by John Molloy
He was a little early but she was in readiness, hair immaculately coiffure, a hint of beauty enhancer on her cheeks, gentle shaded eyes and pouting red rosy lips. She wore a figure-hugging taffeta dress of burnt orange. Henry stared at this revelation of beauty as she stood under the soft hallway lighting.
She reached out her hand to him. “Come in don’t just stand staring, you’re making me feel self-conscious.”
“Vera you’re so breathtakingly beautiful, Leonardo da Vinci couldn’t do you justice with his brushes.”
“You are the charmer.”
She stood on tip toes and gave him a light peck on the cheek. “That’s all for now or you’ll spoil my fake beauty!”
“Now, I have some information for you first.”
They went straight into the study and Vera bade him sit at the table. She sat alongside him and opened a large envelope. “Here is the name of the assistant steward you are going to replace. He’s Denis Troy, lives at Dewey Road, Islington, London - number eighty-six. He’s twenty-six years old and single, about five feet ten inches tall and fair complexion with red hair, stocky build. Distinguishing features beside the shock of red hair; he has tattooed on the knuckles of his right hand the letters L.O.V.E., so he shouldn’t be too hard to pick out.”
“That’s great that he will be so easy to spot.”
“Now, there’s been a change in the plans. The ship is not going to Japan after loading grain at Albany. She’s going to some port on the west coast of India - probably Bombay. Also, the latest news is there’s a shortage of shipping around the Far East and we a have a few lucrative charter prospects. This means if the Rangoon goes on charter she more than likely will not be back in a British port until the end of her twelve month charter period. The Japanese are looking to charter a couple of hundred thousand tons of shipping, so it’s very probable the Rangoon will go on charter to them. It looks like you are going to be ‘shanghaied’ for over a year. However, if you are quick in bringing this monster to justice, it goes without saying you’ll be home much sooner.”
“That’s true. The sooner I can solve this, the sooner I’m off that ship. The team has already decided to make the switch at Albany. They have assured me that no harm will come to our man Denis Troy - except a little discomfort in the form of stomach cramps which will ease as the effects of the drug wear off. The cramps will look like the symptoms of an appendix so he will have to be kept in hospital for observation. Then I will be on hand to take up my position as assistant steward.”
“Vera, can you write this name down so you won’t forget it and I will be expecting a letter in every port. My new name is Henry John Tyler.”
Vera scribbled the name on a pad and put the small sheet of paper into a drawer and locked it, taking the key and dropping it into her handbag.
“I will hide the key later. All your letters to me will have to be locked away so you can write explicitly knowing it will be for my eyes only and the warmth of my bosom.”
“That’s reassuring Vera, and I will have to be careful with my mail as I’ll be sharing a cabin with one of our suspects - Gary Conrad.”
“My God Henry, you will have to be extra careful if I should give you any incriminatory information in my letters, you better had burn them immediately after reading.”
“You have no idea how careful I will have to be, keeping my cover is going to be my main priority.”
“I want you back here safe and sound.”
She stood up and put the papers back into the envelope. “Now don’t forget these.”
She pulled him to his feet folding her arms around him. ”It’s an early bed time for us young lovers.”
Henry kissed her on her forehead. He could feel her warm softness as she pressed her hips against him. With one thing on his mind he picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom.
Chapter Sixteen
Leaving Vera asleep in bed and knowing he had a busy day ahead of him, he quickly drank a cup of coffee and made his way out of the house. The time was just after 7 o’clock.
It was still quiet at Vincent’s house when he went to his room to change. He was hoping he wouldn’t waken him and have to answer a barrage of teasing questions about his night out. He slipped into the kitchen and was finishing his breakfast when he heard James pull up in his car.
“Morning James, you notice that little autumn chill?”
“Yes, but it’s nice to have it bright and sunny, I’m not too fond of the heat.”
“Pretty soon now I’ll be trying to get used to the blistering sun, but I won’t spend too much time outside. I’m looking forward to a bit of swimming though, in the warm tropical waters. It’ll be such a contrast to our freezing cold seas.
“Yeah, you sure will, there should be plenty of opportunities to practice your Johnny Weissmuller crawl! There will be lots of ports you will be at anchor for a few days and you can swim over the side. You’ll also get a half day in each port so you can go off and explore the towns.
“Doesn’t sound too bad. I suppose it’s a routine you just get used to, and I get to see a bit of the world as a bonus.” Henry took the envelope out of his pocket. “Here! James is the information on the crewman to be relieved.”
“Good work Tyler, I’ll pass this on to the relevant men. You only have a few days left before your flight to Perth, Western Australia. From there you will be met by our overseas agents and they will brief you on communications and the way you will work with them from that point.”
“Things are moving fast now.”
As they parked the car and walked into Scotland Yard, James stopped and said, “Tyler, you will not be able to go home to Runcorn - you will need every day now for training and briefing.”
“But what about clothes for the trip, I have only a small amount of gear?”
“Good that word for your clothes, ‘gear’. It’s the right expression, where did you hear it?”
“From my old naval reserve days, I suppose.”
“Great you are beginning to sound like an old salt! You can give me a list of clothes and sizes and it will be waiting for you in Perth. Anything you may have overlooked, you can purchase there. You’re better to travel light on the flight.”
Henry looked at a calendar on the office wall and pointing his finger to a day he said, “I’ll be in Perth on that day. Approximately how long does the flight take?”
“About two days. You’ll have a couple of stopovers. I’ll get the flight details for you. Henry you’re going to do fine. I hope you don’t take any offence with me calling you Tyler but it’s very important you get used to that name and forget you were ever called Carter. You just cannot afford a slip up of any kind. I don’t want to alarm you but you will be in a small world away from all civilization, with a ruthless killer - possibly sharing a cabin with him, so there will be no room for complacency.”
“Don’t worry, the full impact of the situation is becoming a reality now, so you can be sure I’ll keep my wits about me.”
“Right Tyler, I must be off and I think it would be best not to tell any of the people at Carlisle Brent Shipping of your plans. I know Miss Twist has been very helpful but the less anyone knows about your movements from now on, the better.”
“Ok James, I’ll just disappear as from tomorrow until I join the Rangoon.”
“That’s about it Tyler.”
Henry was undecided whether to phone Vera and tell her he was leaving the next day. He knew he would not have time to see her before he left and felt she might take umbrage at his sudden departure and not letting her know where he was going. Eventually, he decided to bite the bullet and phone her before she went to lunch. He decided that it wouldn’t be wise not to phone from the Yard, so left the building and crossed the street to a newly repainted, bright red telephone box.
Luckily, the box was empty, so he counted out his change to make sure he had enough for a decent length conversation. He was relieved when she picked up the phone herself and h
e hadn’t had to go through the receptionist. “Vera, I must apologize for leaving so early this morning. I didn’t want to wake you as you were like sleeping beauty.”
“Henry you are a charmer. I enjoyed our night so much; we mustn’t leave it so long again, especially as you will be leaving pretty soon.”
“That’s what I want to talk to you about. I just got word about an hour ago that I have to travel tomorrow.”
“Where to Henry?”
“I have to meet for some last minute briefings and then I will be flying off to Australia.”
“So Henry, this is goodbye,” she murmured, her voice cracking with emotion.
“Vera, I hope it’s not goodbye but ‘Bon Voyage’, and as you said, I might be back sooner than later.”
“Henry, I’m going to miss you a lot more than I ever realized, but I’ll write and wait expectantly for your letters.”
“I’ll write you when I join the Rangoon and tell you all.”
“Henry dearest, good luck. All my love goes with you. I will have to go I have someone just come into the office.”
“Thank you for everything Vera. And all my love goes to you.”
Back at the office James gave Henry the latest information. “You’ll be flying out from Heathrow Airport tomorrow evening. So you can see it’s a tight schedule. Our men want to have a quick briefing with you in the Yard at eleven in the morning.”
“My word things are moving fast.”
“Yes. They believe the Rangoon might arrive at Albany a little ahead of her E.T.A. I’m sorry Henry, but as I’d indicated, you can’t have time to visit your sister. I hope she has improved, and if there’s anything I can do for you while you’re away just let me know.”
“Thanks James, I might ask you to go see them if you are in the area. You’d learn more than they’d say in a letter - they might try to put a brave face on things.”
“You can depend on me. I’ll certainly do that and I’ll write you and let you know exactly how I find her state of mind.”
“Thank you so much. I’ve been lucky to meet such a decent lot of mates at the Yard. I know I couldn’t have done this without you, and Tom and Vincent’s support has also been first class.”
“Tom will have a profile of what the murderer might be inclined to say or do in moments of casual talk, especially when the conversation is about young girls. Now, as he’ll tell you it‘s not going to be infallible, but you just might get a hint or lead from a word or gesture made in context with a remark to his ego. You can take this written paper with you and study it on the plane, but make sure you destroy it before you join the ship.”
“I’ll remember that James. There’s another thing. A few days in the hot weather will be welcome. After all, I should have a good suntan befitting a sailor who has been in the tropics for months.”
“Yes, that’s one we never thought of, and by the way, it’s not referred to as a suntan on board ship, it’s called getting the bronzy.”
Later that day after a delicious dinner of steak and sautéed potatoes, cooked to perfection by no other than Vincent. Henry went to make some phone calls. His call to Katherine and Denis seemed ordinary and he couldn’t detect any deterioration from talking to Katherine. Denis seemed more restrained and parried some of his questions, but because Katherine was sitting alongside him, this was to be expected.
Next day his meeting at Scotland Yard was with Vincent, Tom, James and a chief superintendent whom he had never met, but who had been directing operations all along.
“You will know me only as Todd, and every aspect of your investigation will come to me. I will pass on any orders through one of your team here. As of today James is finished with his part and I must say, he is more than happy with your progress.”
Tom leaned over and handed Henry a large brown envelope. “Here Tyler is a profile of a man similar to your killer. You might find something useful here but destroy before you join the ship.”
“Thanks Tom, will do.”
Vincent opened a drawer and handed him a small sheet of paper with names written on it. “This Tyler, is the name of your contacts in Perth, and a small description of the man who’ll meet you at the airport and a code word to introduce yourself. Memorize this and give it to James before you board the plane.”
“Thanks Vincent, will also do.”
Todd asked Tom to lay out all the documentation on the table. “Right,” he said as he listed everything in order and then handed the papers to Henry, “All present and correct.”
“Thank you sir.”
Tom stood up and proffered his hand to Henry. “Good luck.”
“Thanks Tom for everything.”
Vincent leaned over and shook his hand. “I’ll keep you posted Henry, good luck.”
“Thank you men. I think we are about finished here. Do you mind if I have Tyler to myself for a moment?”
Everyone left the room except Todd. He was a tall imposing man, about fifty but looking much younger, and remarkably fit. “I have something personal to say and I hope you will understand that while your preparation was on-going we also had an investigation behind the scenes. It was mostly to do with the shipping company and the people that know about this operation. It’s known that you have some kind of personal relationship with Miss Twist. She is a very loyal company director and the second largest shareholder in this company. We would wish any information passed on to you from her be made known to us. Also, and I must stress this, do not under any circumstances divulge anything of your investigation to her. We are putting huge resources into this operation on a worldwide scale and it’s paramount we catch this murderer. We want to minimize any risks that might jeopardize your safety. If things are pointing in the direction of Lord Percy’s son Oswyn, it will have to be kept very secret. They will have enough wealth and connections to scuttle our investigation.”
“Right sir, I will remember that.”
“Good luck and I wish you every success.”
Henry left the room and as he closed the door behind him he heard a loud shout from Todd.
“TYLER!”
He stopped, turned back and opened the door.
The big man stood with his hands tucked into his pockets. He was beaming the broadest of smiles.
”Yes, what is it sir?”
“Nothing… just checking that you know who you are!”
James took Henry in tow and after a decent lunch and a bit of shopping, he decided it was time to head to the airport - Henry admitted he had never flown before.
“Well if it makes you feel any better, neither have I.”
Airports were completely foreign to both of them, but after a few inquiries they found the check in desk.
“Now Tyler, give me the paper with the names of your contacts.”
Henry fished it out of his pocket and handed it to James.
“You happy you know this?”
“Yes quite certain.”
James tore it into tiny little pieces and threw it in a waste paper bin.
“You know your itinerary, it’s on the ticket.”
“Yes, I have it here, first stop Rome, then New Delhi, onto Singapore, and finally Perth.
This is where we part company. I want to wish you the very best. It’s been a pleasure knowing you Henry Tyler and I hope we meet again soon.”
“Thank you again James. Hopefully, I can justify all the hard work put in by all concerned.”
When Henry reached the departure area he had a good view of the airfield, sitting on the tarmac was a beautiful new Lockheed Super Constellation. Good grief, he thought, is that our aircraft? A middle-aged man sitting near him saw him staring at the huge aircraft. He spoke with a pronounced Australian accent. “Beaut isn’t she; she’s called the Southern Zephyr. I came here three weeks ago on her, absolutely wonderful flight. You know she has one of them new black box flight recorder fitted - not much good if we crash but it shows our modern Australian technology. It was developed in Melbourne.”
“She looks so big it’s hard to imagine how she actually gets off the ground.”
“She lifts like a bird. Come on, I think that’s our calling to board.”
Henry was shown to his seat and soon the large cabin was full with people and excited chatter. He thought to himself, it’s getting to know you time as a middle-aged lady seated herself next to him. She introduced herself as Georgina Hale. She also had a pronounced Australian accent. A hush descended as the light to fasten seatbelts flashed on, Henry felt elated trepidation, laced with euphoria as the huge bird began to roll down the runway. It seemed like she would race on and on then the mighty engines gave a tremendous loud roar and the cabin tilted upwards. He put his head to the window and saw the ground recede away and his world changed like he could never have imagined. He saw the English Channel in the clear evening light and the toy ships like a scene from Lilliput. His traveling companion informed him they would be having an hour stopover in Rome. He hadn’t in his haste looked at any of the times of stopovers, but as his lady companion said she would liked to have had a day to visit the Vatican and see some of the wonderful sights, especially that famous fountain.
His friend dozed and read in fitful intervals as he gazed out into the infant night, the stars began to appear behind a bright Venus. He enjoyed a scotch and ice and thought of Vera and how he wished she was sitting next to him. He felt the aircraft shudder slightly and begin its descent; she began to turn and when he looked out he saw in the velvet darkness a vista of Rome spread out like a brilliant lighted carpet.
The second leg to New Delhi was slumber time and Henry surprised himself by sleeping for a considerable part of it. It was morning when they touched down in India, and sweltering hot. He walked and gawked sometimes embarrassingly during the two hour stop and marveled at the people, their color and dress. This was a world he had seen pictures but read very little about. The Indian nose piercing and their large earrings and bracelets fascinated him. He admired their vividly hued silk saris and colorful veils. The ‘kumkum’ a bright, usually red dot on the ladies foreheads was a sight to behold. They took off into the hot tropical sky and ate a meal and drank wine as they traversed the sky above the mysterious lands and temples of central and eastern India, over The Bay of Bengal to the beautiful island city of Singapore. It was night again and Henry was adjusting his time piece as they had time to spend at this delightful terminal. Here again the females captured his admiration. Their Asian/Chinese features were to say the least, stunningly beautiful. They wore tight fitting colorful skirts with slits at the sides revealing long shapely limbs in sensuous modesty as they walked. Henry thought how he would like to spend a few weeks here exploring what his traveling companion assured him was a city of wonders, and the crossroads of the world. There was quite a British influence everywhere around the terminal, and English was signed and spoken. His flight was called and he nearly didn’t respond to board until he realized the flight number. Yes he noted, it was his flight but flying onto Sydney. He questioned the air hostess when he boarded and told her that he thought they were stopping at Perth and then flying to Sydney, but she assured him they only ever flew to Sydney, and he would have to get a connecting flight from there to Perth. He checked his ticket and he realized she was right. He hadn’t noticed the stop at Sydney oh well, another day’s flying, he thought. A slight alteration of course to avoid a typhoon south of Java delayed their arrival. They touched down at nine o’clock and Henry went to check the time of his flight to Perth. He was flying at eleven o’clock, so he had time to stretch his legs and eat breakfast. The smaller aircraft was a little more becoming of the aviation spirit, and he felt a tad exposed in the aging Dakota. The stunning views of the Australian central desert and sweeping outback was enough to quell any slight fear he may have harbored when they were taking off. A refreshing experience and sights to remember forever were his companions when the plane landed at Perth.