Catalyst by Michael Knaggs Read Free Book Online

them, instead of in your walled palace thirty miles away.”
    Tom could feel his face reddening with anger.
    â€œNow come on, Andrew, I thought we’d drawn a line under that. I spend at least three nights each week at the apartment there, and it couldn’t be more central to the constituency. And I’m there most of every Saturday… ”
    â€œYes, but nobody sees you just around and about, do they. They don’t regard you as one of their community; just a do-gooder who pops in occasionally.”
    â€œWhat is this about?” Tom shouted. “Why all this again? I suppose you and Isobel can be spotted most weekends queuing at the local butchers! ”
    Andrew laughed and held up his hands.
    â€œOkay, Tom, I guess I shouldn’t take your ‘good guy’ image lightly. God knows it’s been a great weapon for the Party. And ‘betrayal’ – wrong word. But let’s calm down, shall we.”
    â€œWould you like to know what really happened?” said Tom, easing himself back onto the chair. Andrew waved an arm inviting him to continue. “I went to the estate on Friday along with Grace and some of the local Party guys, the objective being to reassure the residents – you know – that this sort of thing couldn’t be allowed to go on, etcetera, etcetera. And it was like a street party; the only thing that was missing was the bunting. It sort of caught us off-guard… ”
    â€œDon’t you read the papers? The press have been all over the estate since the killings; the dailies have been full of the festival spirit for a week now. That’s another thing; I’m not sure why it took you so long to get round to visiting your people.”
    â€œOkay, point taken,” said Tom, “in retrospect, perhaps an earlier visit would have been appropriate, and yes, I have read the media accounts of the collective mood in the aftermath. But it was the intensity of the feeling that took us by surprise, and the openness of their apparent joy at the death of these three brothers. They didn’t see the killings as part of the problem; they saw it as part of the solution . There was no way I could simply condemn the act without alienating just about the whole estate.”
    â€œSo what are the lessons you draw from that? Put a sniper on every high-rise in every rough estate? I expect you’re still in touch with some of your soldier friends. It’s only been, what, six years since you were out there killing people yourself.”
    â€œLook, Andrew,” said Tom, getting angry again. “We are on the same fucking side and want the same fucking thing. And I’ll tell you something – there are a hell of a lot of people out there who’d vote for your sniper scenario. But I prefer to think of that as Plan B. Perhaps when you’re feeling more objective and less cynical, we can discuss Plan A.”
    â€œOkay, Tom,” said Andrew. “ Your point taken.” He checked his watch and stood up to signal that the meeting was over. “I’m just very concerned that whatever you said and whatever the papers printed, the message, as I read it, is that the man who did this was right in taking the law into his own hands and that, in doing so, he did the estate a big favour. Now whether you actually believe that… ”
    â€œOh I do,” Tom interrupted, “well the second bit anyway. He did do the estate a big favour. He just about set them all free.”
    Andrew stood motionless for a few moments, looking at his colleague with a quizzical frown and absorbing his words.
    â€œOkay,” he said, finally, “let’s pick up Plan A tomorrow.”

    The Major Incident Team room on the ground floor at Parkside was unremarkable in almost all aspects. One wall was completely covered floor-to-ceiling with white matt-finish panels that served as write-on boards, magnetic display boards and projection