***
The person acknowledging the seaman’s report was Tenton.
He turned to face the other two men sitting with him around the small table in BDF HQ and gave them the thumbs up sign. “Your man’s in position,” he said.
“Many thanks…great job,” responded Colonel Burke.
“Mike, I concur with Trevor. Let’s hope we can capture and retrieve Power quickly before he disappears into the Vincie underworld or one of their islands,” said Jeremie.
“True. We know he was helped getting away, right?” asked Tenton.
“Yeah…we’ve got a couple of leads going about who might have arranged it, but we’ve not been able to nail anything down yet. Later today we should be closer to identifying that person or persons. The method used to get him away from here was almost surely by sea, unlikely a yacht so most likely via a fishing boat. Get the fisherman or crew who operated it and we’ll be able to make some progress. Also, and most importantly, who made the arrangements and paid for Power’s escape might take us slightly longer, but we’ll also establish that. I’ve already asked the Comptroller of Customs and the Chief Fisheries Officer to run checks on outgoing yachts and fishing vessels to see which of the main ports of entry and fish landing areas recorded vessel movements between Thursday morning and last evening. Floyd and Jimmy have promised me their reports by noon today, if not earlier,” stated Jeremie.
“That’s great, Will,” said Colonel Burke.
“Right. Where you guys off to now?” asked Tenton
“I’m off home for some breakfast, then hitting the office…there’s a lot happening. Later, I’d like to pop down to the Oval to check how things are going, perhaps during the post-lunch session,” said Jeremie.
“Well, I’m off to BIB HQ, an hour in the gym before using some of the stuff I ordered in from Rita’s Kitchen last night for breakfast. That way I can get an early drop on my team who are due in at 9:00 a.m.,” said Colonel Burke.
“What about you, Mike?”
“I’ve got some paperwork to complete here, recommendations for promotions and the like. Then I think a sea bath beckons after which I’ll go home for a late breakfast and a rest! Saturdays don’t mean what they used to mean to me anymore, not since I got this gig, know what I mean fellas?”
Jeremie and Colonel Burke nodded in complete understanding. Similar thoughts had also occurred to them related to their weekends.
***
Chapter Twenty
Vincie Country
JJ was led to a small portable cubicle where he was encouraged to change into some dry and more comfortable clothes. As he did so, he glanced around towards the sea and noticed that Fifty was quickly disappearing back out to sea in the pre-dawn light. He could see the bay’s churned up surf in the wake of Fifty’s powerful engines.
JJ was not surprised to find that the clothes provided fitted him comfortably, to a T in fact. There was a good reason for that. There were his own from a previous assignment. Once dressed, he exited the cubicle and again looked out to sea. It was again calm and Fifty had long since disappeared.
JJ was directed by one of the men, now also in dry clothing to an unmarked four-wheeled drive vehicle which had just pulled up close to the cubicle on the secluded beach. It had obviously come to collect him. In the driver’s seat sat a heavy-set man with a broad grin and an outstretched hand by way of greeting.
“Terry ‘TG’ Gomez, Head of RTF, RSVGPF I presume,” JJ said warmly.
“Welcome to Vincie-proper country, JJ. How was your journey across the water? Not too rough, I hope? Anyway, it’s great to see you again my old friend,” said Gomez.
JJ shook Gomez’s hand to return the greeting with his own smile. They leaned over to embrace each other before settling down in the driver and front passenger seat respectively.
“It wasn’t smooth, TG, but I survived it! Good to see you man. Thanks for the welcoming party, for collecting me and being willing to help recapture our escaped prisoner.”
“No problem. Pleasure’s all mine. Least I could do once we heard from our big chief through my Com. We’ll do our best to help you while you’re on our patch. Let’s get you something to eat, then we get down to business.”
Gomez started to drive away.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?”
Gomez braked sharply.
“What you mean?”
“Your two men,” said JJ.
“No. They are big boys. Seriously, a vehicle in our unit will pick them up shortly,” replied Gomez.
With that, Gomez pulled the vehicle away from the beach and headed off in the general direction of Kingstown.
JJ and Gomez small-talked during their fifteen-minute journey there. “Is BIB involved with the forthcoming Royal Visit Programme to Bim?” asked Gomez.
“No. Correction – we are aware of it, but are not directly involved but let me guess, your RTF unit is?” asked JJ.
“Yes, we are. We were asked to join the RSVGPF team working that visit. We saw the two people during their recce from Wednesday through yesterday…they are serious people, a Major Moorhouse and Inspector Swetland,” said Gomez.
“Well, good luck with that. I’m focussed on the job at hand,” stated JJ.
“Course you are. Don’t worry. Me too. We’ll get you your man,” responded Gomez.
BIB and RTF were lucky, as JJ and Gomez knew one another and got along quite well. They had worked closely together in the Grenadines six months earlier as part of a Caribbean-wide law enforcement team on Phase One of a human trafficking operation. Renewing their acquaintance now was not going to be difficult. The RTF unit was the closest thing St Vincent and the Grenadines had to Barbados’ BIB, but the RTF had not yet been developed into a separate organisation for intelligence work like BIB had.
***
Fifteen minutes after JJ’s arrival in SVG, Jeremie and Colonel Burke left Tenton at BDF HQ in separate vehicles, heading for their respective offices. During the next few hours, they would be checking to see what the latest stages of their organisations’ respective pursuit of those behind the prisoner escape were. If they used their network of local contacts wisely and decided to engage the help of international entities, progress should be quickly made in this case. Additionally, there would be ongoing efforts to locate the missing CBOB Deputy Governor and find the two robbers/shooters from St Lawrence Gap.
***
There was an interim report from Samuel and Margaret that had been passed under Colonel Burke’s door around 5:00 a.m.
On arrival, he’d read it before going to the gym to exercise as he’d earlier promised himself to do. After showering and getting into some clean clothes, Colonel Burke ate some food from Rita Goodridge, owner/proprietor of Rita’s Kitchen’s in Oistins Bay Gardens and got down to catching up on some paperwork that he had not been able to get to over the past few days.
***
The two cricket teams left their south coast hotel for the New Kensington Oval at 7:45 a.m. under police escort. The seventeen-minute journey was relatively quick, given the distance they had to travel from their hotel to the ground.
By 8:30 a.m., the team’s coaches had all members of their squads in the outfield undergoing their warm up exercises. Twenty minutes later, they had split out into different groups, some undergoing fielding practice, others catching practice, others still were in the excellent nets at the ground for some batting and bowling practice.
***
It was only after Joe had poked her head in Colonel Burke’s office around 9:10 a.m. that he remembered he had been scheduled to meet with several of his BIB operatives ten minutes earlier.
“Jesus, is it that time already? I’m sorry Joe! Be with you guys in a tick,” he’d stated.
It was another five minutes before Colonel Burke finally appeared in BIB’s conference room. There he found Fred, Joe, Mohammed and Riley waiting for him.
“My apologies again, folks. Fred, what did you get from Roberts?�
� he asked.
“Surprisingly, quite a lot after I’d fed and watered him. It’s all in my report – here are copies.”
Fred passed around his one-page report.
“Alright. Let’s see what you have,” said Colonel Burke starting to peruse the document.
Meeting with Mr Miles ‘Sugar’ Roberts: Saturday, 21 April 2018
As requested by the Director. I sought out and met Mr Roberts at P’s Disco in St Lawrence Gap, Christ Church. He requested a meal and drinks which were provided. I posed the questions directed. His comments were as follows:
Robbery: Roberts left P’s Disco on Thursday morning, 18th April, prior to the attempted robbery and shooting of the English visitors and so did not know who either of the robbers were. Nor was any information circulating on the street about who they were. Roberts’ feeling, from what he has heard about their reported approach to the visitors, was that they were probably a couple of local boys simply seeking to take advantage of a group of drunken visitors who might have had money on them. Roberts thought the robbery went wrong, and in their nervousness had accidentally fired their weapon(s). Such persons would probably rob again in his view.
Power: He had heard nothing about Power’s likely whereabouts, including if he was still in Barbados. ‘Street vibes’ on Power’s escape suggested that his escape would have had to be well-funded, with the escape being pulled off by locals “who had real guts to even attempt the rescue”. Roberts mentioned no names or groups that might have done the job. However, early last night he had heard that someone from overseas had arrived in Barbados following Power’s escape. Why they were here Roberts did not know. He did not have a name to share with me but promised to keep his ear to the ground. Roberts has my number.
CBOB’s Deputy Governor: Roberts has heard two rumours: (a) that the man was not well, but no one knew what his condition was (I put that down to pure Bajan gossip); (b) the man was probably dead already having committed suicide. Roberts dismissed this second rumour because he had heard that story from a well-known drunkard who was not close to being sober at the time of telling Roberts the story around 1:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon.
Conclusion: Justifiable interview. Follow-up necessary? Yes – during Monday, 23 April.
Signed: Alfred George. [Saturday, 21 April 2018]
Colonel Burke let out a long breath, placing his copy of Fred’s report on the conference table.
“Thanks Fred. I’m glad you were able to tap into this guy! He may be a road rat, but sometimes he has better informed than us and most of the RBPF boys put together. Maybe not on this occasion though. Okay, what should be our plan going forward? How about we take the robbery/shooting and Deputy Governor strands and see where they lead? Use your contacts to see what they know or might have heard. We meet here again at say, 4:00 p.m. today to report what we’ve each come up with. Then we can pursue or discard further leads that we’ve developed as the case may be. Happy?”
Almost in unison, the other BIB operatives in the room nodded and started to rise from their chairs.
“Chief, where’s JJ?” Fred asked.
“He’s on assignment. Sorry, I’m not at liberty to say any more or where.”
“Can you tell us in connection with what, sir?” persisted Fred.
“I could, but I’m not going to. However, if and when I think JJ requires support, I’ll be sure to find you.”
“Yes, sir,” said Fred. He wasn’t convinced but as usual, he trusted Colonel Burke who hadn’t mentioned Power, so Fred suspected that JJ was somehow on that case, in Barbados or elsewhere.
Probably the latter, thought Fred.
***
Bang on 9:45 a.m., Magnus Hunter took his sea, No. 53, Row 6, Section 203 in the Worrell, Weekes and Walcott (better known to local cricket lovers as the Three W’s) stand at New Kensington Oval before the start of Day 2 of the Test Match.
As a Life Member of the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA), it was the seat he had booked in the Members area of the Three W’s stand for the past four years. It was directly behind the middle wicket on the square’s bowler’s arm, looking from the Joel Garner-end of the ground.
The West Indies would start from being 325 for three overnight after Day 1. This was a healthy position. Hunter was looking forward to seeing how Day 2 of the Test Match would pan out during the day. He would, as usual be discussing all this with his recently acquired cricket-watching partner, Charles ‘Corey’ Miller who had retired as Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health just a year earlier.
Just then, Hunter heard, “Good morning, Magnus, you missed a great day’s play yesterday. Our boys did good in your absence. Where were you?” It was Miller.
“Good morning, Chief Corey. Yes, I’m sorry I did. Had some personal business to attend to. Trust you’re well this good morning?”
“I’m fine. Seen today’s papers yet?” asked Miller.
“No, waiting to see yours!”
“Typical! Ah well, all hell seems to have broken loose in Bim since that attempted prisoner breakout on Wednesday morning. Two of them got away and, as far as the public’s concerned, are still on the run. Not in the papers yet but I hear that the repeat child-support offender handed himself in yesterday afternoon at a police station. He only wanted to see his youngest kid.”
“Which police station, Corey?”
“Can’t say – I’d get my family into trouble…you know how it is.”
“Alright, so the gun running drug dealer and British drug dealer are still on the loose, you say?” asked Hunter conversationally but focussed on a section of the English supporters.
“Yes… I mean no. The Brit never ran away. This Power guy is now the only prisoner on the run. Also, the CBOB’s Deputy Governor remains missing too. Do you think there’s any connection between the prisoners escape and the disappearance of the Deputy Governor?”
“Corey, your guess is as good as mine, but I doubt it,” Hunter responded uncommittedly.
“Come on, Magnus, I know you well enough to pick up when you’re holding back something from me, as usual! Am I not correct?” asked Miller.
Hunter ignored the question.
Just then the bell rang, signalling that Day 2 of the Test Match would commence in another five minutes. Soon the two umpires, having come down the steps of the Garfield Sobers Pavilion, crossed the boundary rope and started their walk out to the centre of New Kensington Oval. The West Indian and English supporters inside the ground cheered and clapped as the English fielders followed the umpires onto the field of play. In turn, the two overnight West Indian batsmen followed.
“Here’s to a great day’s play,” said Hunter.
“Too right! I’ll just get myself in the mood…” responded Bourne, diving into his well-stocked lunch and snack bag to resurface with a pep bottle containing some brandy.
“Want some?”
“Later, man – I want to focus on the game now. Lunchtime’s good?”
“Fine by me,” said Miller, dropping a couple of ice cubes into a plastic glass followed by a dash of brandy. He was ready for his day’s cricket.
The first ball of Day 2 was sent down. It passed harmlessly wide of the off stump, landing in the wicketkeeper’s gloves with a thud. The second new ball had been taken at last.
***
It was just after 1:30 p.m. when Fred and Joe popped down to the SIR to see how Samuel and Margaret were doing. They had nothing additionally substantive that they wanted to report as yet, though they indicated that they had made steady progress in the special tasks they had been given by Colonel Burke.
***
An hour later, Samuel and Margaret hit the mini-jackpot! Twice. Not about the escaped prisoner Power, but about Dr Albert Lewis and the St Lawrence Gap robbery.
Regarding Dr Lewis, in addition to the CCTV footage from P’s Disco that had been presented to them earlier that morning, they now had further and clear evidence that Dr Lewis had not disappeared of his own volition.
Given that the CCTV camera only provided black and white film, it was left to those watching the images to ‘colourise’ the tie with a view to establishing which school tie it might be. It probably belonged to a former student who was now a parent of a school they loved and respected.
If somewhere in the near-nationwide CCTV system they could also now find a similar image of a light-coloured Subaru Impreza saloon with the Garfield and school tie, and where a registration number at either front or back could be deciphered on the vehicle, then they could start tracking down the vehicle’s owner and address. Ultimately, who the men seen moving Dr Lewis were would be established.
Samuel took matters a step further by calling Jackson Bright, Director of the Barbados Licensing Authority (BLA). He provided Bright with what little information was available on the 2009 Subaru Impreza and requested a printout of all such vehicles that had been imported into Barbados and registered with the BLA.
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