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
But how do I protect him? By reporting Meyer? A Special Agent of the US Secret Service? And on the basis of what? A gut feeling? Yeah, that’ll work out well.
There was only one solution Bull could think of.
At least for now.
‘OK.’ As before, Bull spoke loudly for the tape. ‘You can stay.’
‘Thank you.’ The sarcasm was clear in Meyer’s voice as he began to make his way around the table. To the chair next to Bull’s.
‘And if Mr Mansour continues to say nothing, then we will have to bail him,’ Bull continued, his voice loud and slow.
‘What?’ Meyer seemed surprised by the suggestion. ‘That’s not—’
‘On the other hand,’ Bull continued, his voice still slow, his words pointed, ‘if Mr Mansour does answer – if he does tell us what we need in order to charge him – well, then it ends differently, doesn’t it.’
‘What?’ Meyer stopped, confusion clear on his face. But Bull was no longer talking to him. He was looking directly at Mansour. He just hoped the message was clear enough.
‘Because we’re in your hands here, Nizar. If you confess now, on tape? If you say that you planted the bomb and that you intentionally blew up Flight PA16? If you say those words, then neither one of us – not me and not Special Agent Meyer – gets to speak to you again. You’ll be taken to your cell and neither one of us will be allowed near you.’
‘What?’
Bull could tell from Meyer’s tone that he had now understood the message that the DCI was trying to convey. But had Mansour?
‘You heard me,’ Bull repeated. Just as slowly. Just as firm. ‘If Nizar confesses now, on tape, that he intentionally blew up the flight, then we have to charge him. And once we’ve charged him, neither one of us gets to speak to him alone again. Not me. And certainly not you.’
‘And what if he does confess?’ Meyer countered. ‘What good does that do him? He’ll be found guilty in ten seconds by any jury.’
‘Not if he gets himself a good lawyer.’ Bull was ready for the point. ‘Confessing after some Secret Service giant has burst into the room and scared the shit out of him? A good lawyer gets that thrown out in five seconds, before a jury even hears it. And this shitty little country of mine, it’s got some damned good lawyers, believe me.’
‘You can’t—’
‘I confess,’ Mansour interrupted, speaking fast. ‘I planted the bomb on Flight PA16. I did so . . . intentionally. I wanted to blow up those people.’
Bull wanted to smile. To punch the air. He suppressed both. Instead he reached out and took a grip of Mansour’s right wrist.
‘In that case, Nizar Mansour, I am charging you on your own confession with the murder of five hundred and thirty-four named victims on the eighth of January twenty-twenty. You will be remanded in custody until your first court appearance on the ninth of January twenty-twenty – that’s in a few hours from now – where you will be represented by a lawyer of your choosing or one who is recommended to you by someone you trust.