‘No thanks,’ Bethan said.
Neve shook her head.
‘That’s a good point though,’ he said.
‘What is?’ Neve asked.
‘Is it true today? He was excited about the pure simplicity of it. That’s why I’m stuck on no explosives or WMD. I mean, that’s how we always find these people. They make or acquire weapons and explosives and leave trails for us to follow. No ordnance makes it very difficult for us. It’s almost impossible to stop them from hiring vans and driving into people, or buying knives and stabbing them. He’s found a weapon that we won’t notice until it’s too late.’
‘Why thousands of people?’ Neve asked. ‘Why not a specific number?’
‘That’s another clue,’ he said. ‘The number is dictated by the method. Maybe he can’t kill more or less than that number. He has no control over numbers. It’s at an event or location where there could be or will be thousands of people. Maybe they’ll all die or only a portion of them.’
‘How can you kill a thousand people without a bomb or chemicals?’ Neve asked.
‘They would have to be confined,’ Gunnymede said. ‘In one location. Just for a moment, take away bombs and anything else. What kills thousands of people and is natural, for instance?’
‘Earthquake,’ Bethan said.
‘Tsunami,’ Neve offered. ‘Fire?’
‘Two hundred thousand people were killed in the 2004 tsunami,’ Bethan offered.
‘How do you make a tsunami?’ Neve asked.
‘In London?’ Gunnymede added.
‘What’s the capacity of Wembley?’ Bethan asked, tapping the questions into her phone. ‘Ninety thousand.’
Gunnymede emptied his glass and sat on the couch. ‘There’s a clue staring at us. I’m sure of it.’
Bethan and Neve sipped their drinks in silence.
Gunnymede stretched himself out on the couch and put a cushion under his head.
A few minutes later Neve stood up and looked in Gunnymede’s direction. His eyes were closed and he looked asleep.
She went to the only other couch and stretched out on it.
Bethan continued reading her phone. When she next looked up they were both sleeping soundly. The two analysts were quietly tapping away at their consuls.
Bethan got to her feet, stifled a yawn and left the ops room.
Five minutes later she was driving along the river embankment in the rain. The roads were practically empty.
The two analysts turned off their computers, collected their coats and went to the door. The last one to leave looked at Gunnymede and Neve asleep, switched off the lights and left, closing the door.
Bethan glanced at the river as she drove along it. Something was on her mind and she pulled over. She climbed out and went to the parapet to look down onto the river. The vast body of black water was high and moving slowly. She stared at it in thought.
Neve opened her eyes and sat up, remembering where she was. She lowered her feet to the floor and looked around the room, rubbing her tired eyes. She checked her watch.
She got to her feet and faced the door. She didn’t move other than to look over at Gunnymede sleeping soundly.
Bethan walked along the embankment, pausing every now and then to look at the river.
Neve walked over to Gunnymede and looked down on him. He looked peaceful. She started to turn away when he took her hand. She stopped and looked at him. He looked serious as he stared at her.
Bethan took a last look at the water before walking back to her car. She climbed in, started the engine, pulled a U-turn and drove back in the direction she’d come.
Gunnymede sat up and placed his hands on Neve’s hips. She put her hands on top of his to stop him. He squeezed her, his hands moving back slightly, his fingers touching her bottom. She gritted her teeth as she squeezed his hands. He didn’t remove them. She grabbed a hold of his hair with both hands and held him strongly. He didn’t take his gaze from her eyes. She could’ve wrenched herself free but she didn’t. She looked into his eyes. Her jaw grew less tense. Her grip on his hair slowly loosened. He got to his feet and wrapped his arms around her. She struggled without making a sound as he held her firmly. His hand went to her face. She tried to turn away but it was a weak effort. He moved her head to face him and kissed her on the lips. She didn’t struggle. Her mouth slowly opened and her breathing quickened.
She put her arms around him as they kissed deeply. He pulled off his jacket and yanked hers of her shoulders. She helped undress him while he undressed her. They grew feverish for each other. Rapacious.
She stepped out of her trousers as did he. He pulled away her panties, lifted her onto the worktop and they began to make passionate love. As she wrapped her legs around him the door opened and the light came on. Gunnymede and Neve froze, entwined, and looked towards the door to see Bethan standing there, looking at them.
Bethan took a second to take a hold of herself. She managed to make no outward signs of her shock. She let the door close and crossed the room to the coffee machine, placed a cup in the holder and selected a latte.
Gunnymede and Neve fumbled to get dressed.
‘Drowning,’ Bethan said.
‘What?’ Neve asked as she fastened her bra.
‘Drowning,’ Bethan repeated. ‘He’s going to drown them.’
‘How do you drown thousands of people?’ Neve asked.
‘It helps if they’re below ground level,’ Bethan said.
‘River level,’ Gunnymede added, catching on as he pulled up his trousers.
‘The London underground,’ Bethan said. ‘How many people in the underground during a busy work day?’
‘Thousands, easily,’ Neve said.
‘Saleem said he could do it any time,’ Gunnymede remembered.
‘The underground’s empty when it’s closed,’ Neve
