CUSHION AND LEIBNITZ RETURN TO THE MEETING
Before anyone could answer Cushion returned to the room. Leibnitz followed shortly after. Blunt looked at her. She nodded imperceptibly to him as she entered the room and looked away.
Once they were seated Blunt looked at his superior and answered in the affirmative.
'In a way.'
He noted the body language and the twitching of the Chief Constable's mouth as he summarised Khan's role. It presaged his mounting anger. Eventually it erupted.
'John, my office NOW!'
Strumpshaw pushed himself up from the desk and marched into his office followed by Blunt.
A palpable silence descended on the room broken only by Strumpshaw's loud voice from his office next door.
The Chief Constable berated Blunt for not letting him know about Khan's attempt to use Saeed as a spy and also for attempting to turn the tables on Khan. However, as he calmed down it transpired that Khan was the main target of his anger. He had considered the man an ally. And here he was indirectly undermining his authority.
Blunt allowed the other man's ire to blow itself through. He then considered the time auspicious to advise his Chief of some of his own issues with Khan: however he only provided the edited highlights. Remembering the earlier outburst when he had appeared to question Khan's probity he mentioned neither Anjii nor her aunt's comments regarding the MP.
Strumpshaw advised Blunt that he trusted that there were no more skeletons because if there were now was the time to come clean about them. If there was anything that could cause and did cause the Chief Constable embarrassment then woe betide him!
The Chief Inspector made the conscious decision to also withhold any information regarding Leibnitz's slight nod to him.
They then spent a few minutes deciding how they, or to be more precise Strumpshaw was going to play Khan.
A knock on the door interrupted their deliberations. The Chief's PA came in. She thought it appropriate to let him know that matters appeared to be escalating. She had it on good authority that, so called, Muslim leaders across the country were coming out to condemn the Norfolk police over their failure to bring to justice the racist murderers responsible for the heinous slaughter of the Patel family. They were using this as a hook on which to base a broader attack on the police and British Society. A society that refused them the liberty to practice their religion to its full extent. A society that treated them as second class citizens when it came to employment and the opportunities for betterment.
After his PA had departed the Chief turned to Blunt and expressed the fears that were on both their minds. Namely, that this could turn into full-blooded riots across the country. An alienated Asian population could be further alienated if riots erupted across the country. Unemployment was endemic across the Asian youth: they had some of the highest rates in those towns and cities with large Asian populations. Stir into this toxic and volatile mix the effect of the Russians in Afghanistan, the coalition in Kuwait and the new breed of Imams trawling the mosques. The result - trouble with a capital and underlined T!
Strumpshaw instructed Blunt to rejoin his team whilst he dealt with Khan. On seeing the look of surprise on his subordinate's face he assured him that he would let him and the team know the outcome of the conversation.
Shortly afterwards Strumpshaw returned to the room. He did not look too happy. He explained why. Khan had been unwilling to play ball. Giving reason after reason as to why it would destroy his credibility and how that would prove detrimental to good race relations in the long run.. The more Strumpshaw threatened him with the dire consequences that could ensue from doing nothing the more the other dug his heels in. throwing back the man's own words regarding the Asian areas being a tinderbox failed to move the man. Khan's intransigence did not surprise Blunt as he cast his mind back to student days!
Gloom descended on the team. They and Strumpshaw could see that events were conspiring to turn them into the fall guys. Each member of the team knew that if an Asian Armageddon erupted their careers were effectively finished!
Blunt attempted to rally his team.
'We know there is a link between the deaths of Gruberowa and the Patels. We just do not know what that link is...' he paused for effect, 'yet. All we can do is keep on plugging away. Steve, Melanie what did you find?'
Cushion went first and explained that the club had limited status. Two directors with Russian sounding names, Kobalevsky and Pomidorsky. Their addresses were the same as the accountants Darcy & Darcy, as was the registered office.
Leibnitz followed. Her information revealed that the Rose lane building, a prime piece of real estate, belonged to a property company registered in Lichtenstein. And, lo and behold the managers of the property were the aforementioned Darcy & Darcy. No surprises there then!
That led Blunt to opine that the statements of The Attic staff could be suspect. And if that were the case Morski and Pidrik did have the time to get to Overstrand and back! However, they still needed evidence to place them in the vicinity of Oversstrand if not on the beach as well.
Blunt turned to Strumpshaw and asked whether they could get a search warrant arranged immediately. The Chief readily acceded to the request. They all knew how easy it was to trump up the reasons for a search warrant. You did not need anything substantial. A selection of a number of tried and trusty stock phrases such as 'reasonable suspicion' 'protection of the public' etcetera etcetera nearly always sufficed.
They were interrupted again by Strumpshaw's PA. She informed him that a Mr Khan wanted to talk with him. Strumpshaw leapt from his seat and strode into his office. He neglected to close the door. The team heard what little he had to say. They did, however, notice the perceptible loosening of his posture and the change to a less strained tone of voice.
'As you may have gathered Mr Khan has changed his mind. He informed me that he reflected long and hard on what I had said. In the end his conscience persuaded him that he had a duty to attempt to defuse the situation. He is going to make an announcement within the next two hours. He will use his influence with his community to get them to see sense and that there is more than one side to every situation. He will also feature the photofits of Saddiqe and Hussein. Apparently the Norwich community has a new leading light, a Mr Sharma. He only moved here about two months ago and he will be opening a couple of new shops in the near future. All in all we can take heart from the fact that sense appears to have prevailed with our Mr Khan'.
All the team broke into smiles of relief, apart from Blunt. He knew Khan. He wondered what had made him change his mind and why had it taken him forty minutes or so? The reason would not be to help either Strumpshaw or Blunt. There had to be something in it for Khan. But what?