Death in July

by Michael Joseph

  Hence the security now watching over Joe Sale Sr.

  'They're letting us stay with him a while longer,' said Joe Jr.

  Sam gave a satisfied nod. Regardless of what the hospital staff said, he wasn't going anywhere until the clock struck midnight. Until this was all over.

  'Do you know these men?'

  Joe was looking down the corridor, past Sam's shoulder. Sam turned around to see Benjamin and DI Jackson walking towards them. He had seen them passing Moira's ward earlier. As much as he appreciated Jackson's help, Sam didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He really preferred to deal with this alone.

  'Detective. Benjamin.'

  Both men nodded seriously. They knew as well as Sam there was nothing to celebrate yet.

  'Sorry I got waylaid, Sam,' said Benjamin, a ridiculously sheepish look on his face. 'They took me by surprise.'

  'Sorry I had to borrow your car and break into your house,' retorted Sam with a wry smile. Benjamin looked at him confused. Jackson shook his head, turning away to hide a smile of his own. Sam introduced Joe Jr to the two men. They all shook hands, each man noticeably on edge. Sam was taken back to the tale of six men with itchy triggers.

  All it took was one second.

  One nervous reaction.

  Lives changed forever.

  'Did they treat you okay, Benjamin?' asked Sam.

  'Yes, they kept asking what I knew about my father during the war,' shrugged Benjamin. 'They wouldn't believe I didn't know anything...that I was only trying to find out the truth about my father's death. When you rang, they told me to take the call as normal. Then they kept asking what your interest was...'

  'Ministry of Defence, Sam,' said Jackson. 'That photo you took to the War Museum triggered off a security alarm on their computer. That picture, and the men in it, they're all part of a classified file. Your query about it sent the spooks into panic mode.'

  Sam shook his head at the thought of being a danger to national security. Jackson watched him, a wry smile on his face, reading Sam's thoughts.

  'Don't worry, I managed to persuade them neither of you were trying to uncover secrets for sinister reasons. When they realised you weren't plotting treason against the country, they allowed Benjamin into my custody until all this is over.'

  'Custody?' said Sam.

  Jackson smiled.

  'Sounds more serious than it is. They just want me to keep an eye on you until we've finished here. Then, you'll both have to sign some Official Secrets Act papers. They don't want you disappearing again until they get your signatures.'

  'I'm not going anywhere this time,' Sam told him.

  'I don't think you'd get out, anyway,' said Jackson. 'Their men have got the hospital surrounded. The place is practically on lockdown.'

  'Is that to stop us getting out or Schenker getting in?'

  Jackson's look said it all. Both.

  'Right now, I'm not complaining,' he said. 'The more bodies in the area, the better. For now, though, this is police business. The MOD can wait for their chat with you.'

  Sam was looking forward to it.

  'Any sighting of Schenker yet?' he asked.

  'Nothing,' replied Jackson. 'We won't miss him when he does show.'

  Sam didn't share the detective's confidence.

  Chapter 38

  Half an hour later, Sam, Benjamin and Joe were still sat in the same corridor. The two officers outside the door looked bored to death. Sam could empathise. He had spent many hours trying to stay alert while nothing was happening.

  Sam went to the vending machine to get a drink, leaving Benjamin and Joe to discuss their respective families. Sam thought it would be a fascinating conversation to listen in on, the two men trying to come to terms with everything they had found out. However, it was personal. Sam could never be party to such a unique relationship. Two strangers trying to appreciate their relative's involvement in a scenario neither of them would ever be able to fully comprehend.

  Sam saw Jackson walking towards him. The detective looked relaxed, more confident with each passing moment his security measures remained unbreached. He pulled a face as he reached Sam.

  'Are you okay?' asked Sam.

  Jackson nodded over Sam's shoulder, towards Joe Sale's ward. A porter pushing a trolley was being allowed in to the ward.

  'He's a big lad, that porter who's just gone in-'

  The two men looked at each other, freezing for one terrifying second.

  They both turned and sprinted towards the doors. Benjamin and Joe saw them approach and got to their feet in alarm.

  'Open the door!' screamed Jackson to the two policemen. They were also on their feet, one of them frantically swiping his card over the door's security button. As the door swung open, they all rushed into the ward and came to an abrupt halt.

  They stared in horror.

  The policeman in the corner was sat slumped in his chair, seemingly asleep. Standing over the sole bed was the porter, holding the arm of a sleeping Joe Sr, preparing to inject him with a full syringe. He looked up, disturbed by the sudden commotion. Realising the game was up, he took off his white cap and let it drop to the floor.

  A malicious smile appeared on Karl Schenker's face.

  Joe Sale Jr exploded in fury.

  'Leave him alone!' he shouted, moving towards the bed.

  Schenker's grin widened. He moved the point of the syringe over the old man's arm.

  'You won't get to me in time.'

  Sam put a hand on Joe's shoulder and pulled him back.

  'He's right, Joe. We're too far away.'

  Joe remained where he was, shaking with anger. For the next few seconds, a tense stand-off ensued.

  'Why?' asked Benjamin quietly, the simple word so sincere.

  Schenker studied the group of men watching him.

  'They killed my grandfather,' he told them quietly. His English was perfect, only the slightest trace of an accent. 'This is my justice for him.'

  'It was an accident!' yelled Jackson, struggling to control his own emotion. 'They're old men now!'

  Schenker shook his head, his short, blonde locks waving in unison, his eyes full of cold-blooded intent.

  'My grandfather never got the chance to grow old,' he spat bitterly. 'My mother and father felt powerless to do anything about it. When I saw the letter from Geoffrey Compton, I realised it was my destiny...'

  Those last few words told Sam everything. Nothing was going to stop Karl Schenker. He was a man twisted with hate. It ran too deep inside him.

  Suddenly, Joe Sr stirred in his bed and opened his eyes. He looked up at the man standing over him, then at the group standing by the door. The confusion on his face changed to understanding when he saw the syringe dangling just millimetres from his arm. Once again, Sam saw no fear in the old man's eyes.

  'Grandad-'

  Joe Sr turned to his grandson.

  'Joe, it's fine. This man has come to do the right thing.'

  His grandson tried to make another lunge for Schenker, but Sam and Jackson grabbed him, holding on to him until he stopped struggling. They all watched Joe Sr turn back to Schenker.

  'Did I hear you say you're Harold Schenker's grandson?' he asked.

  The question was quiet and steady.

  'That is right,' replied Schenker, still holding Joe's arm, the syringe unwavering above it.

  Joe Sr nodded slowly.

  'Then you must do what is right, but before you do, I would like to say I'm sorry for what happened. We all were...'

  Nobody said a word. The atmosphere in the room was electric. Schenker stared into the old man's eyes and lowered the syringe down towards his arm.

  Sam silently edged across to one side of the group.

  'You were the hardest one to find,' said Schenker, pressing the point of the syringe down on the old man's skin. 'I would never have found you if it wasn't for-'

  A shot rang out, sending Schenker stumbling backwards against the wall, clutching his shoulder. He let out a growl
and lurched forward again, rage in his eyes, syringe held high above his head.

  Sam fired another shot, aiming lower this time. Schenker dropped to the floor as his leg buckled underneath him. Within seconds, he had disappeared under a pile of bodies as Jackson and his colleagues dived on top of him.

  Joe Jr rushed to his grandfather's side and held his hand tight, watching the police restrain Schenker on the floor. The older man mouthed a discreet thank-you in Sam's direction. Sam nodded. He understood the simple gesture was for his grandson, not himself.

  Then Sam looked at Benjamin, standing in the middle of the room, lost in a scene he couldn't understand. He was shaking his head, realising it was all over, finding no solace in the conclusion. His father was dead, and the man responsible was still alive, a few feet away. Benjamin looked down at the floor and spotted the syringe, dropped by Schenker when he took the second bullet. He bent down and picked it up, a blank look on his face. Then he stepped forward, his eyes glazed over, staring at the writhing figure still trying to resist the police.

  'Don't,' whispered Sam in his ear, gently taking the syringe of him. 'Don't ruin your life as well.'

  Chapter 39

  'Sign here, here, and here...'

  Sam and Benjamin took the pens offered to them and scrawled their signatures in the relevant places. The thin, humourless man on the other side of the desk collected up the pieces of paper, studied them and grunted reluctant approval. He peered over his glasses at the two men.

  'You do understand what this means, don't you? You are never to talk about this incident to anyone.'

  'We get it,' replied Sam, 'but why the big deal about an accident?'

  The man looked at Sam impatiently.

  'Put simply, it looks bad. Shooting an unarmed man, accident or otherwise, doesn't reflect very well on the army...no matter how long ago it happened.'

  The man rose from his chair.

  'So, gentlemen, I think we've completed our business.'

  Sam didn't move.

  'Not just yet,' he said. 'There's one thing I still want to know.'

  The man gave him a stern look.

  'Mr Carlisle, you are in no position to-'

  'Do you want the press finding out that your organisation kidnapped a law-abiding citizen and held him against his will, blindfolded and bound another-'

  The man sighed and sat back down.

  'Make it quick, Mr Carlisle.'

  'Karl Schenker, how did he find out the names of those men? Geoffrey Compton didn't name them in his letter. He didn't even give his own name.'

  The man narrowed his eyes at Sam.

  'The Germans heard rumours about the incident in the years following the war. They investigated for themselves, came across a copy of the photo of the soldiers on the tank, had it confirmed they were the men involved, and traced their names. Before it could get any further, we got wind of it and persuaded them to drop the matter in the name of diplomatic relations. Apparently, they never threw out their file, and when Karl Schenker started snooping around, a sympathetic clerk dug out the information for him.'

  The photo.

  Sam had his final answer, the remaining piece of the puzzle. In Geoffrey's letter, he had stated six men were involved in the incident. Schenker had only tracked down five, all from the photo, hence the question mark. He didn't know the final name because that person had been behind the camera, taking the photograph.

  It was that fact that had saved Joe Sale's life.

  ***

  Jackson was waiting for them when they came out.

  'Everything okay?' he asked.

  Both men nodded.

  'How is Joe Sale?' asked Sam.

  'He's good,' replied Jackson cheerfully. 'He's out of hospital and back home. His grandson asked me to pass on his thanks.'

  'And Karl Schenker?'

  Jackson turned a little more sombre.

  'He'll live, but he'll be spending a long time inside. We can't get him for the death of Benjamin's father...'

  Sam glanced at Benjamin. He had been quiet since they left the hospital last night.

  '...but we can for the assault of the policeman in the hospital and the attempted murder of Joe Sale. We're also building up the evidence on him for the other deaths.'

  The three men walked down the steps of the Government building into warm, glorious sunshine, the storm of the previous night just a distant memory.

  'Thanks for getting my gun back off that lot, Detective,' said Sam, cocking his head back up the steps. 'I think we might have been in trouble without it.'

  'I forgot you had it,' replied Jackson. 'I was running out of ideas when you opened up. One question, though. Why did you take so long to shoot? It was obvious Schenker wasn't going to back down.'

  Sam thought about it. He had wanted to give Schenker every chance to change his mind, even when he had the syringe pressed to Joe Sale's arm. So, what had been the final straw?

  'The moment he started telling Joe about Erica. Joe was prepared to die for his mistake, but knowing Erica had also died because of him would have been too much to take.'

  Sam had done it to prevent another pointless death, to give Benjamin some form of justice, to save Joe Jr from heartache.

  Yet Erica Wright had been the one true innocent in all this.

  She had paid the ultimate price.

  Most of all, he had pulled the trigger for her.

  ***

  Jackson headed back to the police station, leaving Sam and Benjamin to walk along the beachfront by themselves. They strolled in silence, feeling the fresh sea spray on their faces, listening to the coarse sound of gulls crying overhead.

  'What are you thinking, Benjamin?'

  Sam had to ask. The man was troubled.

  'It's just hitting me, Sam,' sighed Benjamin. 'The way one solitary action can impact on so many lives. All the people involved at the time...those who followed afterwards...even us in the present day. So many people affected by a single mistake. All of us trying to rectify it in our own small way.'

  Sam nodded. He knew what Benjamin meant, but what was there left to say?

  They were approaching the Barton Arms. Sam stopped, unsure if Benjamin would go along with his suggestion.

  'Benjamin, why don't we toast your father?'

  Sam watched him study the pub carefully. He turned back to Sam and smiled.

  'Let's have a drink to all of us.'

  THE END

  ###

  Also by Michael Joseph

  A NEW DAWN RISING

  The prequel to DEATH IN JULY introduces the reader to former undercover cop Sam Carlisle. Haunted by the tragic loss of his wife and young daughter, Sam's only companion is the ever-present bottle of whisky he uses to numb the constant pain and terrifying nightmares. However, his anguish shows no sign of relenting, and his money is beginning to run out...

  His fortune appears to change when he intervenes in a mugging and an impressed onlooker makes him an unusual proposition. Wealthy businessman Carl Renshaw has been receiving sinister threats and is looking for protection. After witnessing Sam in action, Carl offers him a job as his personal bodyguard. Despite his reservations, Sam accepts, swayed by the lure of distraction and a regular income. An opportunity to move on and make a fresh start.

  However, when Carl is murdered shortly afterwards, the police suspect Sam is responsible, forcing him to hunt down the real culprit himself. His journey takes him deep into the local criminal underworld, where he discovers Carl's life was a tangled web of shady deals and dangerous enemies. As Sam delves deeper, his own life comes under threat from someone determined to silence him before he can reveal the truth. In a frantic finale, Sam faces a race against time to solve the mystery and prove his innocence.

  A NEW DAWN RISING is available on Amazon Kindle.

  SEARCHING FOR HOPE

  On a bitter January night, private detective Sam Carlisle steps out of a nightclub and stumbles across a severely wounded man prostrate on the free
zing ground. Despite Sam's efforts to save him, the stranger dies in his arms, uttering three words before taking his final breath.

  Help. Me. Find.

  In the days that follow, the tragic encounter plays increasingly on Sam's mind. Who was the victim? What was he trying to find? With the police investigation drawing a total blank, Sam searches for the truth himself, determined to carry out the dead man's cryptic final request. However, following in the footsteps of a murdered man brings plenty of danger of its own.

  Searching For Hope is the third mystery thriller featuring former undercover cop Sam Carlisle, one in which he finds himself drawn into a perilous world of unscrupulous characters, dark secrets and a family torn apart by tragedy and betrayal.

  SEARCHING FOR HOPE is available now on Amazon Kindle