Spider Shepherd 10 - True Colours (28 page)

When they reached the gates, the British soldiers travelling with them were waved through after a brief check of their ID, but when Todd and Khan tried to follow them, the two armed guards blocked their way. Khan could see the looks of contempt aimed at his black dishdasha and AK-47, but he kept his expression neutral and looked away as Todd first talked and then argued with them, his voice rising as he became increasingly frustrated.

As the captain argued with the guards, two soldiers walked over. They were not dressed like the other British soldiers he had seen, but wore shorts and sun-faded T-shirts. They were no taller than he was and did not appear particularly powerfully built, but from their lean, muscled physiques and air of relaxed self-confidence, Khan suspected they were special forces.

He heard the bigger of the two men refer to the other as ‘Spider’, presumably a nickname. Spider looked at Khan’s weapon, and then nudged his colleague. ‘Clock that, Geordie?’ he said beneath his breath. The AK-74’s orange plastic stock and magazine made it very distinctive, and Khan could tell from their expressions that they knew that this newer, improved version of the AK-47 was rare enough in the Taliban’s armoury for it only to be issued to its commanders and its most elite troops.

Todd was still arguing with the guards. ‘I’ll have you on a charge for this, I’m warning you!’ he said.

‘What’s the problem, Captain?’ the one called Geordie said.

‘This guard is refusing to let us into the compound,’ Todd said, brushing his hair back from his eyes.

Geordie’s face broke into a grin. ‘That’s probably because you’ve got an armed and unknown Afghan with you,’ he said. Khan noticed that he didn’t call the officer ‘Sir’, even though Todd was a captain and the other man was obviously from the ranks.

‘This man is Ahmad Khan, a Surrendered Enemy Personnel,’ Todd said.

‘Well, that doesn’t carry too much weight in these parts,’ Geordie said. ‘I can tell you from my own experience that SEPs are like junkies – they’re only with you long enough to get their next fix – cash, weapons, whatever – and then they’re gone again. With respect, Captain, no experienced guy would trust an SEP as far as he could throw him.’

Todd glared at him. ‘This man has vital intelligence I need to put before the boss and I am not going to exclude him from the compound just because of your prejudice against SEPs and perhaps Afghans in general.’

The soldier called Spider glanced from one to the other and then made a calming gesture to both of them with his hands. ‘It’s not about prejudice,’ he said. ‘It’s based on bitter experience. We’ve had more than our fair share of green on blue attacks out here.’ He pointed at Khan’s rifle. ‘One: He’s carrying a loaded AK-74. Only the top guys in the Taliban carry them. So he’s not some tribesman picking up a few extra dollars for fighting the
faranji
invaders, he’s one of their leaders. Two: This is a secure compound. Not even a Brit would get in here without being vetted or vouched for, and yet you’re trying to bring an armed Taliban fighter in here.’

‘The thing is, Captain,’ Geordie said, emphasising his point by jabbing his finger towards him, ‘you’re not only jeopardising the safety of everyone here, but you’d better watch your own back, because I’d take odds that he’d rub you out if he thought he could get away with it.’

‘Your comments are noted,’ Todd said, struggling to keep his anger under control. ‘Now step aside, the OC needs to hear what he has to say.’

The two guards – both paratroopers – stood their ground, with their weapons ready to fire.

‘With the greatest of respect, Captain, they’re not going to let you in while your SEP has a loaded weapon,’ Spider said. ‘But if he unloads his weapon and leaves the magazine and his ammunition belt with the guards, he can probably be allowed into the compound. He can pick them up again on his way out.’

Khan glanced at Todd, then shrugged and began unloading his rifle, but no Afghan man, let alone a warrior, would willingly be deprived of his weapon and he glared at the two SAS men as he did so.

‘Do you speak English?’ Geordie asked Khan as he handed his ammunition belt and magazine to one of the guards.

‘Enough,’ Khan said.

‘What’s your name?’

‘Ahmad Khan.’

‘Well, Ahmad Khan, you’d better be on your best behaviour while you’re here, because we’ll be watching you.’

Khan smiled. He was on their ground, not his, but he was not going to be bullied or intimidated by them. ‘Do I scare you, soldier?’ he said. ‘Is that it? Yes, I can see the fear in your eyes.’ He smiled again as Geordie’s fists clenched despite himself.

‘You don’t scare me, mate,’ he said. ‘I’ve slotted more than my fair share of guys like you.’

Khan’s smile did not waver. ‘Tread carefully, my friend. We Afghans are a proud people. We don’t give in to threats, nor tolerate insults to our honour.’

‘Leave it, Geordie,’ Spider said at last, breaking the growing silence and putting a hand on Geordie’s shoulder. ‘He can’t hurt anyone now.’ He nodded to Todd. ‘Morning prayers are about to start,’ he said, puzzling Khan, for he had seen no sign that any of the troops he had met were religious men.

‘He means our morning briefing,’ Todd said, seeing his baffled expression. ‘I’m afraid you won’t be able to accompany me – security, need to know, and all that stuff – but make yourself as comfortable as you can,’ he said with a rueful smile, gesturing at a makeshift waiting area near the gates consisting of tattered deckchairs and upturned ammunition boxes, ‘and I’ll be back as soon as possible.’

Todd whistled to a soldier who’d been doing his morning run. ‘Corporal, look after our Afghan friend for a few minutes, would you?’ He caught Khan’s look and gave a sheepish grin. ‘Sorry, camp regulations: no unescorted visitors.’ He turned and hurried after Spider and Geordie into the mud-brick building.

Ignoring the soldier, Khan squatted down in the dust in the pool of shade cast by a shipping container, and settled himself for a long wait. About an hour later he saw Todd emerge from the building with a face like thunder and stride off across the compound to a group of soldiers clustering around a tent as they prepared themselves for a patrol. Khan watched as Todd moved from group to group and had a long conversation with two of their sergeants, but when he at last turned and walked back towards Khan, he was accompanied by three of the soldiers and had a smile back on his face.

‘OK,’ he said to Khan. ‘It’s on, though I’ve had a hell of a job convincing them. I’m afraid that some of my colleagues just don’t trust you – I can’t entirely blame them, because there have been some unfortunate incidents in the past – but if this all goes smoothly, that should not be an issue in the future.’ He paused, checking Khan’s expression before he continued. ‘These three men will be your escort,’ he said, gesturing to the soldiers.

‘You are not coming with me?’ Khan said. He kept his voice even but Todd read the message in his eyes and flushed with embarrassment. ‘I’m afraid the boss has vetoed me going with you, but these Paras are good guys and can handle themselves if there’s any trouble. Though obviously I’m not expecting there to be any,’ he added hastily as he saw Khan’s expression. ‘The RV with your fighters is in an area that has been pacified by us and is peaceful, at least during daylight hours. So one vehicle and three men should be all we’ll need.’

Khan looked at the faces of the Paras that Todd had assembled and was immediately struck by how young and fresh faced they looked, compared to his own battle-hardened men. ‘
Insh’allah
there will not be,’ he said. He wondered again whether the trust and loyalty his men felt for him personally and the dislike they felt for their other commanders would be enough to outweigh their tribal loyalty to the Taliban. He glanced at his wristwatch. Russian-made and taken from the wrist of a dead Soviet soldier many years before. It still kept perfect time. ‘The rendezvous is in four hours,’ he said. ‘And it is always wise to be the first to arrive, so we need to leave as soon as your men are ready.’

Todd sent the three Paras off to collect their kit and then turned back to Khan. ‘You won’t let me down, will you?’ he said. ‘I’ve staked my own reputation, such as it is, on this.’

‘I have my own reasons – and, with respect, they are far more powerful than yours – for wanting this to succeed. My daughter’s future, perhaps even her life, depends on it.’ He held Todd’s gaze and the Englishman was the first to look away.

The Paras loaded their gear into a Land Rover with a General Purpose Machine Gun mounted on the bonnet. Each of the three men was also armed with an M16 rifle. Khan’s AK-74 and his magazines and ammunition were given back to him and he cradled the weapon in his lap as he sat in the back alongside one of the Paras. As they drove out of the compound, Khan saw Spider and Geordie standing off to one side, watching him. The expressions on their faces showed that they did not trust him an inch.

‘It’s him,’ said McIntyre. ‘It’s definitely him. No question.’ Shepherd, McIntyre and Harper were sitting in Shepherd’s X5 in the street opposite the house occupied by the man they used to know as Ahmad Khan. McIntyre was in the back of the car, directly behind Shepherd.

‘What do you think, Lex?’ asked Shepherd, moving to the side to give him a better view.

‘The eye’s the giveaway,’ said Harper. ‘The beard’s shorter and he’s older but then we’re all getting older, aren’t we?’

‘I’d be happier seeing him in Afghan dress,’ said Shepherd. ‘The Western clothing is throwing me off.’ Khan was wearing baggy brown corduroy trousers and what appeared to be carpet slippers, and a green quilted jerkin over a dark brown pullover. On his head was a knitted skullcap. ‘But the way he moves, the way he carries himself, it all feels right.’ Khan had left a terraced house in the Hammersmith street and was walking purposefully away from them, his arms swinging freely at his sides.

‘Yeah, if he had an AK-74 slung over his shoulder then we’d know for sure,’ said Harper. ‘Can we get closer?’

‘If he recognises any of us then we’ll blow it,’ said Shepherd.

‘Why would he recognise us?’ asked Harper. ‘It’s been more than ten years and we probably all look the same to him.’

‘He got up close and personal with me,’ said Shepherd. ‘And you tend to remember the people you’ve shot. I know I do.’

‘I don’t know why we’re even discussing this,’ said McIntyre. ‘It’s him. Even without the eye I’d know him anywhere.’

‘Yeah, I think you’re right,’ said Shepherd. He shook his head. ‘No, I don’t think. I know. It’s him.’

‘Yeah, that milky eye nails it,’ said Harper.

‘So what do we do?’ asked McIntyre.

‘We take it one step at a time,’ said Shepherd.

‘Sod that,’ said Harper. ‘Let’s just slot the bastard. He’s due, Spider. He’s overdue. After what he did to you and the captain.’

‘Have you got a gun on you, Lex?’ asked Shepherd. ‘This isn’t Afghanistan. Everything we do from now on has be planned out in advance and executed flawlessly otherwise we’ll all end up behind bars.’

The man disappeared around a corner. ‘So what do you want to do?’ asked Harper.

‘We need intel,’ said Shepherd. ‘We need to see who he’s living with.’ He gestured at the house. ‘That’s one house, it’s not been subdivided into flats. So he probably lives with someone. His family maybe. We need to find out where he works. What his movements are.’

‘Here’s what I don’t get,’ said Jock. ‘The last time we saw him he was taking pot shots at us in Pakistan. How does he end up here?’

‘That’s a good question,’ said Shepherd. ‘He was involved in that money-clearing house that was channelling funds for al-Qaeda. Maybe he pocketed some of the cash himself and used it to buy his way into the country.’

Harper nodded in agreement. ‘Ten grand will buy you a genuine UK passport,’ he said.

‘A fake, you mean?’ said McIntyre.

‘No, the real thing,’ said Harper. ‘There’s a whole industry geared up for it. They use genuine citizens who don’t need a passport. They effectively buy up the identity and apply for a passport using a different photograph.’

‘Sounds like the voice of experience,’ said Shepherd.

‘I’ve got three, under different names,’ said Harper. ‘A British one, an Irish one and a German one. All kosher. The only drawback is facial recognition. If you’re on two different databases under different names then facial recognition will catch you out. But if Khan’s new identity is the only one in the system then he can stay here for ever without being found out.’

‘What do you need three passports for?’ asked McIntyre.

‘It’s a long story,’ said Harper. He sat back in his seat and pulled out his cigarettes. He showed the pack to Shepherd. ‘OK if I smoke?’

‘Sure, it’s not my car,’ said Shepherd. ‘Just crack the window open.’

Harper opened the window a few inches and lit a cigarette. He offered the pack to McIntyre but he shook his head.

‘Assuming it is him, what then?’ asked Harper.

‘We slot him,’ said McIntyre quickly. ‘Maybe kick the shit out of him first.’

‘Spider?’

Shepherd sighed. In his heart he knew that he had already decided what he was going to do, but he was finding it difficult to say the words out loud. Ahmad Khan deserved to die for what he had done back in Afghanistan, but deserving to die and committing a cold-blooded murder were two very different things.

‘Spider?’ repeated Harper.

Images flashed through Shepherd’s mind. The gaping wound in Captain Todd’s throat and the frothy blood that oozed from between his lips. The splintered skull and the mangled brain tissue beneath it. The look of panic in the young captain’s eyes before the life had drained from them. ‘Yeah, it has to be done,’ said Shepherd quietly.

‘Then how?’ asked Harper.

‘How?’ repeated Shepherd.

‘Ways and means,’ said Harper. ‘We’re going to need guns, right? Unless you’re planning something more creative.’ He laughed. ‘I’m sure you MI5 guys have all sorts of tricks up your sleeves.’

‘MI5 doesn’t kill people,’ said Shepherd. ‘We don’t have a licence to kill. It’s not like the movies.’

‘Just because you don’t have a licence to kill doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen,’ said Harper. ‘It’ll be handled by a department you’ll never hear about. Remember that scientist, the one involved in the weapons of mass destruction nonsense. Are you telling me that MI5 didn’t top him and try to make it look like suicide? And that guy who fastened himself up in a kitbag in the bath?’