The Killing Ground

by Jack Higgins

  “Yes. What on earth do you want at this time of night?”

  “Dr. Rashid, I’m here with your husband.”

  Rashid broke in, “It’s true. Back from my trip to Hazar. Listen carefully, Molly, these people may be able to help us get Sara back.”

  * * * *

  WHEN HE’D FINISHED TALKING, everything was quiet. The exchange had been full and frank.

  Roper said, “What do you think, Dr. Rashid?”

  “I’m astonished. I knew more than my husband realized of the great pressures he’s suffered from radical Islamic sources. He, I’m sure, didn’t want me to know about such matters, and I allowed him to think I was ignorant. It’s what wives do. The abduction of Sara finished all that. The lack of any legal means to retrieve her from that dreadful war zone has been very hard.”

  “Your husband offers us a bargain. If we can retrieve your daughter, he will give us what he swears is incredibly valuable information touching on al-Qaeda and the Army of God. Do you think I should believe him?”

  “Major Roper, he has never lied to me. He is a Bedouin. His honor is everything.”

  “It would mean him staying here in custody for the period the operation lasts. And you, Dr. Rashid, perhaps you would be better in protective custody, too. We live in a hard and dangerous world.”

  “No, thank you. My operating schedule at the hospital would never permit it.”

  “After what your husband has indicated about the people he won’t talk about, I think I could suggest a compromise,” Dillon said. “Major Greta Novikova, a valued colleague, is a highly skilled officer experienced in several wars. She could travel with you as security.”

  Molly Rashid seemed to hesitate, and her husband said, “Take the offer, please, Molly.”

  “All right. Can I see Caspar?”

  “Visit, by all means. Major Novikova will arrange to pick you up.” He hung up. “That’s it for this show. Take him to bed.” Henderson took Rashid out.

  * * * *

  AFTERWARD, THEY GATHERED to talk it out, while Greta poured tea and vodka, Russian style. “So this is the way it looks to me,” said Dillon. “Roper, you’ll handle logistics from here. Henderson and Doyle will mind Rashid. I know they’ll tell me they can’t bear the sight of any other military police sergeants in this place, anyway. Greta, you’ll guard Molly Rashid.”

  “I liked her,” Greta said, handing out vodka.

  “Which leaves you and me, Billy boy, to go to Iraq,” Dillon told him.

  “Saving the world again.”

  “The job of all great men,” Dillon said. “Now, tell me how you see this gig going,” he asked Roper.

  “Well, at some stage I imagine it would involve you or Billy kicking the door of that villa open, gun in hand.”

  “Very funny, Roper.”

  At that moment, Roper’s Codex Four, his secure mobile phone, rang, and he could see it was Harry Salter.

  “Harry! What’s up?” he asked.

  “Is everyone there?”

  “Not for long.”

  “Put me on speakerphone and I’ll tell you what’s up.” He waited a moment. “Remember George Moon and his thug Big Harold?”

  “Personally, I’ll never forget them,” Roper said.

  “Listen and learn, children.” Harry’s voice floated out of the phone. By the time he had finished, everybody was up to date on the events at the Harvest Moon.

  At the end, Billy groaned. “Ruby? Ruby Moon at the Dark Man?”

  “She’s safely tucked up in bed right now. It could be a lot worse, Billy. It’ll make a man of you, old boy, isn’t that what they say?”

  “Not at the school I went to.”

  “And it was one of the finest public schools in London, too. I wanted to make a gent of him, teach him how to behave. Look how it turned out.”

  “Yes, you’ve created a gentleman gangster. A highwayman!” Roper laughed. “It certainly suits Billy.”

  “All right, let’s have you home, Billy. I smell things happening over there. Make an old man happy and tell me all about it.”

  “I’ll see you in twenty minutes,” Billy said and clicked off. He turned to Roper and Dillon. “So, what’s the deal?”

  “We’ll keep Ferguson out of it entirely,” said Roper. “I’ll arrange false papers-I think you’ll play war correspondents again. I’ll book a flight from Farley Field. Dillon takes the rap for telling Lacey and Parry it’s an unexpected flight, highly secret and so on. The weapons will be supplied by the quartermaster at Farley. I know a firm called Recovery that’ll help us in Baghdad. It’ll just take a call to make sure. I can let you know tomorrow. Off you go.”

  “Christ Almighty. Titanium waistcoats again.”

  Billy left, and Dillon walked Greta out and watched as Henderson let Billy out of the electronic gates. After he drove away, they went back inside.

  “I think I’ll sleep in staff quarters,” Greta said, and at that moment Ferguson ’s voice echoed out of Roper’s computer, and he sounded annoyed.

  “Isn’t anyone there?”

  * * * *

  GRETA JUMPED, Roper placed a finger on his lips and Dillon poured Bushmills from a bottle on the corner table.

  “I’m here, boss. You know us, we never close,” Roper said.

  “How’s Brussels?” Dillon put in.

  “Bloody boring, but that’s politics for you. As far as the Prime Minister is concerned, though, we’re into another time of the wolf.”

  “A second Cold War?” Dillon said.

  “I think we’ve known that for a while. General Volkov never leaves Putin’s side, and as for that fat fool Lhuzkov at the embassy, we’ll deal with him later. So things are quiet at the moment?”

  “Absolutely, Your Honor, and boring with it.”

  “The stage Irishman act is past its sell-by date, Dillon. All right, if that’s all, I’ll say good night. I’ll check in with you tomorrow.”

  He clicked off and Dillon said, “I’m going to bed for a while. Knowing you, you’re going to get started on the false papers.”

  “Nothing like a bit of forgery to pass away my lonely night. It’s like something out of Dickens,” and Roper turned to his beloved computers. “Sean-the mystery man from al-Qaeda, the Broker. Do you believe in him?”

  “Absolutely,” Dillon said.

  Roper smiled. “I’m so pleased. So do I.”

  * * * *

  IN THE EMBASSY IN BRUSSELS, Vladimir Putin sat drinking vodka with General Volkov, his most trusted security adviser, and Max Chekov.

  “So, things are proceeding well with Belov International?” the President said.

  “Of course, Mr. President. Thanks to Belov’s untimely demise, we control oil fields and gas pipelines from Siberia to Norway and over the North Sea to England.” Volkov shrugged. “And we can stop most of those pipelines anytime we want.”

  “Stop go, stop go. Play with them,” Chekov put in. “When you think of all the effort in the old days devoted to the threat of the atom bomb.” He shook his head. “Now we can achieve more than we ever dreamed of by just turning off a few taps.”

  “Yes,” Putin said. “It was a wonderful gift, when Belov ended up at the bottom of the Irish Sea, thanks to Ferguson ’s people.”

  “What’s happened to Belov’s Irish estate?”

  Chekov said, “ Drumore Place. I’ve visited it twice. It has been developed for light industry. There’s a decent runway for light aircraft, and a helicopter pad. A nice little harbor. All in all, a useful property for us to have.” He smiled. “And if you ever want to visit and have a drink, there’s a great pub called the George.”

  “Strange.” Putin, once a KGB colonel, knew his history. “King George was the man who oppressed the Irish peasantry in the eighteenth century for being Roman Catholic. They hated him for this, so why call their public house the George?”

  Chekov said, “I asked the publican, a man called Ryan, the very question. He answered that it was their pub and th
ey liked it the way it was. And let me note: they may all be Catholic by persuasion, but their real religion is the Provisional IRA.”

  “Yes.” Putin sniffed at his drink. “Those former IRA men, so violent-and so useful for certain jobs. Well!” He raised his glass, “Let us drink to the future of Belov International.” He nodded toward Chekov. “And to its chief executive officer.”

  The vodka went down and another, then Chekov excused himself. Volkov poured another couple of vodkas.

  “What do you think of him?” Putin asked.

  “Of Chekov?” said Volkov. “He’ll be fine. He’s got a good tough army record. The kind who laughs and kills, you know? And he’s so personally wealthy that he seems totally trustworthy from my point of view- and he’s just unlikely to get too greedy.”

  “Good. Now, Volkov, concerning this sorry business with Blake Johnson. You need to check the quality of your staff. Taking on such a prestigious target is only worthwhile if success is certain. Failure is not an option. And I keep seeing that damn Dillon’s name popping up everywhere!”

  “Of course, sir, I understand. As for Dillon-he’s an exceptional man.”

  “Are you saying we have no such individuals? Whatever happened to Igor Levin, for example?”

  Volkov hesitated. “He became unreliable, Mr. President. By the end of the Belov affair, he decamped to Dublin with two GRU sergeants, Chomsky and Popov. Chomsky, I believe, is studying law at Trinity College in Dublin now. It’s difficult.”

  “You’re wrong,”Vladimir Putin said. “It’s very simple. Tell them their President needs them and Russia needs them. And if that doesn’t work- well, we have ways of dealing with people who ‘decamp,’ don’t we? As for Ferguson and company, I’m sick of them. It’s time to finish it once and for all. Every time we make headway in our goal, they interfere. Disorder, chaos, anarchy leading to a breakdown in the social order, this should be our aim. Cultivate our Arab friends, let them do the dirty work. Their favorite weapon is the bomb, which means civilian casualties-that’ll stoke the fires of hate for all things Muslim anywhere in Europe. You have my full authority.”

  Volkov tried to smile. “I’m very grateful, Mr. President, for everything.”

  “I’ll have a vodka with you, then I’ll let you go.”

  “My pleasure.”Volkov went to the side table and refilled their glasses, which he brought back.

  “I’ve been thinking,” Putin said. “This Arab you’re running in London, Professor Dreq Khan, the Army of God man. He seems almost untouchable, all those committees he’s on in Parliament, all those political connections. He could get away with murder.” He laughed. “Don’t you think?” He raised his glass. “To victory and to Mother Russia,” and he took the vodka down in one easy swallow.

  * * * *

  CALLED OUT AT 2:30 A.M. to Warley General Hospital by an A amp;E Department that was two general surgeons short, Molly found herself dealing with far too many drunks and victims of violent attack, many of them women. And some of the patients were scuffling amongst themselves.

  On duty, too, was Abu Hassim, a general porter, not tall but strong and wiry, and more than able to look after himself in that brawling crowd. Abu, born in Streatham, had a Cockney edge to his voice although his features were Arab.

  He knew Molly, and she knew him enough to nod and say hello because he lived in a corner shop owned by his uncle and aunt half a mile from Molly’s house.

  She was hot and sweaty and deadly tired, and as she pushed through the crowd, a man of thirty or so, hugely drunk, screaming and shouting and demanding a doctor, saw her.

  “Who’s this babe?” he yelled, and tried to kiss her.

  She cried out, “Leave me alone, damn you,” and tried to fight him off.

  He slapped her on the side of the face. “Bitch.”

  The crowd surged, and a hand pulled her away. It was Abu Hassim, who said, “That’s no way to treat a lady,” took one step forward and head-butted the drunk with great precision. The drunk went backward, and Abu grabbed him by the front of his jacket and eased him into a chair.

  She wiped her face with a hand towel.“That was definitely not in the book, but thanks. Abu Hassim, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, Doctor. Sorry about that-good thing I was here.”

  “It certainly was. But all in a day’s work, I guess. Thanks again.”

  “Don’t mention it. I’ll see you in the morning,” he said.

  “Not me, I’ve got the morning off.”

  “Lucky you.”

  He went out into a windswept rainy road. There was no one at the late night bus stop. He waited. In a few minutes, Molly drove out of the main gate at the wheel of a Land Rover. She pulled up and opened the passenger door.

  “Get in. It’s the least I can do.”

  “Why, thank you,” and he accepted it with every appearance of gratitude.

  “I’ve seen you coming out of that corner shop in Delamere Road,” Molly said.

  “My uncle and aunt own it.”

  “Where are you from?”

  “Right here in good old London. I’m a Cockney Muslim.”

  “I’m sorry.” She laughed uncertainly.

  “Nothing to be sorry about. I like being what I am.”

  She felt in deep water for some reason, “Your parents…”

  “Are dead,”Abu said. “They were originally from Iraq. Two years ago, they returned for family reasons and were killed in a bombing.”

  She felt the most intense shock. “Oh, Abu, that’s terrible.”

  “So far to go, and so little time to do it.” His face remained calm. “But as we say: Inshallah, as God wills.”

  “I suppose so.” She pulled up outside the shop. “I’ll see you soon.”

  She was so nice and he liked her very much. It was such a pity she was what she was, but Allah had placed this duty on him, and he got out.

  “Sleep well, Doctor. Allah protect you.” He walked to the side door of the shop and she drove away, more tired than she had ever been and the electronic gates swung open and she was home.

  * * * *

  IN THE SHOP, Abu and his uncle embraced. “A foul night and you are wet. Put this on.” The old man handed him a robe. “I’ll put some tea on. Your aunt has been called to Birmingham. Her niece has gone into labor.” He busied himself with the kettle. “Now tell me what has happened.”

  Abu held the offered cup of tea between his hands. “Our quarry, Dr. Molly’s husband, the Bedouin Rashid, arrived off the plane from Hazar and was apprehended. We had two sweepers working close enough to the action. He was seen walking away pursued by two individuals, who turned out to be some kind of government officials. This was confirmed by one of our brothers working on a passport desk nearby. He said they were called Dillon and Salter. Another of our people saw them get into an Aston car with Rashid and drive away.”

  “What then?”

  “Nothing, except that our man got the license number.”

  “How do you know all this?”

  “My control called me at the hospital to see what the situation was with the wife. Obviously, the police will contact her.” He shook his head. “I like Dr. Molly. She’s a good woman. Why does she have to be one of them?”

  Instead of offering an explanation, his uncle said, “Do you weaken in your resolve?”

  “Not at all, not before Allah.” Abu shrugged. “I’m going to bed. She has the morning free, so it will be difficult to check the house then. We’ll see.”

  His uncle embraced him. “You are a very good boy. Sleep well.”

  * * * *

  THE UNCLE FOUND that with age, he slept lightly and he rested on the couch by the fire. He dozed, contemplating the current situation and how lucky he was with the strengthening faith of age, to have such power from Allah. The phone rang.

  “Ah, so you are still awake, Ali my brother.”

  “What can I do for you?”

  “Abu has done well to involve himself with the Rashid woma
n. Tell him to take the day off from the hospital tomorrow and observe her. One of my agents at Heathrow managed to follow Caspar Rashid to a place in Holland Park. There was a lot of security there.”

  The man speaking was Professor Dreq Khan, whose field was Comparative Religion. He was a highly regarded academic in many countries, but especially in London, where he was on many government and interfaith committees. His great secret was his fateful meeting with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan years before, and the changes in his thinking that had led him to found the Army of God.

  “We’ll find out what we can, but if I’m right, I think it would be a waste of time trying to get in. My computer assistants at the university have come up with an owner for the car, who turns out to have been a rather famous criminal in his day, named Harry Salter. He is incredibly rich, but an informant tells me he still gets up to his old tricks. You know what he tells people? Smuggling cigarettes pays the same as heroin, but only gets you six months if caught.”

  “ London is truly an amazing place.”

  “He has a nephew named Billy Salter, but the computer listing shows nothing for him. I’ll put the word out, though. Perhaps the authorities have wiped his records. In any event, do what you can, and God be with you.”

  Ali Hassim sighed, folded his hands and lay back.

  * * * *

  AN HOUR OR SO EARLIER, Billy had driven up to the Dark Man. He knew the front door would be locked, so he went through the side door and passed through to the lounge bar, and found Harry sitting by the fire being served coffee by Ruby. They both looked up and she managed to smile, for she had realized Billy might prove to be her greatest obstacle, but Ruby was Ruby and undeniably pretty.

  “You were stupid to put up with it, Ruby. He was always a toad and about as appetizing as a corpse. Now, I’m about to break some bad news to my good old uncle Harry. You might as well hear it, too, because since you’ve become a member of the team and live here, you’d wriggle it out of any man wearing well-cut trousers anyway.”