First Response

SCOTLAND YARD, VICTORIA EMBANKMENT

Kamran had only just got back to his office when his mobile phone rang. He looked at the screen. The caller was withholding his number. He wondered if someone was trying to sell him something he didn’t want or need. He considered letting it go through to voicemail but then he had a prickling sensation at the back of his neck and pressed the green button to take the call.

‘Superintendent Kamran, how are you this glorious day?’

Kamran recognised the voice immediately. Shahid. ‘You’re the last person I expected to call,’ he said. He considered attempting to trace the call but decided immediately that he would be wasting his time.

‘Did you get my parcel?’

‘Parcel?’

‘A padded envelope. With a thumbdrive inside. Addressed to you and marked private and confidential.’

‘I don’t see it on my desk,’ said Kamran. ‘Give me a minute.’ He got up and went over to his door. ‘Amy, is there a parcel for me, private and confidential?’

His secretary rummaged through his in-basket and pulled out a small padded envelope. She hurried over to him and he took it. He opened it as he went back to his desk. ‘I’ve got it,’ he said. He tipped the envelope up and a small grey thumbdrive dropped onto his desk.

‘You’ll be interested to hear what’s on the drive,’ said Shahid. ‘It’s a confession, of sorts.’

‘Yours?’

Shahid chuckled. ‘No, Superintendent. You’ll never be getting that from me. It’s the confession of Imad El-Sayed. He runs a bureau de change on the Edgware Road, near Marble Arch. El-Sayed confesses to funding Al-Qaeda and ISIS. He sends funds raised here to wherever in the world the money is needed. He pays for British jihadists to go to Syria to fight for ISIS. He funded the bombs on the London Tube in 2005.’

‘And how did you get this confession?’

‘Does it matter?’

‘Of course it matters,’ said Kamran. ‘This was a recording made during the siege, wasn’t it?’

‘You’ll know that as soon as you listen to it,’ said Shahid.

‘Zach Ahmed, or whatever his name is, was wearing a wire?’

‘And I recorded the calls at my end,’ said Shahid. ‘El-Sayed is an evil man. Responsible for a lot of deaths. A true terrorist.’

‘But you’re not, are you? It was never about terrorism, was it? What you and Zach did? Those nine people. The fake vests. This was all about bringing El-Sayed to justice.’

‘Someone had to, Mo. He never seemed to be on your radar. You need to share that recording with the Americans. I’m happy for you to take the credit but if you don’t I’ll send a thumbdrive to the US Embassy. I have to say I was surprised not to see you on TV after it was all over.’

‘I was busy, obviously.’

‘But that chief superintendent — what was his name?’

‘Gillard.’

‘Yes, Chief Superintendent Gillard. From the number of interviews he gave, you’d have thought it was all his operation from start to finish.’

‘He was Gold Commander.’

‘I think you earned some credit, though, don’t you? Anyway, the thumbdrive should go some way to addressing that.’

‘You’re not trying to buy me off, are you, Shahid?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean that this doesn’t change anything. I’ll have to hunt you down. You and Zach broke the law. You put innocent lives at risk and you’ll be punished for that.’

‘No one died, Mo. No one got hurt. And the men I used, they weren’t innocents.’

‘One was,’ said Kamran. ‘The man you used on the bus at Tavistock Square. He was an undercover cop. One of ours. A good man.’

‘So I gather, but I didn’t know that. His cover was good. We thought he was a drug dealer. And he was part of a gang abusing young girls.’

‘No. He was an undercover cop penetrating the gang.’

‘As I said, I know that now. But by all means give him my apologies. It was a long time in the planning, but mistakes happen. And it was for the greater good, you have to admit that. El-Sayed deserves what’s coming to him. So let’s just say that all’s well that ends well, shall we? And look for me all you want, Mo. Where I’m hiding, you’ll never find me. And don’t even bother tracing this call. I’m using Skype through half a dozen proxy servers.’

The line went dead.