Out of the Ashes: A DI Maya Rahman novel. Vicky Newham

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      The room was silent. All eyes were on the woman who was the epitome of smart-casual in her black jeans and white cotton shirt. It was clear she hadn’t gone soft. Jackie Lawson was known for her mischievous sense of humour and was one of the sharpest and toughest cops in the service. ‘It’s great to see you. I had no idea you were coming here.’ I’d only checked my email ten minutes earlier and there’d been no mention of Jackie joining the team. ‘We’ll catch up after briefing, yes?’ I faced the room again. ‘Dan, add DCI Lawson’s question to the board, please, and let’s continue. Who’s next?’

      ‘The analysts are working on a number of significant eyewitness statements,’ Shen said. ‘Their initial report is due any moment.’

      ‘And we’ve made a start on the CCTV,’ Alexej said. ‘The fire took hold so quickly, and produced so much smoke, it’s difficult to see much but if there’s anything useful, we’ll find it. I’m still calling security operators for footage from the hours prior to the flash mob and the fire.’

      ‘Good,’ I said. ‘That should help us with identifying timescales and routes, and hopefully suspects. Someone may have seen the arsonist entering the shop.’ I paused. ‘We need to check dog walkers, postmen, joggers, road sweepers, people going to work, people coming home from night shifts and nights out. A lot of those people may not live locally so we’ll need to ring-fence mobiles and send ping-outs on social media.’ I tried not to look too obviously at Jackie who’d need to agree budgets. ‘What’s the latest with LfA?’

      Alexej waved a print-out. ‘I’ve got the technicians’ report. The website lists the objective of the flash mob as taking back control of the streets. It says: “Young people can’t afford to rent a place in E1, and shopkeepers are losing their businesses because greedy landlords are hiking rents. Let’s take back control of the streets from the capitalists and opportunist entrepreneurs.”’

      ‘Perhaps the fire was about gentrification too?’ Dan eyed us all.

      ‘If I can chip in here . . . ?’ Jackie said, and I could tell from her tone that things were about to get a lot more complicated. ‘I’m not saying gentrification isn’t a genuine issue, but it’s possible that it was a front for both the flash mob and the arson.’ She spoke quietly but her voice conveyed authority. She joined Dan and I at the front of the room. ‘It’s the Trojan horse model of sneaking something under the radar. If you want to create a distraction, you pick a theme which is guaranteed to stir people up. That way, you maximise the chances of getting a big crowd.’

      ‘From what I see as a newcomer, it’s definitely the cost of living that bothers Londoners most,’ said Dan.

      ‘And the more faces and bodies you can gather,’ Jackie continued, ‘especially when they dress the same, the more difficult it is to see what’s going on.’

      ‘The masks?’ It was obvious now.

      ‘Precisely,’ she said, gauging the reaction to her words. ‘Masks aren’t just about group identity. They render people faceless. Group dynamics quickly shift from the inter-personal to a mob.’

      ‘Do we know whether LfA simply publicises these flash mobs or whether they’re the organisers?’ Shen asked.

      ‘We don’t know.’ I felt frustration bite. ‘Some of the kids mentioned a man called Frazer. Hopefully the technicians can find out what his role is.’ I took stock. ‘Moving on to evidence. Alexej, can you summarise?’

      ‘The exhibits are all catalogued. Loads of personal items.’ He clicked his screen into life and read off it. ‘Bags. Clothing. Phones. Keys. The speakers.’ He turned to face me. ‘Dougie’s sent through a list of the top priority ones. Any chance of the lab fast-tracking these?’

      Jackie must’ve caught his sideways glance. ‘I can see that the scope of this investigation is vast,’ she said, adopting a cautious tone of voice, ‘but I’ve literally just got off the DLR. Maya, I’ll need you to bring me up to speed on budgets, PDQ.’

      ‘Sure. Let me run through the main lines of enquiry and who’s doing what later.’

      Jackie nodded her agreement.

      ‘Until evidence tells us otherwise, I’m going to suggest that Indra is our prime suspect. Anyone disagree?’

      The room was quiet.

      ‘Right. Shen, can you assess the H-2-H reports? Check alibis and if anyone was seen entering the shop. We need background information on Simas and Indra. Bank and phone records. And insurance details for the shop.’

      Shen leaped into an empty seat.

      ‘Alexej, the CCTV. There wasn’t any smoke when the arsonist entered the shop. It’s a small window of time but let’s find it. And keep checking for anything that’ll help ID our UnSub.’

      ‘Sure.’ He wheeled round on his chair.

      ‘Dan, can you chase the fire investigation engineer on when we can get the bodies out?’

      ‘Gotcha.’

      ‘I’ll ask Indra for a list of people who had beef with them or their business.’ We had more questions than answers, but at least we had a plan of action. ‘Let’s get some sleep and I’ll see you all bright and early tomorrow.’ I turned to Jackie. ‘Shall we nip up to the Morgan Arms? We can grab a bite to eat and I’ll bring you up to speed.’

      ‘You read my mind.’ Her tone shifted and she smiled warmly. ‘Tell me to mind my own business,’ she lowered her voice, ‘but I’m pleased Dougie is still around. I hope you two are still . . . ?’

      I chuckled. It was so ‘Jackie’ to make a comment like this, moments after joining the team. ‘We are.’

      She began gathering up her bag and jacket, then stood still for a moment. ‘I was sorry to hear about your brother last year.’

      ‘Thank you. At the time, his suicide was a terrible shock for all of us. Particularly Mum.’ I felt my eyes filling up and my throat tighten. This wasn’t like me. Was it Jackie’s kindness?

      ‘Maya, I know how much you cared about him and—’

      ‘. . . It’s Mum I worry about. She’s never recovered from Dad leaving. It’s like a huge black cloud rolled in front of her and she can’t seem to emerge from behind it.’ Mentioning Dad reminded me that I still hadn’t opened the forensic results. ‘When Sabbir moved back to Bangladesh, she took it personally, as though it was another betrayal and he was leaving her rather than a life that wasn’t the right shape for him.’

      Jackie was nodding gently, and I appreciated her not churning out comments about ‘sympathising’ and ‘time healing’.

      ‘. . . She was never going to understand Sabbir committing suicide. Do you know the really sad thing though?’ I wiped my eyes on my sleeve and looked at Jackie. ‘It shouldn’t have been a shock to any of us. All the warning signs had been there for years. We just didn’t see them.’ I paused. ‘The truth is, I can’t stand on Brick Lane without remembering him and wondering whether I could have done things differently.’

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