Contents (84)
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- SEVENTY-FOUR
- SEVENTY-FIVE
- SEVENTY-SIX
- SEVENTY-SEVEN
- SEVENTY-EIGHT
- SEVENTY-NINE
- EIGHTY
- EIGHTY-ONE
- EIGHTY-TWO
- EIGHTY-THREE
- Acknowledgements
‘And don’t I know it. But someone has to do this, Sean. And who else is going to? Who else is even going to see what I’ve seen? Someone’s committed mass murder, and if we’re right, they’ve set Nizar Mansour up as a patsy. And anyone who steps in from here? Who hasn’t seen what I’ve seen? They’re almost guaranteed to fall for it. I can’t walk away knowing that. I can’t walk away knowing that an innocent man might be on the hook for this, and that whoever is really behind it is walking free. I just can’t do that, Sean.’
McConnell nodded his head, took a deep breath and rose to his feet. Once up he held out his open hand.
‘Well, when you put it like that, count me in. If you’re going up against these feckers, you’ll need a good man by your side.’
Bull took McConnell’s hand in his own and shook it as his DS spoke again:
‘And until you can find one, you’ll have to make do with me.’
THIRTY-TWO
‘Thank you for telling me. Have his family been informed?’
Elizabeth Kirk wiped away a tear as she listened to the answer.
‘OK. Any problems with anything here – funeral arrangements, probate, anything – I want to be kept in the loop. Understood? Thank you. Again.’
Kirk hit the red disconnect icon and ended the call. She took a deep, calming breath. It was rare for her to lose her composure, and she would not do so now. Still, the news was upsetting, and even the director of the ISB was allowed her emotions.
She wiped away a second tear as her desk intercom buzzed.
‘Yes?’
‘Joe Dempsey here to see you, ma’am.’
Kirk coughed to clear her throat and took a moment to check her reflection.
‘Send him in.’
Moments later and Dempsey was in the room.
‘Take a seat,’ Kirk offered. The instruction was necessary; Dempsey’s military past was long behind him, but Kirk knew that he would stand unless told to do otherwise.
Old habits, she thought.
Dempsey took a chair and Kirk sat forward in her own, placing her hands on the desk between them. She thought about sharing her news with Dempsey, but first she wanted to hear what he had to say.
‘How is the investigation going?’ Kirk asked.
‘You’ve heard they’ve made an arrest in London?’ Dempsey asked.
‘I have. And a confession, it seems.’
‘That’s right. And at first blush that doesn’t really sit with the John Knowles/Dale Victor theory, and certainly with what Quilty told me.’
Kirk swallowed hard at the name. Dempsey gave no indication that he noticed, but Kirk had no doubt that he had. Joe Dempsey noticed everything.
‘What did you think of him?’
‘He’s a professional. What he told you three years ago, he wouldn’t have passed that on to you unless his source was to be trusted.’
‘So you believe there’s a connection?’
‘I don’t believe it and I don’t disbelieve it. It’s plausible. And with what happened to Dale Victor, it becomes much more so. It would need further investigation, but as a starting point it was solid intel.’