taken.’
He scratched his chin, warming to the idea. ‘I’d be seeing the world, getting out and about.’ He paused, his eyes glazing over. ‘I’d go to Vegas.’
She was surprised. ‘That’s not very Muslim.’
He roared with laughter. ‘Not very Muslim! If I started a list of non-Muslim things we’d be here all day.’
‘OK, point taken.’
‘I’d go to New York too, though I’d be too scared to get out of my seat to use the toilet on the plane in case they got suspicious of me even standing in the aisle. Before you know it, I could be in Guantanamo or somewhere.’
‘You’re from Cricklewood, Mo, not Kandahar.’ She grinned. ‘The only crimes you’ll be committing are crimes against fashion.’
‘Ouch. Any more of that and I’ll make you listen to my dad’s sitar music—’
Georgie was in the swing of it now. She started singing: ‘Come with me, I’ve got the keys to my Dad’s MPV …’
‘I’ll put all seven seats down for her, make her feel special,’ added Mo.
They both laughed. Mo sat back, thinking. ‘You need money to travel.’ He paused. ‘You know, that’s the thing about poverty, it keeps you indoors. You’ve got no money to go out, so you have to stay in.’
Georgie looked back down at the few phone calls Kelly had made. Poverty stunted friendships, too. No money to go out, no money to have fun. The bill was at odds with the opulence of the house they’d visited. Georgie made a note of that. She came from a family where things that didn’t add up were things that were worth looking into. Kelly Malamatos merited her attention. She got up and walked towards Angus’s office, glancing back to make sure Mo wasn’t watching before she adjusted her bra strap, checked there was nothing horrid stuck to her teeth and tightened her pony tail. Miracles might happen and he might one day notice her …
Angus was trying to fish a tea bag out of a mug and balance it on a pen to get it to the waste bin somewhere at his feet. He glanced up as she entered and the tea bag plopped on to a pile of paperwork on his desk, splattering at least five forms. Angus swore.
‘Sorry,’ she said, as he picked up the paper and slid the tea bag off, she presumed into the bin. Why she felt the need to apologise for his irrational way of making a cuppa she tried not to dwell on.
‘Yes?’
‘I need to run something past you.’
Angus licked the tea off the end of the pen and nodded.
‘I’ve got a file on Kelly Malamatos here, but there’s hardly any information at all. If you type her into the computer it says access denied. What’s that mean?’
‘Don’t get overexcited. It could mean something or it could mean nothing. The file’s been lost, it’s a computer glitch’ – they both nodded – ‘she’s working secretly for the security services … I have no idea, and unless I’m told otherwise by my boss, I’ve learned to stay away from that sort of thing. Get yourself tangled in that kind of politics and …’ He shuddered. ‘You sure this is a fruitful line of enquiry?’ Angus reached behind him for a pint carton of milk.
Georgie ploughed on. ‘Well, that’s my point really. What I did find is that she lodged a complaint about domestic violence by her husband a year ago but then didn’t want to pursue it. We should talk to her, dig a bit deeper.’
‘Your tip-off theory. So bring her in.’
‘I think it might be better to meet her on her own turf. Mo and I could follow her and make an approach—’
Angus put the carton down fast. ‘Ever hear of budgets? This investigation can’t justify the kind of surveillance you’re suggesting.’
She wasn’t going to be beaten. ‘You said yourself that you suspect what we found in that ship is just a fraction of what Christos might be smuggling. If it’s true then it makes sense to make a proportionate effort. You mention politics, but I bet a high-profile environmental prosecution is just the good news the PRs are
He scratched his chin, warming to the idea. ‘I’d be seeing the world, getting out and about.’ He paused, his eyes glazing over. ‘I’d go to Vegas.’
She was surprised. ‘That’s not very Muslim.’
He roared with laughter. ‘Not very Muslim! If I started a list of non-Muslim things we’d be here all day.’
‘OK, point taken.’
‘I’d go to New York too, though I’d be too scared to get out of my seat to use the toilet on the plane in case they got suspicious of me even standing in the aisle. Before you know it, I could be in Guantanamo or somewhere.’
‘You’re from Cricklewood, Mo, not Kandahar.’ She grinned. ‘The only crimes you’ll be committing are crimes against fashion.’
‘Ouch. Any more of that and I’ll make you listen to my dad’s sitar music—’
Georgie was in the swing of it now. She started singing: ‘Come with me, I’ve got the keys to my Dad’s MPV …’
‘I’ll put all seven seats down for her, make her feel special,’ added Mo.
They both laughed. Mo sat back, thinking. ‘You need money to travel.’ He paused. ‘You know, that’s the thing about poverty, it keeps you indoors. You’ve got no money to go out, so you have to stay in.’
Georgie looked back down at the few phone calls Kelly had made. Poverty stunted friendships, too. No money to go out, no money to have fun. The bill was at odds with the opulence of the house they’d visited. Georgie made a note of that. She came from a family where things that didn’t add up were things that were worth looking into. Kelly Malamatos merited her attention. She got up and walked towards Angus’s office, glancing back to make sure Mo wasn’t watching before she adjusted her bra strap, checked there was nothing horrid stuck to her teeth and tightened her pony tail. Miracles might happen and he might one day notice her …
Angus was trying to fish a tea bag out of a mug and balance it on a pen to get it to the waste bin somewhere at his feet. He glanced up as she entered and the tea bag plopped on to a pile of paperwork on his desk, splattering at least five forms. Angus swore.
‘Sorry,’ she said, as he picked up the paper and slid the tea bag off, she presumed into the bin. Why she felt the need to apologise for his irrational way of making a cuppa she tried not to dwell on.
‘Yes?’
‘I need to run something past you.’
Angus licked the tea off the end of the pen and nodded.
‘I’ve got a file on Kelly Malamatos here, but there’s hardly any information at all. If you type her into the computer it says access denied. What’s that mean?’
‘Don’t get overexcited. It could mean something or it could mean nothing. The file’s been lost, it’s a computer glitch’ – they both nodded – ‘she’s working secretly for the security services … I have no idea, and unless I’m told otherwise by my boss, I’ve learned to stay away from that sort of thing. Get yourself tangled in that kind of politics and …’ He shuddered. ‘You sure this is a fruitful line of enquiry?’ Angus reached behind him for a pint carton of milk.
Georgie ploughed on. ‘Well, that’s my point really. What I did find is that she lodged a complaint about domestic violence by her husband a year ago but then didn’t want to pursue it. We should talk to her, dig a bit deeper.’
‘Your tip-off theory. So bring her in.’
‘I think it might be better to meet her on her own turf. Mo and I could follow her and make an approach—’
Angus put the carton down fast. ‘Ever hear of budgets? This investigation can’t justify the kind of surveillance you’re suggesting.’
She wasn’t going to be beaten. ‘You said yourself that you suspect what we found in that ship is just a fraction of what Christos might be smuggling. If it’s true then it makes sense to make a proportionate effort. You mention politics, but I bet a high-profile environmental prosecution is just the good news the PRs are
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