The next day she received an unexpected visitor.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Hope is hearing the music of the future; faith is being able to dance to it.
‘How are you?’ Mark Johnson looked genuinely concerned.
‘Fine.’
‘You don’t look it.’
His statement held neither judgement nor triumph. The depth and extent of Mia’s reported grief had drawn the sting from his own humiliation, and he quickly moved on to the reason for his visit.
‘Mia, we think Alex Campbell is dead.’
His statement felt like a physical slap.
‘But then, from what the prison tells us, you already know that.’
She didn’t answer.
‘Intelligence services had been tracking his return from Argentina, waiting for him to reach British soil so they could capture him without the fuss of extradition, but they lost him somewhere between North Africa and Spain. It was obvious he was aiming for the UK and CCTV shows someone fitting his new description getting on to the Eurostar — in the same carriage as the bomber. That person has not been claimed, so to speak, and we think it was Alex . . . Your conversation with Mick about Hamish would suggest the same thing.’
Mia continued to sit like a statue.
‘Because of the confined space and intense heat, even DNA samples are proving problematic.’
She flinched.
‘But there is this.’
He placed a small lump of metal on the table between them. It had once been a gold ring but the metal had fused with an onyx-like stone. She had never seen the ring before but something made her nod rather than shake her head. It would provide official closure — just in case.
The SIO leant back in his chair, relief releasing the tension from his body. She noticed that he too had lost weight. It looked as though he’d been working out and his suit was no longer off the peg.
‘Are you still with the NCA?’
‘At least until we wrap up this case.’
‘Well, I’m here, and Alex and Ellie are dead, so that’s pretty much of a wrap, isn’t it?’ Her voice sounded small and tight.
‘It would help the team greatly if you could confirm all you know about Alex’s dark-op activities.’
‘Subtle . . . the team.’ She felt her smile edge towards a sneer.
Yeah, sorry — forgot who I’m talking to.’
‘A traitor.’
‘No — an expert in human psychology.’
Mark’s apology seemed genuine and she wasn’t sure how to react.
He registered this uncertainty and pressed on with his request.
‘Look, it can’t hurt Alex anymore and it will help with your parole when it’s due. I understand your appeal was successful and you’re down to three years. With time served and continued good behaviour you could be out in eight months.’ He smiled encouragement.
‘I’ll think about it. I’ll need to talk to Barrington first.’
Barrington got her immunity from any further prosecution and Mia agreed to confirm what the NCA already knew, adding one or two non-important details for show. Her barrister sat with her throughout the three days of police interviews and she was careful to follow his advice, continuing to blame all dark-ops on Ellie and Alex, especially the Danish attack.
Once or twice she didn’t have to fake surprise at some of the questions.
‘No, Mark, I’ve never heard of a man called Downs.’
‘He’s ex-IRA — believed responsible for the Hyde Park bomb.’
‘Well, that would make sense from Ellie’s point of view — but she never told me anything about him. No body? No feather?’
Mark shook his head. ‘No. There’s some speculation that his disappearance could be sectarian but, because of the horse deaths, it was worth asking.’
Mia remained insistent that she’d only ever spoken to Ellie and Alex, and that she’d never met any of the others obviously involved in the larger operations — she didn’t even know how many there were.
‘Ellie was rigorous in keeping contact between the dark-ops team and her to the single point of contact . . . Alex.’
As her mouth lied, her mind wondered what employment Ed, John, Geordie and Bill were currently engaged in.
‘There’s been a recent bomb attack on a primate breeding facility in Kent.’
Mark thought the look of surprise genuine.
‘Any black feathers?’
He nodded. ‘It was an extremely well-executed operation with six primates kidnapped and the facility destroyed.’
‘So, not copy-cat then?’
‘We don’t think so, no.’
‘But you can’t suspect me of any involvement?’
‘No. Despite Mick’s coded chats about Hamish, we know you’ve had no opportunity to be involved with anything since your arrest. Could Alex have organised it before his death?’
Mia looked down at her hands. ‘You mean an ironic last gift — a bomb for a bomb?’
‘Mia, Ellie Grant was a terrorist—’
‘A good terrorist.’
‘There’s no such thing! Terrorism, most violence — in fact all violence — is about the greater power not the greater good. It all comes back to power — the getting of it, the retention of it and the exercising of it. You know this, Mia. That is the only objective of violence, of terrorism. After food, shelter and sex, all men want is power, right? All objectives are political — even if religion is used to appeal to the masses and justify the unjustifiable, power is their objective. Mass killings, mass rapes, mass starvation, are all used to show power to the state — we the rebel, the terrorist can fight fire with fire; we can be as strong as you — stronger. Our brutality can outweigh yours. All of that applied to Ellie Grant—’
‘But not to me!’
‘I hope not — for your sake.’
‘Terrorism is as old as prostitution, Mark. There will never be a time when the two don’t exist. It is part of human nature—’
‘Was it always part of yours?’
‘I don’t know . . . but we all need to belong as much as we need food and water. Al Qaeda and radical Islam are no different from the Nazis and white supremacy when it comes to recruitment of the disaffected and disenfranchised. The problem is, humanity’s not designed for equality. If God existed, and decided on another great flood, to let her start again, making us all multi-coloured instead of black, white, or brown; within days a sign would appear in some backwater pub — primary colours only served here. It’s in our DNA.’
Mark shook his head.
‘Ellie was a good terrorist because her power-grab was on behalf of animals — who can show gratitude but not allegiance — and her victims were all self-appointed by their own actions, their own brutality. There was no collateral damage as far as I can see. Can you tell me different?’
‘The destruction of the Danish village.’
‘Property doesn’t count. And Ellie’s use of force was beginning to change the status quo of animal rights on a global level. Look at what happened in China — the younger generation rising up and releasing all those bears and other animals used in Chinese medicine, destroying all those shops and their stocks of animal suffering.’
Mark stood up and looked down on the woman he had loved. She looked different, diminished in her non-designer prison wear.
‘Good luck with the rest of your life, Mia. Try and stay on the right side of the line.’
‘The right side of any line is only ever a matter of perspective, Mark.’
THE END
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Glossary of English Slang for US readers
A & E: Accident and emergency department in a hospital
Aggro: Violent behaviour, aggression
Air raid: an attack in which bombs are dropped from aircraft on ground targets
Allotment: a plot of land rented by an individual for growing fruit, vegetable or flowers
Anorak: nerd (it also means a waterproof jacket)
Artex: textured plaster finish for walls and ceilings
A Level: exams taken between 16 and 18
Auld Reekie: Edinburgh
Au pair: live-in childcare helper. Often a young woman.
Barm: bread roll
Barney: argument
Beaker: glass or cup for holding liquids
Beemer: BMW car or motorcycle
Benefits: social security
Bent: corrupt
Bin: wastebasket (noun), or throw in rubbish (verb)
Biscuit: cookie
Blackpool Lights: gaudy illuminations in seaside town
Bloke: guy
Blow: cocaine
Blower: telephone
Blues and twos: emergency vehicles
Bob: money
Bobby: policeman
Broadsheet: quality newspaper (New York Times would be a US example)
Brown bread: rhyming slang for dead
Bun: small cake
Bunk: do a bunk means escape
Burger bar: hamburger fast-food restaurant
Buy-to-let: Buying a house/apartment to rent it out for profit
Charity Shop: thrift store
Carrier bag: plastic bag from supermarket
Care Home: an institution where old people are cared for
Car park: parking lot
CBeebies: kids TV
Chat-up: flirt, trying to pick up someone with witty banter or compliments
Chemist: pharmacy
Chinwag: conversation
Chippie: fast-food place selling chips and other fried food
Chips: French fries but thicker
CID: Criminal Investigation Department
Civvy Street: civilian life (as opposed to army)
Clock: punch
Cock-up: mess up, make a mistake
Cockney: a native of East London
Common: an area of park land/ or lower class
Comprehensive School (Comp.): High school
Cop hold of: grab
Copper: police officer
Coverall: coveralls, or boiler suit
CPS: Crown Prosecution Service, decide whether police cases go forward
Childminder: someone who looks after children for money
Council: local government
Dan Dare: hero from Eagle comic
DC: detective constable
Deck: one of the landings on a floor of a tower block
Deck: hit (verb)
Desperate Dan: very strong comic book character
DI: detective inspector
Digestive biscuit: plain cookie
Digs: student lodgings
Do a runner: disappear
Do one: go away
Doc Martens: Heavy boots with an air-cushioned sole
Donkey’s years: long time
Drum: house
DS: detective sergeant
ED: accident and emergency department of hospital
Eagle: boys’ comic
Early dart: to leave work early
Eggy soldiers: strips of toast with a boiled egg
Enforcer: police battering ram
Estate: public/social housing estate (similar to housing projects)
Estate agent: realtor (US)
Falklands War: war between Britain and Argentina in 1982
Fag: cigarette
Father Christmas: Santa Claus
Filth: police (insulting)
Forces: army, navy, and air force
FMO: force medical officer
Fried slice: fried bread
Fuzz: police<
br />
Garda: Irish police
Gendarmerie: French national police force
Geordie: from Newcastle
Garden Centre: a business where plants and gardening equipment are sold
Gob: mouth/ can also mean phlegm or spit
GP: general practitioner, a doctor based in the community
Graft: hard work
Gran: grandmother
Hancock: Tony Hancock, English comedian popular in 1950s
Hard nut: tough person
HGV: heavy goods vehicle, truck
HOLMES: UK police computer system used during investigation of major incidents
Home: care home for elderly or sick people
Hoover: vacuum cleaner
I’ll be blowed: expression of surprise
Inne: isn’t he
Interpol: international police organisation
Into care: a child taken away from their family by the social services
Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher, applied to any strong woman
ITU: intensive therapy unit in hospital
Jane Doe: a person whose identity is unknown/anonymous
JCB: a mechanical excavator
JCR: junior common room, social space for undergraduates.
Jerry-built: badly made
Jungle: nickname given to migrant camp near Calais
Lad: young man
Lass: young woman
Lift: elevator
Lord Lucan: famous aristocrat who allegedly killed his children’s nanny and disappeared in 1974. Has never been found.
Lorry: a truck
Lovely jubbly: said when someone is pleased
Luftwaffe: German air force
M&S: Marks and Spencer, a food and clothes shop
Miss Marple: detective in a series of books by Agatha Christie
MOD: ministry of defence
Mobile phone: cell phone
MP: Member of Parliament, politician representing an area
MRSA: A strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Myra Hindley: famous British serial killer
Naff: lame, not good
She Will Rescue You Page 22