by Larry Igbon
“Damn! Sorry. When would that be?”
“That’s the problem. Holmes and Grant brought the allegations of murder. Todd Nelson’s death was accidental, caused by you in self-defence. You also killed Burroughs and Entwistle in self-defence. Of the witnesses present in each case, only two remain: you and Grant. The police can insist on waiting for Grant to reappear, before questioning you.”
“And if he doesn’t reappear?”
“They’ll question Duffy and Powell. They may corroborate the statements of Grant and Holmes. If they do, the inspector will have to charge you with murder.”
“Duffy and Powell were at the Tombs. But they were both unconscious when Burroughs and Entwistle died. They’re not in a position to support the allegations and lying won’t bring them any benefit either.”
“I shouldn’t worry about their testimony. Under cross-examination, it wouldn’t be hard to expose any flaws in their story. A jury would conclude for itself the value of that evidence. If it ever goes to trial, and I don’t see that happening without Grant. It’s up to the police to investigate the matter. They must find evidence that is reliable and credible. They won’t put the case before the Crown Prosecution Service without proof. In other words, evidence they believe could secure a conviction against you.”
“So, there’s no chance of that?”
“Not right now. If the police need time to investigate further, it could cost you time and money. Do you have any idea what happened to Grant?”
“The last time I saw him was yesterday evening, as I told you. I assure you he was alive and loud.”
“Right. We’d better get on with it.” Bailey walked to the door to let the constable know they were ready.
* * *
The constable returned to the interview room and informed Bailey that DCI Sykes was on his way. Bailey raised his eyebrows as Ramsay looked at his watch. “Do you have an appointment to attend, Mr Ramsay?”
“Had. I should be on a plane home right now.”
“Oh, where’s home?”
“Nicosia.”
“So, you have your passport with you now?”
“Yes. I suppose I must surrender it to the police?”
“Let’s see what happens. The police have to offer a valid reason for restricting your movement.”
He looked around as Sykes entered the room carrying a thick folder under his arm. He sat at the table and opened the file.
Ramsay sat back, looked at the ceiling and exhaled. Then closing his eyes, he drummed the fingers of both hands on the table. Bailey seemed like a good guy and he was getting on with him. He liked him.
Sykes took the top sheet of paper from his collection and set it down. “With your lawyer present, I will now read out the allegations against you.” He slid a copy of the document towards the lawyer.
Minutes later Sykes looked up. “Those are the allegations made against you by Gerry Grant and Alan Holmes.” Turning to Bailey, he said, “May I address each allegation in order?”
“Yes, you may,” Bailey said.
“Mr Ramsay, please tell me what happened to Todd Nelson on May 24th, at Elite Automobiles.”
“Mr Nelson was one of several men who attacked me on those premises. In defending myself, I kicked him, and he fell into the inspection pit. He screamed, and I never saw him climb out of the hole.”
“Those are the same facts my client gave me earlier,” said Bailey. “If I may, Inspector?” Sykes nodded.
“Mr Ramsay, did you look inside the inspection pit?”
“No. The other attackers kept me busy until one of them used a stun-gun on me.”
“Were you aware that Mr Nelson was dead?”
“No.”
Bailey nodded and turned to Sykes. “Inspector, what happened to Mr Nelson after he fell into the pit?”
“During the fire, a large quantity of rubble tumbled into the pit. Mr Nelson pierced his abdomen on two broken shafts of wood. He died at the scene.”
“What a horrific accident. Don’t you agree?”
Sykes tapped his knuckles on the table. “Mr Ramsay couldn’t have used those shafts as a weapon. Mr Nelson’s death was accidental, but following the allegations, I had to investigate.”
Bailey made a note on his pad. “Please continue, Inspector.”
“Mr Ramsay, what happened at the Tombs later that same day?”
“Holmes used a stun-gun to immobilise me. They then took me to the Tombs. They told me they would have some ‘fun’ with me. Grant and Holmes clarified that their true purpose was to torture and kill me.”
Sykes nodded and looked at Bailey, who was anxious to speak.
“Tell me, Inspector, did you attend the scene at the Tombs on this day? After the carnage for which my client stands accused?”
“Yes, I did.”
“What did you find?”
“Two corpses, Burroughs and Entwistle, lying in pools of blood. Duffy and Powell lying unconscious on the ground. Alan Holmes had a bandage around his thigh. He had sustained a gun-shot wound which was not life-threatening.”
“Have you learned any facts from either Duffy or Powell?”
“Powell is still in the ICU, unconscious. Duffy regained consciousness an hour ago. My sergeant interviewed him at his bedside.”
“What did he learn?”
“Duffy said Burroughs and Entwistle were both alive and well when he saw them last.”
Bailey and Ramsay looked at each other, while Sykes sighed and shrugged. Bailey was not pleased, and he did not hide the fact. Slamming his legal pad binder shut, he stood up and leaned on the table with both hands. “Inspector, you came to this meeting knowing there was no witness available. No one to corroborate Grant’s allegations. Must you waste our time on this matter? Should Grant ever reappear, and you do press on with the charges, do you expect a jury to find in his favour?”
“No, a jury would not find your client guilty of murder in this case. I would not expect Powell’s evidence to be different to the statement Duffy gave.”
Ramsay had nothing to offer; he was relying on Bailey.
Bailey was an expert in these matters. Sykes was under pressure to apprehend the Grant gang. The lawyer thanked the inspector for his conclusion and asked him to close the case against Ramsay due to lack of any evidence. Sykes agreed without hesitation.
Chapter 16
Ramsay thanked Bailey for his services. “Should they ever try to arrest me again, I want you in my corner.”
“It was my pleasure. Don’t worry, the police dropped the case against you. They won’t use the information to re-arrest you, even if Grant shows up again. Duffy has told the police what happened. When Powell recovers, he’ll make a similar statement. The police will conclude that they could never prove the allegations.”
“Excellent,” said Ramsay. “Thanks again.” They shook hands and went their separate ways.
As he climbed into his car, Ramsay grinned. Lying beside the brake pedal was a phone. He picked it up and called Wallace.
“Hey Tom, you’re free. Stuart Bailey’s a great brief, right?”
“You got that right, thanks for bringing him in so fast.”
“All part of the service, mate. Oh, I moved the parcel for you.”
“You did?” The ‘parcel’ referred to the body of Grant. “Only you could figure out a suitable destination.”
“Well, earlier there was a delivery booked, but the original item vanished. It was easy to replace it with a different cube. It’s leaving, for Southeast Asia in ten minutes.”
“If that isn’t poetic justice, what is?”
“You said it, pal. I bet you’re looking forward to the peace and quiet of Cyprus, after your successful venture?”
“Well...er I guess so,” Ramsay said, chewing his lower lip.
“I can visualise your expression. The one where I can tell you’re lying?”
“OK. After months of downtime what did you expect? It felt good to engage again and exterminate
vermin. Now, I’m going home I’m enjoying my retirement. No orders and no aggravation.”
“So, the past two days was a nice little holiday then? You settled the score for Craig’s murder and piled up the highest body count on the manor. Oh, don’t forget bringing down one of the most notorious gangs in London.”
“It was them or me; I couldn’t overlook what they did to my kid brother. Grant and Holmes were nothing. We faced real terror and always lived to fight another day.”
“Once a bootneck, Tom. Look, there are missions and projects tailor-made for us out there. I’m not asking for commitment, but we could still do a lot of good.”
“Aren’t you getting a tad old for that stuff?”
“You cheeky git! I’m nine weeks older than you.”
“Whoa, calm down, put the pin back in the grenade,” said Ramsay, laughing. “We’re millionaires now, for crying out loud.”
“Since when was our work about money? We have the skills and temperament for jobs that need doing. We can’t help missing the life now and then, can we? There are lots of agitators and wrongdoers out there. It never ends. We don’t have to let them all get away with it.”
“No, I guess we don’t. You wouldn’t be trying to conscript me into a mercenary army, would you?”
“Stop it. I’d no more join mercenaries than you would. I’m talking about protection of vulnerable personnel and installations. People living in civilised communities are being terrorised by scum. Give it some thought. We’ll talk about it again. Safe journey, buddy.”
“Thanks, pal, I owe you big time. You handled everything just right, as always. I’ll leave the car where I found it, behind the apartment. So long, Phil, come see me soon.”
“You betcha. Stay frosty.”
The End
With Thanks
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Also by Larry Igbon
Beyond Vengeance
Project G
About the Author
LARRY IGBON was born, raised and still lives in Manchester, England.
He developed a passion for composition as a grammar-school student. His teachers encouraged his love of writing, which he continued to refine throughout his educational years.
For many years Larry worked for Her Majesty’s Government. He has also been a Financial Planning Consultant, a Mortgage Adviser and more recently he headed up the insurance department of a local charity.
Larry holds a third Dan grade in Shotokan Karate, and he was a martial arts instructor for many years.
He was a scuba diver for several years and earned his qualifications at his local sub-aqua club.
The books he prefers to read are action stories and crime thrillers; he also likes to write in this genre.
You can stay in contact via his website:
www.larryigbon.com
You can also connect with Larry via social media:
Copyright © 2019 Larry Igbon.
The right of Larry Igbon to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted.
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No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author, except in cases of brief quotations embodied in reviews or articles. It may not be edited, amended, lent, resold, hired out, distributed or otherwise circulated,
without the publisher’s written permission.
Permission can be obtained from:
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This book is a work of fiction. Except in the case of historical fact, names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
ISBN: 978-1727333954
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