She Will Rescue You

by Chris Clement-Green

  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