Dead in the Water

by Wilfred Jules

  He looked at this watch. It was now close to noon. He would go for a bite, then return to the office. He would try her mobile again from there he thought.

  *

  DCI Ianthe Seymour was sitting in the office of Olivia West, the Assistant Chief Constable, sipping her black coffee. Her boss, Detective Superintendent Norman Stokes aka Winnie the Pooh, was sitting next to hear with a cup of Earl Grey. Olivia West was in her chair behind her mahogany desk. It was now twelve nineteen pm and Ianthe had briefed them both on Operation Blackbird.

  “If I understand you correctly, Ianthe,” the ACC said, “The situation is even more complex than we thought. Where originally the victim appeared to have set up a small-time drug smuggling operation, it has now become apparent he may also have been involved in human trafficking. The narcotics’ end of the operation may have raised the interest of Ricky Rowlands, who is now your prime suspect. Do you think he may also have been involved in human trafficking?”

  “To be totally honest with you, ma’am, we just don’t know right now. Ricky Rowlands definitely had the motive and opportunity to take Bert Devos out. Whether they had a falling out over the narcotics piece or he is extending his reach into human trafficking?” She shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine at this moment.”

  “If he is involved in human trafficking, that’s a very negative development,” Norman Stokes said pensively.

  “Quite. Perhaps we better check with DCS Gutry, who is leading project Kraken right now, if his team has heard of any involvement of Ricky Rowlands in that trade,” the ACC added. “Let me see if he’s available.”

  Project Kraken was the long running joint law enforcement operation tackling maritime threats to the UK. It tried to increase public awareness of terrorism and criminal or suspicious activity at marinas, moorings or on the water.

  She hunted for the number on her smartphone, then dialled it on the conference phone on her desk.

  “Detective Chief Superintendent David Gutry,” a gruff voice said.

  “Hello David, this is Olivia West, the Assistant Chief Constable of Sussex Police,” the ACC replied. “I hope you can spare us a minute of your time?”

  She continued sketching Operation Blackbird in broad lines to DCS Gutry.

  “Our prime suspect right now is a Mr Ricky Rowlands, well known around here for his involvement in the narcotics trade. Has his name come up with Border Force and Operation Kraken with regards to Human Trafficking?”

  “It definitely has, Olivia,” DCS Gutry replied. “The organisations that are behind drug trafficking are often also involved in facilitating illegal immigration into the UK. They have the knowledge and the logistics to bring in both people and drugs, even at the same time. The coastline of our country is uniquely suited for such activities, with all its inlets and creeks.”

  He continued to give them an update on Operation Kraken. When he had finished, the ACC commented:

  “I suggest we have a joint meeting between your team, someone from Border Force and DCI Ianthe Seymour who is in charge of Operation Blackbird. A video conf would be fine I think. Preferably tomorrow. I will ask my PA to set it up.”

  After she hung up, she commented: “Our Mr Rowlands seems to become more and more interesting.”

  “To tell you the truth, guv, if Ricky Rowlands is behind the murder of Bert Devos, I think it will be really hard to prove that,” Ianthe replied. “Even though he probably had the opportunity Monday night, I very much doubt he would have done such an act himself. He’d probably delegate messy business like that.”

  “What do you suggest doing next then?”

  “It’s of course a good idea to see if Operation Kraken and Border Force can feed us some interesting data on Ricky Rowlands. At the same time, we may be able to give them something to chew on. I will have my team look at all the phone records we can find of Mr Rowlands. Then we will also start looking at all the owners of black RIBs in Brighton and Sussex in general. One of my team is working closely with Brighton Marina Harbour Master to try and identify the exact brand. The weather last Monday was quite bad, similar to how it seems to be developing today actually. Whoever the assassin was, it must be someone who is comfortable at sea in bad weather. We will liaise with our narcotics team to identify who in Ricky Rowlands’ entourage fits that profile. Then we can go and interview them one by one.”

  *

  Ten minutes later, at nine minutes to one pm, DCS Norman Stokes and DCI Ianthe Seymour stood outside watching the first drops of rain falling.

  “A gloomy day, Ianthe,” he said. “I hope Operation Blackbird isn’t turning as gloomy as the weather.”

  “It isn’t looking good, boss,” Ianthe admitted. “Still, I refuse to be defeatist. There are still quite a few things we can investigate. It’s already been a week, I know, but at the same time it’s only been a week, too.”

  “I agree, Ianthe. But the case is becoming more and more complex. I think you have until the end of the week to crack it and keep your promotion to DCI. Else, I’m afraid Olivia will be forced to take both the investigation and the promotion away from you. Can’t say I blame her. I’m sure you understand.”

  *

  DC John Ryan was about to climb the stairs to their floor when DCI Ianthe Seymour entered in a hurry, her hair soaking wet from the rain.

  “Getting nasty outside, boss,” he said.

  “It is. Wind is picking up, too. I hear they’re forecasting a regular storm tonight. Anything interesting came up at the Marina?”

  “As a matter of fact, I need a quiet word with you, guv.”

  Ianthe raised her left eyebrow but said nothing. She preceded him to the conference room, which was empty, where they sat down.

  John proceeded to tell her about the new harbour master and his view regarding the RIB and the Pulse58 electrical version. He then told her how Moira Kelly had suddenly disappeared.

  “And Moira Kelly left without having given any indication that she would?” Ianthe frowned.

  “Indeed. I saw her socially yesterday and we parted at nine pm. She didn’t mention it at all.”

  “Strange. May have nothing to do with our investigation of course as it now appears she was all along only the harbour master ad interim. But odd she didn’t mention it either to you or to anyone else on the team. Have you tried contacting her at home?”

  “I went around to her place but there was no one there. To make things even more bizarre, at the building where she lived, no one seemed to know her. I called her number several times, but it goes to voicemail.”

  “Better check what happened then. Mind you, John, I’m not all that happy that you were seeing a witness socially. The least you could have done was to inform me. I trust you haven’t slept with her?”

  John coloured visibly.

  “We were just friends, guv,” he claimed sheepishly.

  “All right. This is what I want you to do. You will go immediately to see Anne Baker and ask to check if she appears anywhere in another investigation. Please ask her to liaise as well with the Gardai in Dublin, preferably directly if Anne has a contact there to speed up things, or else through Europol. Then I want you to go back to the Marina and see if you can get anything from her that we can lift fingerprints from and have these checked as well.”

  “I borrowed her a motor helmet yesterday, actually. It must have her prints on it.”

  “Excellent. Please see to that right now as well. We will have to ask for a warrant to investigate her phone records, too. Who she has been in touch with, who she texted, etc. We need to establish if she had a connection to Bert Devos or to someone we are currently investigating in Operation Blackbird.”

  “I beg your pardon, guv, but that’s a lot of work where she might simply have gone away for a while. She was under no obligation after all to tell me.”

  “Sure, but we can’t afford to be sloppy right now. I agree it may be perfectly innocent but even if I don’t see an obvious motive right now, when you think of i
t she would have had plenty of opportunity. She could easily have interfered with the CCTV, she could have been there late at night without raising anyone’s suspicion, she could have entered the Jetty without anyone thinking twice about it, just using her access card. She could even have come in using a RIB in the middle of the night and no one would have thought that odd.”

  “You’re right, boss. It could have been staring us in the face all the time. Fortunately, I never discussed the operation with her.”

  “I didn’t think you would have, John. You’re a good copper. Still, you start investigating her as discussed, but as soon as Ben and Ajanta are back from interviewing Ricky Rowland’s entourage, I want them to take over from you. If Moira Kelly does get in touch, please ask her to come to Malling House asap as we need to go over her statement. You will then inform me immediately. All right?”

  “You aren’t taking me off the investigation, are you, ma’am?” John asked, horrified.

  Ianthe considered her answer for a second.

  “Not right now, John. But let’s make sure you aren’t involved in anything that has to do with the investigation of Moira Kelly beyond what we just discussed. Now, if Moira Kelly was involved either as our perp or as his helper, the lead involving the RIB we are looking at may be a wild goose chase. But still I want to check that thoroughly as well.

  “Stanley Watson, the actual Harbour Master, is going to send me the details about the company that makes them.”

  “Good. Get in touch with them and have them send you a list of their customers. Who knows if Moira Kelly appears on that list?”

  John went to his workstation where he found an email from Stan Watson waiting for him with a link to the webpage of RS Electric Boats, the company that made the Pulse58 electrical engines for RIBs. He saw they were conveniently based out of Southampton. He called them, asking them for a detailed list of their customers, and they promised to do that as soon as he sent them a confirmation email so that they knew it was a genuine request. He mailed them immediately, copying his boss.

  Then he called Anne Baker, their analyst, to check the police computer if the name of Moira Kelly popped up in the Holmes database. She ran the name while he was waiting on the phone and it failed to show up, much to his relief. Your name would most likely appear in that database if you had been either a victim of a crime or a perpetrator or a person of interest. She was also able to tell him, however, that no one of that name had been registered at the address she had given him. Nor even at any other address in Brighton and Hove. Anne promised him to try and get hold of someone she knew in the Gardai in Dublin to help them. She would also go through the moves of having Europol involved.

  The conversation with Anne Baker left John more puzzled than before. Had Moira given him a fake address? He had never been up to her apartment after all. He had dropped her off at the door once and had picked her up there as well. She had come out of the building Sunday morning but of course she could simply have been waiting for him in the lobby. Had she been playing him all the time? He felt so gullible now. But it had felt so genuine. They had had great conversations. And she had never inquired about the status of Operation Blackbird. Or had she? He obviously did not remember in detail everything they had been talking about. Was it possible he had given away something he should not have? She had disappeared right when they had dropped Brandon Nicholson as a suspect. Had she thought that they might set their eyes on her now? Or was there a connection with Ricky Rowlands? It would make perfect sense if Bert Devos or Ricky Rowlands were in league with Moira Kelly to bring narcotics and illegal immigrants into the country, using Brighton Marina or any of the other ports or creeks along the south coast. With her maritime knowledge, that would have been so easy. Why had they not considered that before?

  And then he was also just worried something might have happened to her. He tried her phone number again several times, but every time he fell on voicemail. He would have to go home he thought to get the spare helmet she had been using yesterday as he had not brought it with him to the office. But first he needed to do the paperwork to get a warrant to access her phone records. What was going on with Moira Kelly?

  *

  At fourteen minutes past three pm DC John Ryan was finalizing the paperwork to request a warrant to access Moira Kelly’s phone records, when his phone rang. He glanced at the screen hoping it was her finally returning his call. He was disappointed to see it was his landline at home. His mother, probably to ask him to pass by the shop on his way home. He picked up.

  “Hello, ma. I’m a little busy right now. Can I call you back?” He started to say. He was interrupted however by an unfamiliar voice.

  “Hello John. This is Laurie from next door. I’m afraid your mum is feeling rather poorly. I was just visiting, and she started to have rather serious chest pains. I called her doctor who advised to take her to the emergency room at once. Since I don’t have a car, I took the liberty of calling 911. They just left with your ma, taking her to Royal Sussex hospital. Perhaps you’d better go there as soon as you can.”

  John thanked her and finished the call as quickly as possible. He instantly sent the paperwork for the warrant to DCI Seymour for approval, then hurried downstairs and ran through the pelting rain to where he had parked his bike. He roared away, arriving at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, which happened to be quite close to Brighton Marina, twenty minutes later. Fortunately, he had his motorbike gear on, but he was still dripping wet. Visibility was quite poor as well. He hurried inside. His mother was still in the ER where a doctor would look at her soon, he was told. That was the NHS for you. He went to find her and was happy to see she seemed in good spirits despite all the fuzz. She was lying in an emergency bed surrounded by a curtain. He sat down at her feet to wait with her for a doctor to appear, while she described her chest pains to him.

  Ten minutes later he glanced at his watch to see it was already eleven past four pm. He looked up to tell her he would go out briefly to make a call when he saw something was wrong. She grabbed her chest in a pain spasm that made her face contort, then fell back. He jumped up, screaming for help. The curtain was ripped open and several nurses and a doctor ran in pushing him aside and starting CPR.

  DC John Ryan’s mother was declared dead at twenty-one minutes past four pm.

  *

  At exactly five pm on Monday DCI Ianthe Seymour started her evening briefing on Operation Blackbird. DS Ben Armstrong, DC Ajanta Ghani and DI Vik Gorti were present.

  “I’m afraid I have to start with sad news. DC John Ryan’s mother earlier today was taken to hospital where she passed away less than an hour ago.”

  She then proceeded briefing them on her meeting with Olivia West, the ACC, as well as what John had told her about the sudden disappearance of Moira Kelly.

  “Obviously, DC Ryan won’t be able to concentrate fully on the task at hand, so I would like Ben and Ajanta to take over as far as Moira Kelly is concerned. Just before he went to hospital, John managed to send me the request for a warrant and the duty magistrate has delivered that. But first I would like to know if anything interesting has come out of your interviews with Ricky Rowlands’ card playing buddies.”

  Ben and Vik shook their head. Ben said:

  “Clearly, they have had the time to line up their stories. The guys I interviewed told me the same story almost verbatim.”

  Ajanta however added:

  “Well, the interview I had was less conclusive. I talked to Brian Moore, who is the oldest person in that party. He’s known Ricky for a long time he told me. He has been away on a business trip starting last Tuesday and has come back to Brighton only Sunday. Perhaps Ricky hasn’t been able to get in touch with him. In any case, he was very evasive as to the exact timing of Monday evening’s events. He agreed they were in the Metropole Bar playing cards and that there had been a break, but he claimed not to remember when that break was or how long it lasted. I agree it isn’t much to go on, but at least it is slightly differ
ent. I have asked him to come in tomorrow to make an official statement here.”

  “It’s something all right,” Ianthe agreed. “I heard from DCS Gutry, who is leading project Kraken that he wouldn’t be surprised if Ricky Rowlands were also involved in human trafficking. Pretty much the same operation as narcotics. The same container that brings in drugs can be used to bring in people. And if they have now started to use yachts to cross the channel, it is even more likely they would be sort of ‘double dipping’. Vik, perhaps you can look at that angle since you seem more familiar than we are with Ricky’s operations? The ACC has set up a meeting for us with DCS Gutry and someone from Border Force tomorrow morning to exchange information. Perhaps you can join.”

  Vik nodded and wrote something down on his pad.

  “Right, I’ll give John a call to see if he’s up to joining us tomorrow morning as well for a briefing session to discuss the events surrounding Moira Kelly in more detail.”

  “So, Ricky Rowlands is now definitely our prime suspect,” Ben remarked.

  “Absolutely,” Ianthe agreed. “We need to thoroughly investigate him and his entourage. That means we have a lot of work on our hands and we are now one man short. Let’s meet here again tomorrow morning at eight to consider all our next actions. Time is running out on us.”

  It was five thirty-nine pm when they broke for the day.