‘Where?’

‘Calais.’

He heard a commotion on the other end and figured Grazier was multi-tasking his own staff into action.

‘Did they give a time?’

‘This afternoon, 4.05. A letter addressed to Attal at his station. Postmarked Calais. Probably means it’ll happen here.’

‘Facts, Ortley. Not presumptions.’

‘The letter says “Bomb number two.” ’

‘Does Attal think it could be another British target?’

Now it was presumption time?

He watched an agitated Attal light up a cigarette. A thumping sounded at the glass door and Bish saw a woman wagging her finger. Attal ground out his cigarette with a curse.

‘I’m presuming he showed it to me and wanted you to know for that precise reason,’ Bish said. ‘I’m presuming that Bombe numéro deux suggests that it’s the same bomber, which could mean the same targets. British kids.’

‘Summer tours are over,’ Grazier said. ‘The Boulogne campground is still closed for business. Can’t imagine it being there. Think, Bish.’

Attal was listening attentively, but Bish could tell he understood little.

‘What about the driver of the French bus?’ Grazier asked.

‘We’ve got him here. They’ll question him, but I’m almost certain he’s not the one.’

‘We?’

‘Long story.’ Bish thought of the scene along the port. ‘This town is turning into one big refugee camp and it could be someone trying to make a political statement. They’re pretty pissed off at our government.’

Some of those words Attal certainly did understand because he was nodding.

‘So they kill British kids?’ Grazier asked. ‘I’m not buying the evil madman thing.’

‘Why not? Louis Sarraf walked into a supermarket and blew up twenty-three people because he couldn’t stand his supervisor.’

‘Louis Sarraf probably only had one victim in mind but the bomb went off too early and too close to a couple of gas cylinders,’ Grazier said. ‘Less intent than the bus bomb, but more fatalities.’

‘That sounds like a presumption, Grazier, rather than a fact.’

‘A presumption that is not going to bring those people back, so it doesn’t need to be explored.’

‘Yes, well, it does when someone’s rotting in prison because of it!’

‘Control your stonker for LeBrac, Bish, and concentrate on working out where this bomb is.’

‘We got it wrong back then and you know it,’ Bish said with a quiet fury. Attal was watching carefully. Bish turned away a little, as if that could stop Attal overhearing. ‘It’s why you and the Home Secretary have been desperate to get this right. Because you know deep down, whether it was Blair’s people or yours, we got it wrong.’

‘Just concentrate on making sure we don’t get it wrong today, Ortley. As far as I’m concerned, Violette and Eddie are still in danger.’

‘Any more sightings?’ Bish asked.

‘Not since Margate. Should we have a tail on Crombie?’

‘I doubt he’ll get up to much driving a Salvation Army minibus around on community service, but it’s worth getting the local police to check in on him today. Violette and Eddie may return there.’