Oh, the shark has pretty teeth dear

Chapter Three

'Anger begins with madness but ends in regret'

London, 28th June

'Oh, the shark has pretty teeth, dear. And it shows them pearly white. Just a jackknife has MacHeath, dear. And he keeps it out of sight'.

"Are you writing this down ...Jason?"

"Yes," I replied through clenched teeth.

Hussein looked intently at me," the espionage profession is incestuous ... everyone knows everyone...what they do...who for...where, when how ... I suppose it's better the devil you know thing... whether it's at Embassy social events, Operations or, in my case, visiting H.M.G. prisons." Hussein fell silent.

"And, and" I asked.

Eyelids blinking fast, "well," replied Sir Ali," I found out from Abdul, in around about way...about the unmanned flying device attack."

Hussein lent towards Victor and said ...stop at the next service station...and get us coffees...please Vic."

He shrugged in that detestably aloof way I found annoying. Sir Ali said, "are you sitting comfortably, then I will begin as they used to say on watch with mother?"

Hussein lit a cigarette and savoured its taste momentarily.

"Just picture it Jason...Simon Chubb, was sitting at the entrance of a rubbish strewn alleyway amongst half eaten food and rats' droppings, used needles and condoms and other rubbish. The alley. a back entrance one hundred yards from the local mosque. He's scanning the people exiting and entering it."

Ali's musical selection enveloped the whole taxi, regrettably, not my thing.

'On the sidewalk, Sunday morning, baby. Lies a body oozin' life. Someone's sneakin' 'round the corner. Is this someone Mack the Knife? '

Saladin resumed, there was an alertness in his eyes, "a few years earlier, in Lewisham, a military officer was captured by British born Jihadi terrorists. Severely tortured ...nails and fingers amputated, kneecaps shot and finally beheaded. The Jihadis video went viral within minutes. "

He sipped from a bottle of Perrier water, lent across proffering it to me, I refused, well could have been spiked?

"Simon watched Omar, his target, walk casually out of the mosque and enter a dowdy looking building, Christie Villas. "

Hussein wriggled in his chair, head wheeled back staring out of the window and then, very slowly, sideways peering at me with a curious almost frightening look.

"Omar Haj Gough was one of the Jihadists present at the barbarous murder, but taken no part in it, indeed spent most of the time vomiting in the toilet." Hussein's facial muscles tensed.

Sir Ali leaned back in his passenger seat and rummaged in his pockets.

"The Jihadist torturers were quickly captured but Omar escaped more through luck than good judgement. Life is strange isn't it Cherrington...Omar's association with imprisoned Jihadists earned him an underserved reputation. "The light faded from Sir Ali's eyes.

"Gough," Hussein said in a heated voice, "had gone from being a mere follower and silently frightened acolyte to becoming the main guiding force in developing embedded terrorist suicide squads. But he had two problems, a likeness for drugs and white girls, ideally, rich Jewish white girls. "He took a deep breath and let it out again slowly.

"Unfortunately for Omar, his supplier got caught up in a local gang dispute ...shame eh." Hussein snorted dismissively, "his regular supply reduced until a measly trickle."