Free PLEDGE OF HONOR: A Mark Cole Thriller by J.T. Brannan

time Travis had pulled the Ford rental off the M25 highway and into the city itself, the relationship was secure.
    ‘Might take a while longer than normal getting to your hotel,’ Travis said as he eased the vehicle into the merging traffic, ‘quite a few streets are going to be closed tonight due to the marches.’
    ‘Marches?’ Cole asked.
    ‘You know, protest marches, demonstrations like they did in France after the Charlie Hebdo thing a few years ago. Latest news is that there are ten thousand people gathered in Trafalgar Square alone, loads more in the parks too, St. James’s has at least five thousand. Everyone’s out, everyone’s feeling hurt by this thing, and I can’t say I blame them.’
    ‘Peaceful?’ Cole asked.
    ‘So far,’ Travis said. ‘Candlelit vigils, placards denouncing terrorism and violence, that sort of thing. But the police are out in force, and not just in case there are more attacks. There’s a worry that people might start targeting Muslims in the streets, firebombing mosques, you know the sort of thing – revenge attacks, vigilantism.’
    ‘They might be right too,’ Cole said, before telling Travis what was happening inside the airport.
    ‘Yeah, it’s inevitable. Same sort of thing happened after Nine Eleven, remember?’
    ‘All too well,’ Cole replied. ‘And the trouble is, that’s just what terrorists want. Discord, disharmony, segregation, getting people in a society to start fearing each other.’
    ‘Well, the Brits are all over it from what I can see, I didn’t even know those guys had so many weapons, literally every officer on the street’s carrying now. They’re not taking any chances, that’s for damn sure. Recalled every officer they can from leave, got some retired personnel drafted back in too. MI5 are also working their asses off, checking both sides – Islamic terrorists in case of a secondary attack, but also fascist, nationalist and neo-Nazi groups in case they try and stir up more trouble by attacking Muslim interests.’
    ‘Sounds like I’ve landed in a real shit-storm,’ Cole said.
    Travis nodded his agreement. ‘You’ve got it dead-on,’ he confirmed. ‘But from your record, I guess that’s how you like it.’
    Cole smiled. ‘I guess it must be.’

8
    Cole looked across the River Thames as he sipped his morning coffee, feeling the chill of the incoming winter in the air.
    The previous night’s journey – as Travis had predicted – had been long and troublesome, full of barricades and detours; but eventually they had arrived at his hotel, after passing through the candle-bearing, voluminous crowds gathered around Westminster.
    He was staying at the DoubleTree, a Hilton hotel just on the other side of Thames House, the building which housed the British Security Service, MI5. Located in the heart of Westminster, close to the Houses of Parliament and the seat of the UK government, the hotel was also just a short stroll north to New Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police. He was therefore ideally placed to visit the people involved with the investigation, although rather further from the scene of the crime than he would have liked – Wembley was over ten miles to the northwest, which Travis told him could well take an hour or more in bad traffic. The tube – what the British called the famed London Underground train system – might be quicker, but not by much.
    But the hotel suited Cole just fine, and he’d enjoyed a good night’s rest before rising early and using the on-site gym. The morning news indicated that the demonstrations had been pretty peaceful, although several mosques had been vandalized and three Muslim-owned stores had had their windows smashed through. There had been a few assaults as well, but nothing too serious.
    There had also been demonstrations and vigils held throughout the rest of the world, including the United States, where President Abrams had made a speech denouncing terrorism and