by Jack Higgins
Holley’s Codex sounded. He answered it and found Josef Lermov. Holley waved frantically at Roper and mouthed ‘speaker’. Roper turned it on and Lermov’s voice boomed a little.
‘I thought I’d let you know that there’s been a terrible accident in Chechnya. Mullah Ibrahim Nadim met a bad end on a country road outside some small town with an unpronounceable name. A car bomb killed him, two bodyguards and his driver.’
Holley felt no remorse for the part he had played in the affair. ‘Well, he wanted paradise, so at least he got that. Inshallah. It was his time.’
‘You know,’ Lermov said, ‘during the Battle of Algiers, Muslim girls threw away their traditional clothes, cut their hair and wore make-up and pretty frocks to fool French paratroopers into believing they were Europeans. That way, they were able to visit coffee shops and leave bombs under the seats.’
‘Yes, I know that. Very ingenious,’ Holley said. ‘What’s the point?’
‘The point, my dear Daniel, is that Chechnyan Muslim women appear to have adopted the same idea. An unfortunate Colonel in the GRU’s Planning Cabinet apparently made the mistake of enjoying the charms of such a woman.’
‘And how is he?’
‘Dead. He shot her and then shot himself.’ ‘Well, there you are, that’s the way it goes,’ Holley told him.
‘Prime Minister Putin has asked me to tell you he owes you one, Daniel.’
Holley laughed. ‘Now that really does frighten me, Josef. Thank him for the kind thought, but I think I’ll still lock my door at nights.’
Lermov hung up. Harry Salter said, a kind of admiration in his voice, ‘What a cool bastard you are, my old son. I’ll have to keep my eye on you.’
‘Well, that will keep me safe, if nothing else,’ Holley told him. ‘What happens now?’
‘Luncheon,’ Ferguson said. ‘Is that all right with everybody?’
‘Not me,’ Roper said, ‘you’ve given me the rush job of all time. I’ve got a million things to do. You lot just get on with it.’
‘So where shall we eat?’
Ferguson asked. ‘What about the Al Bustan in Shepherd Market?’ Holley said. ‘Great Lebanese food.’ ‘Let’s go,’ Ferguson said.
Selim Lancy had been keeping an eye on his namesake at his shop, which was easy enough to do in the congested and narrow streets of the market. There were also numerous cafés with tables outside, and he was sitting at one, observing the shop, when the party from Holland Park arrived at the Al Bustan, which was just on the corner. It was a surfeit of riches, for the Preacher had followed up his photo of Holley with further ones covering Ferguson’s most important people. And now here they were, just dropped into his lap.
The waiters pushed tables close so they could sit together under an awning outside the restaurant, and wine was ordered. It was all very good-humoured.
Lancy sat down at a small table on the edge of things, but not too close. He didn’t need to be close, for the hearing enhancer he slipped into his right e eavesdrop. He ordered wine himself and began reading his newspaper.
It was Ferguson who gave it away by asking Holley, ‘How long since you were last in Peshawar, Daniel?’
‘Five months ago,’ Holley said. ‘Flying visit. I was only there three days. Long enough to complete business, then get out. You wouldn’t want to linger, and you shouldn’t, General.’
A moment later, Ferguson had to answer his Codex. He listened for a few moments, then said, ‘Excellent.’
He said to the others, ‘That was Roper. The Pakistan Embassy has agreed to our visit. A Military Police Colonel named Ahmed Atep will be our contact, Major. Parry and Lacey have been alerted and are already on their way to Farley to get the Gulfstream ready.’
‘And what about the dealers I suggested you meet?’ Holley asked.
‘Roper’s emailed them and said it was your personal request that they co-operate.’
‘Has he had replies?’
‘Yes, from this Dak Khan and José Fernandez, who both indicated that they would help in any way possible.’ Ferguson shrugged. ‘They probably think there might be money in it.’
‘And Jemal Hamid?’
‘Apparently killed in a roadside ambush of a convoy close to the border some weeks ago.’
‘On the Pakistan side?’
‘It would appear so.’
Holley shrugged. ‘That’s the way it goes. It’s a thoroughly dangerous adventure, General. When do you go?’
Ferguson glanced at his watch. ‘As soon as we’re done with lunch. So let’s order, gentlemen.’
Lancy asked for his bill, paid the waiter and walked away, not only satisfied, but excited. His Mercedes was parked in a nearby mews and he went and sat behind the wheel and reported in to the Preacher. Professor Hassan Shah was in the garden of his house, sitting at a table on the terrace, marking a student’s thesis.
‘Excellent,’ he said when Lancy was finished. ‘You’ve done brilliantly. Is there anything to report on Malik?’
‘I’ve had a word with a few of the Brotherhood with shops in the area.’ He was speaking of the Army of God, on the face of it a Muslim charity. ‘He seems harmless enough.’
‘Then you can forget him from now on. I want you to drive out to this airfield and confirm their departure.’
‘You’ve got it, boss. Ferguson said they’d be leaving in three hours, so I’ll wait till nearer the time. I don’t want to stand out or anything.’
‘Just get it right.’
After lunch, Holley stopped for a moment at the Dorchester to collect a couple of things before going on with Ferguson and Miller to the airfield. Just as he was going back out through the door, Malik phoned him from Algiers. ‘How are you? I was speaking to Cousin Selim and he’s worried about you.’
‘No need,’ Holley said. ‘I’m taking it easy for the time being. It’s Ferguson and Major Miller who are putting themselves in harm’s way. They’re going on a flying visit to Peshawar to nose around.’
‘But why?’
‘Just to get a feel for the situation. I gave them names of people who might be able to help. Dak Khan, José Fernandez and Jemal Hamid.’
‘And have they agreed to help?’
‘It seems that Jemal Hamid was killed in a convoy ambush the other week, but the other two have. Ferguson and Miller will be looked after by a Colonel Ahmed Atep — does he mean anything to you?’
‘No, he’s not familiar to me, though it’s years since I was there. Wasn’t he there when you visited five months ago?’
‘No, he must be new.’
‘So what happens now?’ Malik asked.
‘I haven’t the slightest idea. I just had a meeting with all of Ferguson’s people. I was able to put a face to everybody, something I couldn’t do before. Roper, Ferguson, Miller, Dillon, and the two gangsters, the Salters.’
‘Gangsters?’ Malik said.
‘Well, that’s what they used to be. Young Billy is MI5 now and his uncle has millions in developments by the Thames. It pays better than robbing banks.’
‘Everything is a joke to you, Daniel.’
‘It’s the only thing that got me through five years in the Lubyanka Prison, my friend. Take care, Malik, I’ll be in touch.’ He hung up.
Malik sighed, deeply troubled by the direction in which the whole affair was going. There was a step on the terrace and he turned to find Colonel Ali Hakim there.
‘Forgive the intrusion; your gatekeeper let me into the garden. I was passing and wondered how you are.’
‘Not good at all,’ Malik said. ‘I worry so much about Daniel. I just can’t help it.’
Hakim managed a look of concern. ‘My dear old friend, what’s he been up to now?’
Farley Field belonged to the Ministry of Defence and was restricted, but the public car park next to it was not, and was popular with plane-spotters due to the increase in military traffic. Lancy had out his binoculars along with the rest of them and found the Gulfstream, waiting to go, th
e steps down, two RAF officers beside it.
He could recognize Ferguson, Dillon and Daniel Holley standing together by a Daimler limousine, and then a Mercedes appeared. The man who got out was Miller. It was five-thirty. He waited. Finally, the Gulfstream started across the runway and rose into the air.
He got back into the Mercedes and called the Preacher. ‘They’ve just left.’
‘Excellent,’ Shah said. ‘Let’s hope they enjoy themselves.’
‘You’re going to do the business on them, aren’t you, Boss?’
‘I would think Peshawar dangerous enough without my help,’ Shah told him.
Lancy said, ‘What do I do now?’
‘Go back to making a living, Selim. I’m sure the ladies adore your manly good looks. You’ll find, by the way, that your bank account has been inflated by five thousand pounds. I know your mother’s cancer treatment means she can’t work. Give her my blessing, but remember you belong to Osama.’
To which there could be no answer, and Selim Lancy switched off, shaking his head. What kind of geezer was he, the Preacher? One minute he was the lord of life and death, and the next he was the soul of kindness and charity. Lancy had punished people for him, wounding to keep Muslim wrongdoers in line, and he’d shot dead two Muslim men from Kosovo involved in a prostitution ring importing young girls. Death was all they deserved, the Preacher had said, and Lancy had obliged, dumping the bodies in the Thames.
It didn’t bother him. After all, it was small beer after Afghanistan. On the other hand, the business with his mother was a debt that should be repaid. He sat there behind the wheel of the Mercedes, thinking about the situation. Ferguson and Miller were out of the way, which left Dillon, Holley and the Salters. He smiled. Thanks to the information the Preacher had supplied, he knew all about the Salters, and their history intrigued him. East End gangsters who’d made good, millionaires up there with the toffs. He admired that and felt no animosity. They were on the wrong side, that was all.
There was a restaurant called Harry’s Place and a pub, the Dark Man, in Wapping. It was where Salter had started out, his favourite place, and he had a boat there called the Linda Jones tied up at the end of the jetty outside. That’s where any aggravation would hurt him most. Lancy smiled and took out his mobile.
Like many young and unemployed Muslim men, Kalid Hasim made a bare living on the fringes of the drug trade as a delivery boy. It was a great risk for a small return, but Hasim considered it only temporary. For him, boxing was the way out, and he was punching the bag in his gym in Camden when his mobile sounded; he’d put it with his towel on a bench.
‘It’s me, number one man,’ Lancy said.
They had never met. Lancy was a voice on the phone since the first call, when he’d suggested that Hasim and a couple of his friends might like to smash up a shop selling anti-Muslim literature, promising five hundred pounds in the post. Hasim had taken a chance and had been delighted with the outcome. He’d repeated the exercise on many occasions.
‘So what have you got?’
‘Just listen.’ He explained the situation. ‘Just aggravation is what I’m after. Smash up a few motors in the car park … and there’s a boat tied up at the jetty. Sinking that would be good.’
‘When do you want it done?’
‘Tonight, but I’ve got to warn you. The Salters are real hard men, so don’t hang about. In and out before they know what’s going on. There’s a grand in it for you.’
‘Consider it done.’
‘Good lad,’ Lancy told him. ‘But remember that right hand. You’re leaving yourself wide open when you punch.’
‘Fuck off,’ Hasim told him.
‘Not nice, a decent young Muslim talking like that,’ and then he surprised Hasim by speaking in Arabic for the first time. ‘Allah is great and Osama is his prophet.’
He switched off and drove away.
Meanwhile, the Preacher was contacting his most important Al Qaeda asset in Peshawar. He got an instant response.
‘The day of wrath must come,’ Shah said, establishing his credentials.
‘Then only the believers will survive. It is good to hear you, Preacher. How can I help?’ his asset answered.
‘Not me, but the cause of Al Qaeda. You are to have two visitors. They have just left London by Gulfstream. They are important because they are on British government business, but they are a problem for us.’
‘Who are they?’
‘A General Charles Ferguson and Major Harry Miller. They are there on a fact-finding mission. There is alarm in London over reports of young British Muslims fighting for the Taliban.’
‘Which is true.’
‘Yes, but there is more to their trip. There is evidence of a mercenary commander operating with the Taliban who uses the code name Shamrock. Have you heard anything of such a man?’
‘Not a whisper. Are you sure about this? Perhaps it’s only rumour?’
‘No. Shamrock is one of Al Qaeda’s most important assets. His identity must be protected at all costs. As far as you are concerned, he doesn’t exist. My information is that Ferguson and Miller have been promised the assistance of two men in Peshawar. Their names are Dak Khan and José Fernandez.’
‘I know these men well. Illegal arms dealers, amongst other things. I can put my hand on them at any time. As regards the visitors from London, do I frighten them or kill them?’
‘Both Ferguson and Miller have done great harm to Al Qaeda in the past. I think it is time that their debts were paid.’
‘No problem. Leave it with me.’
‘Osama’s blessing on you.’
Shah hung up, and the man at his desk at Military Police Headquarters in Peshawar, Colonel Ahmed Atep, lit a cigarette and sat back, smiling. So, life could get interesting. The prospect pleased him very much.
NORTHERN IRELAND
LONDON
5
Earlier in the day, Justin Talbot’s flight had taken him over North Wales and Anglesey, and now he was sweeping in towards the Mourne Mountains, a wonderful sight on a perfect day.
It had been an excellent flight, but he hadn’t enjoyed it as much as usual. His dealings with the Preacher had been deeply disturbing. It wasn’t just the shock of discovering that his mother’d had him baptized a Catholic as a baby. It was more that the Preacher knew about his exploits with the SAS, which were supposedly top secret. Where in the hell had all that come from? The power of these Al Qaeda people was frightening, and he cursed the day he’d ever got involved.
He wondered for a moment if he could buy his way out. On his grandfather’s death, he would become fabulously rich, and he was cynical enough by nature to believe that most people in life had their price, particularly when you were talking in the millions. But on the other hand, Islamists like Al Qaeda, men who could kill and execute without a second’s hesitation, had rigid moral and theological codes that Westerners found it difficult to understand. In the end, money meant little to them.
He doubted that was his escape.
He turned parallel to the Mourne Mountains as they swept down to the sea, and dropped on to the long grass runway of the Aero Club just outside the village of Drumgoole. There were three hangars, five small aircraft parked on the grass, a small terminal building with a café and a stub of a control tower above it. In front of the terminal was a maroon Shogun, his mother leaning against it, wearing sunglasses because of the glare, watching as an overalled mechanic waved him in to park in the right place. The club’s chief pilot, Phil Regan, was standing with her, and they came towards him as he got out of the Beech Baron.
‘Wonderful to see you, darling.’ She flung her arms round him and hugged him fiercely. ‘My God, but you’re brown.’
‘Good to see you, Justin.’ Regan shook hands. ‘If you wore the right clothes, people could mistake you for a Pathan.’
‘It’s fierce sun up there on the North-West Frontier,’ Talbot said. ‘I’ve never experienced anything like it. The plane did we
ll, Phil. I hope I’m staying for a few days, but give it a full engine check, full everything, so that it’s ready to go at a moment’s notice.’
‘We’ll see to that, never fear.’ Regan turned to consult the mechanic.
Jean said, ‘Do you want to drive?’
‘I’ve just clocked three hundred miles or more flying that plane, so I think I’ll take a rain check.’
‘Fine by me.’
They got in and she drove away, following the coast road. ‘I was worried when I didn’t hear from you on this trip. I always thought that’s what mobiles were for.’
‘Service can be difficult if you’re in the wrong terrain. It’s a hard, unforgiving landscape out there. It’s defeated everybody who invaded that bloody country, even Alexander the Great.’
‘But that’s Afghanistan. I thought you never went over the Pakistan border.’
He’d made a mistake and struggled to make it right.
‘Borders meant nothing to Alexander.’
‘Of course, silly of me.’ She concentrated on the road, but, glancing sideways at her face, he knew that she didn’t believe him, just as she hadn’t believed so much of his army life over the years. Secrets, always secrets between them, but also a love that was so deep it was never mentioned.
‘How is he?’ he asked, referring to his grandfather.
‘Pretty bloody awful. Dr Ryan said he really did think he might go this time. That’s why he phoned me to come. Dad insists sometimes on getting up with two sticks and lurching around and striking out at any servant within range. This time, he lost his balance and fell over, and that’s what brought on the attack. We’ve got a local man with him now named Tod Murphy; he spent years at the Musgrave Park Hospital in Belfast. He’s sixty, a hard man, and deaf as a post, so your grandfather’s rantings pass right over him. He’ll just sit reading in the conservatory, ignoring him, until Dad needs feeding or toileting or putting to bed. And, of course, there’s Hannah Kelly,’ mentioning the housekeeper. ‘Couldn’t manage without her, so I pay her a damn good salary, and thanks to her I don’t have to be over here on a regular basis.’ She shook her head. ‘What’s the solution? It drives me mad thinking about it.’
