Ken McClure - Lost causes

Steven Dunbar had been watching the same broadcast at his flat in Marlborough Court. Tally phoned shortly afterwards. ‘Well, what d’you think?’

‘Things are looking better than I’d feared,’ said Steven.

‘Absolutely,’ agreed Tally. ‘I can’t believe we’re getting off so lightly — no disrespect to those who’ve died, but it could have been so much worse.’

‘We should remember that the police haven’t caught anyone yet; there could be a second wave.’

‘Please God, no,’ Tally sighed. ‘That would just be too awful… God, it just doesn’t bear thinking about.’

‘Then let’s not,’ said Steven. ‘We’ll cross those bridges when we come to them.’

‘By the way, I asked around to see if anyone had heard rumours about a new health scheme or changed pharmacy arrangements being introduced in the autumn but I drew a complete blank, I’m afraid. No one knew anything at all about it.’

‘Thanks anyway. I’ve asked Jean to check out the other health authorities on the list, but if your lot haven’t heard anything I guess the others won’t have either. Maybe the Schiller mob didn’t get that far before the bomber stepped in.’

‘Maybe the bomber was a good guy after all.’

‘I hope so.’

‘I was just thinking this morning: if things continue to get better, maybe we’ll get a chance to take that trip you suggested to Newcastle to pay our respects to the other good guys?’ said Tally.

‘That’s a real possibility. There wasn’t much to say at the COBRA meeting this morning. I think they’ll be stopping them soon.’

‘Good. Then maybe we can go on up to Scotland after Newcastle and spend some time with Jenny?’

‘That would be nice.’

Although he meant it, Steven said it on autopilot. His attention had strayed back to Tally’s reporting that no one in the Leicester health authority had heard anything about a proposed change to services coming in the autumn. The whole thing suddenly struck him as strange. If the Schiller Group were still discussing things back in February, when the outcome of the election would not be known until May, there wouldn’t have been time to introduce a new health initiative by the autumn as the recovered disk had outlined… but did it matter now that the world had changed? Steven smiled as he remembered Lisa pointing out that he had the kind of mind that would find something suspicious on a bus ticket. A large gin and tonic and an early night were called for.

‘Where are you going?’ asked Patel. ‘The car park is straight on here.’

‘I want to drive past the pumping station.’

‘What for? Someone could see us.’ Patel sounded agitated.

‘Relax. It’s quarter past ten. There’s plenty of traffic about and we’re in an unmarked white van. I just want to make sure about the railings.’

‘But Waheed already told you.’

‘I know he did,’ said Khan, checking his mirrors and slowing slightly as they passed the pumping station.

‘See, exactly as he said,’ said Patel. ‘Five-foot railings. Now let’s go to the car park like we agreed.’

‘All right, all right… I just needed to be sure.’

Patel shot him a sideways glance. ‘Don’t you trust Waheed?’

‘Of course,’ said Khan.

Patel, unconvinced, shot him another nervous glance but didn’t say any more. The unscheduled drive-by of the pumping station had already unsettled him more than enough.

The hill car park was as deserted as Malik had predicted, but Khan still took the precaution of driving head first into a parking place so that he and Patel were facing a clump of bushes. If he’d reversed in, any vehicle entering the car park would have caught them in the sweep of its headlights. Khan switched off the engine and they sat in silence for a few minutes, the only sound being contracting metal clicks from the van.

‘Do you think we’ll ever see our families again?’ asked Patel.

‘It’s enough that they will be proud of us,’ replied Khan.

‘Yes, but-’

‘Enough. We are soldiers on a mission. We must look forward, not back.’

‘You’re right. I wonder what the camps will be like? I’ve never been abroad… you?’

‘No.’

‘Our country… but we’ve never been there. Seems strange, don’t you think?’

‘Look-’ Khan’s angry response was cut short by a vehicle entering the car park, its headlights lighting up the shrubbery briefly, causing both men to sink down in their seats.

‘It’s slowing,’ hissed Patel.

‘It’s a car park.’

Patel sat motionless, staring straight ahead while Khan monitored the car’s progress in the van’s mirrors. It circled round to the opposite side of the car park, its tyres crunching on the gravel surface, and extinguished its lights as it drew to a halt.

‘As far away as possible,’ muttered Khan. ‘Guess what they’re doing.’

Patel didn’t respond. Humour was the last thing on his mind.

Conversation between the two men was uncomfortable and sporadic for the remainder of their wait, which was punctuated by the arrival of two more cars and the departure of the original one. ‘Like rabbits,’ muttered Patel when the third car drove in.

The last car left at one thirty a.m., allowing both men to get out and relieve themselves in the bushes. ‘I thought they’d never go,’ said Khan.

‘Me too,’ said Patel. It was the friendliest exchange they’d had.

At twenty to three, Khan, after checking his watch for the umpteenth time, finally said, ‘It’s time.’ The words acted as a safety valve. Their enforced immobility, which had been acting as a magnifier of all things bad for both of them, had come to an end and they were finally on the move. The tension didn’t return until they were drifting down the hill towards the pumping station in neutral.

Khan brought the vehicle to a halt and turned off the engine. They sat for a few minutes, watching the nearby houses for any signs of life, but windows remained dark and curtains were undisturbed.

‘Ready?’

‘Ready.’ Patel reached behind him and brought the box containing the bacterial cultures into the front of the van rather than go round and open the back doors. Khan took it out his side, then Patel got out carrying the bolt cutters and both men pushed their doors gently to. They didn’t want to risk slamming them and waking the neighbours.

Khan climbed over the railings first, dropping lightly to the grass on the other side, and turning to receive the box which Patel handed to him. Patel dropped the bolt cutters on the other side and climbed over to kneel beside Khan while they looked back at the houses opposite. Still no signs of life. In a spontaneous gesture, Khan held up his hand, inviting a high-five, which Patel performed with a smile.

Then both men were suddenly blinded as half a dozen searchlights were turned on and harsh male voices yelled at them from all directions. ‘Armed police! Get down on the ground! Get down! Hands on your heads! Armed police!’

The headline news next morning was that terrorist attempts to contaminate drinking water at pumping stations supplying large parts of four major British cities had been foiled by police. It was not yet known whether other attempts had been successful or if the captured terrorists had been responsible for the first attack. The population was urged to remain vigilant. All water should be boiled until the all-clear was given.

There was an air of so-far-so-good about the COBRA meeting at ten that morning.

‘I wouldn’t like to go public on it right now,’ said the Home Secretary, ‘but I think we may have got them all. All pumping stations have been examined thoroughly and none report any signs of interference during the night. I think we have to congratulate the police and our security forces on a job very well done.’