How did he know it was a 2009 model? Simple. Samuel’s father owned this make and model of car, so he was familiar with it and so easily recognised such a vehicle.
Regarding the St. Lawrence Gap robbery, one of the two culprits had now been identified. The use of facial recognition system technology (FRST) had been helpful, particularly the clear image of the second robber who had lost his mask in his effort to escape from the gas station. RBPF and BIB teams identified the twenty-two-year-old man from their electronic databases. It turned out that the image of the second robber matched that of one of the culprits from the St Lawrence Gap incident three nights earlier. His name was Kenrick Hyman and his last known address was ‘Rocky Bottom’, Silver Sands, Christ Church.
Samuel and Margaret called Colonel Burke. They explained what they had found on Dr Lewis’ disappearance and the St Lawrence Gap robbery and shooting. After listening carefully, Colonel Burke thanked his two ICT operatives, urging them to get back to work on Dr Lewis’ case. They duly obliged.
Colonel Burke then called Jeremie to advise him on his team’s findings in both cases, promising additional updates as they came to hand.
Jeremie instructed Vickers and Moss to arrange with Station Sergeant David Avery at Oistins police station to secure a backup team of three RBPF officers and two BDF soldiers to accompany Vickers and Moss on a visit to Hyman’s address with a view to picking him up for questioning. If Hyman was not there, then an APB would immediately be issued for his arrest.
Vickers promptly complied with Jeremie’s instruction by calling Avery.
***
Chapter Twenty-One
Balls – Big and Small
Colonel Burke’s subsequent 4:00 p.m. meeting with his BIB operatives was productive. Not only had they received new information from Samuel and Margaret’s investigations, but other prisoner related enquiries had also borne some fruit.
One such lead was an aged but distinctive looking open-back vehicle with unusual markings on both sides. This had been noticed by the eagle-eyed Samuel back in BIB HQ’s SIR late on Friday night, or was it early Saturday morning? Samuel and Margaret had since been able to find and match an image captured from CCTV camera footage of that, or a very similar looking vehicle approaching the Six Cross Roads, St Philip roundabout at 8:31 a.m. on 18th April, the previous Wednesday morning.
The fact that the CCTV camera had captured the vehicle’s driver appearing to have limped throughout the process of collecting and placing the large item, possibly a television set into the cargo bed, rang a bell with Samuel and Margaret. Mohammed from JJ’s Gold team had mentioned “someone with a limp” running away from the six-wheeled truck towards the getaway car carrying Power.
They needed to establish who the owner of that vehicle was. If that person was incapacitated by a bad leg, then they would know they were onto something.
***
On his way to Hyman’s home, having earlier secured a signed search warrant from a Justice of the Peace, Vickers received a call from Caroline Lewis-Greenidge. She had arrived in Barbados late the previous night after a day-long flight trek from Texas (via Miami). Her brother had briefed her of their father’s situation, but Lewis-Greenidge had been keen to speak directly with Vickers to introduce herself and maintain the pressure on him and the RBPF’s efforts to locate her missing father.
Vickers was patient and polite but did not provide Lewis-Greenidge with any new information. He promised to call the family and update them around noon on Sunday, the following day.
Though the CCTV footage found by Samuel and Margaret had been passed on to Vickers by Colonel Burke, Vickers did not alert Lewis-Greenidge about it. The car’s image (if not a licence plate) was sufficient to get the BLA started. Within a few hours, law enforcement agencies would start tracking down the owner of the 2009 Subaru Impreza and gain an address for them. Once secured, other dominoes were likely to fall into place, of that Vickers was certain. He began to feel greater confidence that Dr Lewis would soon be found, enabling them perhaps to close-out the Lewis case sometime Sunday night.
Something else had also found its way to Vickers’ during the day. It was what looked like a room key found under the driver’s seat of Telford’s car. He would give this to Moss to run to ground. Which south coast hotel might this have come from? Once known, were there any fingerprints or DNA on the room key card or other markings that might give a clue as to who might have dropped it in Telford’s car. Could that person be Telford’s murderer and if so, were they from Barbados or overseas?
Vickers knew that once these questions were answered, the tracking down of who might have murdered Telford could commence in earnest. Given that Telford worked at HMP Dodds, his untimely ending might have had something to do with Wednesday’s arrogant prisoners escape.
Vickers decided to set Moss on that part of the investigation in the morning. Other officers were also looking into other aspects of Telford’s death.
***
Day 2 of the second Test Match had ended with the West Indies team in a commanding position, suggesting that a win for the home side might be on the cards. Over the next couple of days, if things went their way, the home team’s push for victory on Day 5 should materialise. West Indies had declared half an hour before the end of session two (between the lunch and tea intervals) at 525 for seven. In the four overs before tea, three of pace and one of spin, England lost one wicket. Following the tea break and some free scoring by England’s top order batsmen in response to some short and at times wayward bowling by the West Indians, England then lost four additional wickets before play ended, leaving them at 100 for 5. So, West Indies’ day!
Sir Thadeus Thomas had enjoyed his first experience of New Kensington Oval, but was disappointed with the England team’s overall performance. He was not alone, as the English media’s reporting of what had transpired on Day 2 was not flattering for international internet cricket enthusiasts who read the day’s reports overnight, or those reading national English newspapers’ sports pages the following morning.
Liz Brathwaite had arranged for Rickson, McPiers and Aitken to view Day 2 of the Test Match from BTHI’s hospitality box. Her guests had thoroughly enjoyed themselves – the view, food and drinks (well, not Rickson, but he did discover coconut water). BTHI’s hospitality had helped them all to start the mental recovery process after their unfortunate St Lawrence Gap ordeal. Three more days of this treatment at the Test Match was going to be very nice. Rhonda Ziegler was unable to join them, as she was required to work in the media complex and report on each day’s play for her British newspaper.
As for the thousands of ‘Balmy Army’ and other English supporters who had been at the game, they were disappointed with what they had seen. Following Day 2’s play, some had drowned their sorrows at several of the road-side bars available to them along the roads leading to and from New Kensington Oval before heading back to hotels, guest houses or the residences of relatives and friends.
The visiting English cricket supporters had something else to attract them that evening. Everyone knows that the English are great attendees at major soccer matches. Soccer is, after all, England’s number one national sport. No surprise then to find that a few hundred of those who were at New Kensington Oval would venture to the National Stadium that evening to watch a soccer match between Barbados and the USA. Though this would be a friendly international game, persons attending anticipated that it would be a competitive, perhaps somewhat feisty encounter. English supporters’ interest in the match was further piqued by the fact that England and the USA were both in Group D at the forthcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. This was the so called ‘Group of Death’ because within Group D were also Argentina, host-county Russia and Australia.
***
Hyman found himself in a cell at Oistins police station. After questioning, he admitted his part in both robberies. He was read his rights before being arrested on two charges of robbery in Christ Church and St Michael on the specifie
d dates. In addition, he was charged with being in possession of an unlicensed firearm, discharging three rounds of ammunition from such in St Lawrence Gap, Christ Church on a specific date. Scared, Hyman quickly gave up his robbery partner in both instances.
***
Castille was frustrated. His original plan to have concluded his business in Barbados and of returning to Miami on AA’s late afternoon flight today would not now transpire. A Sunday afternoon departure was also now unlikely. Reluctantly he had accepted that he would be leaving Barbados on Monday afternoon or even Tuesday morning. Whether successful or not in his efforts at recovering The Organisation’s outstanding funds from Power who had escaped his clutches (for now), Castille knew this made him look stupid to Pilessar and others within The Organisation. It may not cost him his Number Three position or job within The Organisation but it would cause him to lose face with his colleagues because of this failure.
As there was nothing more Castille could do tonight to solve his problem, he wondered how he would spend the evening? He was not one to go out drinking, attend shows or pick up women he did not know for a one-night stand. Then Castille remembered that at breakfast he had read about a friendly soccer match between Barbados and the USA that night. He decided that, rather than eat his dinner in the boringly stifling dining room he would spend a fourth night running in his room, this time watching the game on local television.
***
Colonel Burke and Diane dined at home. They had decided earlier that they could watch tonight’s football game together. It was being broadcast live on both local and one of the USA’s ESPN sports channels. Colonel Burke hoped for a Barbados win, but warned Diane not to be surprised if the game ended in an exciting draw.
This was to be a break for him, for once the match was over, he would be working again to see how else his fellow BIB operatives could help the country to overcome its current security challenges.
***
The newly refurbished and expanded National Stadium at Waterford, St Michael had stands all around the facility. It was a fine venue, one of the best in the country for a variety of international sports.
Barbados had gotten the closest they ever had been to reaching a FIFA World Cup Soccer Finals. A 1-0 defeat in their final qualifying match by Costa Rica at this very stadium four weeks earlier had sadly put paid to their quest.
That had been a sad night for Barbadians. It would have meant that two Caribbean teams would have been at the 2018 World Cup Finals. As it was, Trinidad and Tobago was the sole Caribbean team at the world’s biggest sporting event, bar the Olympic Games. Caribbean people were now hoping that Trinidad and Tobago’s team would, this time around, get beyond the group stage to the knockout stage of the tournament.
The game started at 8:00 p.m. Barbados scored the first goal from a corner midway through the first half. The USA team equalised just before half-time to make it one-one.
The half-time break was extended to accommodate a special presentation of Barbadian culture (stilt men and tuk band performance complete with two Mother Sally’s, dancing and performing men and women).
***
Surprisingly, thirty-year-old Virgil Procter of Belle View, St Michael was at home and in bed when a team of armed RBPF officers and BDF soldiers descended upon his house.
Without looking outside, Procter had answered the knock on his door. Officers found an old firearm and six rounds of ammunition under his bed. Earlier contact with the RBPF officer allocated to that district (the ‘resident beat-cop’) had confirmed that Procter lived alone. He did not resist arrest. Hyman’s earlier revelation to RBPF officers suggested that Procter was the one who had provided and fired the two firearms used in the attempted St Lawrence Gap robbery. It was Procter who had fired the shots at the taxi, one of which had hit the British visitor. This was a case of criminals turning on each other, thought Vickers. He wondered if Procter’s interrogation would be as enlightening about Hyman once they reached the Black Rock police station.
***
The second half of the soccer match re-started and quickly saw the USA take the lead through a free kick. USA supporters in the crowd went wild and the Barbadians became as quiet as a door mouse. The USA team played some attractive football for most of the second half, but appeared to tire around the seventy-fifth minute, showing particular weakness down the right side of their defence. Selwyn Gay, the Barbados senior team’s coach, noticed this and made some tactical changes, including a triple substitution in the eightieth minute. The equaliser for Barbados followed through a headed goal by one of the substitutes.
In the four minutes of injury time played, neither team was able to get a winner. Two-two. It was a famous draw for Barbados against a more experienced, well-drilled and funded USA team. Once the final whistle had been blown, Ambassador Rowley and Minister Grant shook hands and congratulated each other. It had been a good game, a fine evening overall. There had been no security breaches, invasions or other kind of confusion to mention leading up to or during the game. The game’s aftermath was also free of trouble.
***
In St Vincent, JJ looked back on his day and was satisfied. He had made good progress. Having been keen to get down to work shortly after his arrival despite his long overnight journey with little sleep, he had readily joined Gomez and the rest of his RTF unit when they had carefully narrowed down to half dozen potential geographical locations in St Vincent where they thought Power might be being hidden. The RTF unit had sensibly established that Power’s on-island suitors would not have risked moving him to any of the neighbouring Grenadine Islands of Mustique, Bequia, Canouan, or Palm Island so soon after his reported arrival on St Vincent. The RTF unit’s members had therefore primarily focussed their efforts on the outlying parishes in the more rural areas of St Vincent where Power could be stashed. They had also considered popular inner-city areas around Kingstown where he might have been more able to fit in. Early tomorrow, they would decide on the agreed areas they would start searching for Power.
Thanks to RSVGPF Commissioner Aubrey Gaynor, who had taken the trouble to visit Gomez and meet with JJ late that afternoon, an arrangement had now been reached to allow the RTF unit to be supplemented for tomorrow’s searches by a twelve-member detachment of soldiers from the SVGDF. The day had also been rewarding for Gomez’s RTF unit. Tomorrow could see Power’s recapture.
Following dinner with Gomez, JJ took a hot shower. Before turning in, he sent a short message to Colonel Burke on his secure BIB mini-computer. “Rapid progress being made. Tomorrow should be a good day with searches set to take place. SVGDF help confirmed. Optimistic on capture.”
The reply received from Colonel Burke was one-worded. “Understood.” Though it was still relatively early, JJ decided to turn in. He thought it prudent to get a good night’s rest after last night and today’s activities. He expected tomorrow to be another challenging day.
***
The Operational Commander and lead RBPF officer in charge of security for the international football match was Superintendent Barry Walford and he was quietly relieved. His next major task would be to repeat his Operational Commander role at tomorrow night’s concert in the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex in Wildey, St Michael.
Given all that was happening security wise across Barbados, Walford had also carefully planned for tomorrow night’s concert to come off as smoothly as the soccer match had. Rather than dealing with an outdoor, on-field sporting activity and surrounded by 3,500 spectators, Walford now had to deal with the opposite – an indoor event on a comparatively smaller stage with 8,000 paying patrons comprised equally of locals and tourists. The decibels would be consistently louder in the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex tomorrow night than they were at the National Stadium. The performance at the former venue would also be longer (close to four hours overall) compared to the two and a half hours of football and related activities which had just concluded at the National Stadium.
Walford decided to get a good night�
��s rest. Tomorrow, he would visit the complex between 12:00 noon and 2:00 p.m., with his event security blueprint, just as he had done earlier today at the National Stadium. He would oversee the dress rehearsal performances of not only the Canadian pop star, but the four local artists (two bands, one instrumentalist and a comedian) who were also set to perform opening acts ahead of the main performance. This way, Walford would gain a true feel of the night’s activity in advance.
***
Chapter Twenty-Two
Caribbean Support
SUNDAY, 22 APRIL
Power was awoken by what felt like something crawling on his back. As someone who preferred to sleep on his stomach, he decided not to move immediately. He hoped it was not a centipede that had crawled into the hammock and luckily had not bitten him yet.
As his scrambled senses became more acute and his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realised that nothing was crawling on his back. It was a human hand that was doing a gentle dance there.
Power started to turn, but a voice said quietly but firmly, “Don’t move.”
He realised that this was not a dream. This was actually happening. Power wondered if the police had found him, or if this was an intended robbery of some kind at this sparsely furnished hut up in the hills in the middle of nowhere in St Vincent.
“Relax,” said a friendly voice. No police and not a robbery – something much better, he comprehended.
Hung Out to Dry Page 34