Hung Out to Dry

by Hadford Howell

  JJ examined Fred’s vehicle. Nice wheels! Though this was not the latest model of car as it was now five years old, Fred’s personal vehicle had been kept in excellent condition. JJ knew he would not be driving Fred’s vehicle much over the next few days, given the unknown nature of the assignment (whatever it was) Colonel Burke had for him to undertake, but he would use it to get to his meeting with Pilgrim.

  Before then, he also needed to visit that special place in his home under the stairs to retrieve elements of his wet gear. Though JJ had not used this equipment in a while, he knew that, due to his experience and its tried, tested and proven nature, the items he selected were all in excellent working order and most reliable. His wet gear equipment reminded him of a life before BIB, Vanessa and his two kids…

  After spending a few minutes ensuring that his chosen pieces of equipment were appropriate, JJ secured them in a special backpack. Ready for action, he thought as he placed the special backpack into the trunk of Fred’s vehicle, before returning to the house to set the alarm.

  Leaving his house for a second time, JJ pointed Fred’s vehicle in the direction of P’s Disco.

  ***

  Pilgrim had waited for JJ to arrival before switching off the building’s alarm and opening up P’s Disco’s staff entrance.

  “Thanks a lot for breaking up my afternoon routine, JJ. What’s this all about?” asked Pilgrim.

  “Sorry, Double P, for having to drag you out this afternoon. BIB business. I need to review your CCTV images for Tuesday night, from opening at 8:00 p.m. till 10:00 p.m.,” answered JJ.

  “Are you looking for anything in particular?” asked Pilgrim.

  “Yes, CBOB’s Deputy Governor has been missing since Tuesday night and I’m sure I saw him in here then. I don’t remember seeing him here before and I don’t think we did anything to him while he was in the club. I just need to be double-sure that it was him I saw. I’d like to see who he interacted with that night, it might give law enforcement agencies leads to follow up on and help in the search for him.”

  “Fine. I’ll set things up for you in my outer office so you can view the CCTV tapes. While you do that, I’ll continue working on my tax returns as I was doing at home. I’d like to pass everything to my accountants tomorrow to check behind me. I’d like my returns to be submitted to BRA by the middle of next week. I think BRA will have a refund for me. Again.”

  “Thanks,” said JJ ignoring Pilgrim’s tax comments.

  “How long will you be?” asked Pilgrim.

  “Oh, no more than thirty minutes, an hour at most if I have to look at anything for a second time,” responded JJ.

  “That suits me, because I’d still like to get some rest before coming back here this evening. With the Test Match on, I expect some extra patrons to visit the club over the next few nights. After what happened on Wednesday night, I don’t want to take any chances with my security, know what I mean?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Here goes. The discs from Tuesday night, all of them. Each tape runs for 90 minutes, so I’ve given you the first of two for that night that will take you up to 11:00 a.m. You fast-forward everything to get through quicker,” stated Pilgrim.

  “Gotcha,” responded JJ.

  ***

  Samuel and Margaret were not looking for anything specific. They would look at everything they felt might be relevant. What a hand to hold in a complex card game.

  They pulled up what CCTV footage was available from locations – more specifically the most likely relevant times around when each of the three incidents had or might have taken place. First, for the prisoners rescue they would check available CCTV footage from Six Roads to Bridgetown between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Second, for Dr Lewis’ disappearance, they would examine footage for the Bridgetown area alone from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. That timeline would cater to times when Dr Lewis was said to have departed from the CBOB and his disappearance (they might get lucky and establish if and how he might have fallen ill, gotten kidnapped or God forbid, committed suicide at a location during the past seventy-two hours). Third, they would look at the St Lawrence Gap incident last as it was the easiest case and shortest timeline to track (that is the 1:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. window in which the attempted robbery and shooting were said to have taken place). In each case, they would extend the times and days of their searches as necessary.

  Samuel and Margaret would use matching facial recognition system technology (FRST) to help them. Images would be inserted into the system for Jasper Power, Warren Field and Dr Albert Lewis. Amalgamated descriptions by witnesses of the two robbers/shooters from St Lawrence Gap had been placed into various Government data systems. They had found no matches in the RBPF or Immigration Departments, Barbados Licencing Authority (BLA) or the Electoral and Boundaries Commission (EBC) electronic databases of a photographic nature. But hand drawings by RBPF officers of the alleged robbers based on the descriptions given by eye-witnesses early on Thursday morning would later also be scanned into BIB’s ICT systems in the SIR to help Samuel and Margaret’s efforts at identification of the two culprits.

  Throughout this repeat process, they hoped to pick up red notices and if not, at least amber ones. Since seeing a renowned American bass play perform at a London jazz club two years ago, Samuel had grown to love his playing style. Something he’d read about the bassist in the evening’s programme had also stuck with and even grown on him, given Samuel’s profession. It was repetition begets success.

  Samuel and Margaret believed that the processes they would use throughout the rest of the day, night and into the following day if necessary, would bear dividends. If all else failed, they would try to make use of collaborative response graphics (CRG). This allowed law enforcement agencies, particularly the RBPF to view 3-D images off buildings in hostage situations. Perhaps CRG could help them convert the hand drawings into usable photographs which, once inserted into BIB’s SIR, might help identify and lead to the capture of both robbers.

  ***

  Superintendent Innis’ visit to the crime scene where his now former Deputy had been found dead in his car, was unexpected and painful.

  “Good God, who needed to do this to George and why?” was all he could say before quickly moving away from the scene as his stomach started to heave.

  “Take it easy, sir,” said one of the RBPF officers on the scene.

  “Just give me a minute and I’ll be alright,” said Innis.

  Ten minutes later, after notifying his boss, Hon. Sebastian Smith QC MP, Attorney General and Minister of Residential Affairs, he made the heart-breaking call to Mrs Telford to break the news of her husband’s untimely and unfortunate passing. He felt it was his duty to call her, even though a RBPF team had been dispatched to the Telford’s home which bordered the parishes of St James and Peter.

  The circumstances of Telford’s demise – the location, why now, the method used and any real or likely potential reasons for it even taking place, would be carefully and fully investigated before any findings would be determined and made known in due course. Even at this point, there was every suggestion that Telford’s death might have had something to do with Wednesday’s attack on the convoy which was transporting prisoners to court which resulted in the escape of two prisoners, one a very dangerous man.

  ***

  Motby received news of the death of Telford through a telephone call from his Attorney General just after he came out of a meeting with Dr Smith. They’d discussed the latest aspect of the new pay rise for public servants which had to be factored into the next Budget he wanted to present to Parliament by June.

  Motby took the news calmly. The questions he asked of his Attorney General could not be answered immediately, but these were promised within the hour.

  ***

  Samuel and Margaret also knew that the installed CCTV cameras had an additional (but hitherto unused) special feature. Their goal was to utilise this feature from their BIB location. Once th
ey were able to get it to work properly, they knew it should enable them to gain access to the conversations involving persons ‘in the shot’, as it were. That would give them something extra to play with. Through their CCTV camera sweep reviews, BIB’s ICT team might secure something relevant to and have a bearing on one, two or all three of the ongoing investigations they were now engaged in.

  It turned out that the two CCTV cameras on the old National Insurance building on Fairchild Street were not working. No surprise there! An all but abandoned Government building, so why bother to maintain the CCTV cameras affixed to it? Luckily, there was a CCTV camera on the roof of the neighbouring Government-run Fairchild Street bus stand which directly overlooked Independence Square, specifically the bandstand and Errol Barrow statue’s location.

  This CCTV camera captured the three ‘tourists’ who had assembled for their 5:00 p.m. meeting on Tuesday. Also, a private CCTV camera located on top of the commercial bank building at the corner of Fairchild Street also captured a tall Chinese man on the outskirts of Independence Square. He was looking directly at the three individuals while they met. He had then followed them away from Independence Square as they had left.

  Samuel and Margaret’s discovery of these and other images during Friday night would ultimately help local law enforcement and security agency personnel with their identification. The two tech wizzes were also able to enhance and clarify some of what had been said through this feature of the CCTV cameras at these locations.

  Scraps of their interactive conversations about local criminal/gang activity would later give Colonel Burke an idea he would employ when he met with the US Ambassador three days later, all courtesy of Samuel and Margaret’s technical skill.

  ***

  The Attorney General’s second call an hour later to the Prime Minister did not provide the answers to the questions that had been asked of him.

  Though annoyed, Motby calmly responded. “No problem, Sebastian. Just let me know when you have the answers to my questions please.”

  “Yes, Prime Minister.”

  ***

  Superintendent Innis was puzzled. How had Telford managed to shoot himself in the right side of his temple. To do so, he would surely have used his right hand. But Telford was left-handed, in which case it would have been natural for him to have shot himself on the left side of his temple.

  Innis’ eureka moment.

  Telford did not commit suicide. Someone had killed him and tried to make it look like he had killed himself. Innis would personally pass this information onto Commissioner Jeremie forthwith. It changed the nature and would surely broaden the focus of the investigation into Telford’s death.

  Murder had been committed! Without knowing it, he was thinking like the lead detective on the scene.

  What Innis did not know was that a room key card had already been found inside Telford’s car by the forensic RBPF crew. It had been collected and so the lead detective was aware of it. The card bore references to a south coast hotel. Once checked out, it could turn out to be a significant factor in helping to identify who might have done or been behind Telford’s death.

  ***

  Wharton received a call from Castille.

  “Hello?”

  “Any update on Power’s whereabouts?”

  “My brother…how you doing, man? Sorry, nothing yet. I’m still check with my sources though.”

  “Keep me posted on developments.”

  “Right. Be jolly now.”

  “Shit.” Having ended the call, Castille swore softly in his hotel room. How could this have happened. Perhaps he should have stayed with Power throughout Wednesday night and all of Thursday while he supposedly worked to collect the funds owed to The Organisation. No point crying about spilt milk.

  So Castille made three decisions. First, he would go for a swim later that afternoon, not in the pool, but in the sea. The experience might help him to think more clearly about what he must do next. He knew he would not be able to return to Miami as early as he had planned. Second, he would call his boss in Miami and report what was currently an unsatisfactory situation regarding their customer. Castille did not really care how his boss responded to his news, or what she now thought of him. She’d expect him to work something out. He would do so by establishing Power’s location and then find a way of catching up to him and securing The Organisation outstanding funds. This remained his mission.

  Third, Castille gave himself another forty-eight (seventy-two hours at most) to achieve his goal. He wanted to be back in the USA by Monday night at the latest, as his plans for the coming week were already being disrupted by his potential overstay in Barbados.

  ***

  From Wharton’s perspective, having just taken the third call that day from Castille, he was getting tired of the man. “He’s persistent, that’s for sure,” he mumbled to himself.

  Just then, ‘Breaking News’ on the radio kicked in… “a body has been found in a vehicle in a St John church cemetery’s car park with a gunshot to the head. Suicide is the suspected cause of death. Reporters are here on the scene with police investigators. A funeral home recovery crew is waiting to take away the body. The person is said to have been in their late forties.” The reporter did not tell if the person was a man or woman as the body was covered over and police officials were not saying either way.

  A suicide…in St John? Which church? Who was the person? Wharton decided to call his mother as she tended to know everything that happened in the parish of St John through her plethora of friends.

  She had no news for him. Wharton did not know then who the perpetrator of that crime was, or that the package he had presented to an acquaintance he barely knew some forty-eight hours earlier had been used, or that the death was not a suicide, but was in fact a murder.

  ***

  Hunter’s meeting with Colonel Burke took place as they walked around the exhibits of the Barbados Museum, located next door to the Historic Garrison Savannah a couple of miles outside of Bridgetown.

  “Sorry to drag you away from your TV, Magnus, but I couldn’t speak with you about this on any phone.”

  “We meet face-to-face twice in one day. What’s gotten into you, Trevor?” asked Hunter.

  “Well, I have a slight problem. My main man, James Johnson…you know JJ, has just been suspended by HOPS over his team’s role in Wednesday’s prisoner escape. My team did nothing wrong. Bad call as far as I’m concerned. A hasty decision. Superintendent Innis has gotten off free, at least for now. I’ve spoken with Dr Smith and given him a piece of my mind. Is he really such a ‘by the book’ sort of guy?”

  “I know Smith only too well! He worked as my Senior Administrative Officer for a spell…possibly twelve years ago on his way up the ladder. He’s clever and a very efficient fellow. Yes, he likes to go by the book. I thought back then that he would go far in the service. If he’s decided to take action against JJ, he must believe he has good reason for doing so, though I agree with you that his action, if it is as you’ve outlined, is indeed hasty, bordering on reflex – perhaps given the publicly around the known circumstances of the escape. Do you think this was for show? Has his actions gotten the PM’s backing?”

  “I’ve no way of knowing either, but I very much doubt the latter, Magnus. Not spoken with the PM about HOPS action against JJ…yet.”

  “Will you?”

  “Maybe – perhaps later.”

  “Very well. Now tell me the real reason why I had to leave the comfort of my Berbice chair and wide-screen TV, a retirement gift which you contributed to I might add, to meet you here?”

  “Don’t miss a beat, do you?”

  “I’m getting old, but not dead, Trevor! Oh, and by the way, there’s something I should probably mention about Winston. It’s what I was never able to quite put my finger on –”

  “What’s that, Magnus?”

  “Well, I don’t suppose you’ve ever had cause to look carefully into his background. Winston didn’t come up we
althy – far from. In fact, he was brought up by a one-parent mum who had him young. He only met his father after he grew up. Still looks after his mum. She’d worked two, sometimes three jobs to support herself and her son. Winston’s never forgotten that –”

  “You’re telling me that, like most of us born poor but having ability and by working hard, we manage to succeed at what we do?” Colonel Buke interrupted.

  “Let me finish what I’m trying to say, Trevor. Smith won scholarships in his youth. After UWI, he went on to gain his Doctorate in Politics and Sociology from one of the UK universities up north. He now lives comfortably I’d say, with his mum in a big house in Frere Pilgrim. He has no wife or kids as far as I know. Drives a nice vehicle, an Audi if I recall correctly which I must say he is entitled to do. He even part-owns a couple of race horses, one of which you’ll recall won the Gold Cup horse-race a couple of years back. Smith seems to be a straight guy. He probably saved up hard in the earlier part of his professional career and now that he’s reached the top of the pile, is enjoying himself. No problem with that! They say you can’t carry it with you when you pass.”

  “Very well, Magnus, but you have something else you want to tell me?”

  “Still sharp as a razor blade, I see! Yes, I’ll confess there was always something that bugged me about Smith, but I still can’t put my finger on it. Just a feeling. Could just be my imagination gone awry.”

  “I hear you, Magnus. Anyway, I wanted to speak with you in person because I’m arranging for JJ to go over to St Vincent to hopefully recapture and return this Power guy. Do you from your past knowledge or current sources know any of the people over there who might have been asked to put up Power? I mean, someone there who might need or want to do Power (or someone here he works for) a favour?”