If Fear Wins

by Tony J. Forder

  ‘I think we may be veering off track here,’ Edwards said, flint in her voice.

  ‘And with respect again, boss, I think this is exactly the track we have to pursue. Let’s not hide behind the truth, let’s embrace it instead. There is nothing wrong with accepting the simple fact that divisions exist. They do in every walk of life, but they need not cripple us. Once you acknowledge them, they lose their power and mystique, and you can look to improve them. And there will never be a better time to do so, in my opinion.’

  Kirmani switched his attention to Superintendent Fletcher. Bliss huffed his disappointment and clicked his tongue. Whilst he had a lot of time for Fletcher, she was still a political animal, and he felt sure that his voice would be the last to be accepted. To his surprise, it was the Parliamentary member who jumped in to offer hope.

  ‘I understand exactly what the Inspector means,’ Haverstock said. The nod she gave was sanguine, her countenance resolved. ‘And I have to say I completely agree. As Doctor Kirmani has suggested, we ought to be proud of the way this city has embraced all cultures. You only have to look at the shops along Lincoln Road to see how people from different nations live side by side and do so relatively peaceably. That does not mean we should simply congratulate ourselves and bury our heads in the sand as to the imperfections. However minutely, racism and fear still exist, and if you accept that then you also have to accept the fact that there must be a divide. I think the point Inspector Bliss is making is that what happened to this poor RAF officer may widen that divide if we ignore its existence.’

  Bliss smiled and bowed his head slightly in both gratitude and deference to Haverstock. His enthusiasm for politics had waned many years ago, and he did not hold politicians in high regard. But this woman was refreshing if what she had just stated was anything to go by.

  ‘I’m sure we can all accept that no city is perfect when it comes to racial and cultural harmony,’ Fletcher said, wrestling back some control over proceedings. ‘And I do believe we can only make progress if we are honest about any failings we may have. Sometimes you cannot do anything about it, and have to adjust your expectations. A community rubs along together in the main and you try to ensure it continues to do so. Today, however, we have reached a potential flashpoint.’

  The Superintendent took a breath to gather herself before continuing.

  ‘It seems very likely that airman Livingston was killed by Islamic extremists. I hope none of us here would look to argue against the fact that such extremism does exist, and that it may even exist in our midst. That said, these vile people may not be local at all. Discovering their identities is certainly a priority for this major crime unit. MI5 and Counter-Terrorism will take a lead on this, but to what degree exactly will become clearer tomorrow when I meet with my counterpart at the Cambridgeshire CT unit as well as somebody from the Security Service. What is clear, however, is that this sort of incident will undoubtedly inflame various groups. A right-wing backlash is inevitable, and we must do what we can to ensure our Muslim community feels safe and that their justifiable fears are allayed. Equally, if these terrorists are local young men from the Islamic faith, then we will look to you and your colleagues, Doctor Kirmani, to speak out against them and to also help root them out if they are still here with us.’

  Bliss was impressed. Fletcher had spoken only sound common sense, but in his experience that was unusual in these sort of circumstances - especially from such a high-ranking officer. His glance drifted towards the doctor, who appeared troubled.

  ‘I have a hard job believing that these men came from within our community,’ he said.

  ‘And they may well not,’ Bliss pointed out. ‘The location makes it just as likely that they were from Northants, perhaps even Leicestershire. Even further afield is always possible. However, we have to look at this in two ways. Firstly, damage will be done irrespective of where these men came from. For some people, the fact that we have another terror attack will be enough to taint the entire Muslim population. For some within that population, they will see Islamophobia everywhere, even where it does not exist. They will refuse to accept the culpability of their fellow Muslims, and rail against the allegations. That is incendiary, no matter how cosy things may be right now. And secondly, if those three men do come from right here in Peterborough, then the animosity factor kicks up another notch and takes us to a whole new level.’

  ‘Either is unacceptable,’ Haverstock said. ‘Yet also unavoidable. Our job surely has more to do with containment than prevention. You can’t dictate what people think.’

  Bliss managed to avoid scoffing at that statement. In his view, the elite had been practicing thought-control for decades.

  ‘But we can police it to help soften the blow,’ Edwards chipped in. ‘We can prevent any formal rallies, any marches from taking place. Add additional officers in areas where sparks are more likely to fly, such as outside Mosques. We can also step up surveillance on our known right-wing agitators. I’m sure if we request extra support from Counter-Terrorism we’ll be given boots on the ground.’

  ‘Armed officers?’ Bliss asked.

  The room was silent for a few seconds. It felt to Bliss as if nobody wanted to be the first to utter the unspeakable. He could have cheered when Fletcher took on the challenge.

  ‘Absolutely,’ she said, her mouth then forming a pinched slit in her wan face.

  To his left, Bliss noticed Edwards nodding in agreement. They had reached a critical point in the proceedings. His mind drifted back to the location of the airman’s murder, the security video. Something had bothered him at the scene. It also niggled at him whilst he watched the video footage. It was an ethereal thought, lacking any substance. Yet it pulled at him again now. He and his team had so far been following a path provided by the scene itself and the meagre scraps of evidence they had been able to glean from it. Nothing about it was exactly complex, but at the same time there was some aspect of it that rubbed him up the wrong way.

  Kirmani was speaking now. ‘My people will not appreciate an armed police presence on their streets and outside their places of prayer. It will make them feel that they are being persecuted rather than protected.’

  ‘Which is surely where you come in,’ Bliss said. ‘You are in a privileged position right now, Doctor. You are hearing first-hand the thoughts and plans of an investigative team. You’re not an outsider looking in on this one. You know what our intentions are, and as a community leader it behoves you to spread the word to your people. If they try to suggest otherwise, shout them down. Facts should trump wild speculation or unjustifiable fear. I realise it’s not for me to tell any of you what to do, but if it were me I’d be doing everything I could to have you, plus Ms Haverstock and our own Detective Superintendent, run a joint meeting at which all of this is fully explained.’

  ‘I think that’s a splendid idea,’ Fletcher said, beaming at Bliss. ‘Let them see the three of us together, being honest, telling them how things are and joining together to stamp down on any dissenters. Our people must come to understand and respect the fact that, whilst we will not tolerate terrorism and extreme views, neither will we stand idly by whilst innocent people with moderate views are persecuted.’

  Bliss did his best to hide a grin. Irrespective of his wishes, Kirmani had now been placed in an invidious position where he could not object, as doing so would now be simply counter-intuitive. To his credit, the man was nodding amiably and appeared not to be overly concerned at the prospect of taking this to his council and community. His was a lofty position amongst his fellow Muslims, and his presence was not only needed but critical to the overall strategy. Quite rightly, the doctor was intent on speaking up for his community, but he also appeared to be willing to work with others to quell the inevitable fallout following any terrorism-related announcement.

  Without taking time to consider his doubts further, Bliss felt strongly enough to speak up at that point. ‘I would like to say just one thing further. Actually, it’s m
ore of a request. Thing is, there is something bothering me about both the crime scene and the security feed, and I would feel a whole lot better if you could delay any formal media briefing until I have had a chance to examine it all out one last time.’

  Bliss felt the full force of their scrutiny. ‘I can’t explain it,’ he said. ‘Not right now. This is probably precisely what it seems to be. On the other hand, as the detective who caught this case, I would feel a whole lot better if I were one-hundred per cent certain before classifying it as an act of terrorism. I’m sure you can all understand that.’

  Less than ten minutes later, just Bliss, Edwards and Fletcher were left in the room. The doctor had shaken his hand gratefully as he left, whilst the MP’s smile had been warm and friendly.

  ‘What the hell was that all about, Bliss?’ Fletcher demanded. He saw no anger in her troubled features, only genuine concern. ‘We just about convinced Kirmani and Haverstock to jointly announce our findings to the community, and apparently obtained their full support, when you wade in with this delay request at the last second.’

  ‘Would you rather be wrong or right about it when you stand up there?’ Bliss shot back. He felt he was on firm ground. ‘Look, ma’am, I know that came out of the blue and it blindsided you. I wasn’t sure I was going to say it until the moment it came out of my mouth. But you know that niggling feeling, right? The one that raises hairs on the back of your neck. So far I’ve been going along with the evidence, which is steering us down this particular road. All I’m saying is that I want to have confidence in that evidence.’

  ‘And you don’t?’ DCI Edwards spat. ‘A bit late in the day to be raising your objections now, Bliss.’

  ‘To be fair, I was thrust into that meeting just now with no time to prepare or discuss my concerns with you first. Like I say, I went along with what we had. And what we have is potentially destructive. Before igniting the fuse I just want to be as certain as I can be that it’s accurate, that’s all.’

  ‘You have twenty-four hours, Inspector,’ Fletcher said. She shook her head at her DCI’s immediate look of protest. ‘Alicia, keep a lid on your complaints for the time being. Bliss is absolutely within his rights to bring this to our attention if he feels somewhat compromised. We had a good debate tonight and reached some good conclusions. Our strategy is clear and we have joint support. Waiting a day will give us more time to liaise with Counter-Terrorism and MI5. It would be good to have our additional resources in place by the time we make any announcement.’

  Edwards made no comment. Bliss could tell she was inwardly fuming. He didn’t care. He had bought some time and done the right thing for the investigation. Time to either confirm or disprove their findings so far.

  16

  ‘And just what do you expect to find when you check out the crime scene again?’ Chandler demanded.

  They were heading north on the A1, York still more than two hours away. Overnight, Bliss had decided to speak with the victim’s parents, and wanted to do so in person. He had risen early, eaten a bowl of porridge and downed two mugs of coffee. Afterwards, and feeling the buzz of caffeine, he showered, shaved and pulled on his best suit. Before leaving the house, Bliss placed a call to arrange the interview through the local police station. Rather than collect Chandler at Thorpe Wood, he sent a text to let her know they were going to meet with Mr and Mrs Livingston and that he would pick her up from home. As soon as they had settled into the journey, Bliss updated his DS on the late night meeting, as well as his concerns over their evidence in the case. His partner was less than thrilled at learning of the delay in announcing the potential threat.

  Shaking his head, Bliss responded to Chandler’s question. ‘I have no idea what we might find. What I do know is that I’ve thought of little else all night, and there are three things that bother me. That’s three things too many for my liking.’

  ‘And they are?’ Chandler stared straight ahead, her voice betraying the frustration she clearly felt.

  Bliss removed a hand from the steering wheel and began counting them off using his fingers. ‘First of all, why that precise spot? You could probably travel up and down the entire length of that road checking out both sides of it and not come across another security camera aimed out onto the road itself. Is that just a coincidence? Secondly, those three men who murdered our airman were at pains to cover up their faces. Is it just another amazing coincidence that one of them happened to reveal his mouth towards the end when they were chanting? It certainly seemed to me that the so-called accidental slip was anything but. Finally, I want to know whether that camera always faces in that direction, and every time I think about it I come back to how fortuitous it was for us that there was enough of a clearing in those tree branches to provide us with an unobstructed view of what took place.’

  Bliss pushed the car hard, eyes constantly checking mirrors as well as the road ahead. Chandler he saw only as a peripheral figure shaking her head throughout. It was his impression that the shaking grew less animated the longer he went on making his points.

  ‘So you’re saying… I don’t know, what are you saying?’ Chandler asked him.

  This time he turned to glance at her. ‘I’m saying there are an awful lot of things that just happened to go our way whilst that murder was being committed. I’m saying I’m not a great believer in fate conspiring to work in our favour in quite that fashion. I’m not convinced, Penny, and I need to be.’

  Bliss continued by explaining to his DS what had become clear to him in the early hours of the morning. That it could be considered a real break having that van park up where it did, and a minor miracle that the CCTV camera was able to provide those stark images through the trees that lined the side of the road. But for one of the men to reveal enough of his mouth to capture evidence of the Allahu Akbar chant was off the charts in terms of evidence provision. It required all three separate aspects to align in order to turn their investigation away from a drug-related theory into a terrorism reality. And Bliss was not buying it. The first time he watched the video, he had thought the unveiling of one suspect’s mouth to be staged. Nothing he had seen during the four subsequent views alongside the lip-reader had convinced him otherwise.

  ‘From what you tell me, you seem to have had everyone eating out of your hand at that meeting last night,’ Chandler said. ‘You took a huge risk in steering them away from it again. But it’s your risk to take, I suppose.’

  It was. But Bliss could not ignore the scepticism in Chandler’s tone. ‘You think I’m wrong. I get that. Maybe you think I’m working against the team view. I get that, too. But I have to call it as I see it, Pen. Irrespective of whose toes I trample on.’

  They drove the rest of the way in virtual silence, punctuated by the odd irreverent aside. Bliss was deep in thought for much of the journey, but he sensed Chandler had stopped speaking because she feared venting. That was fine by him. People were entitled to their own opinions, and whilst Chandler clearly disagreed with him and believed they ought to be moving forward rather than pausing to draw breath, she would suffer in silence for the most part. His partner rarely argued case strategy with him, deferring to both his rank and greater experience. That she felt strongly enough to call him on it this time was a mark in her favour as far as he was concerned. Bliss did not like a kiss-arse.

  Rather than navigate the narrow and teeming streets of York city centre, Bliss opted to make use of the Park-and-Ride scheme. For less than the price of a parking ticket elsewhere, they had a hassle-free experience on a cramped but comfortable single-decker bus which took them from the huge car park on the outskirts of the city to within a two-minute walk from their destination. Bliss loved the warrens of streets and alleyways within central York, a Roman walled city on the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss. The city charmed him every time he visited, and you could walk around for hours discovering something new each time you turned a corner.

  Colin and Audrey Livingston lived on the floor above their tea room l
ocated in one of the many intriguing nooks and crannies that comprised York’s central shopping district. The street they were on luxuriated in the charming name of Shambles, a single track thoroughfare so narrow that it contained more square yardage of pavement than road. The couple were buckled by the burden of their grief, and whilst they had been assigned a family liaison officer, the pair had declined to have the FLO remain with them. Their daughter was due to join them, but for the time being they chose to be alone. Or at least, as alone as a murder investigation could leave them.

  Bliss had not been looking forward to the interview. Speaking to the recently bereaved was never a pleasant duty, but in cases of murder the sudden loss often turned family members into virtually catatonic mannequins. In this case, the mission he and Chandler were on was a fact-finding one, not fact-providing, which was not a position of strength. The decision to come was as much out of duty and respect as it was in the hope of taking something positive from it. Bliss accepted that the couple were bound to ask questions, but they would have to be fended off as firmly – though politely – as possible. The racial tensions back in Peterborough were not Bliss’s only concern the previous night when he raised the spectre of an altogether different slant on things. There was no way he wanted to put this couple through the awful misery of believing their son had been the victim of terrorism, only to have to withdraw from that statement inside a day or two. It was only right that the airman’s parents were provided with the kind of closure that comes from being told exactly what took place, why it had happened, and at whose hands.

  When offered a cup of Earl Grey, both detectives accepted. It was standard practice whether you wanted a drink or not, as for some reason this simple act broke down so many barriers between the police and the public. A few minutes later they sat in a small, over-stuffed living room and spoke in general terms at first, during which condolences were offered and accepted with gratitude, before Bliss pushed on.