‘Here’s what we’ve got so far about last night…’ John said, picking up his battered old notebook and squinting as he tried to make sense of his shorthand. ‘What does that word say?’ He pointed to one of the squiggles on the page. ‘Oh yeah, I remember now. A big drugs shipment was supposed to come in last night. The biggest that the city has seen in a long time…’

‘Where did you hear that? Not from official police channels, surely?’ said Elyas. He was impressed at John’s work.

‘I have my sources,’ John replied. ‘You’re not the only award-winning reporter here, you know.’

‘Seriously?’

‘It’s all over the community website,’ said John. ‘A guy called Andrzej Nowak was out celebrating with a group of his men last night. I’m told he’s been under police surveillance for a while. They’re not sure what he’s doing here but they know it’s not to do charity work for Islamic Relief. Your man Ben Khan was also seen at this gathering with some girl, probably his girlfriend…’

John knew Elyas thought of Benyamin Khan as a little brother. What he had to say next was difficult. ‘Apparently Ben was trying to steal Nowak’s drugs consignment. Maybe he was trying to impress his father, maybe he was just doing it for a lark, who knows. The drugs were in the guy’s car, so he stole the car.’ He spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully, his eyes on Elyas, watching for a sign of when to stop. ‘The word is that the Brotherhood have Benyamin Khan. Andrzej Nowak is not known for his…mild-mannered ways. And if they do have him, and he’s alive…from what I hear, he’ll be praying that he wasn’t.’

CHAPTER 20

‘Yes, John, I’ll be careful,’ Elyas said as he left the car park. Just a day into management and he hadn’t been able to hack it, watching reporters leave the newsroom to find stories as he sat behind a desk and read reports and looked at budgets. He couldn’t do it. He’d collected his keys and left.

John was better at that stuff and should have got the job in the first place. ‘Look, I’ll call you as soon as I know anything,’ Elyas said, not letting John speak in case he told him to stop being stupid and head back. Which would have been a reasonable demand. Elyas ended the call and dropped the phone on the passenger seat.

He couldn’t stop thinking about Benyamin.

Elyas had heard enough about the Brotherhood now to know what they were capable of. A cold chill ran down his spine at the thought of them. He straightened his shoulders, leaning back in the seat; he needed to stay focused if he was to be of any help to Jia.