Innocent Lies (Reissue)

by Chris Collett

Given the number of times he’d screwed up over the years, Mariner felt he was hardly in a position to argue.

  * * *

  Back at Granville Lane, Mariner was keen to have Millie’s take on this news and asked the key question: ‘How do you think Akram would have reacted to this?’

  ‘He’d have gone ballistic,’ she said, bluntly.

  ‘Hm, that’s what I thought.’

  ‘Several things would have upset him: the fact that Yasmin was in a relationship—’

  ‘The receptionist didn’t tell him that. He might have accepted her explanation that Yasmin was taking the pill for other reasons.’

  ‘But he’d be annoyed that Yasmin had gone behind his back to arrange contraception and that the surgery had complied.’

  ‘So, as Nadine said, his anger could have been directed at the doctor’s practice?’

  ‘He didn’t get back to Dr Shah to complain though, did he? I think he’d have been far more upset by the fact that Yasmin might be seeing someone. If he didn’t buy Nadine’s explanation for the pill then there’s probably little worse that Yasmin can have done to anger him. He’s already told us how “innocent” she is and now he’s suddenly being told he might be wrong about that. We know that arranged marriage is one aspect of Muslim life that the Akrams subscribe to. If it became public knowledge that Yasmin was sleeping around it would make it harder for her parents to find her a husband of any standing. And that would be important to family like the Akrams. They value their reputation in the community and made a good match for their older daughter. They’d want the same for Yasmin. Previous relationships might limit the possibilities. She would be soiled goods.’

  ‘And this is more information they’ve chosen not to share with us,’ said Mariner.

  ‘It would damage the family’s pride and reputation. They wouldn’t be keen to share it with anyone. It wouldn’t be great publicity for their school either, to have their own daughter flouting fundamental Islamic beliefs. Part of the reason many parents choose Islamic schools is to protect them from exactly this kind of thing: the corruption of the outside world.’

  ‘Hasan Sheron wasn’t so very far off the mark after all then. How strongly do you think Akram would react to this knowledge?’

  ‘Well, we already know that Mohammed Akram doesn’t take things lying down,’ said Millie. ‘That would be especially true where his daughter’s concerned. And we know that he has a short temper.’

  ‘So now, suddenly, we’re presented with a fat, juicy motive. No wonder he’s been trying to divert our attention elsewhere. Would it give Akram enough reason to harm Yasmin?’

  ‘You’ve come across honour killings before?’ said Millie.

  ‘Abdullah Yones,’ said Mariner in reply. ‘Stabbed his sixteen-year-old daughter twenty-eight times, for wearing makeup and having a boyfriend. Someone in the community had called her a prostitute.’

  ‘Exactly,’ said Millie. ‘Her behaviour was an affront to his honour.’

  ‘But Yones was Kurdish.’

  ‘It happens across lots of cultures though. In Pakistan, Samia Sarwar was shot dead with a gun disguised as her mother’s walking stick, right in front of her lawyer.’

  ‘You think Mohammed Akram is capable of it?’

  ‘I’m saying it happens, that’s all,’ said Millie.

  ‘And perhaps Akram wouldn’t have needed to go that far,’ said Mariner.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Well, on that Tuesday afternoon Akram travelled up to the school in Bradford. He’s got contacts up there. Maybe it would be enough to get Yasmin away for a time. It may even be that he’s planning to spirit her away abroad into an arranged marriage before her reputation becomes public knowledge. Remember it was the school who reported Yasmin missing and when we first went to talk to the Akrams he seemed almost irritated with his wife that she’d raised the alarm? He said: “you should have waited.” We took it as being a control thing, but perhaps he had planned to let Mum in on it.’

  ‘So why not just come clean about it now? He knows what we’re putting into this investigation.’

  ‘Because the timing’s wrong,’ suggested Mariner. ‘If it hasn’t been followed through yet he can’t afford to disclose it. And he might not want to tell his wife in case she gives the game away or tries to prevent it. By reporting Yasmin missing and involving us straight away, Shanila could have provided her husband with the perfect smoke screen, but one he’d have to keep in place until the job is done.’

  ‘If Akram knows that Yasmin is safe, he’s a hell of an actor,’ said Millie. ‘Remember how anxious he was during the appeal?’

  ‘He’s worried about us. In any other circumstances Akram is a law-abiding man.’

  ‘But what he’s doing is the best thing for his daughter and his family. He wouldn’t hesitate to bend the rules, but he’d also know that at the very least it’s a gross act of deception. He wouldn’t be comfortable with that.’ Millie seemed to have picked up the logic of what he was saying.

  ‘But family comes first,’ he said. ‘So Dad plays along with the general view that Yasmin has gone missing until she is married off and it’s too late to do anything about it. Forcing Yasmin into a marriage against her will is hardly likely to be what she wants.’

  Millie agreed. ‘And it’s a major human-rights infringement. There are all kinds of pressure groups who’d weigh in if he was exposed. None of which would enhance Akram’s image as an enlightened, westernised Muslim.’

  ‘The other alternative is that Akram genuinely doesn’t know where Yasmin is because she has run away,’ said Mariner. ‘From what we’re learning about her, Yasmin doesn’t sound like the kind of girl who’s going to sit around and let herself be coerced into a marriage she doesn’t want, however necessary her parents might think it is.’

  ‘Either way we need to get Mohammed Akram’s side of the story,’ said Millie.

  ‘One other thing we haven’t found out yet,’ said Mariner.

  ‘What?’

  ‘If Yasmin is on the pill because she’s in a relationship — who the hell is it with? Someone’s keeping a low profile.’

  ‘The relationship was obviously a secret one. I think we can assume the boyfriend knows the way Akram would react too.’

  CHAPTER 13

  At Allah T’ala, Mariner’s call was put straight through to Mohammed Akram. ‘There’s news?’ His hope was palpable. If he was covering up he was doing a brilliant job.

  ‘No, I’m sorry, Mr Akram,’ Mariner said. ‘But I do need to speak to you again. I wondered if I could meet you at your home. You may prefer to speak to us without your wife.’

  ‘Why would I want to do that?’ He seemed genuinely confused.

  ‘I’d like to talk to you about an incident that occurred at your doctor’s surgery last week.’

  Silence, then: ‘I see. I’ll meet you at the house.’

  * * *

  Akram’s Mercedes was already parked on the looped tarmac drive when Mariner pulled in behind it. He was surprised when the door was answered by a pretty young woman in purple and black salwar kameez. ‘Amira,’ she introduced herself. ‘I’m Yasmin’s older sister. I flew in this morning to give some support to my parents until Yasmin is found.’ So the tired eyes in such a young face could have been jet-lag or worry. If this was some kind of scam Mariner doubted that Amira was in on it. ‘My father is in the garden. I’ll take you to him.’

  Mohammed Akram was sitting on a wooden bench in a shaded patch at the bottom of an expanse of sun-scorched lawn that was crowded on all sides with shrubs. He was tie-less and the sleeves of his dress shirt were rolled up and he leaned forward in his seat, poised for action. A collection of other garden chairs was scattered around him and Mariner took his chance on a flimsy white plastic affair. Amira did the same.

  Mariner glanced up at the elder daughter. ‘Mr Akram, what we have to talk about may be a little sensitive—’ he began, but Akram stopped him.

  ‘I wa
nt Amira to hear it. At some point I have to tell my wife, so I would like Amira to know.’ He seemed fidgety, exuding nervous energy, but then he already knew that this was going to be a difficult conversation.

  ‘All right then,’ said Mariner. ‘As I indicated on the phone, I have some questions regarding your visit to Dr Shah’s surgery. I understand that you had an appointment there last Friday?’

  Akram’s eyes narrowed. ‘How did you find out about this?’

  ‘We have been in touch with Dr Shah.’ There was no need to tell him who initiated the contact.

  ‘She had no right—’

  ‘Mr Akram, how we came by this information at this stage is irrelevant. We would have got to it eventually through routine checks on Yasmin’s medical history. For Dr Shah it was a difficult decision to make. Like the rest of us, she is worried about Yasmin’s whereabouts, but she only found out today what had happened. Would you like to tell me about it now, in your own words and then you may want to explain why you kept this from me.’

  Akram looked suddenly exhausted. ‘That one’s easy,’ he said. ‘I didn’t tell you because this is our family business. I’m not proud of how I reacted — overreacted — at the surgery and it really has nothing to do with Yasmin’s disappearance. We had discussed the situation and resolved it.’

  Just like that, thought Mariner. ‘I’d still like you to tell me,’ he said.

  Akram sighed. ‘It’s only what I expect you already know. On Friday afternoon I went to Dr Shah’s surgery to collect my repeat prescription. I was making a further appointment when I noticed an envelope with Yasmin’s name on it. I asked if it was for my daughter. I had no idea that it contained a prescription. Girls, women, they have regular health checks and I thought that perhaps it was some kind of reminder. The receptionist asked my address and Yasmin’s date of birth. When the details corresponded with what was inside, she let me have it.’

  ‘And you opened the envelope.’

  To his credit, Akram didn’t look pleased with himself, but then he’d had ample time to concoct this little charade. ‘There was nothing on the envelope to say that it was confidential and I thought if it was an appointment Shanila and I would need to think about how we would get Yasmin to it.’

  ‘And when you saw that it was a prescription?’

  ‘I was surprised. I wasn’t aware that there was anything wrong with Yasmin or that she had been to see the doctor. Normally Shanila would tell me about anything like that. I went back into the surgery and asked the receptionist. She said she thought it was for a type of contraceptive pill.’

  ‘And you were surprised?’

  ‘Inspector, I was everything you would expect me to be: shocked, horrified, angry and disappointed. I couldn’t understand why Yasmin would need this and I was angry with our GP for having written such a prescription without telling me or my wife. She’s just a child.’

  ‘You were certain your wife didn’t know?’ asked Mariner.

  ‘Shanila and I don’t have secrets, especially about our children.’

  Yet Shanila allowed Yasmin to go to her friend’s against your wishes, thought Mariner. He tried to catch Amira’s eye but she was gazing intently towards the house, her face troubled by what she was hearing. Instead he said: ‘Doctors have certain rules of confidentiality they must-’

  Again the anger flared up. ‘Yasmin is only seventeen. She doesn’t mix with boys. What would she want with the contraceptive pill? What sort of country is this where professionals can make decisions about a child’s life without the knowledge of her parents?’

  ‘So you were angry, Mr Akram.’

  ‘At first, yes.’

  ‘Who were you angry with?’

  ‘The receptionist, the doctor, for writing this prescription without my knowledge and, I felt sure, without my wife’s knowledge too.’

  ‘And Yasmin? Were you angry with her?’

  ‘Yes, I suppose I was.’

  ‘You said you were angry “at first?”’ said Mariner.

  ‘The girl on reception told me that the pills could have been prescribed to control Yasmin’s menstrual cycle, that it could be perfectly innocent.’

  ‘And did you believe that?’

  ‘When I took some time to consider it, thought rationally about the facts, it seemed the only reasonable explanation.’

  ‘So you accepted it.’

  ‘It was obviously something I needed to discuss with Yasmin,’ Akram said.

  ‘And when did you do that?’ Mariner asked.

  ‘I went to meet her from school. I thought we would be able to talk about it in the car on the way home.’

  ‘And did you?’

  ‘When I arrived outside the school Yasmin came out with Suzanne and some other girls. She wasn’t pleased to see me. She didn’t want a lift, she wanted to walk with her friends. Yasmin doesn’t like to show how much she cares about her family in front of them. I told her I wanted to talk to her about something, but she said we had the whole weekend. Suzanne said something to her. She is an interfering b—’ Akram stopped himself. ‘She had probably put Yasmin up to it.’

  ‘What makes you think that?’ asked Mariner.

  ‘The girl has a reputation for being easy with boys. You only have to look at her clothing: it’s indecent. She was encouraging Yasmin to behave the same way.’

  ‘Is that the real reason you wouldn’t let Yasmin go to Suzanne’s house?’ asked Mariner.

  ‘That girl is a bad influence,’ Akram said, his mouth set in a hard line.

  ‘Did you give Yasmin a lift?’

  ‘Only from the university station. I went and waited for her there when she got off the train. I drove her home and we talked about it then. It wasn’t a conversation I wanted brought into the house.’

  ‘And what did Yasmin tell you?’

  ‘She told me the same thing as the receptionist, that she was on the pill to control her periods. They had been irregular and uncomfortable and the doctor thought the pill would alleviate those symptoms. She hadn’t thought it necessary to tell her mother or me.’

  ‘Did you believe her?’ Mariner watched him carefully.

  ‘I wanted to. Yasmin is growing up. There are certain ways in which we must respect her privacy.’

  ‘That doesn’t answer my question. Mr Akram, what would you say if I told you that Yasmin had given the doctor a different story?’

  ‘What do you mean?’ He looked up at Mariner.

  ‘Yasmin told Dr Shah that she needed to go on the pill, because she was in a relationship that was already physical.’ He was deliberately testing Akram to measure the reaction, but to his credit Akram looked genuinely shocked.

  ‘Yasmin denied that and I believed her,’ he said.

  ‘So you wouldn’t have given Yasmin the impression that you were angry with her? You didn’t, for example, raise your voice to her.’

  ‘I might have,’ said Akram. ‘I was upset.’

  ‘Is it possible that your behaviour could have prompted Yasmin to run away?’

  ‘Yes, of course it’s possible.’ Sitting back, Akram pushed a hand through his hair. ‘Do you think I haven’t already thought of that?’

  ‘If Yasmin was seeing someone, a boy, have you any idea who that might be?’ Mariner asked him.

  Akram fixed Mariner with his gaze. ‘Yasmin denied it and she wouldn’t lie to me. As far as I’m concerned she has no contact with any boys.’

  Mariner paused a beat, studying him, before saying: ‘Thank you, Mr Akram.’ It brought the interview to a close.

  Amira got to her feet. ‘I’ll show you out.’ She took Mariner back up the garden and round the side of the house to his car. When they were out of earshot of her father she said: ‘Inspector, it might be helpful for you to know that I can’t be as sure as my father that Yasmin wasn’t in a relationship. I know that for some months she had been coming under pressure from her friends to live a little. She couldn’t talk to my parents about it, but she often rang me f
or my advice.’

  ‘And what did you advise her to do?’

  ‘I told her to relax. That virginity isn’t as important as our parents seem to think and that if an opportunity came along that she wanted to take, with someone she trusted, then she should take it.’

  ‘And has that opportunity come along?’ asked Mariner.

  She flashed an apologetic smile. ‘That’s what I don’t know.’

  * * *

  Millie met Mariner as he came back into the building at Granville Lane. ‘How did it go?’

  ‘Akram certainly seems upset by it all.’

  ‘Guilt,’ concluded Millie.

  ‘Trouble is, what kind of guilt? Is he feeling guilty because he knows what’s happened to Yasmin and he’s stringing us along, or because maybe he’s prompted his daughter to run away?’ Mariner fed back what Amira had told him, too.

  ‘It would be interesting to get Suzanne’s perspective on that story,’ said Millie. ‘If Yasmin is seeing someone, she’ll be the one to know.’

  ‘We’ll talk to her on Monday.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’ Millie hesitated, about to say something else.

  ‘And?’ prompted Mariner.

  ‘Tony Knox,’ Millie said. ‘Is he all right?’

  ‘In what way?’ asked Mariner regretting the hint of defensiveness that he knew was in his voice. It was enough to put her off.

  ‘It’s okay. Nothing, I’m sure.’

  ‘His mother-in-law’s ill,’ said Mariner. ‘He’s just worried, that’s all.’ Mariner hoped it was true. He wasn’t oblivious to the fact that Knox and Millie didn’t seem to have established much of a working relationship when he wasn’t there. He’d never seen Tony Knox as a racist, but then the situation that would highlight it hadn’t arisen before.

  Millie shrugged. ‘Yeah, like I said, it’s nothing.’

  * * *

  Nonetheless Mariner took the next opportunity to quiz Knox. ‘How are you getting on with Millie?’

  Knox seemed surprised by the question. ‘Fine,’ he said.

  ‘She’s a good officer,’ Mariner went on. ‘I think she’s brought an added dimension to the investigation.’

  ‘Yeah.’