The Consequences of Finding Daniel Morgan

by Peter J Robinson

  First Royle found Dan’s phone, followed by his Department badge and what looked like a vehicle key. He took care to slip the badge into his pocket without the other man seeing. Marks on the ground suggested Dan had been attacked farther away before being dragged here, eaten and partly buried. Making a beckoning motion to Charlie, cautiously they followed the trail forty feet back through bushes, to what appeared to be the place of death. There on the ground lay Dan’s handgun, and finding that it had not been fired he placed it in his inside pocket.

  Back at the bodily remains they found everyone helping load what was left of Dan Morgan onto the pickup, all agreeing they get themselves out of the paddock as quickly as possible.

  Space to temporarily accommodate Dan was found in one of their large freezers back at the ranch buildings. At Royle’s suggestion Charlie then went to summon the local sheriff while he slipped out to give Whitland the bad news. Ed Kimberley, too, had come outside, and after a brief discussion the three of them agreed to let the sheriff’s office think they were dealing with any follow-up issues arising from Dan’s death, without revealing who Dan was.

  Back inside someone had produced a welcome bottle of Jack Daniel’s. Nevertheless, one thing still troubled Royle; well, two things actually. What the hell was Dan trying to prove by being in a place like that? And where was the vehicle that fitted the key in his pocket? He also took advantage of the opportunity to ask a few questions, quickly establishing that Big Experience’s replacement animals originated from a variety of sources worldwide. Obviously zoos and wildlife parks, but also creatures removed from the wild where their presence was considered undesirable, as with Ed Kimberley’s man-eaters. He also learned that all replacement animals entered Florida at Miami, from where they went into quarantine at a separate location.

  The two new federal partners parted company with Ed at the main gate, agreeing to keep each other informed. Because it was still early afternoon Royle suggested they drive back to Fort Lauderdale, though he also suggested going via last night’s motel. Once there he asked to look through the reception’s registration book, the same one they had both signed when they checked in last evening. Ignoring Charlie’s questioning expression, he commenced flicking back through the pages, before she realised what he was doing.

  “What makes you think Dan might have stayed here?”

  “It makes sense. If Dan needed a room, then this was the nearest place. But there’s nothing here supporting that theory.”

  Charlie had earlier taken possession of the vehicle key found on Dan’s body. Royle watched her searching her bag before pointing outside, “Where’s the best place to look for a car?”

  He returned the registration book and followed his colleague, watching her point the key at the nearest vehicles in the parking lot, and unexpectedly seeing the lights flash on a white Ford out in the adjacent street.

  A quick search of the Ford revealed Dan’s overnight bag in the trunk, amongst the contents of which was his diary and computer. Royle then surprised his partner by searching beneath the vehicle’s carpets, before coming up with Dan’s notebook.

  “How did you know where to look for that?”

  “Dan and I always hide our notebooks; the information in them is too valuable to lose.”

  He then did another quick check of the vehicle while Charlie briefly popped back inside. Just as he was finishing, a large white Lincoln sedan with red and blue roof lights and the word ‘Sheriff’ pulled up alongside.

  “Agent Charlie Lacey?” the deputy enquired, winding down his window.

  Royle indicated his partner who was just then re-emerging from reception.

  “You folks got a problem with a body over at the hunting ranch?”

  Royle’s drive back down through Florida in Dan’s vehicle went smoothly enough, and after a good night’s sleep he was in the office before eight next morning, trying to make sense of Dan’s death before he and Charlie met with Whitland. The work of locating Dan’s body had taken precious time and now they were faced with the task of establishing what he had been doing in the tiger compound. And more importantly, why. To Royle’s mind that was not going to be either simple or quick.

  He commenced with Dan’s notebook and diary, followed by a check for any calls and text messages on the recovered phone, which he managed to recharge overnight. He then went through the laptop’s emails, relieved to discover Dan still using his old password. Surprisingly, by the end of all that he still had only a vague idea what had been occupying his former partner’s mind. He was especially puzzled by the lack of calls to or from Dan’s phone.

  He fetched a coffee from the drinks machine, leaning back in Dan’s chair and remembering how it had been whilst they still worked together. He cast an eye over the photographs, memos and scribbled notes pinned to the desk partitioning, including several business cards. Reaching out to examine one particular card, it slipped behind a photograph, and in his efforts to retrieve it he discovered two more ‘lost’ cards, including the one the old Seminole reportedly gave Dan out in the Everglades. Printed across the front were the upstate Florida contact details of Big Experience USA – where they had found Dan the previous day – plus the name Mark van Wynn and a mobile number.

  * * *

  Unlike her new partner, Charlie slept badly after her long drive back in Royle’s rental Chevy, yesterday’s gruesome events still vivid in her mind. She had not known Dan well, but she had worked with him, and finding any colleague dead in those circumstances was never going to be easy. She was feeling in need of female support and Paula Howath seemed the obvious choice. The secretary seemed keen to hear how they had found Dan, but then having listened to the younger woman’s graphic account she seemed momentarily lost in thought.

  “What about Phil, how did he take it?”

  “Good question because I really don’t know and I’m the one supposedly qualified in this stuff. Considering how far back he and Dan go I expected him to be at least a bit upset.”

  “But he wasn’t?”

  “Apparently not.”

  “He probably will have been but for reasons you don’t know.”

  Charlie sat herself on the corner of the secretary’s desk.

  “Before they worked for the Department,” Paula continued, “Phil and Dan were in the Marines together. They were sent on some special operation, rescuing soldiers down in Central America somewhere.”

  “Dan was in charge?”

  “Lieutenant Royle was flying the helicopter, Sergeant Morgan was his number two. The helicopter ended up with more holes than a golf course, two of the rescued men were killed and Phil was badly wounded. But he got them out and they both received a medal.”

  “He didn’t mention any of that the other evening.”

  “I heard about the other evening, honey. Considering the obviously stressful events of yesterday you seem far more at ease with yourself.”

  “There’s something about the secure feeling I get just being around him. Though he’s not one for showing his emotions.”

  “It’s the quiet ones need watching,” Paula responded as her colleague turned to leave.

  But then Charlie paused. “Does Whitland have a son?”

  “They had a son, but he died when he was young. Why?”

  “I can’t help noticing how easy he and Phil are with each other. I suggested it was a kind of father–son relationship.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He didn’t say anything. But he didn’t deny it either.”

  * * *

  Whitland kicked off Friday morning’s meeting by confirming he’d visited Sharon Morgan to tell her they had found Dan. He also confirmed he was in the process of having Dan’s body returned. As he did so Paula entered with the tray and there was a pause while she handed around the cups, Whitland taking advantage of the break to push his newspaper across the desk.
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  “Bottom of page three, ‘Mystery Man Eaten by Tiger’. The press seem to have picked up on it. What the blazes was Dan doing in there?”

  “Whatever it was he’s been working on it for months,” Royle confirmed. “According to his notebook he seemed convinced there was a serious import evasion, involving a large international company and some valuable birds.”

  “Commercially or environmentally valuable?” his partner enquired.

  “It’s one and the same, Charlie. If it’s rare then it’s valuable, and if the price is high then chances are it’s rare.”

  “Nothing there we’re not already aware of, in a general sense,” Whitland suggested.

  Royle was nodding his head. “Dan thought it also involved imports of larger animals. Mexico and Australia get several mentions.”

  Whitland seemed interested. “Go on.”

  “If Dan was right and it proves links from points of capture worldwide to the point of sale here in America, then it may be what we’ve been seeking for years. Oh, and we’re also talking about smuggling eggs for hatching, mostly parrot eggs.”

  Whitland sat back in his chair. “That it?”

  “Not at all. None of that explains what Dan was doing playing with the tigers, or why his gun had not been fired. Whatever else he was, he wasn’t stupid. If he knew he was in a pen full of tigers then I’d bet on him getting a couple of shots off before they got to him.”

  Whitland had known Royle a long time. “Something else troubling you?”

  “He seemed to think someone in import licensing was cooperating with this. Charlie managed to contact this California state man, Akroyd, who’s been calling Dan. Says it’s to do with Dan’s interest in the Big Experience people.”

  “Any progress on the airport photographer?”

  “Still nothing.”

  Whitland’s response seemed particularly unenthusiastic. “Hmm.”

  “But I did find the missing business card the American Indian gave Dan out in the swamp. It’s from a Mark van Wynn of Big Experience, where we were yesterday. Charlie’s checking him out.”

  “You seem quiet, Charlie,” Whitland said.

  “I’ll go with what Phil says. He’s had a chance to see Dan’s stuff. I suggest we use this weekend to work out where we go from here.”

  Turning to Royle, Whitland enquired whether he was still staying in a hotel, or had he sorted out an alternative?

  “I’m still paying for the hotel room, though I don’t seem to be using it over much. I was about to suggest I use Dan’s apartment.”

  “Agreed,” confirmed Whitland.

  “And if I happened to be going back out to the ranch in the morning, perhaps Charlie might be interested?”

  Charlie agreed she was interested – though she wondered what kind of person might consider sleeping alone in the apartment of a colleague he’d found dead in such unpleasant circumstances only the previous day. But then, remembering how close Paula suggested the two men once were, perhaps that had something to do with it.

  They were in the process of collecting their papers together when Royle raised an additional matter.

  “We’ve not discussed finances, Doug. Looks like there may be some travel involved so what’s the budget for this job?”

  Clearly Whitland did not need time to consider his response. “We do whatever it takes, Phillip, and that’s official. Cost is not an issue, or at least not until I say differently.”

  * * *

  Having read Dan’s notes, and having thought things through overnight, Royle could not dismiss the possibility of someone in the Department being involved in whatever Dan had been investigating. Which, if true, might go some way towards explaining Dan’s reluctance to share information. Added to which, Royle knew next to nothing about Charlie, except that she had recently worked in Licensing. He caught up with her as they left the meeting, recalling what he had said to Whitland about sorting a few things out with his new partner. She appeared surprisingly keen on his suggestion of dinner, even offering to book a table at a restaurant she knew and call by Dan’s place to collect him.

  Looking forward to dinner with his new partner, Royle stopped off briefly at Sharon’s on his way to Dan’s apartment. As soon as he entered he spotted the whisky bottle, a full glass next to it. Without asking, she produced a second glass, filling it and pushing it in his direction.

  “Join me,” she almost demanded.

  He picked up the glass. “Who’d have guessed Dan would end his days that way?”

  Sharon was slow responding. “I wasn’t entirely honest with you. Dan was involved in something dangerous; he was obviously worried for his safety.”

  “How much did he say?”

  “Not a lot. He did say to let you know if something happened to him.” Then she lifted her glass again, “Dan Morgan.”

  He raised his own glass and took a mouthful of the whisky, an expensive single malt. “Is that it? He didn’t give you any idea what might be worrying him?”

  “Kept on about not knowing who he could trust. Said for you to watch out for…” but then she paused, scouring her memory for a name, the whisky obviously not helping that process.

  He touched Sharon’s arm. “It’s important you remember.”

  She refilled their glasses, her hand obviously shaking. “Someone called Toombs, I think. Does that mean anything?”

  Royle shook his head. “He didn’t say anything else?”

  “Like I said, he seemed to think he couldn’t trust anyone.”

  “Was Greg present during this conversation?”

  She seemed puzzled by the question. “Why?”

  “Did you discuss any of Dan’s conversations with Greg? Or anyone else?”

  “I never mention Dan. It obviously annoys Greg, you know, makes him jealous. Goodness knows why.”

  He gave her arm a squeeze before lifting his glass and emptying it. “Probably best you don’t mention this conversation.”

  The pair arrived by taxi just after eight outside one of the classier restaurants along the Fort Lauderdale seafront area. Having agreed they would dress up a little Charlie had put on something long and black, whereas he had added a tie to his suit.

  “You come here often?” he enquired, seeing where she had brought them.

  “I don’t go anyplace much. Whitland brought us here for his birthday and I rather liked it.”

  The door was opened for them by a smartly dressed, jovial little man.

  “Good evening, Mr Royle. It’s always nice having you visit.”

  Royle shook hands with the man. “Good to be back, Roberto. This is my new working partner, Charlie Lacey.”

  Roberto indicated they follow him to their table. “I’ll send someone to get your drinks,” he promised, settling Charlie into her chair.

  “How come you know this restaurant?”

  “We all use it, Charlie. It’s the office special-occasions venue, which was why Whitland brought you here.”

  Although no expert on women’s fashion it was obvious to Royle her dress did not originate from some corner department store. Already aware she might be a woman of expensive tastes, it occurred to him he knew very little about her.

  “Can I ask what your father does?” he asked, thinking she hesitated ever so slightly, as if trying to guess what motivated the question.

  “He’s a lawyer up in Tallahassee. Boring stuff.”

  To Royle’s mind this perfectly fitted his expectations; he knew very few poor lawyers. “I guess I gave you a hard time this week.”

  Again, that slight hesitation. “You’re a difficult person to read and I got it wrong,” she admitted, pretending to study the menu, before looking up. Her eyes focused on his. “Paula told me about you and Dan in the Marines. You never mentioned that.”

  “Not much to say. We se
rved together and both ended up working for Whitland.”

  * * *

  Charlie studied Royle, deciding her new partner had no desire to discuss his life prior to joining the Department. But apart from the obvious, the past few days had produced something else for her to think about, namely his incoming phone call on their way back from Sharon Morgan’s. It had not escaped her attention that, although Royle claimed he was driving, this had not stopped him earlier talking to various other people. The obvious conclusion being that he did not want her listening in on any conversation with the mysterious Todd Shepherd. She had thought about this, in the end deciding that simply asking who Shepherd was seemed unlikely to gain his cooperation.

  “How much time do you spend in the UK?” she enquired, deciding to take the safer ground.

  “I’m away about half the time, though with long periods when I need to stay put. Like when I’m studying.”

  She sat back in her chair, hands folded neatly in her lap. “You never mentioned any studies.”

  “I did Law, at Harvard.”

  She pretended to concentrate on rearranging the cutlery, before looking up at him, trying to conceal her frustration. “How is it you keep coming up with these surprises? Just when I think I’m getting to understand you?”

  Now it was his turn to study the table. “If we start out underestimating people then we’re perhaps in line for a whole string of surprises.”

  Charlie thought that one through, accepted his mild rebuke with a smile and their conversation continued. She tried hard steering it towards subjects unrelated to work, but as they commenced their dessert she finally put the question she had been wanting to ask since that evening out at the ranch.

  “What’s the most important feature in solving any case, like the one we seem to be involved in?”