though? Especially when there’s no definite link to terrorism.’
‘The risk is very slight,’ Mac answered. ‘It’s similar to the risk we take every time we bring a candidate to campus to undergo recruitment tests, and it’s easily outweighed by the benefits. We know Fahim has already toyed with the idea of going to the police and an open approach is faster.
‘Instead of taking a week or more to form a friendship and infiltrate Fahim’s home, we can approach and lay our cards on the table within forty-eight hours of the mission starting. If he refuses to cooperate, we can apply pressure by telling Fahim that the police will be forced to arrest his father and ask why he called the hotline.’
‘It’s better to be friendly though, isn’t it?’ Jake asked.
‘Always,’ Mac nodded. ‘A contact who wants to cooperate is more reliable than someone acting under duress. I only want you to turn the thumbscrews if you can’t win Fahim’s trust.’
‘Gotcha, boss,’ Jake said.
Lauren was less than thrilled by the limited evidence behind Mac’s mission, but Jake’s obvious excitement made her realise how jaded she’d become with experience.
Mac continued. ‘Another factor in our favour is that Fahim is an isolated figure. Yasmin Hassam has disappeared. Fahim’s only other close family member is his father and his history of emotional problems means that he’ll hardly make a credible witness if he claims that he was approached by child spies.’
‘So when do me and Jake move into position?’ Lauren asked.
‘ASAP. We’ve sorted accommodation close to where Fahim lives. That way you’ll be able to travel back and forward to school on the same bus as him.’
‘And who’s our mission controller?’ Lauren asked. ‘You?’
Mac nodded. ‘I haven’t worked as a mission controller for nigh on twenty years, but everyone else is snowed under and I’ll be able to continue working through the daily intelligence briefings relating to the crash while you’re out at school.’
Jake broke into a smile. ‘You’re too old to be one of our parents though. We’ll have to say you’re our granddad.’
Mac had just lost a grandson and Lauren thought Jake was being insensitive, but Mac seemed to see the funny side and he gave Jake a gentle crack on the knuckles with his ruler.
20. CLEAN
On a weekday the lunchtime rush didn’t amount to more than ten people in the Deluxe Chicken restaurant and the queue at the counter rarely extended beyond three.
‘Hello,’ Kerry said brightly, as she stood in front of a till in her nylon shirt and paper hat. ‘Welcome to Deluxe Chicken, may I take your order?’
The customer resembled a hot-air balloon swaddled in a leather jacket and her body spray overpowered the smell of cooking fat.
‘I want two Deluxe Mega Meals, one with Fanta, one with baked beans,’ she said. ‘And I’ve got the half-price coupon from this morning’s paper.’
Kerry looked at the hand-torn square of newspaper, then turned around and peered through the aluminium shelves stacked with fries and chicken pieces.
‘Excuse me … Gemma, Gabriel?’ Kerry shouted, but they’d all disappeared.
She looked frantically at the grid of buttons on the till. Then she noticed one for discount and pressed it, but the screen said enter code and she didn’t know what that meant and she didn’t want to mess it up.
‘I’m sorry,’ Kerry said to the customer. ‘I don’t know which button to press to get the discount on the till.’
She walked around behind the counter, where she found Gemma, James and another assistant called Randall crouching behind the area where the burgers and chicken were prepared with grins on their faces.
‘Stop taking the piss and come help me,’ Kerry said fiercely.
James laughed as Gemma stood up and walked around to the counter. She gave the waiting woman a sarcastic smile.
‘Sorry to keep you waiting,’ Kerry apologised.
Gemma snatched the coupon and started reading it slowly.
The customer looked angry. ‘I’ve got to get back to work in fifteen minutes; can’t you get a move on?’
‘OK,’ Gemma said, as she leaned over Kerry’s till. ‘See at the bottom of the coupon where it says PROM6. That means you press the promotions button, then the number six. Discount is for special orders and only the manager can authorise that.’
Kerry did as she was told and the till cut the price of one meal in half. Then she turned around and searched the racks desperately.
‘Where are the beans?’ Kerry shouted.
Randall stood up and shrugged. ‘Ready in five minutes.’
According to the Deluxe Chicken training manual, you were never supposed to deter