Page 98 - double revenge 3.

safe and as quite as any of the best districts, as far as value for money was concerned, I doubted his
retainer would go much farther. For a couple of grand you could probably rent a decent two

bedroom apartment whereas for the same money you would barely get a studio in Lenox Hill.
It also was within easy reach of JFK and Grand Central, the two main pick up points if you were
tailing anybody.

The apartment block was a brown low rise building seven floors high and I revised Mick’s estimated
rent downwards. Clearly, security was not included and the lift was a noisy all metal Otis that could
probably be heard three blocks away.

I took the stairs to the fourth floor and headed to number 407. The doorbell echoed in the hallway
and eventually someone came to scrutinise me through the security door viewer.

Holding the brown file and my Foreign Office ID so it could be seen through the viewer, I said in a
low voice, ‘Mister Hagley, I have been sent with a request you do some work for us.’

There was a pause and the door half opened to reveal a man stood there. I recognised Warner from
the photo Alexander had given me at Heathrow.

‘Are you Mick Hagley?’ I asked. The man nodded. ‘Can I come in?’

The door opened wider and I passed down the hallway to the sitting room. I sat at the dining table
without invitation.

‘You’re flavour of the month right now after that Arnold Warner thing. Tracking him down was
extraordinary.’

He sat down opposite. ‘What eventually happened to him, Warner, do you know?’

‘Apparently he was passed over to the Americans who got rid of him in the Thames. He would still
be there now if a dredger hadn’t pulled him out. The dredger’s shovel made a right mess of his
face. Still, that’s one would be blackmailer less. I couldn’t have a glass of water could I?’

Warner rose and went to the kitchen. I removed my gun from the holster and held it on my lap
under the table. He returned and placed the glass in front of me.

‘Well I say one blackmailer less but the main blackmailer is still around. Isn’t he Arnold?’

He swung round to the sideboard and at great speed opened a drawer, removed a pistol and had
the safety latch off in one movement.

‘Who are you? Why are you here?’

‘The first thing I should point out, Arnold, is that if you pull that trigger the cops will be here in a
flash and it will not take a Lieutenant Theo Kojak to work out that you are not who you say you are.
Before you know it, Langley will become involved and they will make certain that the Hudson does
not reveal its secrets as readily as the Thames.