CHERUB: The Sleepwalker (20 page)

‘I only said CHERUB by mistake. It’s one little word.’

‘Easily done when you’re nervous,’ Mac acknowledged. ‘But it was a stupid thing to even mention and you’ve done enough role-playing exercises on campus to know better. However, it’s the incident outside the school that really troubles me. What in the name of
god
possessed you to start a fight against six boys so much bigger than yourself?’

‘You might have a black belt, but you’re not superman,’ Lauren added. ‘And the way you kicked that guy in the head, he could have ended up with brain damage.’

Jake made a sorry figure with his bandages and his crumpled school uniform. He was clearly shaken up, but Lauren thought Jake was too cocky for his own good and reckoned the dose of harsh reality would do him good.

‘You’re extremely lucky that Lauren arrived when she did,’ Mac said.

‘But she took ages getting there,’ Jake said. ‘I sent her a text.’

This was the one area where Lauren realised she was at fault. ‘I could have stayed by the gates instead of under the bus shelter,’ she admitted. ‘But I belted over there as soon as I got his message.’

‘And was I supposed to stand there and let Fahim get beaten up?’

‘You should have waited for Lauren,’ Mac said. ‘What do we teach you in training about fights getting out of control?’

‘OK,’ Jake said bitterly. ‘I know.’

‘What do we teach you?’ Mac insisted. ‘Say it.’

Jake shook his head, but he didn’t dare tut. ‘Gangs pose a much greater threat in a violent situation because the presence of other gang members means that they all egg each other on.’

‘I already pulled you off and told you not to butt in at nine o’clock this morning,’ Lauren added. ‘What if one of them had a knife? What state would you have ended up in if I’d arrived two minutes later?’

Jake stood up and shouted, ‘Lauren, piss off, OK? I know I messed up, but have you got to keep rubbing it in?’

‘Get your arse back on that chair,’ Mac barked, finally losing his cool. ‘Lauren is an experienced agent. This isn’t a game, Jake. This isn’t you hanging around on campus with your mates. Several people ended up seriously hurt, you and Lauren are lucky to have got off relatively unscathed and for all we know the police are going to want to question the pair of you about the fight. If they want to talk to Fahim and it gets back to his father, he won’t let you two anywhere near his house and our mission will be blown before you’ve even got through the front door.’

Jake opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but instead he sobbed, ‘I said I was sorry.’

Lauren had never seen Jake as anything other than Bethany’s annoying kid brother, but seeing him cry made her feel horrible. She remembered how worried she’d been before her first mission and the sense of relief when she didn’t mess up.

‘Can I be excused?’ Jake said, trying to disguise his tears as Mac handed him a square of kitchen towel to wipe his face.

‘Can you sort out the police?’ Lauren asked.

‘I expect so,’ Mac sighed. ‘I’ve already contacted campus and hopefully the officers will get a message from above telling them not to investigate the fight too closely.’

Jake looked sadly at Lauren. ‘Please don’t tell Bethany about this,’ he begged. ‘I don’t want everyone on campus ribbing me.’

After all Jake’s smart-arsed comments, there was part of Lauren that wanted to see him humiliated. But for their mission to work, the two agents had to trust each other.

‘I’ll make you a deal,’ Lauren said. ‘I’ll keep this quiet, but you’ve got to stop acting crazy and start listening to what I say.’

‘OK,’ Jake said, as he rubbed his eye with the back of his hand.

‘We all make mistakes, Jake,’ Mac said, sounding less angry. ‘The important thing is to make sure you learn from them.’

Lauren met Fahim as he stepped off the bus in his uniform. They had a full hour until school started.

‘Where’s Jake?’ Fahim asked, as they walked towards a workman’s café.

‘Battered ribs,’ Lauren replied. ‘He’s basically OK, but he’s not really up to argy-bargy in school corridors.’

‘Or another encounter with Alom and his crew,’ Fahim smiled.

‘The school called the police, but Mac squished the investigation,’ Lauren explained. ‘Officially, they’re investigating conflicting evidence about the fight. Unofficially, the cops will sit on the evidence for a few days before letting it drop.’

‘Your people can do that?’

Lauren nodded. ‘You can’t stop a murder investigation or something massive like that, but the intelligence services can lean on senior police officers to make sure that our routine break-ins and punch-ups wind up at the bottom of the investigator’s pile.’

‘Did you hear any news about the gang?’ Fahim asked.

‘Jake broke one guy’s jaw and the one Jake kicked unconscious will have a headache for a few days. The others were just cuts and bruises.’

‘The way you two fight,’ Fahim said, smiling admiringly. ‘It must be so cool just walking into a room and knowing that you can annihilate anyone if they give you hassle. If I join CHERUB, how long would it take me to get really good?’

‘You can pick up most techniques with six months of intensive training, but mastering all of them takes years.’

‘Can’t wait,’ Fahim grinned.

‘You probably won’t get in,’ Lauren warned. ‘I’m not trying to be big-headed about myself, but cherubs are hand-picked. As well as basic intelligence, you need to be mentally and physically fit. There’s a big chance you won’t even pass the recruitment tests, let alone basic training.’

‘I know, Lauren. But I want a shot and that’s all I’m asking for.’

‘We can promise you that,’ Lauren said.

The café was a kilometre away from Camden Central and it was crowded out with builders and taxi drivers eating fried breakfasts, but there was enough background noise to hold a quiet conversation without being overheard.

Mac was seated at a table at the rear of the café and Fahim took an instant liking to his bald head and soft Scottish tones.

‘I think this is everything you asked for,’ Mac said, as he slid a laser-printed sheet across the laminate table top.

A waitress took orders for tea and toast as Fahim studied the sheet carefully. As well as a shot at joining CHERUB, the document promised him a new identity and a home with an adopted family. Money would be available for a private education if Fahim wanted one, and he would be provided for up until he completed university, including a gap year, a second-hand car when he passed his driving test and a twenty-five per cent deposit on his first home.

‘It’s the same package that CHERUB agents get,’ Mac said reassuringly. ‘If any of your father’s assets are seized under anti-terrorist legislation, the money will be put into a trust fund for you. Obviously, none of this applies if your mother is found.’

Fahim looked at Lauren. ‘Do you have a trust fund?’

‘Uh-huh,’ Lauren said. ‘My mum owned her flat and had another one she rented out. The insurance paid off both mortgages when she died. She also had some antique jewellery in a safety deposit box and a bit of cash. Me and my brother will get half each when we leave CHERUB.’

‘OK,’ Fahim smiled. ‘Where do I sign?’

‘There’s no such thing as a contract under these circumstances,’ Mac explained. ‘For official purposes, CHERUB doesn’t exist. I could go through the charade of writing out a contract, but it wouldn’t be worth the paper it was written on. All I can give you is my word.’

‘And mine,’ Lauren added. ‘You’ll be looked after, Fahim. I swear on my life.’

Fahim hesitated for a moment, before smiling uneasily. ‘It’s not like I have a lot of options,’ he said. ‘What about my mum? Are the cops looking for her, or trying to find a body?’

‘I’ve put out some discreet feelers,’ Mac said. ‘But it’s difficult to conduct an investigation without letting your father know that we’re on to him. Our first task is to gather enough evidence to arrest your father, then we can launch a proper search for your mother.’

‘Fair enough,’ Fahim nodded. He was trying to stay calm, but his emotions crept into his voice. ‘I couldn’t sleep last night and the more I thought about it, the more sure I was that she’s dead. She knows what my dad’s like. There’s no way she’d just leave me with him, and even if she was in hospital or something she’d have found a way to call my mobile.’

‘You might be right,’ Mac said mournfully. ‘But I’ve worked on many investigations over the years and the one thing I’ve learned is that you can never be sure of anything until there’s hard evidence in front of you.’

‘I hope you’re right,’ Fahim nodded. ‘The good news is that my dad’s left microwave spaghetti and meatballs. He’s got a meeting and when I asked when he’d be home he said he had a table booked at a restaurant at half-seven.’

‘Perfect,’ Lauren smiled.

‘That’s really excellent, Fahim,’ Mac said. ‘So when your dad goes out, he just leaves you alone? There isn’t a neighbour who keeps an eye out, or anything?’

‘The cleaning lady is gone by the time I get in from school and I’ve never even met the neighbours,’ Fahim said. ‘They’re on the other side of a dirty great wall. Dad tells me not to let anyone in the front gates and let the machine answer the phone and not to pick it up unless it’s him or Uncle Asif.’

*

The empty house was a golden opportunity to install surveillance equipment. To maximise the effectiveness of the operation, Mac arranged for three extra bodies to drive down from CHERUB campus. These were Bethany Parker, who was on holiday but keen to spend time with Lauren, plus retired agents Dave Moss and Jake McEwen who were helping out around campus until they went back to university in a few weeks’ time.

As an extra precaution Mac staked out the luxury home from inside a BMW 5-series with blacked-out windows. As Fahim predicted, the cleaning lady left at three followed half an hour later by Hassam and his brother Asif.

McEwen picked Lauren and Fahim up from school in a people carrier, which already had Bethany and Dave Moss inside. Fahim’s presence meant they couldn’t talk openly about life on campus, but Lauren couldn’t resist winding up the two white shirts about how she’d outwitted them in the training exercise two weeks earlier.

‘Don’t tease, sweetcakes,’ McEwen growled. ‘You might be a girl, but don’t think I won’t dip that blonde mop down a shitter if you wind me up.’

Lauren turned to see Bethany drawing a line across her throat. ‘Cut it out, he’s psycho,’ she mouthed.

Fahim and Lauren jumped out of the people carrier half a kilometre from his house. They met Jake on the corner of his road. He’d spent most of the day lying on his bed, alternating between sulking and playing on his PS3.

‘You OK?’ Fahim asked. ‘You were
amazing
yesterday afternoon.’

Jake smiled. ‘It was nothing,’ he said casually. ‘I should be OK for school tomorrow.’

But his smile melted the instant he saw Lauren. He was terrified that Lauren might have told Bethany about him crying the night before.

‘Mind you,’ Fahim added, ‘Lauren saved your butt. Another two minutes and those guys would have
killed
you.’

‘Was there any trouble over the punch-up at school?’ Jake asked.

‘Rumours flying about that Alom’s mob got their arses kicked,’ Lauren said. ‘There was an appeal for witnesses in morning assembly and a few kids who knew the score hassled me, but I just told everyone to mind their own.’

‘But we’re not in trouble?’ Jake asked.

‘Doesn’t look like it,’ Lauren said. ‘I saw Alom in the corridor and he cacked himself and legged it.’

‘We’re lucky it was outside of school,’ Fahim added. ‘If I got suspended I’d be screwed.’

By this time they were up to the gates. Mac lowered the tinted window of the BMW across the street and gave Lauren a nod, indicating that it was OK to move in.

The tall metal gates led on to thirty metres of brick driveway, but Fahim had a key for the metal door built into the brick pillar alongside them.

‘I’m home,’ Fahim shouted, as he came through the front door into the marble hallway. ‘Anyone in?’

Lauren was intimidated by the echoing marble hallway and the abstract paintings on the walls. It felt more like a museum than a home.

‘Check all the rooms quickly,’ Lauren said. ‘Then we’ll take out the CCTV so that we can bring the van up the drive.’

Fahim was sure nobody was in, but checked every room in the house and the office annexe just in case. After the survey he found a key in a kitchen drawer and opened up a panel built into the wall under the curved staircase. The four VCRs stacked inside were linked to the security cameras outside the house.

‘Do you know anything about how it works?’ Lauren asked.

‘I’m not supposed to touch it,’ Fahim said. ‘But it’s just like using a normal video, except that the tapes go for seventy-two hours.’

Lauren looked inside the cupboard, while Jake pulled one of the VCRs out gently and turned it sideways to look at the leads plugged in the back.

‘Just phono cables running from the video cameras,’ Jake said. ‘Nothing special.’

Lauren flipped her phone open and called Mac. ‘I’m in front of the CCTV system. It looks pretty basic, but I want an OK from you before I disconnect it.’

Mac sounded confident. ‘There’s a direct debit going out of Hassam’s bank account to the security company for thirty pounds a month. I called them up pretending to be a customer and that’s the fee for their standard call-out package. They’ll come out if the burglar alarm goes off, but there’s no remote video surveillance or anything like that.’

‘You’re the boss,’ Lauren said.

She went down the row of VCRs and stopped each tape from recording.

‘There will be a gap in the recorded footage, but that doesn’t prove anything,’ Lauren explained to Fahim. ‘In the unlikely event that your dad does decide to play it back, just deny everything.’

Two minutes later, Fahim opened the gate and McEwen drove the Volkswagen people carrier up the driveway. Bethany dashed inside, while Dave opened the back and took out a pair of laptop computers and a cricket bag filled with surveillance equipment.