Imposture (DI Gardener 6)

Reilly nodded. “That refers to the third horseman, who rides a black horse. He’s popularly known as Famine, because he carries a pair of scales. He’s trying to show us the way that bread would have been weighed during a famine. Other people see him as the ‘Lord as a Law-Giver’ and what he’s holding are scales of justice.”

“So what do the DPA have to do with all this?” asked Frank Thornton.

“Probably nothing,” said Reilly. “This says more about the person who has them. He’s picked out a method of killing and made it fit with what he wants. Whether or not he’s trying to send a message is another matter.”

“Maybe he isn’t,” said Sharp. “He might just be trying to throw us a curveball, send us in another direction that’s not relevant.”

“Sir?” said Anderson. “You shared that quote with us this morning, so we brought it into the conversation with Rosie Henshaw, asked if she or any of the DPA were religious.”

“And no doubt she said no.”

“Pretty much,” replied Thornton. “It wasn’t emphatic, as if she was trying to protest too much. She said that not one of them had a religious bone in their body.”

“No surprise there,” said Gardener, nodding to his sergeant to continue.

“Michael Foreman took the guise of the first horseman, Pestilence.”

“So what killed him?” asked Briggs.

Reilly glanced at Gardener, who hesitated, knowing his answer would cause a shitstorm. “HN-3.”

“Pardon,” said Briggs.

“Nitrogen mustard, sir.”

Gardener went on to reveal exactly what Fitz told them. What it was, how it affected Foreman; that it was not a Hazchem scene, and why, and the possibility of where it could have come from. He then asked Reilly for the Pestilence interpretation.

Reilly nodded but Briggs stopped him in his tracks and he took over himself. “The origin isn’t clear. Some translations of the Bible interpret plague, disease, or pestilence in connection with the riders in the passage following the introduction of the fourth rider; ‘Authority was given to them over a fourth of the Earth, to kill with sword, and famine, and plague, and by the wild animals of the Earth.’ But it’s a matter of debate as to whether the passage refers to the fourth rider, or to all four of them together.”

“Where did you learn about that, sir?” asked Gardener.

“The wife,” said Briggs, “she’s into all that shit.”

Another round of laughter told Gardener what his team thought of the biblical angle. Aware of the time and eager to move things along, he said, “I don’t want to pour cold water all over the biblical theory but it’s something else we will have to consider and take note of. There could be something in that book of revelation that might point us in the right direction. The other thing we have to do is feed it into HOLMES and see what it throws out.”

“Given what you’ve just told us, we need to talk to Porton Down,” said Briggs.

“Good luck with that one,” said Gardener.

“We’ve juggled around the people we know who could be in the frame for this,” said Bob Anderson, “but considering what we’ve just heard, how likely is it that any of these people would have access to anything from Porton Down?”

“Which puts someone else in the frame altogether,” said Thornton. “Someone we don’t even know about.”

“Basically, is that someone now playing God, comparing the death of the Hunters to the four horsemen?” asked Bob Anderson.

“It’s very possible?” said Gardener. “We need to answer all these questions. Someone needs to speak to Porton Down, using whoever’s help we need to get that information.”

“That might be tough,” said Briggs. “But I have a contact in the Force Intelligence Bureau.”

Gardener knew the FIB assessed all intelligence that came in, before sanitising it to make sure it didn’t compromise anyone.

Sensing that was everything, Gardener addressed the team. “Okay, guys, sterling effort from everyone. We still have a lot to do and once again, time is against us.” He glanced at his watch. “Let’s meet back here at nine tonight.”

As the team dispersed, Gardener waited while Briggs left the room and called his partner over.

“Something else came to mind during that incident room session but rather than bring it up, I wanted your take on it.”

“Go on,” said Reilly.