Kraken by China Miéville Read Free Book Online Page A

its genus was named for the man who had taxonomised it: Architeuthis Steenstrup .
    “Now,” Vardy said. “Two crimes united by a questionable necklace do not a conspiracy make. However. Two crimes—three, now, with the chap downstairs—united by such jewellery and by giant squid, and our radar does indeed tend to ping.”
    “That is the sort of thing that gets us interested,” Baron said.
    “‘Us’?” Billy said at last. “Who is ‘us’?”
    “We,” said Baron, “are the FSRC.”
    “The what?”
    Baron folded his hands. “Do you remember that lot calling themselves New Rosicrucians?” he said. “Who kidnapped that girl in Walthamstow?” Baron thumbed in Vardy’s direction. “Found them. And he was I suppose you’d call it consulting during seven/seven, too. That sort of thing. It’s an area of concern.”
    “What area?”
    “Alright, alright,” Baron said. “You sound like you’re about to cry.” Vardy handed Billy a piece of paper. It was, oddly, his CV. His PhD was in psychology, but his master’s was in theology. His first degree divinity. Billy pushed his glasses on and scanned the publications list, the Positions Currently Held.
    “You’re an editor of The Journal of Fundamentalism Studies?” Billy said. This was a test.
    Baron said, “The FSRC is the Fundamentalist and Sect-Related Crime Unit.”
    Billy stared at him, at Vardy, at the CV again. “You are a profiler,” he said. “You’re a cult profiler.”
    Vardy even smiled.
    “T HERE’S …” B ARON COUNTED ON HIS FINGERS . “A UM S HINRIKYO … The Returner Sect … Church of Christ Hunter … Kratosians, close to home some of them … Do you have any idea the increase in cult-related violence in the last ten years? Of course you don’t, because unless it’s, boo, Al Qaeda and the Al-Qaedalinos, it doesn’t come close to the news. But they’re the least of our worries. And part of the reason you haven’t heard about this is because we are good at our job. We’ve been keeping the streets safe.
    “That’s why you were encouraged to keep shtum. But you told someone something. Which A, you should not have done, and B, is not unimpressive. Collingswood’s going to have to ask you again, a bit harder.
    “It’s not as if we’re exactly secret,” he said. “It’s not so much ‘plausible denial’—that’s not the best strategy these days. It’s more ‘plausibly uninteresting.’ Everyone’ll be like, ‘FSRC? Why on earth you asking about them? Silly nonsense, bit of an embarrassment …’” He smiled. “You get the idea.”
    Billy could hear officers in the corridors outside. Phones were ringing.
    “So,” said Billy at last. “So you’re cult people. So what’s this got to do with that poor sod in the basement? And what’s it got to do with me?”
    Vardy brought up a video file on his laptop and placed it where all three men could watch. An office, a tidy desk, books on the walls, a printer and PC. There was Vardy, sitting three-quarters toward the camera, another man with his back to the lens. All that could be seen of him was slicked-back thinning hair and a grey jacket. The colours were not very good.
    “… so .” Billy heard the hidden-faced man say. “ I done a stint with that bunch in Epping, bog-standard manickies they are I think, balance balance balance not very interesting, I wouldn’t waste your time.”
    “What about this?” said video-Vardy, and held out what Billy could see was the symbol he himself had drawn.
    The obscured man leaned in. “ Oh right,” he said. He spoke in a breathless conspiratorial drone. “The tooths, the toothies,” he said. “ Yeah no I don’t know,” he said. “ The toothies they’re new I think I hen’t seen them much except they been drawing that leaving it about . A sign a sign. You been to Camden? Saw it and I thought I’ll have some of that but they’re odd ones, they sort of wave hello but then you can’t find much of them. So. Are they