29/10/07
10:15 AM
Ashford

"This isn't a public place," Ros said as Jo put the handbrake on outside Laura Mullin's address. Jo looked at her. "So this is a much higher risk for a snatch than the hospital was, so we go together." Jo nodded. "You take point on this one, you can use your real ID, but if she's willing to talk anyway, don't."

"You sure?"

"About what?"

"Me taking point."

"I did the first two and this isn't an interrogation. It isn't hard. It's just asking what she's told to who, if anyone."

Jo nodded. "Okay." She got out of the car. Ros followed a pace behind her. They climbed the four steps up to the door and Jo rang the bell. They waited maybe a minute before the door was opened, on a chain, by a young woman with mouse brown hair, maybe three inches shorter than Jo.

"Hello?"

"Doctor Mullin?"

"Yes, who's asking?"

"May we come in?"

"Who is we?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Jo saw Ros nod. "MI5."

"What is it this time?" She asked, taking the door off the chain.

"This time?" Jo asked, stepping over the threshold.

"Well, it was the CIA on Saturday. I'm starting to feel like nothing can surprise me."

"Go on?" Jo prompted.

"They wanted to talk about someone who'd been brought in that morning."

On the same day as Zaf then. "Who?" Jo asked.

Doctor Mullin hesitated. "I don't remember what they said his name was, they said he was masterminding a massive school bombing plot in the USA."

Jo frowned. "We might know who you're talking about, what else can you remember about him?"

"Ah… Can I see some ID?" Doctor Mullin asked. Jo took hers out, Ros did the same. The Doctor glanced over them, then carried on. "He was middle eastern looking, probably would have stood a bit under six feet tall, early thirties" That would fit with Zaf.

"Can you tell us what sort of injuries he came in with?" Ros asked.

"Ah… he came in drugged out, opioid and ketamine mix, couldn't stand when we revived him, fingernails pulled out, just covered in bruises and burns-"

That sounded more like Zaf. Ros pulled a photo out of her pocket. "This man?" Doctor Mullin took the photo and studied it. It was a year-old photo, an ID shot of Zaf staring straight at the camera. Jo could imagine that he hadn't looked much like that when Mullin had seen him.

"I… I think so, yes."

"Then I'm sorry to tell you, Doctor," Ros started, "you've been misinformed."

"This man is not a terrorist." Jo continued. "In fact, he's very valuable to MI5 in neutralising terrorist threats."

"Did the man claiming to be CIA ever show you any sort of ID?" Ros asked.

"No, he… he said they don't carry ID because it can get them killed."

"Not while talking to a doctor." Ros said coldly. "When did this happen?"

"Saturday, about nine PM."

"Since then, there's been an attempt on the life of the man he asked you about." Doctor Mullin's face fell.

"I… I'm so, so sorry. I honestly thought the man was a CIA agent. I honestly thought he needed to know."

"I believe you." Ros said calmly "But we now need to find this CIA agent. What can you tell us about him?"

"He ah… he was probably 5 foot 6, Caucasian, probably mid thirties, dark hair."

"Was he any of these men?" Jo asked, taking out three photographs and setting them on the coffee table. One of them was a CCTV frame Truro had managed to get of the man who'd tried to kill Zaf and knifed Adam, the other two were just stock photos. One of them, according to Malcolm, had been Adam's predecessor.

"Him." Doctor Mullin said, after a moment, tapping the photo from Truro.