We Can Be Heroes (31 page)

After the police have gone, Jed legs it upstairs.

‘You did the right thing, Mum,' Uncle Ian says to Granny, who is looking shocked and upset.

‘I can't help feeling sorry for Karen,' she says.

‘That's what she wants, Mum. But she doesn't deserve your sympathy. She's an unfit mother.'

‘No mother is perfect,' says Granny. ‘I sometimes wish I'd done things differently with you and your brother.'

‘Don't bring Andrew into this,' says Uncle Ian. ‘She's dug her own grave. That's all there is to it.'

But Granny doesn't respond. Maybe there's nothing left for her to say.

1. Why did he and Auntie Karen split up?

2. Is he really brainwashing Jed, like Priti says he is?

3. Why did he lie to the police about Auntie Karen going off through the park?

4. Will the police find out that he's lying?

5. If he saw the bikers beat Mik up, why didn't he try to help him?

6. Did he tell the police about any of that?

7. Why does he look such a mess suddenly?

8. Why doesn't he like it when Granny talks about my dad?

9. Would my dad have been like him if he was still around?

10. And if he was, would I have still loved him, like Jed loves Uncle Ian?

‘The crap's really hit the fan now!' Priti says when she pitches up, breathless and soaking wet, halfway through Granny's salad and corned-beef lunch. Uncle Ian left right after the police, and so it's just the four of us, eating in virtual silence until Priti bursts in. She's shivering and she looks kind of frightened.

‘You poor thing, you're soaking,' says Granny. I don't think she wanted to let Priti in, but she didn't get much choice. Then Priti says, ‘Shit,' just
like that, right in the middle of Granny's dining room while me and Jed and Grandad are sitting at the table, forks halfway to our mouths, and I'm not sure who's the most shocked. I don't think anyone has used that word in this house for years (except maybe Uncle Ian).

‘Tyreese has only gone and told the police about him and Zara,' says Priti, her words tumbling out of her mouth in a rush. ‘And all about how Zara was scared my brothers would honour-kill her if they found out and so the police have told my mum and dad and now they're all kicking off!'

‘Blimey!' says Jed.

‘
And
Tyreese is claiming Mik kidnapped Stevie as revenge for the dishonour to the family. Only I reckon they did it and they're trying to frame Mik like they did to Said.' Priti barely pauses for breath. ‘And Shakeel has gone storming out of the house and no one has seen him for ages and he's probably gone to hire the contract killer and now there's a big fight going on and who knows what will happen next.'

‘Why didn't you stay to listen?' Jed asks.

‘My mum sent me over here,' says Priti. ‘She didn't want me to be exposed to it.'

‘Oh, that's charming, that is!' says Grandad. ‘I suppose she'll be wanting us to adopt the kid next!' But he doesn't look that fed up because this is a bit like one of those daytime TV shows with the lie-detector tests, and people crying and shouting at each other, happening right in his own dining room.

‘You should have called my number then left your phone on over there, so we could have listened to what's going on. We could even have recorded it.'

‘Jed!' says Granny. She's looking quite alarmed. The stuff with the police this morning has left her shaken, and she and Grandad had no idea about Zara and Tyreese or about the honour killing or the suicide bomb plot or any of it.

‘Funny how I didn't exactly have time to think of that when my sister is about to be murdered by our own parents,' says Priti.

‘They'll never get away with killing her now,' says Jed. ‘The cul-de-sac is crawling with police and reporters.'

Jed's right. Grandad complained that he couldn't even get his car out of the drive yesterday. And there are loads more protesters now with their banners. Apparently, it's getting so bad that the police have had to draft in extra numbers for this service at the cathedral tonight in case there's trouble.

‘What's all this talk of killing?' says Granny. ‘I'm sure you're letting your imaginations run away with you.'

‘We're not, Granny – honest!' I say. ‘Zara was seeing this boy – Tyreese – and bringing shame on Priti's family.'

‘And now they've found out they have to kill her,' says Jed.

‘I'm sure this can't be true,' says Granny, but she's gone really pale and I notice that her hands are shaking.

‘It is, Mrs Evans,' says Priti. ‘And Dad says it's all Zara's fault that Mik's been arrested. And Mum is just crying all the time. I've never seen them so mad.'

‘Well, the police don't want to go releasing your brother now,' says Grandad. ‘Not now everyone
thinks he's a kidnapper. They'll lynch him for sure.'

‘That's why the bikers are trying to frame him,' says Priti, shifting anxiously from foot to foot, like she wants to go to the loo.

‘He's perfectly safe in police custody,' says Granny.

‘I wouldn't be so sure about that!' mutters Grandad.

Granny looks at him. ‘Don't scare the girl, Barry,' she says.

‘I'm already scared,' says Priti. ‘My brother and sister can be really annoying, but I wouldn't want either of them bumped off.'

‘Let's not be too dramatic,' says Granny. ‘I'm quite sure nothing like that is going to happen.'

‘And now Shakeel's gone missing too,' says Priti, hopping around some more. ‘He said he was going to the mosque and then getting some stuff for his radios, but he's been gone for hours and no one knows where he is.'

‘He's gone to get more radio equipment?' says Jed, raising his voice significantly.

Priti nods. ‘He was going to go the service at the
cathedral later, to show that the Asian community care, but now no one knows where he is.'

‘Radio equipment!' Jed repeats, staring at me and Priti.

There's a pause before Priti says, ‘Oh, crap!' Granny opens her eyes wide with shock and Grandad chokes on a bit of lettuce. ‘You don't think . . .?'

‘Too right I do!' says Jed.

‘This is all going too fast for me,' says Grandad.

‘What are you all talking about now?' asks Granny. She looks like a fragile old lady.

‘Nothing, Granny,' I say. ‘Don't worry about it.'

‘Shakeel wouldn't really though, would he?' says Priti, looking alarmed.

‘Are you willing to bet a load of people's lives on it?' says Jed.

Priti glances at me and then back at Jed. For once she doesn't seem to be finding all the drama exciting. ‘You're right,' she says. ‘I'd better be going. Somebody has to stop him.'

‘But what about your wet clothes?' asks Granny anxiously.

‘I've really got to get back. Thanks anyway, Mrs Evans.'

‘Are you sure you wouldn't rather stay here for a bit?'

‘She's really got to go, Granny,' I say.

‘Right,' says Granny as Jed bundles Priti out towards the door.

‘The minute Shakeel gets back, you've got to put a tail on him,' Jed tells Priti as we all crowd into the porch. ‘And text us about any suspicious movements'.

Jed's face lights up as something occurs to him. ‘I bet he's targeting the service tonight,' he says. ‘Think of all those Christians in one place and blowing up a massive cathedral – that'd be a good thing for an Islamic terrorist, don't you reckon? He'd get plenty of virgins for that!'

Priti nods, but she's got a faraway look in her eyes. She pauses for a second before she opens the door to the waiting media outside. ‘Do you think he really is, you know, a suicide bomber?'

‘I reckon so,' says Jed and it's almost like he wants it to be true.

‘Do you, Ben?' Priti turns to me.

‘Maybe,' I say and afterwards I wonder why I said it – something to do with being better safe than sorry, I suppose.

‘All right then. I'll send Jed a text if anything happens.'

And then she's gone and it's too late to say I'm not sure.

Me and Jed spend all afternoon watching Priti's house with our binoculars. Shakeel comes back about 4 p.m., but after that no one else comes or goes for ages and we don't hear anything from Priti. I'm starting to get a bit bored, and I guess so are the cameramen outside the Muhammeds' house, but for some reason Jed doesn't get restless, which is completely unlike him. He just stares at the house through the binoculars, refusing to answer any of my questions.

Then, at 5.33 p.m., there's finally some action to wake up the sleeping paps. The front door opens and we see Shakeel come out, dressed in full robes.

‘Suspect on the move,' says Jed.

Mr and Mrs Muhammed, and Zara (who's got
sunglasses on again), Ameenah and Priti all follow Shakeel out on to the driveway. It's like a family photo opportunity. They all look self-conscious, but there's nothing hurried about it. We watch as Shakeel says goodbye to them all in turn. The journalists' cameras click, click, click.

‘Like he's going on a long journey,' I say.

‘It's a long way to heaven!' says Jed ominously.

And there is something really formal about the way they all say goodbye to him – not like he's just popping out to the shops for some milk.

Priti looks up at the window and nods. We wave, but she doesn't wave back – she's got her hands thrust deep inside the folds of her sari, like she's cold or something. Then, when none of the others are looking, she quickly raises a hand to her ear and mimes holding the telephone. It's done in an instant then her hands are curled back round herself again.

‘She's going to call us,' I say and a minute later, Jed's phone beeps.

‘You've got a message,' I say.

‘I know, dumbo,' he says, picking it up. ‘It's from Priti.' He hands it to me.

Suichde bomber on the mov
it says (I guess it's hard to text with only one hand when you're not looking).

‘She must think Shakeel's really going to blow himself up,' I say.

‘And he's taking Priti with him, by the looks of it,' says Jed.

He's right. Shakeel is getting into the car and Priti – who's dressed just like she was on the day of the wedding, in her very best sari, minus the wheelies – is getting in with him. The rest of the family stay on the driveway to wave as the car drives off.

Jed's phone beeps again. Jed reads the message then passes it to me.
Bom belt on
it reads.

‘We should try and follow them,' says Jed.

‘How?' I say. ‘It's not like either of us can drive, even if we did have a car.'

‘What do you suggest we do then?'

‘Wait till she tells us where he's going,' I say.

‘We know where they're going, don't we?' says Jed. ‘She said Shakeel was going to the service for Stevie.'

‘Well, what do you want to do then?' I ask.

Jed pauses for a moment. ‘Let's just wait and see till we know for sure,' he says. I stare at him, wondering if he really believes all this is for real. ‘Don't want to send the police on a wild goose chase.'

So that's what we do. We sit and wait. It's not dark outside yet, but we can already see our own reflections in the window and, for some reason, I can't look mine in the eye.

I suggest telling Granny and Grandad what's going on, but Jed says they won't believe us.

‘They might,' I say, although I'm not sure I really believe it myself.

‘Look, there are people's lives at stake here,' says Jed. ‘We don't have time to waste trying to persuade two old fogeys there's a terrorist on the loose.'

‘What if he isn't?' I say after a moment. ‘A terrorist, I mean?'

‘If some kid had known about the men who were about to fly their planes into the Twin Towers and he could have called the police and stopped them, you wouldn't have wanted him to waste time trying to
persuade his gran and grandad it was the right thing to do, would you?' says Jed.

Yet again I see cartoon aeroplanes crashing into sketchbook towers, flames erupting, stick figures falling.

‘No,' I say. ‘Of course not.' And I think of Priti in her sari, looking scared.

We sit there for ages in silence and then I ask: ‘Do
you
reckon Mik did something to Stevie?'

‘No,' says Jed.

‘But he had a gun. Maybe he shot her?'

‘He didn't have a gun,' says Jed.

‘But you said . . .'

‘He had a gun at the beginning,' says Jed, not looking at me. ‘But not after they beat him up.'

I want to ask him how he knows all this, but then suddenly the phone beeps again. Jed reads it out:
Citz cathedra ETA 5 mins
.