by Henry Porter
Loz breathed in deeply, seemingly to savour the air. ‘Eighteen months ago I was phoned by a man in New York. He was a foreigner, but well-spoken and educated. He said something like, “I expect you have heard of me. I am The Poet.” I knew he must have been given my number by Khan, so I listened and he told me straight away that he wanted thirty thousand dollars. He said there was no question of my not giving it to him – he made it sound as if I owed him. In the background of what he was saying there was a threat and I understood that he would harm me if didn’t give him what he wanted. So I got the money together the next day, put it in a bag and began to walk to the agreed meeting place in Union Square. He specified that I should walk, even though it was winter and there was a lot of snow on the ground. On the way, a homeless beggar came up to me asking for money. He wouldn’t leave me alone and followed me down the street, then he grabbed hold of my arm and handed me a card which said, “The Poet thanks you for your donation.” He reached out and took the bag from my hand.’
‘You gave thirty thousand dollars to a New York beggar?’ said Harland incredulously.
‘Yes. When I got back to the building there was the same message on my answerphone. “The Poet thanks you for your donation.” ’
‘You were had,’ said Harland.
‘I don’t think so. Two days later I received an Arabic inscription in a frame. You remarked on it when I was treating you. If you remember, it says, “A man who is noble does not pretend to be noble, any more than a man who is eloquent feigns eloquence. When a man exaggerates his qualities, it is because of something lacking in himself. The bully gives himself airs because he is conscious of his weakness.” Also in the package was this…’ he opened his jacket, then handed Herrick a small black and white photograph wrapped in cellophane. It was of Karim Khan dressed in tribal costume and sporting a boldly patterned turban. ‘This was proof that he was in touch with Khan and had seen him recently. I suppose it was also proof of his own identity.’
‘Why didn’t you show me this before?’
‘Because you’re of a sceptical disposition, Mr Harland. If you don’t mind me saying, you’re too nervous to believe.’
‘I would have believed a bloody picture,’ said Harland, holding it away from him.
‘You need glasses,’ said Loz.
Harland took no notice and put the photograph in his wallet. ‘I’ll keep this for the moment.’
‘What did this man look like? ’ asked Herrick.
‘A homeless person,’ he smiled. ‘I’m being serious. He was covered in coats and wore a long beard. I couldn’t see his face beneath it all and anyway he was a few inches shorter than I am. Maybe only five foot five or six.’
‘So you’re telling us you may have seen The Poet?’
‘I have no doubt about that.’
‘When was this?’
‘The winter of 2000, just after the millennium celebrations. ’
Harland walked to the door and opened it. ‘Right, that will be all for the moment. We will talk later.’
When Loz had left he looked at Herrick and said, ‘Well?’
‘We either believe all of it or none of it. Either way, there’s nothing we can do about Khan.’
Harland frowned. ‘Does this overlap with anything you’ve been doing for RAPTOR?’
‘No, but I would like to make a call on this phone if you wouldn’t mind. I have a friend who may still be up.’
She got through to Dolph, whose brisk hello rang out on the conference speaker.
‘Why’re you up so late?’ she asked.
‘Waiting for you.’
‘But what are you doing?’
‘Turns out that the Americans are keen poker players. We’ve got two full tables on the go, playing for a monkey – that’s five hundred nicker in your language, Isis.’
‘Don’t you sleep?’
‘No one knows whether it’s day or night down here. We’re like beagles in a smoking lab, or labs in a smoking beagle. Whichever way you like it.’
‘Are you drunk, Dolph?’
‘No, merely rat-arsed.’
She was aware of Harland’s disapproving gaze. ‘Dolph, I need your help, so pull yourself together.’
‘I love it when you’re strict.’
‘I want to know about Bosnia – the siege of Sarajevo.’
‘Okay.’
‘We’re interested in a commander of Muslim soldiers. We have no name apart from The Poet, but this was not commonly used.’
‘Well that narrows it down,’ said Dolph, laughing.
‘Come on Dolph. I haven’t got time…’
‘Well, there was Abu Abdel Aziz or Barbaros – the guy with the two-foot beard.’
‘No, someone less obvious. Perhaps a scholar of some sort, but a good fighter.’
‘So we’re looking for a member of the Mujahideen Brigade that was disbanded after Dayton?’
‘Maybe. We’re right at the beginning with this one, so we’re interested in anything.’
‘I’ll talk to some of the hacks who were there during the siege. They may have come across him. Any idea where this character came from?’
‘Pakistan or Iran are possibilities.’
‘Have you got a description? His age at the time?’
‘No – we know he is about five foot five or six.’
‘Don’t burden me with detail, Isis,’ he laughed. ‘I’ll call you if I get something. Where’re you going to be?’
‘On my cell phone.’
‘Hey, Isis. You got to hear about Joe Lapping before you go.’
‘Okay.’ Herrick sat back smiling.
‘So Lapping is left in Sarajevo instead of me. The French tumble him in precisely three and a half seconds and start making his life hell. Lapping can’t move without one of the Frogs whispering “Rozbeef spy” in his ears. He gets completely freaked, changes his address and then can’t find his way home and has to put up with some aid worker while the apartment is found. Meanwhile the Frogs have moved every bird with a dodgy past into Lapping’s place and opened it as a brothel.’ Dolph broke off. She could hear him helpless with laughter and thumping something in the background. ‘So when Lapping eventually gets home he’s greeted by some lovely wearing the top of his Marks and Spencer pyjamas smoking a spliff, at which point the Frogs arrange for the place to be raided by the Bosnian vice squad.’ He stopped again. Herrick glanced at Harland, who was smiling. ‘You got to hand it to him,’ continued Dolph, ‘I mean there’s never been anyone like Lapping in our business. He’s classic.’
‘Where’s he now?’
‘Still in Sarajevo. They’re making new arrangements but there’s no rush coz the suspect’s gone to ground.’ He paused. ‘You know, Lapping could be really good on this. Seriously. He’s a prize researcher, loves nothing better than sifting through dusty files in Serbo-Croat. That’s like a threesome to Lapping. I can easily put him on to it through RAPTOR. Nobody will know.’
‘Good.’
‘And don’t forget your friend in Beirut,’ he said.
‘I won’t.’
The Chief did not phone until 6.30 a.m. local time. The plane carrying Khan had touched down at Cairo and been greeted by members of the local CIA station and the Egyptian intelligence service. As far as the local MI6 people could make out, he had been taken straight to police headquarters. There was some suggestion that he would make an appearance in court that day in connection with the slaying of the newspaper editor, but the Chief thought this unlikely because any lawyer appointed to Khan’s defence would be able to demonstrate that he was not Jasur Faisal, and would move to have him released.
‘Who else was on the plane?’ asked Herrick.
‘Two of the men from the Tirana station and the Syrian gentleman. He turns out to be Dr Ibrahim al Shuqairi, an extremely nasty piece of work. He has a Syrian passport but is from one of the Sunni tribes in Iraq. In any sane world he would be tried as a war criminal.’
‘So, there’s nothin
g we can do.’
The Chief mumbled, ‘We’ll see about that. Now, tell me, what did you make of Loz’s answers?’
Harland and Herrick looked at each other. ‘I’d say it’s worth looking into the business of the Bosnian commander known as The Poet,’ offered Harland. ‘It appears he was in New York in late 1999. But you know it may be all nonsense. There’s nothing hard.’
The Chief digested this.
‘We’re working on the Bosnian angles,’ said Herrick. ‘Andy Dolph is going to ring some contacts.’
‘Can he be discreet about this? He can’t talk about it at RAPTOR.’
‘There’s no one more reliable,’ said Herrick.
‘Good. Right. Well, Isis, I think you’d better get back here. Harland, I wonder if you could help us to get Loz out. Nothing complicated. A boat ride to Italy. That’s all. I’m putting the arrangements in place now. You’ll get further instructions during the morning.’
Herrick noticed the expression in Harland’s eyes had darkened a little.
‘You do realise I’m not working for you, Chief,’ he said.
‘Of course, of course. Forgive me, Bobby. You know how grateful we are to you, I’m sure. I’m glad you’ve reminded me you’re helping as an irregular. We’re indebted to you. Oh, by the way, I have some movement on that trace we discussed in New York. I think it looks very promising.’
Harland said nothing.
‘Eva – I think she’s alive. Perhaps you would rather discuss it another time. We’re likely to get some more.’
‘Yes,’ said Harland quietly. ‘Yes, thank you. You understand I must consult with the Secretary-General about my movements. I have to answer to his brief.’
‘Yes, you’re quite right,’ said the Chief emolliently. ‘I just pray that you will be able to see your way to helping us on this one. Do you think there’s any chance of Mr Jaidi letting you do your bit?’
‘What is my bit?’
‘We’ll talk when you’re in Italy. In the meantime, expect to be joined by several friends at the Embassy. They’ll get Loz out. And Bobby, thank you again for all you’re doing. I think you know how important this is.’
Isis watched his effortless manner sedate Harland. It occurred to her that he was susceptible only because there was some part of him that privately felt he still belonged in the Secret Intelligence Service, or at least was animated by the challenge and felt he could still rise to it better than most. In that way he was not unlike Munroe Herrick. She wondered about the woman mentioned by the Chief, and Harland’s curiously subdued reaction. What the hell was that about?
He must do away with himself. That was his only thought as the plane touched down and sped along the runway to a desolate spot on the airbase where some vehicles waited. Gibbons cut the plastic restraints on his ankles and hooded him again. He avoided Khan’s eyes and said nothing. Khan already knew he was to be tortured. During the last twenty minutes of the flight, as the light flooded the cabin, he had strained round to see who was behind him and caught sight of a powerful, fat leg jigging in the aisle. Then he heard the rustling of The Doctor’s bag of nuts.
They hauled him from the seat and steered him towards the door, down the short flight of steps. Several men were shouting in Arabic and tugged at his arms, but Gibbons held on and guided him towards one of the vehicles where he was formally handed over. Beneath the hood Khan saw the shadows of the men and the outlines of the vehicles. The smell of the great city nearby came to his nostrils, a mixture of exhaust, wood smoke and shit. Gibbons said ‘Welcome to Cairo, Mr Faisal.’
Someone spoke to him harshly in Arabic. When he didn’t respond, he was hit in the small of the back with a rifle butt, and sank to his knees. He was picked up and the same phrase was repeated over and over. Gibbons shouted, ‘Look, you fucking goons. His mouth is taped!’ Someone took off the hood and ripped the tape back. He saw faces staring at him, men eager to hurt him. They spoke again, using the name Jasur Faisal, and although he understood better this time, Khan realised that it would be stupid to respond. Arabic was not his language; Faisal was not his name.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Speaking in a damp, official monotone, Vigo attempted to wind up the meeting with Herrick in the Bunker. He shifted in his chair and pushed her report on Karim Khan away from him as though confronted with a poor examination paper. ‘And you’re satisfied that Khan was the person executed on the hill?’ His eyelids seemed heavy; his hands lay limp on the table.
She nodded. ‘Yes. I observed him being loaded into the car by his Albanian guards at the SHISK headquarters. I noted his clothes and saw the same man taken from the same vehicle to the fire’s edge. There’s nothing more to say. They disposed of him.’
‘Were any of our people there?’ asked Nathan.
‘No, just Albanians,’ she replied. ‘A man named Marenglen was in charge of the operation.’ She stopped and looked at Vigo. How would Marenglen’s tutor respond to that?
‘We know of him,’ said Vigo neutrally. ‘And what was your impression of Khan? Did you believe he had any potential, or was he no more than what he claimed to be – a refugee, a disillusioned fighter?’
‘As a veteran of the jihad in Bosnia and a field commander with years of experience in Afghanistan, he could have told us much that was useful, yes. But the constant threat of violence and the actual abuse during his interrogation were counterproductive. Aside from this, there was disagreement between the Albanian interrogators and the agency personnel, who seemed concerned only with proving that Khan was in fact the Hamas operative Jasur Faisal. It’s clear to me that Khan’s story about taking the identities from Faisal’s body following the attack in Macedonia is true, but the presence of these papers was used to harass and intimidate him. Khan was guilty of no crime, whereas Faisal was wanted by several countries. And they wanted to pin Faisal’s crimes on Khan.’
‘Quite so,’ said Vigo. ‘Well, there’s evidently nothing more we can do on this.’
She nodded.
‘Now, as to your role here…’
‘I have a few questions about this,’ said Lyne. ‘It doesn’t make sense. I looked at the transcripts and it’s obvious that the questioning was unfocused, but what explains the change in direction when Isis went to the jail? You were having difficulty getting access, right? Then the moment you get in the room they start talking about Faisal. Why would they do that? And then why would they suddenly kill him? Whether they believed he was Faisal or Khan doesn’t make any difference. He was still useful by any standards.’ Herrick studied him. This was no play act. Lyne was genuinely puzzled, which meant he didn’t know about Khan being flown to Egypt.
‘In some respects it is regrettable,’ conceded Vigo. ‘But as you know, the American government has taken a firm line on terrorist suspects. They are to be eliminated…’
‘Sure, if they’re escaping through the desert like the al-Qaeda suspect in Yemen, but not if they are already in custody. I’m telling you, this doesn’t make any sense, especially as our guys were involved in debriefing the suspect. They wouldn’t let it happen like that.’
‘I can only say what I saw,’ said Herrick. ‘I was certain it was him in that valley and my conversation with Marenglen confirmed it.’ Vigo’s eyes glittered with concentration. The Chief had taken pains to rehearse her and warned that if she appeared too credulous or too sceptical he would suspect she knew Khan was alive.
‘But you, Isis,’ said Lyne accusingly, ‘the reigning queen of doubt, you know this doesn’t add up.’
‘Look, we weren’t in charge of the operation. Your people were. There’s a hell of a lot going on in Tirana that I couldn’t find out because Lance Gibbons wouldn’t tell me. You’re in a much better position to discover why this happened. Call your friends at Langley.’
‘I will do,’ said Lyne.
Vigo’s eyes moved from Lyne back to her with a slow, reptilian blink. ‘In the meantime we must discuss whether you’re willing to rejoin Nathan’s
team without indulging your wilder impulses. We just can’t have that sort of behaviour, Isis. We must work together as a unit on this.’
‘It’s up to you,’ she said. ‘I apologised for the last incident and now I genuinely want to help with the ten remaining suspects. ’
‘Nine,’ said Lyne. ‘The Turkish guy in London is in a coma. Complications from surgery. He’s not expected to recover.’
‘Right,’ said Vigo, evidently having made up his mind. ‘You can start at the next shift in an hour’s time. You better bring her up to date, Nathan.’ He moved from the room with a slight limp on his left side.
Isis raised her eyebrows to Lyne.
‘Gout,’ said Lyne.
She smiled. ‘Good.’
Lyne seemed to be weighing something in his mind. ‘It’s great to have you back, Isis. But I got to say I don’t believe a word about Tirana, even though it’s you telling me. What about the torture? Were our guys involved?’
‘Not directly.’
‘That’s something, I suppose. I remember Lance Gibbons when I was in the DO. He was old school, crazy but brave as hell – and effective. He was captured in Kurdistan after the Iraqis penetrated one of the Kurdish groups up there in the mid-nineties. When he was being driven back to Baghdad he took out his guards with a concealed Beretta hidden on his ankle and then hiked back to Kurdistan and over the Turkish border through a fucking mine field. We need more people like him. I can’t see him sitting in some fly-blown jail turning thumbscrews.’
‘Can I ask you a question, Nathan?’
‘Shoot.’
‘What do you feel about the torture of terrorist suspects?’
‘Depends on the circumstances. Clearly, if you know a man is in possession of vital information that may save thousands of lives, like the location of a dirty bomb or a suitcase full of smallpox, well, then I can see the argument that the harm done to one man, repellent though it is, may be excusable in the face of protecting thousands of innocent people. Eventually you have to do the math.’
‘Even so, there’s a moral problem, isn’t there?’ She was aware of herself sounding priggish.
