Death Diamonds of Bermudez

by R. C. Farrington

  Graham replied, “We know you are, and so are we.”

  Keno added, “Inspector Savage, what can we do to help?”

  Storm spoke up, “I know neither of you know me, but I’m a good friend of Inspector Savage. Let me take a look at that leather pouch you dug up in the Boer War Cemetery.” Graham handed the pouch to Storm. Storm opened up the pouch and dumped it out on the table. Several diamonds fell out on the table along with a fragile yellowed paper.

  Savage reached over to pick it up. He quickly unfolded the paper. After looking at the paper he frowned and said as he pulled out a pair of glasses from his pocket, “Sorry, guys, but the combination of this stained document and my eyesight makes me need these.” He looked over the document saying, “Boy, did our old buddy Fritz hate the British. Listen to this.” He went on to say, “I guess this is a clue. Here’s what it says, ‘The bloody British were not the first to land here. They were invaders and oppressors here as in South Africa. Find who was here first, and you’ll find our future.’ Now what do you think this clue means?”

  Storm shook his head and said, “Don’t look at me.”

  Savage looked at Graham and Keno and asked, “Does it make any sense to you two?”

  Graham replied, “No sir, but I’ll give it some thought.”

  Savage added, “Good, let us know if you have any ideas. In the mean time we’ve got all available police officers scouring every acre of Bermuda for the South Africans and the kids. You two stay close to home just in case we need you.”

  Keno replied, “Yes sir.” Keno and Graham both got up and left the briefing room. On their way down the hallway Keno whispered to Graham, “Why did you say no?”

  Graham replied, “I’ll tell you when we get outside.” The two quickly left the police station.

  Once they were down the street a short distance Keno asked, “We both know the clue leads to Spanish Rock at Spittal Pond. Why didn’t you tell the Inspector?”

  Graham replied, “The Spinners stick together. We’ll follow the clue and leave a trail for the Inspector and Storm to follow. Let’s go get our scooters and head for Spittle Pond.” Within minutes the two Spinners were zooming off towards Spittal Pond.

  The Spinners failed to notice that as they left St. George’s they were being followed by two of Van Eck’s thugs on tourist scooters.

  Meanwhile back at the police station Savage and Storm were still in the briefing room. Savage looked over at Storm and commented, “Those kids know more than what they’re letting on.”

  Storm asked, “I thought you trusted these kids?”

  Savage replied, “I do trust them. You have to understand that the Spinners have a bond that’s very unique. They’ll let us know what their thinking in due time. In the meantime we’ll put out an A.P.B. and see if we can find out where they went.” The two left the room and went down to the Front desk sergeant to request the A.P.B..

  The Spinners made their way to the east end of the Spittal Pond Nature Reserve. Hoping not to be noticed they hid their scooters in some heavy vine growth just inside the entrance. Graham said to Keno, “The Inspector is a very sharp man. It won’t take him long to figure out the clue.” Keno nodded his head as they both headed down one of the trails that would lead them to Spanish Rock.

  The Spittal Pond Nature Reserve is a pristine, well-preserved spot in Bermuda that captures the true state of Bermuda over two hundred years ago. A very large pond is located in the centre of the reserve surrounded by walking trails. The pond is well stocked with fish and frogs. One can always see geese, ducks, and flamingos relaxing on the pond and raising their families there. The southern border of the reserve is a rocky cliff area that butts up to the ocean. Trails wind throughout the reserve finding their way through the wooded hills, rocky shoreline, and around the pond.

  Van Eck’s thugs, Axel and Klaw, had already arrived in time to see Graham and Keno disappear down the narrow hillside trail. Axel, a good sized man with dark black hair and piercing black eyes, pointed down the hillside as he noticed that the trail split at the bottom of the hill. One trail ran along the pond’s shoreline and the other trail led up into the jagged rocks. Axel barked out, “Klaw, you follow the trail that runs along the pond, and I’ll follow the other trail through the rocks.” Klaw was an expert tracker, and he knew that the Spinners probably knew the terrain whereas he and Axel did not. He was sure if he missed the kids then Klaw would surely find them. As Klaw walked along the pond he pulled out two large serrated hunting knives. He used knives as claws the same way that large predatory animals would. Thus his nickname name Klaw. Graham and Keno would not want to run into this man.

  Savage and Storm were now standing in front of the St. George’s police station. Both men were frustrated. Not a single lead to follow, and they were still baffled by the Boer clue. All of a sudden Savage yelled out, “I’ve got it. The damn clue is at Spittal Pond. It’s somewhere around Spanish Rock.”

  Storm slapped Savage on the back and said, “Well, let’s get the hell out of here and get to this Spanish Rock.” Both men ran to Savage’s car and were off in a minute heading towards Spittal Pond.

  Meanwhile Graham and Keno had made their way to Spanish Rock. They both stood there staring at the replica’s markings. The original stone that had been carved hundreds of years ago had long ago been destroyed by Mother Nature and mankind. Keno was first to speak asking Graham, “Why do all the history books say the inscription on the rock is ‘RP 1543’? To me it’s clearly ‘TF 1543’.”

  Graham smiled and said, “I believe it is Portuguese lettering.”

  Keno scratched his head and said, “Well, if that’s Portuguese lettering then why is it called Spanish Rock?”

  Graham replied, “For years and years people thought it was Spanish lettering. That’s why. Where is Portagee when you need him?”

  Keno went on to say, “No matter what it is, where’s the clue?”

  Graham replied, “Well, it has to be the inscription. There’s nothing else here besides more rocks. Anything else would not stand the test of time.” The two stood there for what seemed an eternity. Finally Keno said, “Is the clue in the ‘RP’ or the ‘TF’?”

  Graham replied, “Since the map was written by a Boer War prisoner of war over one hundred years ago, I think we should take it literally. So let’s work on the ‘TF 1543’ idea.”

  Keno stood in silence for several minutes and said, “It’s not working for me, man. I think we’re as good as dead.” He looked over at Graham and seeing a gleam in his eyes, he remarked, “Now you’re going to tell me you broke the code.”

  Graham started to reply, but he heard someone walking up one of the trails heading towards them. Graham hand signaled to Keno to follow him. They both quickly ran through the rocks to another trail that led them in a westerly direction to the other end of the nature reserve. Keno and Graham both knew once they made it to the west exit of the reserve they could back track on South Road to their scooters.

  As they crested a small hill, Axel spotted them and yelled out, “Stop, you little creeps, or I’ll tear you limb from limb when I bloody well catch up to you!” The two Spinners did not break stride. They kept running as fast as they could.

  They were almost at the other entrance of the reserve when suddenly Klaw jumped out from behind a tree knocking Graham down on his back. He pulled out one of his hunting knives and waved it over Graham’s head saying, “Well boy, you going somewhere?”

  Klaw was startled when he heard another voice, “Yeah, and so are you.” Keno hit Klaw’s right jaw as hard as he could with his fist. Klaw hit the ground with a thud and was out like a light.

  Graham looked up at Keno and said, “Thanks. I think you just sent this goon to Neverland.” They both laughed as Keno helped Graham to his feet and they continued on to the entrance. After leaving the reserve and running down South Road, the two finally made it back to their scooters at the east end entrance of the reserve.

  Keno, huffing and puffing
asked, “Tell me. What was the translation of the clue?”

  Graham bent over to catch his breath and replied, “I’m not quite sure yet, but with a little work I know we can crack it. Let’s get back to St. George’s, and we’ll get to work.”

  The two climbed on their scooters, but before they could start them up, two figures stepped out of the bushes. Axel pulled out his pistol and said, “Boys, you’re not going anywhere except with us. Now get off those scooters before I blow a hole through the two of you.” As Graham and Keno dismounted their scooters a car sped into the small parking lot and slammed on the brakes sliding sideways towards the South Africans. It was Storm and Savage. Savage jumped out of one side of the car while Storm jumped out of the other.

  Savage barked, “Drop the gun, mate, before my friend drops you.” Axel could see that Storm had his pistol drawn and aimed at him. While the focus was on the two men with guns Klaw drew his hunting knife from his belt and threw it at Savage striking him in the upper leg. Savage dropped to the ground in pain quickly removing the jagged knife from his leg. In that same moment Storm fired off two rounds at Axel and Klaw. Axel was hit in the chest and was dead before he hit the ground. Klaw was lucky. Storm’s second shot missed him. He vanished into the bushes before anyone else noticed.

  Storm ran over to Savage yelling, “Are you all right?”

  Grimacing in pain, Savage said, “Yeah, except for this bloody hole in my leg.” He looked over at Graham and Keno as he stood up and put a handkerchief around his wound saying, “How are you guys doing?”

  Still in shock and looking at Savage’s bloody leg, Graham replied, “We’re OK.”

  Savage added, “Don’t worry. My leg’s not bad; it’s just a flesh wound. After I get stitched up it will be as good as new.” He then pulled out his police radio and called for backup to search the area and apprehend Klaw.

  While Savage was on the radio, Storm was combing through the bushes looking for Klaw without any luck. Storm returned back to the parking lot saying, “He’s long gone.” He looked at Graham and Keno and said, “Let’s get the inspector to the hospital, and while the old man gets stitched up you can let me know what you found.” They all climbed into Savage’s car with Storm driving and made their way to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

  Breaking the Code

  While Storm, Keno, and Graham were waiting for Savage to be stitched up they continued to study the Spanish Rock inscription. Storm looking at the ‘TF 1543’ that Keno had written on a piece of paper said, “Put yourself in Duquesne’s place. He probably would not be thinking about Spanish or Portuguese translations. However, in his past he was a spy in two World Wars for Germany, so it’s logical to believe the inscription would be a code to him in English.”

  Graham added, “That’s how I’ve been thinking. The code has to be simple for other Boers to figure out. So he must be inverting letters and numbers or skipping letters or numbers.”

  Storm nodded his head in agreement and said, “Not being a resident here, it’s really up to you to match a place or a location to this code.”

  Keno smiled and said, “I’ve got it! TF stands for Tucker’s Fort.”

  Storm added, “See, there you go. We’ve got a start.”

  Graham said, “That’s good except for one problem.”

  Storm replied, “What’s that?”

  Graham sighed and said, “There’s no fort on the island called Tucker’s Fort.”

  A little embarrassed, Keno whispered, “Sorry about that.”

  Storm continued by saying, “That’s all right, Keno, at least it’s a start.” The three kept brain storming for answers while they waited for Savage.

  Meanwhile across the island the South Africans were holed up in a vacation home that was owned by an American who was not in residence. Klaw had finally made his return undetected by the police. He gave Van Eck an update as to what happened, including Axel being killed by the FBI agent.

  Van Eck was furious. He was not used to losing his men on any mission. Van Eck yelled, “We will not be denied our Volkstaat.” The term “Volkstaat” is Afrikaans for People’s state.

  Van Eck was obsessed with a Boer Republic in South Africa. He went on screaming, “We’re now dependent on those kids to find our diamonds. Now we have to hide from the authorities and yet be out on the streets keeping tabs on those kids. We are behind schedule now; no thanks to that FBI agent and the Bermuda police inspector.” Van Eck looked at Lynch saying, “I want them dead. Do you understand me?” Lynch nodded his head. Van Eck went on to say, “Our commercial fishing trawler will be here in a few days expecting to pick us up with our cargo.” He looked at Klaw and ordered, “You take one of the other men with you and stake out the hospital. If the inspector got stuck like you say he has to be at the emergency room by now. Keep an eye on them, but only at a distance and call me every hour on the hour.”

  Klaw replied, “I will do as I’m told, but if either one of those cops come near me they’re dead men.” He and his fellow goon left the room and made their way out to the rental scooters where they quickly took off towards the hospital.

  After they left, Van Eck turned to Lynch saying, “Tonight I want you and two of our men to go back out to Long Island and stake it out. Keep a close eye on the cemetery.”

  Lynch replied, “Sure, boss, but what if the cops are still there?”

  A bit aggravated, Van Eck snapped back, “Well then, don’t go there. Just sit out in the sound and watch from afar.” Lynch agreed and left the room to pick two other men to go with him.

  Back at the hospital Savage limped out of the ER into the waiting room where Storm and the Spinners were waiting for him. Storm looked up at Savage and said, “Well look here. It’s hop-a-long.”

  Savage snarled back, “One more bloody word out of you and the ER is going to have another patient.” He then added in a more serious note, “Have you made heads or tails out of the clue yet?”

  Storm shook his head and replied, “No, nothing yet.”

  Savage remarked, “I’m getting very concerned about Sam, Michael, and Portagee. You know the longer they’re gone the less chance we have of finding them.” Savage didn’t finish the sentence. He could not bring himself to say what might happen.

  Storm patted Savage on the back saying, “I know it’s tough. Let’s go into town and get something to eat. Maybe a full stomach will help us solve this clue.” They left the hospital and drove to Front Street to one of Savage’s favorite pubs that also served food.

  After dinner Graham spread his notes all over the table. As the group looked over the clue again Graham said, “I still think this clue was made to be fairly simple to solve. It must be some old Boer military code he was thinking of.”

  Savage spoke up, “Well if that’s the case let’s reverse the letters from ‘TF’ to ‘FT’. Does that help any of you solve the clue?”

  Keno spoke up, “Yeah, what if ‘F’ stands for ‘FIND‘?”

  Storm asked, “OK, but find what? A turtle, a torch, what else starts with a ‘T’?”

  Savage added, “How about ‘T’ for ‘TOMB’?”

  Graham added, “That’s a great idea! If that’s the case then 1543 could be a tomb number. But only the Boer War prisoners of war had numbered graves in Bermuda; very few cemeteries do that.”

  Storm interrupted by saying, “Well, if that’s the case then it might be a grave on Long Island, but which one?”

  Graham in an excited voice said, “If you drop the first number ‘1’ and the fourth number ‘3’ what do you have?”

  Savage yelled out, “I’ll be damned! It’s ‘54’.”

  Storm added, “Do you mean that sly old dog Duquesne sent us on a wild goose chase?”