‘You’re really going to do it? It must cost a fortune to set up a restaurant.’
‘I’m working on the finances,’ said Malik. ‘But it’s going to happen.’ He leaned forward. ‘So you know my name, what’s yours?’
‘Nadia,’ she said. ‘Hey, are you good with computers?’
‘I studied them for three years,’ said Malik. ‘What’s the problem?’
‘My laptop keeps freezing but I don’t know why. Maybe you could have a look at it some time.’
‘Sure.’ He nodded at her bag. ‘Have you got it with you?’
‘It’s at home. Can I call you?’
‘You want my number?’
She smiled prettily. ‘That’s normally how it works, Harvey.’ She took out her mobile phone and looked at him expectantly. He grinned and gave her his number. He hadn’t been thrilled at the idea of spending the evening in the library, but it was turning out to be the best place he could have been. ‘What are you smiling at?’ she asked.
‘Just pleased to meet you,’ he said. ‘I hadn’t planned to be here but I’m glad I came.’
She smiled and nodded. ‘I was thinking exactly the same thing,’ she said.
Chaudhry left King’s at just after five o’clock. He walked along to the tube station at Charing Cross with the hood of his duffel coat up, resisting the urge to look over his shoulder. He went down to the platform, took out his Galaxy tablet and began reading, just as he did most days when he was on the tube. John’s instructions had been clear. No looking around, no backtracking, no looking for a tail. And no looking for the counter-surveillance people either. When the train arrived he managed to find a seat in the middle of the carriage. And he kept his eyes on his tablet.
He stuck to his instructions, and the only time he looked left or right was when he had to cross a road and even then he made a conscious effort to avoid eye contact with anyone nearby. When he got home he got himself a can of Coke from the fridge. He was halfway through it when his phone rang. He looked at the screen. It said ‘Dentist’, which meant it was John Whitehill calling.
‘How’s the weather?’ asked Whitehill.
For a moment Chaudhry was confused, but then he remembered the procedure. ‘It’s fine,’ he said. ‘I was imagining it, right? Just me being oversensitive.’
‘I’m afraid not. You were being followed.’
Chaudhry’s stomach turned over. ‘Shit,’ he said.
‘Two Asians. One in a blue Puffa jacket, just like you said. He was waiting for you outside the university and got on the tube with you. He was in the next carriage. The other guy was waiting for you at Manor House.’
Chaudhry could feel his heart pounding. ‘Shit, shit, shit,’ he said. ‘I’m screwed, right?’
‘There’s no need to panic, Raj. You’re at home and we’ve got your flat under surveillance. Nothing can happen to you while you’re there. I’ve got two men with guns in a car round the corner and they can be with you in seconds.’
‘Where’s Harvey? He should be home by now. You said you talked to him, right?’
‘Raj, take it easy. Harvey’s on his way home. All the signs are that he’s not being followed, but we won’t know for sure until he gets back to the flat. When he does get back, make sure you stay in for the night. No popping out for a takeaway.’
‘I’ll be hiding under the bed, mate,’ said Chaudhry.
Shepherd laughed. ‘There’s no need for that,’ he said. ‘Look, it’s probably nothing. Maybe someone that Khalid has sent to check that you’re on the straight and narrow. Make sure you’re not out drinking or letting the side down.’
‘What about the mosque?’ asked Chaudhry. ‘Do you think it’s safe? I mean, I can pray at home, it’s no biggie, but I’d prefer to go to the mosque.’
‘Let’s wait and see what we can find out about your tails,’ said Shepherd.
‘Seriously, I’m shitting myself here.’
‘I understand, Raj. But if there was any question of them intending to harm you it would have happened already. Surveillance is just that. Watching. And like I said, so long as you stay put nothing can happen to you.’
‘And you’re not lying about the men with guns? You’ve got armed cops nearby?’
‘I told you I’d never lie to you, Raj. But they’re not cops. They work for MI5. Different rules. They don’t wear uniforms and they don’t make a song and dance about doing what has to be done. In the very unlikely event of anyone trying to do you any harm they’ll be straight round and they’ll take care of it.’
‘Thanks, John,’ said Chaudhry. He grinned. ‘It’s funny, I know that’s not your real name but I can’t think of you as anything other than John.’
‘John’s fine. A rose by any other name and all that.’
‘Well, whatever your name is, I’m glad you’ve got my back.’ He ended the call and switched on the TV. He had studying to do but he couldn’t concentrate so he lay on the sofa and watched the news and then a very unfunny situation comedy about three Americans sharing a flat in New York that seemed to be about five times the size of the one that he and Malik lived in. He got up and opened the fridge but there was nothing in it that he wanted to eat. He found a packet of pistachio nuts in a cupboard and began to eat them, piling the broken shells on a copy of
It was just before eight when Chaudhry heard the sound of a key in his lock. He bolted off the sofa and dashed to the kitchen. He grabbed a breadknife from the sink and stood in the kitchen doorway, his heart pounding. The door opened slowly.
‘Harvey, is that you?’
‘Who the bloody hell are you expecting? Ninja assassins?’
The door opened wide and Harvey walked in, shaking his head. Chaudhry ducked back into the kitchen and returned the knife to the sink.
Malik closed the door and tossed his bag on to the floor.
‘Lock it, will you, mate?’ said Chaudhry. ‘And put the bolt across. Do you want a coffee?’
‘Yeah, coffee’d be good,’ said Malik. He locked the door. ‘Has John called?’
‘A while back. He said he’d call again once they’d followed you.’
‘There was no one following me,’ said Malik, dropping down on to the sofa and reaching into the bag of nuts.
‘You shouldn’t have been looking,’ snapped Chaudhry. ‘Didn’t you listen? We had to come home and not do any checks at all. There were people doing that.’
Malik swung his feet up on to the coffee table. ‘Chill, brother,’ he said. ‘I did what John said. But I was the only one who got on the bus and no one got off with me. So I can’t see that anyone could have been following me.’ He looked around. ‘Where’s the remote?’
‘Why are you so bloody cool about this?’ said Chaudhry. ‘There was someone following me. Don’t you get what that means?’
‘John said it was probably nothing.’ He shelled a nut and popped it into his mouth.
Chaudhry walked towards him, his eyes blazing. ‘Are you retarded? He said that because he doesn’t want us to worry. You know what he told me? He said there are guys with guns waiting round the corner, ready to step in if we get in trouble. Does that sound like nothing, you soft bastard?’
Malik stopped chewing, his forehead creased into deep frown lines.
‘I’m serious, mate. Guys with guns. We could be in deep shit here. Of course John doesn’t want us panicking, but that doesn’t mean we should sit around like all’s well with the world.’
Chaudhry’s mobile rang and both men froze. It was on the coffee table by Malik’s feet. It continued to ring — ‘Poker Face’ by Lady Gaga — so Malik picked it up, then he grinned.
‘It’s your dentist,’ he said.
Chaudhry’s face hardened. ‘That’s John.’
Malik turned the screen towards him. ‘It says it’s your dentist. Relax, will you?’
Chaudhry took the phone from him and pressed the green button.
‘How’s the weather?’ asked Whitehill.
‘As well as can be expected,’ said Chaudhry. ‘Harvey’s just got home.’
‘I know, that’s why I’m calling. There’s good news and bad news.’
‘Okay,’ said Chaudhry hesitantly.
