by John Morris
Dan listened intently, becoming alive and engrossed as Felicity reached her bottom line. “The girl is Ayesha Hussein, the daughter of the Hussein we are investigating. She was due to marry Mohammad’s son, an alliance. She ran away from the forced marriage, and FGM, and they found her.
“She is now at the inn, and working for Brian in the kitchen. We both need to speak to her. I needed her close and safe, but not too close.”
“Good call. I’ll make her acquaintance tomorrow evening, maybe stay at the inn for a curry, if she is cooking real Indian curry, and you are not here.”
“Pakistani curry actually. Posh people now call that Tandoori. She told me she makes excellent curry, so give it a try. Otherwise, no. Tomorrow I’m in Norwich, and for the rest of this week. I’ll be back late on Friday, and it’s your turn to cook.”
“Ma’am. Beans on toast, my pleasure.”
Felicity hit Dan playfully, and somehow during attack and defence, they ended up smooching in embrace. They went to bed early, both shattered, but in loving mood.
The next morning Dan was up well before dawn. He exercised, showered, and started his report in the library. His main intrigues were requests to contact every Chief Constable in the United Kingdom, and Eire, and give them advance warning of what their team were about. He reasoned that in future, should the Director or he wish to speak to any Chief Constable, as a matter of utmost urgency, it would be expected, and not come out of the blue.
Felicity cruised into the room. “I made a fresh pot of coffee. The other was acid. What’re you doing?”
“Making the request we contact every Chief Constable in the land, today, so they expect our call.”
“Good thinking. Okay, but run it by me first. There are certain keywords that either work for, or against you, regarding Chief Constables. The ones I know of, I can generate more precise input.”
“Will do, thanks. Now where’s my kiss?”
Felicity gave him a good smacker on the lips, but pulled away before his arms enveloped her, she knew where that would lead. Minutes later she read his report, and made subtle changes.
“That should do it for most of them, but key me in on these four, I have prior knowledge that will help you. Here are my notes on them”
She wrote the names and inside information on a pad. “I must go, I need a word with Inspector Wheeler, before I set about my new job in earnest. She’s treading on my toes, wants Percy back on his old beat, and I have seconded him, at a higher level than before, for us. Take him with you for the meal tonight. He knows Ayesha. Love you, Ciao.”
Dan saw Felicity out, and watched her leave, waving as her car disappeared out of sight. Returning to his desk, he reread the report, and sent it to his Director.
She was on video moments later, furious about the events of the day before. “I have demanded to see the Minister for Defence, and I will not accept ‘No’ for an answer. This is too pernicious to leave to the fools in Whitehall. You suggestion is bull's-eye, thank you. I’ll be contacting all Chief Constables this morning, and see as many in person as I can. I will need Alison with me, and your plane.”
“Why not take Veronica instead, she has a pilot’s licence.”
“So does Alison. I guess you never asked her.”
“No Ma’am, I did not. Are there any more secrets you would care to share?”
“No, not just now. It was in her file, the full file that is, which you did not request. I hear you have a girl who could turn out to be important.”
“I believe so, and so does Felicity. I will begin at dinner this evening, and take it slowly. We need to turn her to our side, and she is halfway there already, or so I am told. I need to take this at its own pace, Ma’am.”
“Seize the golden egg, not kill the goose before she lays it. Understood. Good luck.
“Oh Dan, I almost forgot to mention. The NCA are seizing their opportunity of a power grab re terrorists, and are pressing ahead. The Met want to send a liaison officer to you. What do you think?”
“Too early. Let’s establish a working relationship first, or otherwise they’ll be here to milk our information for their own rewards.”
“That’s how I read it. You could replace me one day, if you stay sharp. I have a message I must take.
Dan heard the dead air of hold, but the Director was back within seconds. “I’m off to see the Minister for Defence tomorrow at ten. I need Alison on backup, so send her to me. This is our golden chance to change things. Toodle-Pip.”
That evening Dan finished work late, but interagency communications were beginning to flow, at last. He walked down to the inn with Sinjun. “How’s it going?”
“Not bad Dan, but I still need a few more days to put everything together. I have almost done the five airfields, so could give that to you tomorrow morning, except I don’t like to work that way. Sometimes, something else comes into the mix that changes things, such as Lillyworth Moor. That is proving to be a big undertaking. I like to deal with the all of it in one fell swoop.”
“No problem. So tell me, how did you become an Army Brigadier?”
“Ah, I spent a long time seconded to the Army. The promotion came after the injury that almost killed me. I had friends, and was a Lieutenant Colonel in those days. They needed me off the battlefield, so promoted me to a backwater office job as Colonel. It was boring, but I had always been good at tactics. I volunteered for several courses, vocational ones. I read books as well, watched instructional videos, and learned a great deal. It suited me.
“I would still be there today, except Bush and Blair decided to invade Iraq, a sovereign country, and without UN sanction. Today’s world would be so much safer if they had not. Then imbeciles Cameron with his French counterpart, invaded Libya, and got rid of Gaddafi. We live with the results.
“If they'd gone after Saddam during the first Gulf War, that would have been acceptable, but this was yet another invasion of a sovereign country.
“Do you know the real reason why Saddam invaded Kuwait?”
“To get their oil, and reclaim an area of Basra taken from them in nineteen twenty-two, by the British new drawing lines on world maps.”
“Not even close, Dan. He invaded Kuwait to eradicate the powerfully rich moguls who were sponsoring terrorism in Iraq. They are still doing so to this very day. Who is the main funder of ISIL? Think about it.”
“Qatar.”
“Yes, today. The moneymen fled there from Kuwait. To Saudi also.”
“That’s one hell of a sideswipe, Sinjun! So, what we know of is a smokescreen?”
“Yes. If Saddam had succeeded, the likes of Al Qaeda and ISIL would never have become established. Today, the Middle East would be at peace, and we would not be worrying about ISIL invading Europe.”
“Sinjun, I'd write this off as the drink talking, but we haven't reached the pub yet. Yet you became Brigadier?”
“Yes. To answer your next question, I was sent into Afghanistan as a military advisor. The position demanded a promotion, one I did not deserve. I was in the right place at the right time. That’s all there is to it. I am extremely good at planning military strategy, all the same.”
“Okay. So how does someone in the RAF, end up being and Army General? Did you jump ship?”
“Hehehe. No, it was by chance actually. I was then with the SAS, whom are mainly comprised of Navy Marines by the way, but run as if they are secretive Army teams. The short answer is, I was seconded, and that became permanent. That do for you? We’re almost at the pub.”
“Yes, time for a beer.” Dan stayed at the bar for the first pint, but Sinjun liked a drink, and excusing himself, Dan wandered over to a quiet table with Percy. “We’re still working Percy, although in convivial surroundings. I intend to eat curry tonight, one cooked by a girl you know. Care to join me?”
“Err, no Dan. Thanks all the same, but I love the Shepherd’s Pie here. You plan to speak to her, here, tonight?”
“No, not so fast. Just lay down good
foundations. That is, if she can cook.”
“Ooh, Brian told me she is one of the best staff he’s ever had, he’s thinking about paying her, regardless of if her curry takes off.”
They ordered one pint later, having shared and caught up. Dan asked Gwen to send the girl to him, as he wanted to order a special dish. She arrived moments later, a flutter of nervous twitches and gesticulations.
“Relax, Ayesha. I want to order a curry tonight, but I would like one to order. Can you cook me a Dacca Chicken?”
“Oh, that’s Indian cuisine. I only have the spices provided, so it won’t be fully authentic, but close. I need to go shopping.”
“Ayesha, after what happened, well, you know you can’t leave this village, it’s not safe for you.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Give Percy or me a list of what you need, and we will get them for you. I presume Raj brand is acceptable, I have seen it locally.”
“Yes that’s fine, thanks. I know how to do your meal, but may have to look at the recipe book. It is slightly milder than Bombay style, and has a hardboiled egg in it. Yes, my Uncle liked to eat something similar, so I can do it for you. He also liked vegetables in the mix as well, long beans, broad beans, okra, and potatoes.”
“That sounds splendid. Set me up for a large one. I’ll need rice, and Chapattis or roti, whatever you call them, four large ones.”
The girl scrunched her apron and took a ragged breath. “How do you know my name?”
Percy kicked Dan’s foot, and said, “I told him. He’s a very good friend of mine. We have no secrets here.”
Dan added, “Talking of secrets, the police woman that brought you here is my girlfriend, we live in the nearest town.”
Several of the team tried Dan’s curry, and soon requests were made for similar, mainly chicken tikka masala and naan bread. “I don’t have the ingredients for those yet, but will let you know when I do, a day or so only, hopefully.”
The meal Dan ate was gorgeous, and he told Ayesha so, without lying or embellishing. She was an excellent cook. He passed the word to Brian, and told him to put curry on the menu.
Dan went up to his room just after nine, leaving Percy to enjoy, or not, drinking with Sinjun. He called Felicity and they chatted for some time, before she said, “I’ll need to take a second statement from Ayesha, how’s she settling in?”
“Very well, she cooked a great curry for me this evening, and I will be having another soon. Hold off on the statement until the weekend, and we could see her together, say on Saturday. I’ll probably need to spent time in the office. The reason I say, is that I will profile her later tonight, and that will govern the best way to approach her.”
“Okay Dan, I’ll leave you to it. Love you, Ciao.”
Dan said similar in return, the call ended. He read Ayesha’s complete file, and then looked for answers to questions that played on his mind.
He knew Felicity was looking for the quick kill, and that didn’t work for Dan. He read the girl differently, but then, he possessed profiler experience his girlfriend did not.
He started a new profile concerning Ayesha, and concentrated, until he got thirsty. He headed for the bottle of rum, and then turned away disgusted with himself. He went down to the inn’s kitchen to make a milky drink, and returned with cocoa.
The profile took much longer to complete than he expected, and he was late to bed, the clock broaching midnight before his head hit the pillow.
Chapter 36 ~ Growing Concerns
Thursday came with a rush. Dan only just completed his morning schedule, before breakfast at the office. Alison had already eaten, and was packing a small case. “I need to leave in five-minutes, Dan.”
Stella was serving Percy’s breakfast, but he said, “You eat this Dan, I can wait for the next one.”
Dan gulped down his food, and managed to drink half of his coffee, before Alison appeared, anxious to get going. They arrived at Dan’s house, and he showed her the plane and runway. “You cannot be serious Dan, that’s far too short.”
“You’ll be airborne before half way, trust me. You want me to fly?”
“No, I’ll manage. See you later.”
Dan watched Alison take off, and she made a good job of it, if taking a little more distance than he did. He spoke to the builders next, all that were left. The plumber had moved on, leaving a few final fixes to be made. The electrician said, “This will be my last full day Dan. Everything is sorted, except for the final three jobs, and that should be one day’s work.”
“Thanks. But four jobs. I need state of the art, lights for landing, activated by the airplane. Like a car garage, but for planes at night.”
“Ooh. Interesting. I’ll need to buy in resources, a geek maybe. Mobile phone? No, satellite, yes?”
“Correct. Both is fine. I need this soonest. Today would be good.”
Sid the builder was busy, but gave a quick review. “We should be out of here by the end of next week. Some of my boys have already moved on to other jobs. I have the hangar to complete, which the sections of should be delivered tomorrow. The coach house loft has a new floor, but there’s about two days work inside.”
“So the house is virtually done, except for the attic. Do you also do decorating, as the walls at least need painting?”
“Yes, but for this amount of work, I'll arrange for contractors. Ben Croxton's team are about the best in these parts. Expect them next week.
“Regards the attic, which Madam wants as her own space. That will take one week, as she wants a larger window to the rear, window lights in the roof, and stairs leading up. She wanted a small kitchenette up there, so we’ll have to raise the plumbing to a higher level, but the waste is already fitted, as are water pipes leading in.”
“Is there room enough for a toilet come shower, if that is possible?”
“I’ll see to it. Anything else?”
“Make that French windows, if you can put a balcony on the outside, wide enough for a table and chairs, a small room actually.”
“I know what you mean, and it will be done. Dan, sorry to mention this, but cash flow is tight. I could do with an advance for the cost of materials. The hangar was a considerable amount of money, but it will be jet engine proof.”
“Okay, I can give you cash now.”
“We are talking in the region of twenty-thousand pounds.”
“Okay, I’ll write you a check, will that do?”
“Admirable. Now, we will press on to complete the job, but skip Saturday, as I am needed elsewhere.”
Dan left the builders to their work, satisfied with progress. He was about to return to the office, when he drew Ayesha’s shopping list out of his pocket, along with his car keys.
He made a trip to the supermarket, finding everything on her list, and adding items they needed at home. Returning to the village, he stopped at both butchers, and the bakery, buying fresh for lunch, and for home use.
Dan delivered supplies to Ayesha. She was delighted. “I’ll make up base sauces in advance. All restaurants either do that, or buy in pre-mix, which is awful.”
Dan lingered to chat, working on his profile, but making it fun for the girl, his subject. She moaned. “I’ll never be able to live a normal life, or return to college, and I loved my studies. I want to be a scientist. Look at me now, a cook, and afraid to go out of doors.”
“You wear western clothes, speak English the way I do, but your hair gives you away immediately. I know it is your tradition, but you need to consider cutting it off. Dying it blonde. I’m not telling you, but think about it.”
“But my hair, it is my culture. We never cut our hair.”
“Exactly, that is why your people will always recognise you, regardless of what else you do to your appearance. Anyway, that’s up to you. Spend the rest of your life living in fear if you wish, when it could all be gone within an hour spent at the hairdressers.”
Dan glanced at his phone, pretending a message had come in on
vibrate. “Sorry, I need to go, but will see you later. Oh, and ignore what I said, it was just a thought. Bye.”
As she watched Dan walk away, Ayesha wondered if he was right about cutting her hair, but she would need to think deeply about that. It was central to her values. An odd thought struck her, one she said aloud. “Huh. What use are the values of my culture, if I will be murdered for being born female, as soon as I return to it.”
Dan was also thinking as he left the inn. His ploy appeared to go well. He needed Ayesha to distance herself, as she perceived herself, from the Muslim community. He knew the hair cutting was a big thing, and would wait it out until his, or her next move.
Dan had only just reached his office when the phone rang. It was to be the first call of many that day. “Felicity, what’s up?”
“The ceiling.”
“No, the sky. I’m outside the office.”
“Damn you! Today is my official promotion, along with the Super and Chief Super. Well, I know them well enough, and I’m convinced they’re throwing a surprise party this evening. Can you make it?”
“Er, yes, at the moment. Islamic strikes excepted. Say around six-thirty at your office.”
“Thanks. I feel great today, knowing it’s now official.”
Moments later, Veronica was bringing him up to speed with the early morning events, when Alison came over comm. “Veronica, we are about to go in, meet the Minister for Defence. I need dedicated support while we are in this meeting.”
“Copy. We are all waiting for you. You’ll be fine.”
Dan’s mobile rang, and he picked up immediately. “Yes Tom, what can I do for you?”
“We found something odd overnight, and I’m not sure what it means. I’m going to send you the feed of our recording, and all I ask of you is to look at it, reach your own conclusions, and come back to me.”
“I’ll have a look right away. Tom, while we’re on the phone, is there any way I could meet the Marshal of the Air Force? I know it’s a big ask, but what we are facing is horrendous. We tracked both Birmingham and Leeds strikes, and nobody responded in time. The reason I ask, is that Sir Jack McBridle, currently Marshal of the Air Force, is also the Chief of Defence Staff.”