“There’s been a lot of fuss. First the police in Cornwall snooping around here looking for you and then the tragedy of Brandt’s death.”
“I’m afraid it’s all quite complicated, Rupert. Obviously I’m not at liberty to go into detail, but what I can tell you is that it’s nearly over and I should be back in just a few days.”
“Brandt’s wife Sarah has been staying with Ruth and I until she can sort things out. The police say that she’s been threatened by some gangs or other. God knows what trouble Brandt was in, but then he always was one to fly too close to the fire. Look Ralph, I have a Health and Safety meeting to chair and can’t stay here chatting. Get back as soon as you can and make sure you keep Margaret informed.” And with that, Granger rang off.
Ralph sat back. Nothing like getting your bloody priorities right, he muttered. But at least Granger had something else to absorb his attention. That was one problem solved. Three blasts from the horn of a boat on the river reminded him that it was time to get back to the ship. The Festival was scheduled to start at noon and visitors would be queuing to come aboard the ships.
****
The Festival organisers had done a great job and the opening was made official with the passage of the Queen’s Row Barge, Gloriana. As the liveried oarsmen manoeuvred the gold and red barge followed by police launches and a flotilla of small boats, the crowds cheered and waved. It was a gloriously sunny day with just enough of a breeze to flutter the many flags that flew from the buildings and the ships. For a moment it was possible for Ralph and Katie to put all thoughts of mayhem and killings out of their minds. As the visitors streamed up the gangplank to look at the ship, he heard someone shout out his name.
“Ralph! I certainly didn’t expect to see you here.” He turned to see Alex Shevchenko coming towards him.
“Hello, Alex. Nor I you. Are you here for the Festival?”
“That’s right. I flew into the City Airport as I’d been over in Paris on business. It’s great for getting into town and avoids that awful business at Heathrow.”
“Did you come on your own?”
“No, Marian will be up later on the train from Exeter. What about you?”
“No. Katie’s showing some people around. She’s been on board helping the cadets with their English.”
“That sounds interesting. But what about you? What are you doing here?”
“It’s a long story, but I managed to get a berth as part of the crew and sailed up from Falmouth in Cornwall. Are you and Marian staying over?”
“We’re at a hotel here at Canary Wharf. I’m not sure of the details because Marian made all of the arrangements. But she did tell me that we’re having supper at the Cutty Sark Restaurant at ballast Quay over by Kings Wharf. Why don’t you and Katie join us?”
“That’d be great,” Ralph said. “I know Katie will be delighted to see you and Marian again.”
“Shall we say about 8?”
“Sounds good. We’ll see you there.”
“We’ll look forward to it. I see the ship’s flying the Polish flag as well as your Union Jack, but I understand that the Captain is Ukrainian, so I’d better go below and say hello. You know how it is when you come across one of your countrymen in a foreign port. Anyhow, see you tonight, Ralph, and give my love to Katie in case I miss her.”
The day passed quickly and he only had a chance to speak to Katie briefly over a sandwich in the ship’s galley during the afternoon. He told her about his meeting at Scotland Yard and also about meeting up with Alex. Katie was delighted at the idea of going ashore for supper and seeing Marian and Alex again.
That evening they met at the Cutty Sark Tavern at eight as planned. Ralph was somewhat surprised that Alex had managed to reserve a table in the Willis Dining room as he knew it was pretty exclusive and getting a reservation for a table in that area was not easy. It did not take long before they were chatting as though they had not been apart since their time together in Kiev.
“What a magnificent view,” Katie said appreciatively as she looked out through the Georgian Bay window across the Thames and past Canary Wharf. The lights illuminated London and showed the outline of the familiar landmarks against the skyline.
“Only the best for my special friends,” quipped Alex as the waiter handed them the menu.
“I haven’t been to this restaurant before, but I understand the seafood’s excellent,” Alex said. What will you two have?”
“I know what I want,” Katie said. “Scallops are my favourite seafood so I’ll have the Salcombe Scallops.”
“And what about you, Ralph? Same as Katie?”
“No, I’ll pass on the scallops, Ralph replied. “I think I’ll go for the safe option and have the fish and chips. You can’t beat a nice piece of fresh cod when it’s cooked properly.”
“I think I’ll try the Brixham Crab,” said Marian. “Brixham is just down the coast from Exeter, so I expect it came up on the train with me,” she laughed.
“Well seeing as I’m the foreigner here, I’ll have to join Ralph. Fish and chips and mushy peas. It’s what England is famous for.” They all laughed at the caricature of English fine dining among foreigners. “But I’ll save some room for the pudding. I’m sure Ralph and I will have to test out that treacle sponge and custard and there’s bound to be something on the menu that will tempt you ladies.”
Ralph ordered a pint of Young’s Ale for himself and iced water with lemon for Katie.
“I’ll join you in a pint of ale,” Alex said. “And Marian said she wanted a glass of Chardonnay.”
“Alex tells me that you and Katie have travelled all the way from Falmouth on one of the Tall Ships,” Marian said. “I expect that’s been an interesting experience, but no doubt you’ll be ready to get back to civilization.”
“It’s been really good,” Katie replied. “No distractions, and of course no teaching, apart from the English tutoring for the cadets,” She laughed.
“I can’t see Alex and me lasting more than 24 hours away from our creature comforts,” said Marian. “We could never rough it like you two.”
Ralph looked across at Alex. At over 6 feet, fit and built like a front row forward, he did not look like someone you’d want to cross. That friendly but controlled manner hid a strong and almost sinister character. He hoped that Marian wouldn’t get hurt. But she was a grown woman and could no doubt look after herself. But Ralph suspected that there was more to Alex than simply being a college lecturer who supported the cause for compensation for Chernobyl victims. Maybe Renton’s brainwashing was beginning to get through. Or was he really as paranoid as Katie often suggested?
They had a wonderful evening and for a while Ralph even managed to forget about his meeting with the police at Scotland Yard. But that last remark that Renton had made about whether he knew Alex Shevchenko kept coming back. And what had made him lie about it to Commander Renton?
While Katie and Marian chatted away, Ralph and Alex got up and walked over to the bay window.
“Alex, I know this sounds crazy, but why would someone from the police ask me if I knew you?”
“I have no idea. I’ve only been here a few times and as far as I know I haven’t broken the law or been caught speeding or anything. Did they say why they had asked about me?”
“No. I expect it was just one of those things. They might have seen us on the programme at the Greenwich conference. I don’t expect that you’ve heard, but Brandt Kessler, you remember, the speaker at the Conference who worked for Amnesty International, anyhow, he’s been found murdered.
“How awful. Yes I do remember the name. He was with the guy that gave that paper on Plaza Rana. Owen something or other.”
“Owen James.”
“Yes. That’s it. He was also found dead. Drowned near here, from what the papers said.”
“You don’t think the police think I’m involved in any way?” Asked Alex with a look of incredulity.
“No. At least not that I know of. Maybe t
hey’re just checking out everyone who was at the Conference since Owen James and Brandt Kessler were both there, and both were murdered soon after. Anyhow, I’m sure it’s nothing. Sorry I mentioned it.”
“Not to worry, Ralph. But that’s awful about your two friends.”
“Well. to be honest, I was barely acquainted with them. But I agree, it is a sad business,” Ralph said. “But don’t let it spoil our evening. It’s a lovely restaurant and the girls seem to be enjoying themselves.” Ralph looked over towards the table where Katie and Marian were obviously enjoying each other’s company as well as the crème brulee that they shared between them.
“Why don’t we get some coffee and then we can work out what we’ll do tomorrow,” said Alex. “I hear that there’s a big fireworks display and then the next day it’s all over. I spoke to your Skipper and he seems anxious to be off and out to sea. He told me that the ship’s due in St Petersburg for some big event there in a couple of weeks’ time. Vladimir Putin is hosting some international event showcasing Russian scientific achievements. I expect that they will keep Chernobyl off the programme.” Alex gave a wry smile.
***
The next day everyone was busy either entertaining guests and local dignitaries on board or going ashore for the celebrations. The crews from all the ships paraded late in the afternoon for a prize-giving ceremony, and a group appropriately named The Twilight Shanties entertained the crowds with old favourites like Swinging the Lead and What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor. There was a lot of cheering and everyone had a ball.
Ralph heard from a visitor to the ship that there had been a scuffle during the afternoon over at Canary Wharf when a group of Iraq War protestors clashed with the British National Party. Ralph knew about the BNP as they were a far right political party that had campaigned in Kingston at the last elections. The thing he disliked most about their policies was that they were anti-multiculturalism. They saw their role as fighting what they called the Islamification of the UK. The visitor told him that the police had made a few arrests and that it had all ended rather quickly.
Ralph realised that Amin’s story about a peaceful demonstration had been correct. But he was still worried that it might only have been a diversion. The day ended with a fireworks display over the Thames. Alex and Marian waved to them as they walked off back to their hotel and Ralph and Katie re-boarded the ship.
Later that night as Ralph sat in the chart room and listened to a radio concert being broadcast from the Royal Festival Hall, there was a news bulletin during the Interval. He wondered if Katie had turned in for the night as he got up to make a cup of tea and turned up the volume.
Late this evening the bodies of two young Asian men were found by the Thames River police just beyond the Millennium Bridge. It is thought that they were tourists but the police have not yet released a statement.
Today in Parliament the Prime Minister answered questions on the ….
Ralph switched the radio off. The kettle whistled on the galley stove and he went across to take it off. He sat down on a bench. He had absolutely no evidence for it, but for some reason he had a nagging feeling that the two young Asians were Amin and Nasser. He punched Renton’s number into his cell phone. After a very brief conversation, Renton said that a car would pick him up in 5 minutes and take him to the infirmary where the two bodies were being held. When the car arrived, Ralph left a message with Vadim to tell Katie where he had gone. This was his second visit to a morgue. The last time had been in Reading when he had to identify the body of an American colleague. He never imagined then that he would ever have to do it again.
When they arrived at the morgue, an officer who said that he was part of Renton’s Unit met him and asked for some identification. Ralph felt a bit foolish that the only ID he had was his driving licence. Once the officer was satisfied that Ralph was authorized to be there, he led the way to the post mortem laboratory.
When the lab technician pulled back the plastic covers, Ralph could see straight away that the bodies were those of Amin and Nasser.
“They’d not been in the river long, sir or it would have been a lot more unpleasant,” said the officer.
“Do you know yet how they died?” Ralph asked. He realised that it was a very trite thing to say.
“The medical examiner hasn’t completed his examination yet, sir. But the initial investigation suggests that they were strangled. Garrotted to be more precise. The marks on their necks are consistent with that. It appears that they were murdered, and by the looks of it, it was someone who knew what he was doing. The fact that they were both killed, and either at the same time or very nearly so suggests that there may have been more than one assailant.”
The officer glanced over at Ralph.
“It looks like you could do with a cup of tea, sir. Perhaps you’d best come into the office and sit down for a while. Don’t worry, sir, no one ever gets used to it. Particularly when it’s young people like those two. It reminds you too much of your own kids.”
He led Ralph into a small office and went off to get some tea. Ralph realized that they may have been murdered because they had been seen talking to him in that damned restaurant. If only he had listened to Katie and not gone over to speak to them.
After he had drunk some of the sweet tea and signed a form for the officer, the constable who had collected him drove him back to the ship. Everything was silent apart from the voices of the two cadets who were on anchor watch. He heard them talking as they checked to make sure that the ship had not moved.
Later, he lay in his hammock and thought about what had happened. If the demonstration really had been a diversion, then the terrorists must be planning to make their move as the ships set sail in procession down the Thames. The media were making a big thing of the Festival, and Mayor Boris Johnson was using it to attract tourism and investment in London. It would be the perfect opportunity for the terrorists to act.
Revenge was not something that Ralph had any time for, but he became increasingly angry at how those two students had been used and then killed. So much for loyalty and comradeship.
****
It was a perfect day for sailing. The cadets were up and ready to go. Ralph could almost smell the adrenaline that pumped through the veins of all those who were preparing to raise anchor and join the procession of ships down the Thames and out to sea. The Festival was reaching its climax.
When he told Katie about the deaths of the two students, she had been terribly upset at such a waste of life. She had been very supportive of him. She told him that he should not blame himself as the young men had in a way made their choice and no doubt they would have finished up dying sooner or later, although that any one should die such a horrible death at the hands of their erstwhile comrades was, as she put it, unthinkable.
Vadim was obviously not well and the Captain had told him to stand down from his watch even though protocol required that all hands be on deck at the start of a voyage. Vadim had been reluctant to relinquish his duties and had compromised by saying that he would sit in the navigation area and make sure that the tide and other calculations were correct. The Captain had asked Ralph if he would help sail the ship to Margate, at the mouth of the Thames, and then they would put him and Katie ashore when they refuelled. By then he hoped that Vadim would be well enough to resume his duties. Ralph and Katie had agreed.
Ralph was on deck to supervise the cadets who were to climb the rigging and salute as they sailed past the Queen’s Barge and the Greenwich Meridian.
Suddenly five men in face masks appeared from an aft cabin. One held a pistol to Anton Koval’s head.
“Just keep sailing as normal. Anyone shouts or makes any unusual move and he’s dead,” one of them said to Ralph as he ran towards him brandishing what looked to Ralph like an AK47 or some other type of automatic rifle.
Ralph glanced around and saw Katie slip quietly into the hatchway that lead to the galley. The anchor was aboard and the engines hummed as the ship swun
g out towards the middle of the river. The other ships took up their positions astern. Ralph looked to the shore and watched as the crowds waved, oblivious as to what was taking place on the Mlodziezy. His first thought had been that they intended to ram the Thames Barrier. But he could see no real point in that as it could soon be repaired.
He saw that one of them had a pack strapped to his shoulders and guessed that it could be an improvised explosive device. No doubt they taught him how to make the devices in Iraq, Ralph thought grimly. The buggers must have come aboard in the night when everyone was asleep.
With a scream of pain, the terrorist who had waved the AK47 fell back as a stream of foam hit him in the face. It had come from a fire extinguisher that Katie must have gotten from the galley and now brandished at the terrorists. As the others turned towards Katie, he saw the figures of several burly blond cadets drop from the rigging and crash down on the terrorists. Amidst the confusion, Vadim appeared from the navigation cabin and fired a Very gun that is normally used to fire distress flares. The man who had been holding the pistol to the Captain’s head fell back and crashed to the deck as green smoke poured from where the rocket had struck him in the thigh. And as he fell, his pistol flew from his outstretched hand. Ralph shouted at one of the larger cadets to throw the man with the backpack over the side. He guessed that at least if it was electrically detonated the water might neutralise it.
With a loud grunt the massively built cadet picked the man up and tossed him overboard. He heard cheering from the rigging. It was all over in a few minutes. As Ralph turned he saw a rigid inflatable heading for the ship. A grappling iron flew over the bulwark and soon the police were aboard and quickly disarmed and handcuffed the rest of the terrorists.
Katie dropped the extinguisher and ran to his side.
“Are you okay?” She gasped.
“When he gave her a hug, she was shaking. “I’m fine. Thanks to you we all are. But remind me to stay out of your way if you have a fire extinguisher nearby.” They laughed as the adrenaline and tension eased.
Murder at Canary Wharf (The Ralph Chalmers Mysteries Book 8) Page 12