‘Like we need help with that,’ said Hari.
Famie acknowledged the point with her fork. ‘So he tells Mary Lawson that he thinks there are no-tech, off-the-grid revolutionary cells working in the UK and she takes it as her next project for the Investigating team.’
The Richter playlist finished. Charlie selected some Chopin.
‘So set up the chaos,’ said Hari, ‘then report it. So it looks like everything is totally messed up.’
‘The first doubly incontinent country in Europe,’ said Famie. ‘Correct. They think Lewis knew about poor Toby Howells but not you, Hari. You must have been Mary’s idea. Maybe she suspected Lewis by this time. Who knows? Certainly Lewis told the police not to trust me. That I was some bat-shit crazy reporter who’d lost her marbles. That’s why the police did nothing and why Milne was such an insufferable prick.’ Famie’s grip on the fork tightened. ‘And then there’s Tommi,’ she said, her voice quieter. ‘They think his search for Toby’s name on the IPS computers triggered an alert. Lewis had time to get one of his thugs on it.’
She pushed her plate away, dropped her cutlery together. ‘That might be enough for now,’ she said.
‘And we’re assuming there are just the two cells,’ said Charlie. ‘Otherwise Hari is most definitely not safe.’
Famie felt sleep coming up fast. ‘Probably. Not sure. They think they got everyone.’
‘Think?’ said Hari.
‘Maybe Lewis had help?’ said Charlie.
‘They don’t think so,’ said Famie.
‘Think?’ said Hari again.
A final drop of Pinot. ‘You should stay here tonight anyway, Hari,’ said Famie. ‘It’s not safe out there. The couch is quite comfy.’
‘Charlie has already offered it,’ he said. ‘I hope that’s OK.’
Charlie began to clear the plates.
‘Oh right,’ said Famie. ‘Fine. I’ll say goodnight then. And leave the piano tunes, it’ll help me sleep.’
She closed her bedroom door, sat on the bed and listened. She held the moment while she could. She knew she was drunk, she knew she was safe. She knew Charlie was safe. And she knew it was the Nocturne No. 8 in D Major. Vladimir Ashkenazy, she thought. Delicate, exquisite playing. So many ornaments in such a short time. When it finished, she was aware that the sotto voce, through-the-wall conversation had finished too.
She wondered if she was missing something.
Acknowledgements
A few words before we go …
Knife Edge is dedicated to the memory of Sophie Christopher, a senior publicity manager at Transworld. She died of a pulmonary embolism in 2019 at the age of twenty-eight. Sophie was an inspirational woman, mourned and missed deeply by everyone who knew her. I read her the opening chapter of this book (it actually made her laugh, but the names of the victims have changed since then!).
The character of Famie was inspired, at least in part, by Nyta Mann, a former BBC and New Statesman journalist I worked with at 5 Live, described by Nick Cohen in his Observer obituary of her as ‘spiky and arch’. She was tough, uncompromising and, to quote the BBC’s Chris Mason, ‘waspish, funny and super bright’. The blessing used by Reverend Don for his daughter comes from ‘Beannacht: A Blessing for the New Year’, part of the collection Benedictus: A Book of Blessings by John O’Donohue. The ‘Embrace the butcher’ quote is from Brecht’s The Decision (Die Maßnahme in German) and referenced in Howard Brenton’s Magnificence.
I feel I should add that Coventry Cathedral has been a centre of Christian worship and prayer for over a thousand years and has a noble tradition of working for peace and reconciliation. It was also where I received my degree from the then-chancellor Lord Scarman! You can find out more about their work from www.coventrycathedral.org.uk
Some thanks …
To Bill Scott-Kerr and Eloisa Clegg at Transworld. Bill is editor supreme. The Emperor. The Governor. The guru. Eloisa is the sage. The wise councillor. The author’s satnav. A great team. None better.
To Sam Copeland at RCW. He tells me he’s agent of the year and I’m inclined to agree. To Gordon Corera, the BBC’s security correspondent, to former police commander John Sutherland, author of Crossing The Line and Blue, to author and broadcaster Anita Anand and Reuters journalist Robin Pomeroy for their expertise and advice in shaping this book. And to the unsurpassable Lee Child who shows us how it should be done.
Any mistakes are, of course, all mine.
THIS IS JUST
THE BEGINNING
Find us online and join the conversation
Follow us on Twitter twitter.com/penguinukbooks
Like us on Facebook facebook.com/penguinbooks
Share the love on Instagram instagram.com/penguinukbooks
Watch our authors on YouTube youtube.com/penguinbooks
Pin Penguin books to your Pinterest pinterest.com/penguinukbooks
Listen to audiobook clips at soundcloud.com/penguin-books
Find out more about the author and discover
your next read at penguin.co.uk
TRANSWORLD PUBLISHERS
penguin.co.uk
Transworld is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com.
First published in Great Britain in 2020 by Doubleday
an imprint of Transworld Publishers
Copyright © Killingback Books Ltd 2020
Cover design by Richard Ogle/TW
Cover photography © Getty Images
Simon Mayo has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted. We apologize for any omissions in this respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 9781473568921
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions
