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Slowly, she began reciting the Cabinet members who would have had early knowledge of the decisions. As she did so, Krajewski feverishly began ticking off the names on his list.
Who was on the Cabinet Committee which dealt with major military matters and would have made the decision on the TA cuts? Concentrate, Mattie, even though every part of your mind wants to go to sleep. Slowly the thoughts began to focus and take form. The Defence Secretary,, the Financial Secretary, the Chancellor possibly, and of course the Prime Minister. Damn it, who else? Right, the Employment Secretary and the Foreign Secretary, too.
Then the hospital scheme which would have been considered by another Committee including the Health Secretary and the Treasury Ministers, the Trade and Industry Secretary, Education Secretary and Environment Secretary also. She prayed she hadn't missed any names. The membership and even existence of these committees were supposed to be a state secret, which meant the information was never formally published and was left to become yet another part of the Westminster system of lobby gossip. But the system was so effective she felt sure she had missed no names.
Was she getting closer? The Renox drug approval -damn, that wouldn't have been considered by any Cabinet Committee; it was a Department of Health decision and known solely to the Health Secretary and his Ministers. And of course the Prime Minister would have been informed in advance, but who else?
She leapt up to join Krajewski, who was staring at his handiwork.
'We seem to have screwed up rather badly, I'm afraid,' he muttered quietly.
She looked at the list. There was only one name with three ticks beside it, one man with access to all three bits of leaked information, one man whom her detective work could pronounce guilty. And that was the victim himself - the Prime Minister, Henry Collingridge! Her efforts had left them with the most absurd conclusion of all. The little flame of hope gave one last splutter and prepared to die.
She stood there staring. Something was wrong.
'Johnnie, this list of names. Why isn't Urquhart on it?'
She snorted in ridicule at herself as she provided her own answer. 'Because I'm a silly bitch and forgot that the Chief Whip is not technically a full member of Cabinet and so doesn't appear on my Cabinet list. But it makes no difference. He's not on the Defence Committee, nor could he have known about Renox'
But she stopped with a gasp. The flame had suddenly sprung into life once again and was burning at her from deep inside.
'But of course ... He's not formally a member, but if I remember correctly he does sit in on the committee which dealt with the hospital programme. He wouldn't have attended the defence committee, yet as he is responsible for parliamentary discipline they would have been sure to consult him well in advance about a decision which was going to cause uproar on the backbenches'
'But he couldn't have known about Renox,' interjected Krajewski.
She was gripping his arm so tightly now that the nails were digging into the flesh.
Johnnie, every Government Department has a Junior Whip attached to it, one of Urquhart's men, to make sure there is proper liaison about Government business. Every week most Secretaries of State hold a business meeting amongst their departmental Ministers to discuss the activities of the week ahead, and the Junior Whip usually attends. He then goes back and reports to the Chief Whip to ensure that Ministers don't trip over each other's feet. It is possible, Johnnie. Urquhart could have known...'
'But what about the rest of it. How would he have known about O'Neill's drug taking? Or Woolton's sex life? Or any of the other pieces?'
'Because he's Chief Whip. It's his job to know about those things. He had the means, and hell did he have a motive. From nowhere to Prime Minister in a couple of months! How on earth did we miss it?'
'But it's all still circumstantial, Mattie. You don't have a single shred of proof'
Then let's see if we can get it!'
She grabbed the phone and began punching a number.
'Penny? It's Mattie Storin. I'm sorry it's so late, butl need some answers. It's very important. I think I know who got Roger into all the trouble. Where did you meet Patrick Woolton?'
'At the Bournemouth party conference' a sad voice replied.
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