Rip Tide

‘I think he was a bit surprised. He was recruited by Dave Armstrong and I took him on when Dave was posted to Northern Ireland. I’m sure he was expecting another white man, and at first he was suspicious of me. But the fact we were both Asians helped – even though I’m Indian and a Hindu, not Muslim.’ He added with a little laugh, ‘Boatman was willing to overlook this flaw when he discovered that I hated cricket too.’

Kanaan continued with his account. In this new elite group, Boatman slowly felt his way; it took him over a month even to learn the names of his fellow members. But his patience paid off, and one of them in particular, an old hand named Malik, seemed to trust him. It was from him that Boatman learned that there had been earlier incarnations of this little group, taught by another cleric now thought to be in Yemen, and that some of his disciples had travelled to Pakistan.

‘And what happened to them after that?’ asked Liz.

‘Most came back. I got three names from Boatman and they’re under surveillance. But the interesting thing is that at least two others don’t seem to have returned.’

And now those in the present group were being offered the chance to travel to Pakistan as well, to ‘study’, they were told, with a renowned imam near the Afghan border.

Kanaan said, ‘Boatman is asking me what he should do. We’re stalling for the moment, but they’ve started to put him under pressure. Boatman told Abdi Bakri he couldn’t afford to leave his job for long – they’ve said he’d be gone at least two months. But now the imam has explained that all his costs would be met, and that if he lost his job they would help find him another one when he returned.’

If he returned, thought Liz. ‘Who’s they?’ she asked.

‘The imam and his associates at the New Springfield Mosque.’

Liz thought hard for a minute. If Boatman went to Pakistan, he might be able to discover what had happened to those who didn’t come back. But the pressing requirement was for information about people in England, particularly Amir Khan. ‘When has he got to give them a definite yes or no?’

‘Pretty soon, I think. As I say, they’re beginning to put the pressure on and if he doesn’t either agree to go or come up with a convincing reason why he can’t, they’re going to get suspicious. I’m afraid he may be frozen out and then we’ll lose our access.’

Liz told Kanaan about Amir Khan and how he had come into the hands of the French Navy off the Somalian coast.

‘That’s not a name that rings any bells,’ Kanaan said with a shake of his head. ‘But I’ll look back at my reports to see if it’s been mentioned. There’d be a trace in the files if Boatman ever said anything significant about him.’

‘There isn’t. Peggy has looked him up.’

‘I’ll ask if he can find out anything.’

‘Tell him to go easy,’ Liz cautioned. ‘I’d sooner he did nothing than have his cover blown.’

‘I’m sure he’ll be careful. He’s pretty sensible. But what do you think about Pakistan? Should he go? He doesn’t want to, but he’ll do it if I tell him it’s important.’

‘I’m going up to talk to Khan’s parents tomorrow with the local DI. Let’s wait till we hear what they have to say. Who’s your group leader?’

‘Nicholas Carraway.’

Liz nodded. She didn’t know him well, but he had a good reputation. ‘OK. Let’s all get together when I come back from Birmingham and we’ll make a decision then. If anything comes up in the meantime, let Peggy know.’

Chapter 12

Liz had half an hour before she needed to leave to catch the train for Birmingham. She closed her office door and started to type a note for the file about her conversation with Amir Khan. She hadn’t completed more than a few words when the door opened a crack and a familiar face peered in. Her heart sank.

‘Good afternoon, Elizabeth,’ said Geoffrey Fane. She was convinced he used her full name just to annoy her.

‘Geoffrey,’ she said through gritted teeth. ‘To what do I owe the honour?’

‘Just passing through. Had to see Charles on a minor matter, and my secretary said you’d rung.’

At the mention of Charles Wetherby, Liz’s eyes narrowed. She suspected Fane had brought his name up on purpose. She saw very little of Charles these days, and Fane, who prided himself on knowing everyone’s business, would be aware of that.

Fane himself was divorced and never seemed to have any close female companion. Peggy was convinced that he was keen on Liz and had been jealous when her relationship with Charles Wetherby had grown close. Now that it no longer was, perhaps he fancied his chances.

Liz’s professional dealings with Fane had always been edgy, but they’d hit rock bottom a few years ago at the time of an investigation into a Russian illegal in Britain. That case had ended badly, with an unnecessary death – tragic by any measure. Fane had been deeply shaken, and for a time it seemed to Liz that he’d been humanised by his role in the débâcle. But in the last year he had gone back to his former ways: arrogant, patronising and manipulative.

Now he said, ‘So how are things across the Channel?’