CHERUB: The Sleepwalker - Robert Muchamore Page 0,42

to light. The majority of hotline calls are graded D, which basically means they’re regarded as prank calls, nutters and time wasters.

‘I was going through the D-graded calls when I came across this one,’ Mac said, as he clicked an icon on his laptop to play a sound file.

A boy’s voice came out of the speaker. ‘I … I don’t know for sure, but I think my dad … I think …’

Then the operator’s voice. ‘Why don’t you calm down and start from the beginning?’

And finally, the boy again. ‘No … It’s just a prank, I’m sorry,’ and the call ended with a click.

Lauren was underwhelmed and Mac laughed at her expression. ‘You don’t look wildly impressed.’

‘Well, it’s not much to go on,’ Lauren said awkwardly.

‘From tiny acorns mighty oaks may grow,’ Mac smiled. ‘Of course, most acorns end up as squirrel food, but every investigation has to start somewhere and this particular lead intrigues me.’

‘When we did forensics training they used the example of a murder that was solved by a tiny flake of paint found on a wooden post,’ Lauren said.

‘A detective called Mark Love took the call,’ Mac continued. ‘He categorised it grade D and the lazy sod didn’t even bother doing a background check on the incoming number. It intrigued me because if there’s one thing thirty years of working on campus has taught me, it’s that there’s often more to what children say than meets the eye.’

‘Like what?’ Lauren asked. She leaned forward curiously, but couldn’t help wondering if Mac’s judgement had been affected by his grief.

‘How old did that boy sound to you?’ Mac asked.

‘Twelve or younger,’ Lauren said. ‘The voice hadn’t broken … I mean, it could just as easily be a girl.’

‘I’ve done background checks,’ Mac said. ‘But you’re right, I wasn’t sure about the sex at first either. The thing is, pranks are generally called in by teenagers and he sounded too young. What about the accent?’

‘Definitely Middle Eastern,’ Lauren said.

‘Anything else? What about the sound of his voice?’

‘He’s scared,’ Lauren acknowledged. ‘So what else did you get from the background checks?’

‘The phone was an unregistered pay-as-you-go, but it had been topped up several times using a debit card belonging to a woman named Yasmin Hassam and on one occasion by a credit card belonging to a Hassam Bin Hassam, who turns out to be her husband. The couple have one son, Fahim Bin Hassam, who is eleven years old. The family lives in Hampstead in North London, less than two miles from where you grew up.’

‘Not far, but it’s dead snooty. You wouldn’t find the likes of me and James living round Hampstead.’

‘I guess you wouldn’t,’ Mac agreed.

‘So Fahim’s the caller?’

Mac nodded. ‘I don’t have definitive proof, but it’s the only reasonable assumption.’

‘So what do we know about the Bin Hassams? Do they look like potential bombers?’

‘Yes and no,’ Mac said. ‘Hassam runs a trading company called Bin Hassam Dubai Mercantile, or BHDM, with his younger brother Asif. As far as I can tell, the brothers’ main business involves bulk-buying empty space on container ships leaving ports all over the world and using it to move anything they think they can sell at a profit. A lot of it is junk. Usually Chinese manufactured, stuff like the sets of cheap steak knives or tools you might find in a market or everything-for-a-pound store.

‘There are a lot of these trading companies operating out of Dubai because the Emirate offers low taxes and one of the world’s biggest container ports. Some trading companies are reputable, but an awful lot of them have shady reputations. BHDM has been prosecuted for tax evasion in India and Germany. Over here they’re on a Customs and Excise watch list of companies suspected of fraud.’

Lauren shrugged. ‘So they’re a couple of dodgy businessmen, but is there any evidence linking them to terrorism?’

‘The British intelligence service drew a blank, but the TSA does have the name Asif Bin Hassam on their no-fly list.’

Lauren leaned back. ‘TSA?’

‘Sorry,’ Mac said. ‘United States Transport Safety Administration.’

‘So the Bin Hassams must have been up to something,’ Lauren guessed.

‘It’s not as positive as it sounds,’ Mac said warily. ‘No-fly lists were introduced in 2003 and the name itself is a misnomer because people on the lists are allowed to fly, they just have to undergo rigorous extra security whenever they pass through an American airport. The major problem is that it’s a list of names only; there are no dates of birth or