the room, who he didn’t recognize.
They glanced around the gathering and, once they spotted the guest of honour, they began to walk in his direction, no doubt, Maurice assumed, to offer their congratulations, and best wishes for the future.
As the two of them approached him, he gave them a warm smile.
‘Councillor Maurice Dawson?’ asked one of them, not returning his smile.
‘Yes, indeed,’ replied Maurice.
‘I’m Chief Inspector Paul Adaja, and this is my colleague, Inspector Rebecca Pankhurst, and I have a warrant for your arrest.’
The blood drained from Councillor Dawson’s face, as the mayor backed off.
‘On what charge, may I ask?’ Dawson stammered as the guests fell silent.
‘Fraud and misappropriation of public funds,’ said Rebecca, before Paul added, ‘You have two choices, sir. We can charge you here and now, or you can leave quietly and we can carry out the formal procedure back at the station. The choice is yours.’
‘Please don’t handcuff me,’ said Dawson, which hadn’t been the opening line of his speech.
‘I don’t think that will be necessary,’ said Paul. After arresting and cautioning the suspect, he took one arm while Rebecca held onto the other.
They led the prisoner out of the room, and not up onto the stage.
EPILOGUE
Four months later
EPILOGUE
December 2012
BETH HAD TO TAP THEMICROPHONEseveral times before all the guests fell silent. Once she had gained their attention, she looked down at the packed audience and gave them a warm smile before delivering the opening words of her speech.
‘Who would have thought it possible,’ began Beth, ‘that the day would come when I’d be standing on this stage singing the praises of Miles Faulkner?’
A smattering of laughter broke out.
‘But that day has surely arrived, because this sell-out exhibition would not have been possible without his truly generous bequest, which is why we have named this room the Miles Faulkner Gallery, as a lasting tribute to his memory.’
A warm round of applause followed, and even Sir Julian and the Hawk managed to join in.
‘This extraordinary endowment has raised the reputation of the Fitzmoleanovernight,’ said Beth. ‘When I first became director in 1996, theGuardiandescribed the Fitz as top of the second division in the museum league. But now, thanks to this munificent endowment, we have surely been promoted to the premier division,’ she paused, ‘where we intend to stay.’
The burst of applause that followed lasted for some time, and allowed Beth to turn the page.
‘How appropriate it is,’ Beth continued, once the applause had died down, ‘that those of you who join us tonight to celebrate this special occasion are the gallery’s closest friends and supporters, along with our respected in-house team, led by Christina, who chaired her last board meeting this afternoon, having served the museum for over a decade.’
The outburst of applause caused Beth to pause before she could complete the sentence. ‘However, I know you will be delighted to learn that the board voted unanimously to invite her husband, Wilbur, to take her place as chairman.’
No one looked more surprised than Wilbur, but the prolonged applause left him in no doubt how the guests felt about the appointment.
‘As you all know, Wilbur has been a generous supporter and benefactor of the museum over many years. He once told me: “I never needed to make a pre-nup with Christina, but I sure should have made one with the Fitzmolean”.’
