‘Then they were not Muslims,’ said Matiur. ‘Or not true Muslims.’
‘We have no problem with you partaking,’ said Salik, ‘but alcohol must not pass a true Muslim’s lips. And pork is forbidden, too. That’s why you will never see it in an Indian restaurant. The chef would rather die than prepare it.’
‘Do you know much about our country?’ asked Matiur.
‘It has the wettest climate in the world,’ said Shepherd, and the two Bangladeshis burst out laughing.
‘That is true,’ said Salik. ‘I am sure that when I was a child it rained every day.’
‘It is one of the reasons we love this country,’ said Matiur. ‘When it rains, it reminds us of home. And it rains a lot here.’
The waiter returned with Shepherd’s Kingfisher lager, which he poured into a frosted glass, then placed three glasses of iced water on the table. Salik and Matiur raised one each to toast Shepherd. ‘To our new friend,’ said Salik.
‘To a profitable relationship,’ said Matiur. ‘Inshallah.’
Shepherd frowned. He knew what the phrase meant, but Tony Corke wouldn’t.
‘God willing,’ explained Salik.
Shepherd nodded. ‘Inshallah,’ he repeated. He put down his lager, picked up his water glass, and clinked it against the brothers’. ‘Inshallah,’ he said again.
The two brothers nodded approvingly and Shepherd knew he’d done the right thing in not accepting the toast with his lager. He sipped his iced water.
‘So, what else do you know about Bangladesh?’ asked Salik, as the waiter tried to hand them menus. He spoke briefly to the man, who hurried off. ‘The chef is an old friend. He will take care of us,’ Salik explained. ‘So, you think Bangladesh is part of India, don’t you? Everybody does.’
Shepherd shook his head. ‘It used to be part of Pakistan.’
Salik looked surprised. ‘You are right. We gained our independence in 1971 after a civil war. Bangladesh means “land of the Bengali people”. We should never have been part of Pakistan. Like the British taking over Northern Ireland.’
Shepherd laughed. ‘I’m not sure that’s the same thing,’ he said.
‘Oh, it is,’ said Salik, seriously. ‘You should read your history. The Irish are fighting for what we had to fight for thirty years ago.’
‘What about you?’ asked Shepherd. ‘When did you come to this country?’
‘I was three years old,’ said Salik. ‘My father came over just after I was born, in 1958, and he sent for me and my mother and my three siblings a few years later. He worked as a hotel porter and by the time he died he owned three hotels here in Bayswater and had twenty-four grandchildren.’
‘A good life,’ said Shepherd.
‘A good life, well lived,’ agreed Salik. ‘I should be as lucky as my father. Inshallah.’
‘You have a big family?’ asked Shepherd.
‘Four children,’ said Salik proudly. He took out his wallet and unfolded a flap to reveal small photographs of three boys and a girl, all neat in school uniforms, smiling at the camera with bright eyes.
‘Nice kids,’ said Shepherd.
‘And you, Tony? You have a family?’
‘Divorced,’ said Shepherd. ‘It’s hard to keep a relationship when you’re at sea.’
‘My father spent three years in London while my mother stayed in Bangladesh,’ said Salik. ‘True love never dies.’
‘I guess my wife didn’t really love me,’ said Shepherd.
‘Children?’
‘A boy. I don’t see much of him. She moved up north with her new boyfriend.’
‘A boy needs his father,’ said Salik. ‘He needs his mother when he is a child but he needs his father to show him how to be a man.’
‘No argument there,’ said Shepherd. He picked up his glass and sipped his lager.
The first dishes arrived, along with an oval stainless-steel plate piled high with rice. ‘Ah, the chef’s speciality,’ said Salik. ‘Aloo dom. Potato curry. The secret is in the yoghurt he adds. My own wife can’t cook aloo dom as well as he can.’
Another waiter appeared from the kitchen with a tray of more stainless-steel bowls. Salik pointed at each in turn as they were placed on the table.
‘Doi begun,’ he said. ‘Aubergine in yoghurt. Kanchkolar dom, green banana curry.’ He pointed at another dish. ‘Now this one I doubt you’ll have had before. Shukta – it’s lauo with lentils. One of my favourites. Lauo is bottle gourd. Do you know it? Like melon, but not as sweet. It’s a difficult flavour to describe. Anyway, you fry cubes of lauo with mung beans, then simmer with ginger and turmeric, add peas and a sprinkling of coriander leaves.’ He smacked his lips appreciatively. ‘What the chef here does is to fry mustard seeds in hot oil, then add the cooked vegetables and bring them to the boil again. It’s one of his secrets but I bribed one of the waiters to tell me what he does.’ He laughed.
Matiur gestured at something else. ‘This is my favourite,’ he said. ‘Reshmi kebab. Minced chicken kebab.’
A big Asian man appeared at the kitchen door, his face beaded with sweat. He was wearing grubby white baggy trousers, a white T-shirt and apron. A threadbare chef’s toque was perched at a jaunty angle on his head. He was holding a large oval tray and grinning broadly. ‘And here’s the man himself,’ said Salik. ‘My very good friend Nasram. Possibly the best chef in London.’
‘What do you mean “possibly”?’ chided Nasram, setting the platter on the table. A whole fish lay on it, covered with a thick, reddish sauce. He grinned at Shepherd. ‘Don’t listen to anything this man tells you,’ he said. ‘This is what I am famous for. Makher taukari. My own recipe. You will have tasted no fish curry like it.’ He extended a shovel-like hand. ‘Welcome to my restaurant,’ he said.
Shepherd shook it. ‘Tony,’ he said. ‘Pleasure to be here.’
‘Do not let this man lead you astray,’ said Nasram, grinning at Salik.
‘In what way?’
Nasram patted Salik’s ample stomach. ‘He likes his food too much, this man. Moderation in all things is the way to a long and happy life.’
‘I’ll try to remember that,’ said Shepherd.
‘Enjoy,’ said Nasram. He chuckled and headed back to the kitchen.
Salik waved at the food. ‘Please, Tony, start.’
Shepherd spooned some of everything on to his plate, picked up his fork and began on the aloo dom. He raised his eyebrows. It was good.
‘What do you think?’ asked Salik.
‘Excellent,’ said Shepherd.
Salik handed him a platter of naan bread. He ripped off a chunk and dipped it into the aubergine.
‘So, tell me about your boat,’ said Salik.
‘It’s called a rib, a rigid inflatable boat,’ said Shepherd. ‘Virtually invisible to radar, it can cruise at fifty knots.’
‘And it can cross the Channel?’
‘Easily.’
‘Even in bad weather?’
‘We’d try to do it in reasonable weather,’ said Shepherd. ‘It can go out in storms, but why would we?’
‘And how much would you want?’ asked Matiur.
‘That depends on what you’re bringing over,’ said Shepherd. ‘Like I said before, it’s all about risk.’
‘We should be paying you for the trip,’ said Matiur, ‘not for what you are carrying.’
‘Let me put it another way, then,’ said Shepherd. ‘How much do you think you’ll want to bring over?’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Salik.
‘The weight. The boat can carry about a thousand kilos.’
Salik pursed his lips. ‘Probably a hundred kilos. Maybe two hundred. I am not sure.’
‘How can you not be sure?’ asked Shepherd. ‘You buy it by weight, don’t you?’
‘No, not really.’ He said something to Matiur in Bengali and the two men laughed.
‘What’s the joke?’ asked Shepherd. He had to keep playing the part of the slightly stupid sailor. As far as Tony Corke was concerned,
the brothers were bringing in drugs.
‘We don’t buy it by weight, my friend,’ said Salik.
‘That doesn’t make sense,’ said Shepherd.
‘It makes perfect sense,’ said Salik.
Shepherd put down his fork. ‘I think I have the right to know what I’m going to be carrying,’ he said. ‘I’m the one whose balls will be on the line.’
‘It doesn’t matter what you’ll be carrying,’ said Matiur. ‘You’ll get your money anyway.’
Shepherd reached for another hunk of naan. ‘I guess that’s true.’
‘It is, my friend,’ said Salik.
‘What about more deliveries in future? Can this be a regular run?’
‘It is possible,’ said Salik. ‘But first things first. The men in France want to see you.’
‘What?’
Salik smiled reassuringly. ‘It is not a problem. They just want to know who they are dealing with.’
‘You can tell them I delivered the first load.’
‘I have. But I also had to tell them that you charged me thirty thousand pounds.’
‘Who are they?’ asked Shepherd. Meeting the French end of the currency ring was exactly what he wanted but Tony Corke wouldn’t be thrilled at the idea of getting involved with foreign gangsters.
‘The men who gave Pernaska the cans to bring over.’
‘And they’re French, yeah?’
Salik shook his head. ‘Albanian,’ he said.
‘Why are you working with Albanians?’ asked Shepherd.
‘They have the money,’ said Salik.
‘What money?’ asked Shepherd, pouncing on Salik’s slip.
Salik and Matiur exchanged a look. Matiur gave a small shrug. ‘Okay,’ said Salik. ‘We’re not bringing drugs over. It’s cash. Currency. And the Albanians have it.’
‘If it’s just money, why not put it into the boot of a car and bring it over on the ferry?’
‘Because Customs have the right to impound any money they suspect is from criminal sources. And anyone doing regular runs on the ferries or who takes their car through the Eurotunnel is flagged. And if you fly or take the Eurostar your bags are X-rayed.’
‘But the money’s good, is it?’
‘It’s fine. We’re just moving it around. We can get a better price for it in London.’
That was a lie, Shepherd knew. But he smiled and nodded. ‘That’s good. At least I won’t be carrying drugs.’ He lowered his voice: ‘Sixty grand a run, right? That’s twice what you paid before but this time I’ll be bringing over a lot more for you.’
‘Sixty thousand is acceptable,’ said Salik.
Shepherd rubbed his hands. ‘And where in France do they want to see me? Do I use the boat?’
‘They said Paris,’ said Salik. ‘You can fly over or take the Eurostar.’
Shepherd couldn’t make it look too easy: Tony Corke wouldn’t want to risk travelling out of the country by train or plane with his upcoming court case. ‘You’re forgetting one thing,’ he said. ‘They took my passport.’
‘Who did?’ asked Salik.
‘The police. A condition of my bail. I had to surrender it.’
Salik and Matiur exchanged another look. ‘That’s not a problem,’ said Salik. ‘We can get you another.’
‘In my name?’
‘In any name.’
‘I don’t want to be travelling on a fake passport,’ said Shepherd. ‘If I get caught, I’ll be in so much shit. Plus it’ll look like I’m skipping bail.’
‘It won’t be a fake passport,’ said Salik. ‘It’ll be in the system. You can even renew it after ten years.’
‘What are you talking about?’ asked Shepherd.
‘We have a friend in the Passport Agency,’ said Salik. ‘We give him the photographs and you can use whatever name and date of birth you like. Ten thousand pounds.’
‘Ten grand?’
‘It’s a bargain,’ said Salik. ‘It’s a real passport – you can use it to apply for visas in other countries and it’ll never be spotted. We can take the ten thousand off the money we will be paying you.’
Shepherd pretended to consider the offer. Then he nodded slowly. ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘A new passport it is. How long will it take?’
‘Forty-eight hours after we have the photographs,’ said Salik. ‘We can take them tonight. There’s a photo booth at Paddington station. We can go there after we’ve eaten.’ He waved at the dishes on the table. ‘Now, please, enjoy the food.’
The van was still parked off Inverness Terrace. Shepherd knocked three times on the rear door, which opened. Hargrove was still sitting on his stool while Singh was listening to a recording on a set of noise-suppressing headphones.
‘Did you get everything?’ asked Shepherd.
‘Everything in the restaurant, clear as a bell,’ said Hargrove. ‘The passport stuff was interesting. We didn’t do so well at Paddington. Your phone was in your jacket, I guess.’
‘They didn’t say much, just took the photographs and told me they’d be in touch. I’ve said I’ll stay in London until the passport’s ready. You definitely want me to run with the passport thing?’
‘Absolutely,’ said the superintendent. ‘If they’ve got a man in the Passport Agency doling out the real McCoy, we need to know who he is.’
‘And what about Paris?’
‘Let me speak to Europol,’ said Hargrove. ‘I’ll see if they can set up surveillance in France.’
‘The Albanians are tough bastards,’ said Shepherd. ‘I’m going to need back-up I can trust.’
‘I’ll take care of it,’ said Hargrove. ‘It’s starting to look like this is a serious currency ring. There’s a North Korean embassy in Tirana, Albania’s capital. If the North Koreans wanted to flood Europe with fake euros, the Albanian Mafia could do it efficiently for them, with Albanian asylum-seekers flooding into Fortress Europe. The Uddin brothers are just a small part of it.’ He rubbed his knee. ‘One thing I won’t miss about this job is sitting in the back of this bloody van. Do you want a lift home?’
‘I’m parked in a multi-storey down the road,’ said Shepherd. ‘I’ll be fine.’
‘How was the food?’ asked Singh. ‘My mouth was watering hearing that guy run through the menu.’
Shepherd grinned. ‘It was bloody good, actually. The guys like to eat.’
‘You seemed to be enjoying yourself,’ said Hargrove.
‘They’re easy to relax with,’ said Shepherd. ‘They’re not your regular villains – they don’t have that edge so you don’t keep expecting them to fly off the handle.’
‘Not getting soft, are you, Spider?’ asked Hargrove.
Shepherd grunted dismissively. ‘They’re a pleasant change from the drug-dealing scumbags and blaggers I’m used to dealing with. I didn’t say they don’t deserve to be put away for what they’re doing.’ He climbed out of the van. ‘I’ll call you when they give me details of the meet,’ he said, and slammed the door. He turned up the collar of his pea coat and headed towards the car park.
It was Friday morning when Salik rang, a little after nine. Shepherd had just got back from his run. He’d picked up the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph from his local newsagent, with a cappuccino and two almond croissants from the delicatessen but had to leave them untouched as Salik wanted to see him within the hour. Speaker’s Corner again.
He showered and shaved, put on Tony Corke’s clothes and drove to Marble Arch. He had decided against wearing the bulletproof vest. He phoned Hargrove on the way but the superintendent confirmed what Shepherd already knew: that there had been no time to put any surveillance in place. The meeting would go unmonitored and there would be no backup.
‘It’s your call, Spider,’ said Hargrove.
‘It’s in the open – if he was up to something he’d have picked somewhere more private,’ said Shepherd.
‘Call me when you’re through,’ said Hargrove. ‘If you feel it’s necessary, I can get Sharpe and Joyce to he
ad your way.’
‘It’ll probably be over by the time they turn up,’ said Shepherd. ‘I’m sure it’ll be fine. He probably just wants a chat about the boat.’
‘If you change your mind, call me,’ said Hargrove.
Shepherd parked in a multi-storey and took a circuitous route to Speaker’s Corner. Salik Uddin was sitting on the bench where Shepherd had waited for him. He was wearing a camel coat with the collar turned up and peeling an orange. ‘Tony,’ he said, ‘thank you for coming.’
Shepherd sat down. Salik offered him a piece of fruit but he shook his head.
‘Vitamin C,’ said Salik. ‘It keeps colds at bay.’
Shepherd smiled. ‘My mother used to say that,’ he said, ‘but I had just as many colds as the other kids.’
Salik smiled and popped a segment into his mouth. ‘Mothers always know best.’ He chewed slowly. ‘So, where are you staying in London?’
‘A mate’s spare bedroom,’ said Shepherd. ‘His wife walked out too, so we’ve a lot in common. Thanks for the meal the other night. Best Indian food I’ve ever had.’
‘Bangladeshi food,’ corrected Salik.
‘Sorry,’ said Shepherd. ‘Best Bangladeshi food I’ve ever eaten.’
Salik reached into one of the side pockets of his jacket and took out a brand new British passport. He handed it to Shepherd. ‘That was quick,’ Shepherd said.
‘We get fast-track treatment,’ said Salik.
‘That’s why it costs so much, I guess.’
Salik smiled. ‘Ten thousand pounds for a genuine British passport is cheap, my friend. I spent five times that on legal fees for my application and Matiur has spent twice as much and doesn’t even have citizenship yet.’
Shepherd opened the passport and flicked to the back. The photograph he’d taken at Paddington station grinned up at him. The date of birth made him thirty-three and the name was Peter Devereux. Place of birth, Bristol. Shepherd ran his fingers over the lamination, and examined the pages.
‘Don’t worry, it is the real thing,’ said Salik, as if reading his mind. ‘It’s not a copy or a facsimile, or your photograph stuck in someone else’s passport.’
‘If it’s so easy, why doesn’t Matiur just buy one? Why does he bother going through the whole legal process?’
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