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well-meaning Socialists. He’s also on the In-terfaith Committee at the House of Commons and is sponsored by various Anglican bishops. He’s muted his support for the Army of God ever since three of its members were arrested in Yorkshire for that bomb in a bus station that killed three and injured fourteen. But he insists that those three were a splinter group, that the organization itself is purely spiritual and educational.”
    Billy said, “What do you think?”
    “I think he’s dangerous as hell, and all those committees just obscure what he really is.”
    Roper said, “I’ve never been so certain of anything in my life. But there’s no proof of anything, not even a whisper of terrorist activity.
    There’s nothing to spark an investigation by the police anti-terrorist squad.”
    Dillon said, “Except that when Greta raised the question of Professor Khan with that driver and told him she’d killed Abu, he was terrified.”
    “And made no attempt to deny it,” Billy said.
    “It’s still not enough,” Roper said. “But I’ll keep at it. I heard from Ferguson.”
    “What did you hear?” Dillon said.
    “Only that he keeps going into conference with the Prime Minister and the great and the good.”

    56

J A C K H I G G I N S
    “Has he indicated when he’s coming back?”
    “Not exactly. I wouldn’t give it more than a couple of days, so it’s all up to you gentlemen. Keep in touch.”
    He clicked off.
    A N H O U R O U T O F B A G H D A D , with dawn coming up fast, they descended to thirty thousand feet. There was considerable traffic and Parry came back from the cockpit to fill them in.
    “We’re doing night approach, which means the sods on the ground don’t have as good a view—the ragged-arse brigade are good, unfortunately, particularly with handheld missiles. A lot of helicopters get wasted over the city.”
    “So what’s the solution?” Billy asked.
    “It’s a trick the Yanks resurrected from the Vietnam War. We approach from fifteen thousand, then dive. Pull up only at the last possible moment.”
    “That sounds pretty hairy to me,” Billy said.
    “But it works. The RAF used it in Kosovo, too, and with larger planes. Now, as to what’s facing you down there, I know you gentlemen have done this once before, so I’ll only say it’s even worse. There’s an old saying: Hell is a city. Well, gentlemen, I doubt whether anywhere in the world could be worse than Baghdad. Take care at all times, and remember—in this town, you can’t even trust your grandmother.”
    “The last time we did this,” Dillon said, “we were cared for by a Flight Lieutenant Robson. He was police.”
    “Still at it. Squadron leader now. He’s already been on the radio.
    Everything’s waiting.”
    “And we had a safe car, with an RAF police sergeant named Parker.
    A really good guy. He stood by us in a firefight,” Dillon said. “Do we get him again?”
    “Unfortunately not. He was killed by a roadside bomb last month.
    I’d better join Lacey now.”

T H E K I L L I N G G R O U N D
    57
    “Jesus,” Billy said. “What a bloody place.” As he looked down to the city below, there was an explosion, a mushroom cloud of smoke rising from the damage.
    “Never mind, Billy, you’ve seen worse.” Dillon took out his flask, unscrewed the cap and swallowed a generous mouthful of Bushmills.
    “No, Dillon, I don’t think I have.” Billy leaned back and closed his eyes for the descent.
    I N B A G H D A D , they were received in the mess by Robson himself, as a waiter in a white tunic arranged tea things. Robson said, “So bloody hot in this hellhole. Tea’s just the thing, as they discovered in the days of the Raj. Well, things have certainly been happening to you,” he told Lacey and Parry. “Awarded a second Air Force Cross each. What are you doing?
    Trying to fight the war on your own?”
    “Something like that,” Lacey told him.
    As the tea was poured, Robson turned to Dillon and Billy. “I