He ignored that.
“Khateb is the French’s main suspect not only because he was seen arguing with the driver of the British bus on three occasions,” Grazier said, “but because an Estonian kid on one of the buses in Bayeux posted a video. If you remember, the French and British tours were in the same campsites for three nights: Calais twice, and Bayeux midtour. So this Estonian kid has footage of Michael Stanley playing the trumpet and Astrid Copely dancing in the car park of the Bayeux. It’s gone viral. Gut-wrenching to watch when you know those two kids will be dead four days later.”
Bish knew the video existed. He just hadn’t wanted to look at it. “I don’t understand where this is going, Grazier.”
“Your friend Attal is watching this footage over and over again and he picks up something no one else has noticed. The driver of the French bus is in the background arguing with someone. Violette.”
“What?”
“So Attal passes this on to French intelligence and they begin reinterviewing those on board the French bus. According to one of the kids, Violette mentioned Khateb in conversation on the night before the bombing.”
“Then we’re back to Violette being a suspect?”
“No. We’re back to Violette possibly being the target. Who knows why? Payback for Brackenham. A connection with the Zidane side of the family in Algeria. We’re all guessing. But we have evidence that she and Khateb spoke at Bayeux, and he’s been missing since the day of the bombing.”
“How would he have learnt her identity? No one but Eddie was aware she was traveling to this side of the world.”
“How do you know that?”
“Let’s just say that I worked out the Eddie connection, Grazier. You could have saved me a lot of time if you’d told me sooner. Why didn’t you?”
“What makes you think I knew?”
“You seem to know everything else.”
“Yes, well, I don’t know where those kids are, so my omniscience is a bit flawed at the moment,” Grazier said. “Let’s get back to Khateb. If he discovered Violette was a LeBrac, and she was the target, then he had a couple of days to plan this. So we need LeBrac…Noor to identify this guy.” Grazier put up a hand to stop Bish interrupting. “We’ve said no to the French visiting Holloway because we’ve got you there to talk to her. At the moment, what both sides of the Channel have in common is that Khateb is our chief suspect.”
“What about the security car that was seen being pushed out of the campgrounds the night before?”
“That witness needs to be reinterviewed.”
“No. The parents don’t want that. They’re frightened. None of us want our kids involved.”
Grazier winced. He wasn’t the wincing sort, so Bish was suspicious.
“This is the deal,” Grazier said. “Tomorrow morning I want you to go see LeBrac. Show her the photographs of Khateb. Find out what she knows. Does she recognize him? Could he be connected to any of her neighbors in the Brackenham estate? Elliot’s on his way to the grandparents’ farm to find out if they know Khateb.”
“He’s flying all the way to Australia to see if Nasrene LeBrac knows Khateb because they’re both Algerian? What happened to Skype?”
“Those people are beside themselves, Ortley,” Grazier snapped. “Their son died in this country, and we can’t find their granddaughter—grandchildren. I think we owe them a bit more than a Skype session.”
Bish was getting a lecture in compassion from Grazier? Worse still, Elliot had been sent to the other side of the world for a bit of hand-holding.
“I want you to cross the Channel and speak to your friend Attal,” Grazier said.
“If my friend Attal wanted to speak to me, he would have texted in very bad English and told me what was going on.”
“Your friend Attal isn’t texting you because he’s angry that French intelligence have dragged his daughter into this. Marianne Attal is the one who claimed Violette made mention of Khateb.”
“Then I’ll ring him with a translator and talk to him from here.”
The wince again. It was making Bish twitchy.
“According to Marianne Attal, Bee was present when this conversation took place. French intelligence want to speak to both girls together.”
“Not happening.”
“You’re going to have to make it happen, Bish.”
“My daughter is not returning to France, Grazier. Let’s end this conversation here.”
Grazier was growing exasperated. “Look, Downing Street wants you to take her there. The French are telling us nothing. They’re talking to the Spanish more than to our people. We’re finding out facts through blogs. So if you go in telling them about your meeting with LeBrac, they may give us something in return.” He stood up, and the only relief for Bish was the idea that he was leaving. But instead, the other man had the audacity to put on the kettle in Bish’s kitchen.
“You’re going to be sitting next to Bee. Stopping her from saying anything that may incriminate her.”