29/10/07
7:00 AM
The Grid

Adam stood in the antechamber next to the cell their man was being held in, taking every single thing out of his pockets. He was just going to make the man aware of his situation. Nothing heavy yet. He nodded to the guard, who opened the door. He walked in.

"Good… well, I suppose it is morning now." He sat down at the table, opposite his target, who looked unsettled and tired. "Please confirm your name."

"I already told you. I'm Jason Brewer and I swear to God I didn't know what was in the bag. They just led me up to the car and said 'drive to this address in Calais, there's two thousand in cash waiting for you there'. I swear if I'd known it was a man-" Adam held up a hand.

"Now isn't that interesting?" He set the man's passport down on the table. "This passport number is registered to a Michael Neil who lives in Newcastle, and reported this passport missing a few days ago. If you look carefully at the edges, you can see where…" Adam smiled. "I'm letting professional interest run away with me. Long story short, it's a fake. It's a very good fake, I'm impressed, but it is a fake." There was a long silence. "So why don't you tell me your real name?" There was another very long silence. The man looked down. Adam leaned forwards. "I don't think you understand the gravity of your position. You've been caught trying to smuggle an interesting variety of drugs and a bound man with no fingernails left and burns all over him out of the country with a fake passport and a fake child. No jury is going to like that. So I'm going to ask you again. What is your name?"

The man hesitated. "If I talk, can you protect me?"

"Who from?"

"Can you protect me?"

"We can, doesn't mean we will. Who from?"

The man hissed. "The US feds." Adam raised his eyebrows. "Drugs charges. I got framed, so I ran. I'm an ex cop. I'll get killed if I go to jail."

"Okay, if you do well enough for us, we may be able to talk the feds in to not taking you. Your name."

The man hesitated. "Finn Goldman." Adam did not believe him.

"Next question, do you know who this man is?" Adam set a picture of Zaf on the table.

"No." Adam didn't believe that either.

"You should do. He spent an uncomfortable few hours in your car."

"He was the guy..? I told you, I never saw him. I never saw what was in the bag. I just needed money real bad."

"How did they contact you?"

"A man followed me home, Arab guy, I'd guess Afghan, right after I'd had trouble with the bank, and said I could make two thousand in a day. I didn't ask too many questions. He gave me a rendez-vous point and a time."

"When was this?"

"Two days ago."

"Where?"

"The rendez-vous was a service station on the M25."

Adam shook his head. "No, where did you torture this man?"

"I didn't! I picked up a package. I never saw him!"

"Now you have a problem." Adam said softly. "Do you know what your problem is?"

"That I'm being falsely accused of torturing someone?"

"Your problem" Adam almost whispered. "Is that this man survived. He's conscious and he's talking." Adam saw fear flicker across the man's face. "Do you know what he said when we showed him your photo?" The man had frozen. "He said you'd tortured him. So I'm going to ask you one more time. Who are you, really?"

He was met with a stony stare and silence. Adam smiled.

"Professional torturers. You think that just because you do it, you can withstand it. You think that because you can pull out a man's fingernails or put a hot iron in his crotch then walk away and have dinner with East Enders, you can take whatever I can do to you in your stride." Adam dropped his voice again and leaned closer. "Let me tell you, it's very, very different where you're sitting now." The man grabbed for Adam's throat. Adam grabbed the man's wrist and broke the hold before the guard even got to him. He stood up suddenly, gritting his teeth against the pain in his side, and twisted the man's arm, sending both chairs tumbling over. He pushed the man to the ground. He growled and spluttered in protest.

"You see." Adam said. "It's much easier to be stronger when you outnumber your victim, when you can bind his hands, deprive him of food, sleep, water…" Adam stood up. "I'm going to leave you now, give you time to consider whether you're really prepared for what will happen if you don't cooperate."