by Rashad Salim
When Tom caught up with Billy and Qasim, they had reached Billy’s car.
Tom looked on in horror as Billy patted down Qasim and confiscated the boy’s mobile phone.
“What the fuck are you doing, Billy?” Tom said. “This is insane!”
“Shut it and help me out,” Billy said.
Tom watched Billy in confusion as the man gripped Qasim’s collar with one hand and using the other hand to fumble with the car boot handle.
When the boot opened Tom was mortified at what Billy was doing.
He had assumed Qasim would be taken away in the backseat of the car, with either Billy or himself beside their prisoner to ensure he did not try to escape.
“No!” Tom called out.
Qasim was in tears now.
“Oh for fuck’s sake, Tom,” Billy said. “You really aren’t much help, you know that?”
Tom watched in disbelief as Billy then turned to Qasim, and as if it was the most normal thing in the world to do, told the boy to get inside the boot.
“Billy...”
“Go on, son, get in,” Billy said encouragingly.
Qasim whimpered but couldn’t manage an audible protest.
He probably thinks we’re going to kill him, Tom thought, and at this point anything was possible.
Tom scanned their surroundings again to check if anyone was watching. There was no one but Qasim’s friends who stood docile and helpless behind Aziz’s car - probably in case Billy fired off a shot in their direction.
Qasim whimpered and pleaded but it didn’t help his plight. It only made Billy angrier.
“Get in,” Billy said sternly this time.
When Qasim failed to move, Billy lost patience with the teenager and bungled him into the boot. The boy went tumbling inside and Billy slammed the boot door shut.
“Fuckin’ tit,” Billy said and looked at the boot in disgust.
Tom stared at him in disbelief.
“What?”
Tom said nothing.
“...Get in the fuckin’ car before someone sees us.” Billy walked around and got in the driver’s seat.
Tom ran around and got into the front passenger seat. His heart was pounding again and he looked at Billy.
Tom was trembling but Billy was acting normal, only seeming annoyed at worse.
“Fuckin’ time waster,” Billy muttered as he turned the ignition.
“Do you realise what you’ve just done?” Tom said. “I’m a fucking teacher! How is this going to look?”
Billy ignored him and drove out.
“Where the fuck are you taking him?” Tom asked.
“Somewhere safe where I’m gonna get all the answers I need out of him.” Billy turned to Tom. “And I think it’ll be better if you left the talkin’ to me this time.”
Tom said nothing. There was nothing to say. He sat there and wondered how he had got into this situation in the first place.
How stupid had he been to trust this shady man he had only met the day before?
What had he been thinking?
Now he was an accessory in the abduction of a teenage boy at gunpoint.
He tried to control his breathing and not imagining Billy torturing Qasim.
40
“Why didn’t you tell me you were armed?” Tom asked.
He wondered if Billy had been armed with the gun when he let him into his own home. He shuddered at the thought. He had been having tea in his kitchen with a gunman.
“What did it matter?”
“You don’t think it’s a big deal you just kidnapped a teenager? And at gunpoint?”
Billy ignored him.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Tom said, shaking his head. “I’m probably going to lose my job over this...”
They drove in silence. Tom had tried to gather his thoughts and try to come up with a solution to their problem.
Tom wasn’t even sure if the boy they abducted was guilty of involvement.
“You know what your problem is?” Billy said.
“I’m too stupid and trust the wrong people?”
Billy smirked. “You got that half right.”
“I’m guessing it’s not the trusting part,” Tom said with a heavy dose of sarcasm. “I should’ve known better than let you do this your way.”
“It wasn’t goin’ anywhere,” Billy said. “It was embarrassin’ how the kid was pissin’ in your face. Embarrassin’ for me too. Just watchin’ how he was dustin’ you off was makin’ me cry.”
“So you did this for me?” Tom was seething now.
Billy turned to him. “Fuck no. I did it for John.”
Tom knew Billy was right. He had been losing control of the situation from the moment they had confronted Qasim. He had been angry with Billy but now he was angry with himself over his inadequacies.
“...Anyway, as I was sayin’, the problem with you is you’re a bit dopey when it comes to the underside of life. What did you think was gonna happen when you started askin’ this boy questions? He was just gonna say ‘sorry, sir’ and confess like a good little choirboy? ...You might have some authority in the classroom, but mate, we ain’t in the classroom now. You’re in the battlefield and you better wise up real quick. No more fluffing around, okay? You wanna get to the truth you’re gonna have to take the fuckin’ gloves off.”
Tom said nothing. He was too busy sulking.
Billy laughed. “...Fancy that, me teachin’ you.”
Tom looked out of the window and saw they had arrived at their destination: a field, if you could call it that, on the outskirts of Binford. It was more of a dumping site far from any residential area or businesses.
Billy drove in and parked the car beside a heap of dirt and junk.
“Moment of truth, Tommy boy,” he said and got out of the car.
Tom got out too and both went to the boot.
Billy was about to open it but Tom put his hand on the boot door and stopped him.
“Listen, Billy,” Tom said. “I don’t agree with it but I admit we had no other choice about the excessive force ...but you can’t harm him.”
Billy gave him a wary look and nodded. “Don’t worry you can blame all this on me.”
“I mean it. It’s one thing to scare him but I’m not letting you torture this poor fucker.”
“Relax,” Billy said and moved to the boot.
Tom got out of the way and stepped back.
“I ain’t gonna hurt him but he don’t need to know that.” Billy winked at him and opened the boot door.
The door swung open and Qasim looked at them terrified. He put his hands together, begging for mercy. “Please,” he managed to say between whimpers.
“Fuckin’ hell, son,” Billy said. “You didn’t piss yourself in there, did ya?”
Qasim shook his head.
“You better not have.” Billy pulled out the gun from his inside coat pocket. “’cause I’d have to make you clean it yourself before burying you.”
Qasim closed his eyes tight for a moment and said please over and over again. He opened his eyes and looked at Tom. “Please don’t hurt me, I don’t know anything.”
Billy threw his head back in frustration. “Not that shit again.”
Tom saw his temper flaring again and wondered how much of this was a bluff.
“I mean it,” Qasim said, “I don’t know anything.”
“Fuck this,” Billy said. He aimed the gun at Qasim and waited.
Tom shuddered and hoped the gun had a safety switch.
The boy flinched, raised his hands to beg for mercy and braced himself for the shot. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and looked at Billy.
Billy lowered the gun. “Let’s not waste any more of my time, shall we?” he said to Qasim. “No more fuckin’ around, sunshine. I’ve been reasonable with you so far but that’s about to change if you don’t fuckin’ wake up and tell the truth.”
“Qasim,” Tom said and came closer to the boy. “We know you bough
t a gun recently. Why did you buy it?”
Billy aimed the gun at Qasim.
“It wasn’t for me.”
“Who was it for?” Tom asked.
“Someone else.”
“Who?” Billy asked. “And I want a name right now.”
“My friend Zafar,” Qasim said to Billy and then to Tom, “Zafar Khan.”
41
Tom was confused. He had suspected Zafar’s involvement in Chris Jones’ murder but DS Barker had eliminated him. It didn’t make any sense to Tom.
“I was just doing a favour, I swear,” Qasim said.
“Why did Zafar need a gun?” Tom asked.
Qasim said nothing.
Billy rested the barrel of the gun against Qasim’s forehead. Qasim gasped and shut his eyes again.
“What did he do with the gun?” Billy asked gently. “You got three seconds.”
“Okay! Okay!” Qasim said immediately and looked at Tom. “He didn’t say much but hinted it was for you!”
Tom was gobsmacked.
Billy and Tom exchanged looks – Billy’s bitter look said I-told-you-so while Tom’s said I-can’t-believe-it.
“So you lot wanted to kill this fella, is that right?” Billy asked Qasim.
“I didn’t wanna kill anyone, I swear! I didn’t even wanna buy the gun! I told him to get it himself but he said he needed me to do it and that we were in this together.”
“Why is that?” Billy asked. “What did you do?” He aimed the gun against Qasim’s throat.
Qasim tried to talk but he was sobbing too hard.
“Come on now, out with it. Tell us everythin’ and I’ll let you go. Miss anythin’ out and I’ll kill you slow. What were you in with Zafar?”
“When Zafar and the boys jumped Mr Smith they made me drive the car.”
In that second, a million thoughts rushed through Tom’s mind and he felt lightheaded. He couldn’t believe he had finally discovered who had attacked him and murdered Chris. He doubled over and put his hands on his knees to support himself.
Billy turned to him. “You alright, mate?”
Tom waved him off.
“So you were the getaway driver, is that it?” Billy asked.
Qasim nodded frantically.
“And Zafar and his mates ambushed Mr Smith here?”
Qasim nodded again.
“And when Mr Smith survived the attack, Zafar came back with a gun to finish what he started?”
Qasim nodded. “I never wanted any of it to happen but I couldn’t do anything about it. I owed Zaf and the others.”
“Why?” Billy asked.
“They were always my backup,” Qasim said. “No one would touch me ‘cause I was friends with Zaf... when Zaf first asked me to go along with their plan I said no and he threatened me... tellin’ me I was ungrateful for everythin’ they done for me. Said they’d do me too if I didn’t help them ‘cause I knew too much...” He began sobbing uncontrollably.
Listening to the boy’s confession made Tom sick. He wanted Qasim to stop – feeling a little sympathy towards him too – but he needed to know everything.
“Where is the gun now?” Tom asked.
“Zaf has it.”
“Where is he? At home?” Billy asked.
“I don’t know.”
“You’re gonna find out for us,” Billy said.
“...You promise to let me go?”
“Sure,” Billy said. “All you gotta do is lead Zafar to us and you can fuck off home, okay?”
Qasim’s mouth fell open. He was about to say something – beg, protest, refuse – but shut his mouth instead.
Billy was about to shut the boot door.
“Wait!” Tom said.
Billy paused with his hands on the boot door handle and looked at Tom.
“That friend of yours Aziz,” Tom said to Qasim. “Was he involved in the attack? There were three of them. Zafar was one of them. Aziz was one of the other two, wasn’t he?”
Qasim looked at Billy and then at Tom. There was no courage left in his eyes. “Yeah.”
Tom had been thinking about Aziz and his big knife during the ride to the field. He couldn’t get the blade out of his mind and now he knew why.
He had seen it before and would never forget what it was like being threatened with it.
42
Tom and Billy leaned against the car while the latter smoked.
“How are we gonna get Zafar to agree a meeting with Qasim?” Tom said. “Aziz and the others have probably told half of Binford what we just did.”
Billy nodded.
“They’ve tipped off Zafar,” Tom said. “He’s gonna know we got Qasim.”
“Probably.”
“We’re going to have to turn him in,” Tom said. “He just confessed about Chris’ murder. He was an accomplice and a witness. That’s enough to snare the lot of them.”
“I know.”
Tom sensed there was something bothering Billy about his proposal. “But?”
“We’ll turn him in alright. But not until I get a face-to-face with my brother’s killer.”
“We don’t know for sure that Zafar was the one who shot John,” Tom said. “Just because he wanted the gun for me doesn’t mean he was the one who pulled the trigger.”
“He definitely seems the one to me,” Billy said. “Why don’t we just ask our little friend here to confirm that?”
“Okay, but look even if it really was him, we might not get the chance for a face-to-face if he guesses his buddy spilled the beans on what they did. For all we know, Zafar is on the run already.”
“We don’t know that for sure,” Billy said, echoing Tom’s own words. “And until we do, we’re gonna stick to the plan.”
“What? Get Qasim to trick Zafar into walking into a trap?”
“Yeah.”
“It’ll never work,” Tom said.
“It’s still worth a shot.” Billy finished his cigarette and walked around to the car boot.
Tom joined him. Billy opened the boot door and looked at Qasim. He was terrified and Tom almost fell sorry for him.
“Yes or no,” Billy said. “Did Zafar use the gun himself to shoot Mr Smith’s neighbour?”
Qasim’s eyes darted back and forth between Tom and Billy. “Probably but I’m not one hundred percent sure.”
Billy grimaced and looked away. “Well, you’re gonna find out for me.”
Tom leaned closer to Qasim and the boy backed away deeper into the car boot.
“Tell me something,” Tom said. “Why did Zafar attack us? It wasn’t because Mr Jones and I got in the way of Atif, was it?”
“No,” Qasim said, looking away.
That eliminated Atif’s suspects outright, Tom thought. Atif was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But what about Chris and himself?
“So we were the targets – the teachers?”
Qasim nodded.
“Both of us or just one of us?”
Qasim swallowed hard. “Just you.”
Tom took a deep breath and exhaled. He felt his head had been ready to explode – and now, the tension had been released. He felt dazed, having confirmed neither Chris nor Atif had been the attackers’ intended targets.
He took another deep breath and braced himself for the answer to his next question. “...Why me?”
“I don’t know.”
“Liar,” Billy said in disgust.
Qasim looked at Billy in protest. “It’s the truth. I don’t know. Zaf never told me. All he said was you had to be taught a lesson. I never knew they were gonna stab you lot.”
“What the fuck did you think the knives were for?” Billy asked him. “Tickling?”
Qasim looked away. “All he said was you had to be jumped. I thought they were gonna use bats.”
“Bollucks,” Billy said.
Qasim looked embarrassed. “I never saw the knives until they ran out of the car, I swear.”
There was a possibility Qasim was lying, Tom
thought – that he’d had enough time while held captive to portray himself as a sucker to save himself from Billy’s wrath but Tom doubted that was the case.
Qasim had revealed himself to be a chump. Pathetic, Tom thought, but honest when forced to be.
“You’re gonna call Zafar,” Billy said. “And you’re gonna convince him you managed to fool us and not give away anythin’, okay? You’re gonna tell him we took you for a drive and locked you in the boot to teach you a lesson, got it?”
Qasim nodded.
“Tell him we know nothing and that he has nothing to worry about,” Tom said. “And find out where he is, okay?”
“That’s ...a lot to remember. I don’t know if I can remember all that.”
“You got questioned by nosey teachers, teachers kidnapped you at gunpoint, took you for a ride and then kicked you out after a good telling off,” Tom said, using his fingers to count the different points. “Understood?”
Qasim swallowed and nodded.
“Do your best, son,” Billy said. “Fuck this up and we’ll fuck you up, got it?”
43
Billy pulled out his cigarette packet and tossed it to Qasim. “Have a smoke and relax before you make the call.”
Qasim hesitated for only a moment before taking a cigarette.
“That’s a good boy,” Billy said and lit Qasim’s cigarette. “Don’t forget – you’re gonna have to get your boy to admit killin’ the neighbour. Get him to brag if you have to.”
Qasim smoked the cigarette and nodded.
“Alright,” Billy said and pulled out Qasim’s phone from his own coat pocket. He tossed the phone to Qasim. “Call him. And one more thing – English only. I don’t wanna hear any Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, Arabic or whatever. Say anythin’ we don’t understand and I’ll cut your tongue out.”
Qasim avoided Billy’s gaze and nodded.
Tom hadn’t been keen on Billy’s threat but he found himself grateful for Billy’s good thinking. It hadn’t occurred to himself to consider the boys might use a second language as code.
Qasim speed dialled Zafar’s number and Billy checked to see it really was Zafar he was calling.
