Again the knife went in and the pathologist cut down in a straight line, past the chest, past the stomach and to the belly button before withdrawing it again. Handing back the knife, the pathologist opened up the skin to expose the insides to West and the rest of the medical students. The professor proceeded to continue as the assistant handed him what looked like a pair of bolt cutters. He used them to grip the sternum and with help from the assistant, cracked open the breastbone. The sharp distinct crack signalled the snapping of it, before they did the same to each of the ribs. Once done both men lifted the bone structure to expose the vital organs to the world,
“We now have access to the internal organs. First I would like to explore the lungs.”
West looked on as the pathologist took a small scalpel and cut into the side of the brown-grey coloured lung tissue. It was easy to open as the blade penetrated it. However something shocked them as they punctured the structure,
“We appear to be seeping liquid, pass me the pipette please.”
A yellowish liquid seemed to be coming out of the lungs, the pipette inserted and squeezing, began drawing a significant amount,
“Looks like poison.” West thought to himself,
“Can we record that and get this sample off to the toxicological lab for tests please.” Said the professor to his assistant. He turned to his students once more,
“This is a good example of a foreign substance in the body. Fluid in the lungs is rather common in drowning victims or people who have drunk a large amount of liquid in either a forced situation or panic.”
“Or madness.” West continued to himself. He knew a lot more than the professor did on this matter.
“We are now going to explore the stomach cavity.” Said the professor, “It’s important to analyse and record the stomach contents to determine a possible cause of death. After that we shall move onto the heart to determine the amount of blood clotting before moving on the brain.”
He was passed a fresh knife, and this time he made a larger incision into the surface of the organ,
“Here I am cutting from the base of the Fundus to the body,” Suddenly as the cut opened the contents of the stomach became visible, there appeared to be something else. Using a pair of tweezers the pathologist sifted through the half-digested contents to retrieve the foreign body. Gripping it he pulled it free and placed it into a kidney dish at the side,
“It’s a piece of paper!” He said while using a second pair of tweezers to unfold it. West was in a position to see clearly enough that it bore writing on it. Red letters could clearly be seen on the yellow coloured paper,
“Lion Inn Public House. Strange, looks like this was swallowed in a hurry. Judging from the size of the ball it was rolled up into, it could very likely have gotten stuck in the mid-oesophagus.”
The autopsy continued but West had seen enough,
“The Lion Inn. Why would he have swallowed a piece of paper with that written on it? What’s so special about that place?” He decided to leave, the next piece of the puzzle was clear, they had to go and investigate. Waiting for the opportune moment, he quietly observed when all members present would be showing maximum concentration. He had to wait until the heart was being removed before such a chance came along. Checking to see that they were all engrossed in the cardiology of the cadaver he silently made his move. Slipping outwards he made it back to the basement corridor; up the steps he threw off the white coat just in case someone noticed him. Making it back to the changing room as before he knocked on the door with his backup excuse at the ready just in case someone was inside, opening the door once again and putting his head inside it was still deserted like before so West wasted no more time. He rushed in and placed the white coat on the hook it came from, scurrying back out almost as fast he managed to shut the door silently against his hand just in time. Turning away from the door he only took a couple of steps when a pair of orderlies strode round the corner. West genuinely did not know they were coming, another two seconds and they could have caught him red-handed. He was startled, but his training taught him to not flinch. Unchallenged he passed them without incident and made such a beeline for the exit. He had been very lucky but he had the info he wanted.
John was still waiting outside when Jack appeared. He looked rather curious as his partner came down the steps,
“Did you find anything marked on that map?” He asked, almost expecting an answer of yes,
“I did find a box over there, with that key you gave me.”
“And, what was in the box?”
“Well, I found another key and a hammer.”
Jack looked surprised, “A hammer?”
John continued, “A hammer. But this one was blood stained.”
West though about this, a blood stained hammer locked in a box and buried in road works, somewhere where it could be concealed that is not suspicious. There had to be one conclusion,
“I’ll bet John that the blood on the hammer is Finnin’s. I think it was used to smash his hands as he was tied in his office.”
“By this Carey fellow?” Asked John
“Very likely.”
John agreed and decided to probe Jack about what he found in the hospital,
“I would have joined you but there was a commotion here. Apparently the Health Minister has arrived, some kind of publicity stunt. He’s accompanied by our friend Inspector Waterson.”
Jack agreed, “Yes I saw them, I quickly got out of the way. Did they spot you?”
“No. Look did you find anything out in there?”
“Yes. I’ve just watched Carey undergo an autopsy. Fluid was found in his lungs, it’s being tested but I suspect its poison.”
“You mean like Arsine or Arsenic?” Asked John,
“Probably.
“So now we go to Thames House?”
“No, something else was found. The pathologist opened up his stomach and found a piece of paper, probably something he swallowed in haste. It has some writing on it, the Lion Inn pub. I want to check this place out. If there is some kind of poison plot going on, we may find answers there. Leave the police to uncover the murder weapon and the identity of Finnin’s killer. We need to trace the poison plot and link it to Grey.”
John agreed. Crossing the road, the worker with the dust mask still was working on the street. There was something about him that registered, but neither Jack nor John could put their fingers on it. It didn’t matter, they had to visit this pub and investigate the source of the poison, if indeed it came from there. There was only one way to find out. John calls Thames House to get and address check; taking only seconds speaking to someone on the other end they got an ID address, Ladywell Road. The pub was only around the corner so they decided to leave the car and investigate on foot and investigate the Lion Inn.
Chapter 11:
They arrived at the Lion Inn rather promptly. It was nothing out of the ordinary, looked like any other London pub, large windows, brown brick in structure, slightly late Victorian in architecture, a typical cockney watering hole. Entering the premises they were greeted with a slightly unfriendly atmosphere, dark in decor and looking slightly intimidating they immediately walked up to the bar and ordered two glasses of orange juice. Taking the time to get served, Jack observed various objects behind the bar,
“Curious.” He thought to himself. Looking ahead and to the side he spotted a set of keys hanging up on the wall, too far over to reach but still visible to the trained eye. Making his way over to John once served both drinks he sat at a table where they had a good view around the establishment. Even at this time of the day the place of lively, plenty of regulars some half-drunk others less so all added to the ambience of the area.
They looked around trying to survey as discretely as possible. A seating area further down led to a corridor to the toilets, observing this both West and Hudson could see a staircase and a function room to the side that was marked “Function Room”. To the side was a small one man table that was
occupied by a burly character, obviously keeping guard on the room, and this immediately attracted the attention of Jack. Looking further as they drank a side room marked private could be made out but to get to it, as was the toilets, one had to pass the function room and the guard. Finishing up their drinks, West casually got up on his own,
“Where are you going?” Asked John,
“For a walk, wait here.” Was the reply. He began making his way casually over to the toilets, soon attracting the attention of the guard. Absolutely not making eye contact he walked past him, feeling his gaze burn into the back to him. He went to the toilet only to come out a minute later, pretending to flush the system for effect. Cautiously coming back out Jack looked toward the guard, who by now had turned back away again and had clearly not noticed him in the doorway. He moved forward and made his way to the “Private” door, gripping the handle he could see that it was not going to budge. Knowing it was locked he dared not try the function room door, casually he made his way back to John’s table,
“Well?” Jack was asked,
“The private door is locked tight. You see that large man sitting beside the function room? He’s guarding whatever or whoever is in there.”
“So how do we get in?”
Jack thought for a second, there had to be a way to distract that guard. Stumped there didn’t seem to be anything obvious, looking around the tables next to him, half-drunk pint leftovers littered the table tops,
“Pity there is no cigarettes around. Could mix it with the drinks to form some kind of concoction.”
“You mean get someone to drink it and cause a distraction.” Confirmed John, “Yes, it could have worked.”
“Time for plan B. I didn’t want to do this but here goes.” Jack stepped up again,
“What are you going to do?” Asked John. This time he walked in the opposite direction mulling through the crowds. Casually closing in on where two men were standing and chatting away while drinking; positioned next to a table they made ample targets. Himself standing unnoticed by the same piece of furniture he waited for the perfect moment to strike. Observing out of the corner of his eye he watched as one of them casually put their pint glass down, and that formed the cue to strike. Putting his hand into his pocket, he pulled out in the palm of his hand a small white pill, dropping it into the glass it quickly dissolved, as West walked away. He returned to John,
“What the hell did you just do?” He asked,
“Just wait a second. Look over to the bar, see the set of keys on the wall?”
“Yes.”
Jack lowered his voice as much as he dared, “When the distraction happens, go over to the bar and take the keys. Don’t think about it, just do it.”
John agreed, to be honest he had no clue as to what the distraction would be but he was sure he would recognise it. Suddenly a commotion could be heard from the vicinity of where West had been loitering, a wry smile on his face gave John the cue as it was clear enough for other drinkers to be attracted. As the commotion got louder a small crowd gathered round the drinker in distress, with both Jack and John waiting for the moment. Because of the severity of the situation, some staff members also came over to assist and that was the chance,
“Go now.” Said Jack as they both got up. He walked over to the function rooms, the guard was stifled by crowds of people so couldn’t see while John headed for the bar. A quick look around, then a lean forward accompanied by a swipe and he got the keys. Quickly turning round he blended into the crowds as the man who was in distress received treatment. Joining Jack at the back presented the keys, picking one, as it was a small bunch, he inserted it into the small brass lock to turn the key. The door loosened and they both slipped inside entering into a small storeroom that was dimly lit. The closed the door behind them which muffled the sounds of the commotion outside, John was quick to inquire,
“What the hell just happened?”
“I slipped him a pill.” Jack replied,
“A pill? What bloody pill?”
“I procured one from the hospital when I was inside investigating the mortuary. Took it from a drugs cabinet.”
John was astonished, “What?!!”
“Oh it’s alright, it was only a laxative. Might give him the runs and a very relaxed bowel but it won’t kill him that’s for sure.”
Sighing to himself, John didn’t say anything more. The distraction had worked even though it was a little unorthodox. They were now more concerned with where they had found themselves. Both looking around they appeared to be inside a small storage room with various boxes lying around and on shelves, but there was something here not right. They moved forward around the room, coming to small hatch to the adjoining room,
“Look at this, must lead to the function room next door.” Said Jack,
“I can hear voices.” Said John,
“So can I.”
They decided to try and peer through. It was a lattice structure probably used more for ventilation than anything else so there was scope to make out the activity on the other side without the risk of being seen. Looking into the room they could see a rather large space, a balcony above and furnished with an array of tables and chairs. It was not full be any means, just two figures occupied it, a burly and brutish as the guard outside they looked like a couple of heavies from a criminal underworld. West and Hudson observed their descriptions as well as their actions, one was blond haired, quite stocky, while the other one was shaven bald with a beard. Both had tattoos on their forearms which were quite distinctive, and this led to Jack seeing something that made him prick upwards,
“Look, on his left arm!!” He whispered,
“What?” Queried John,
“Look at his watch. Gold, quite expensive, just look at the way they are dressed. It doesn’t look as if they could afford a watch like that.”
“Finnin was missing a watch when we found him.” John confirmed,
“Exactly, it’s a trophy perhaps. I don’t care what anyone says, these jokers were present with Carey at Finnin’s murder. That watch proves it.”
Boosted by this they carried on observing, they weren’t idle by any means, they seemed rather active, almost agitated while chatting, clearly they were drunk and that would be enough until they saw what was on one of the tables,
“Cocaine! They’re high.” Commented Jack,
There were lines of white powder, cut up by cards into rows, some half snorted, others in waiting,
“So they’re addicts.” Suggested Hudson, “Makes them very susceptible to suggestion. No wonder there is someone guarding outside.”
“Yes, gives someone else power if they want a favour done. Just dangle the temptation in their face there you are.”
“So Finnin’s murder was orchestrated?” Asked John
“Yes. Look that’s a matter for the police, all we want to know if this is linked in any way to the King’s Cross bombing, or Grey at all.”
John turned away as Jack continued to monitor the conversation inside the function room. Looking around the storeroom through the contents seemed academic but there was nothing to rule out. Stepping over various boxes being careful not to create a noise he made his way over to the corner of the room underneath a small frosted glass window,
“What’s this?” He asked while investigating further. There appeared to be small bags of white powder accompanied by dishes,
“It’s a coke stash.”
Turning away from the latch, Jack joined his partner to analyse the clue,
“So this place is a front for narcotics trafficking.”
“Not really a security issue is it? More of a police matter.” Said John rather despondently,
“Yes but these men know something about the Finnin murder which must be in turn linked to Grey. No…we need to those jokers in there and fast before they decide to leave.”
John agreed, “So how do we subdue them?”
The only obvious thing that occurred to them was the materials they had
to hand,
“The drugs; it’s the only way. Get some of that powder and heat it up on that stove over there.”
John pulled the small gas stove over and turned it on. Putting a tray on top of it he poured a small amount of cocaine on top. The heat worked quickly as it bubbled and liquefied, turning to the consistency of milk just two minutes later. Jack meanwhile was searching around the room for a container; being a drugs den it wasn’t long before he found something very suitable, a syringe,
“This will do. Pour in the drug will you.”
John took the plate off the stove and turned it off. Carefully they poured the drug potion into the small thin casing of the needle almost filling it up,
“I just hope the concentration is enough.” He said,
“Enough for what?”
“Look to get to that room, we need to get up those stairs outside. I’m guessing that it must lead to the balcony which is where I want to be. To get to it we must get past that gorilla outside.”
John realised what the plan was, “So this is to knock him out.”
“That’s the plan.”
Getting up they approached the door. Opening it up very slightly they could just about see that the earlier commotion had indeed died down slightly. The guard was still sitting at the table and there was nobody coming this way, so with Jack in the lead they silently opened the door and slipped back out amongst the ambient noise in the background. Watching the guard all the time they both crept up to within a foot of him when West made his move. Piping up he walked casually past catching the guard’s attention, and this immediately caused a reaction from him as he did not see them pass him the first time. Looking threatening he stood up, failing to notice that John was right behind him. The moment he got to his feet he felt a sharp stabbing pain in the neck and a grip on his arm. Losing consciousness he slumped back down as John, who was holding the drugged syringe withdrew it discretely. Making it look like he had passed out drunk nobody battered an eyelid; they had taken him out quietly and successfully. Jack re-joined him,
“Well done, now for those stairs.”
Without making eye contact with anyone they began climbing the wooden steps upwards above the bar area. The daylight that flooded the downstairs briefly dropped as the climbed up on to a dark landing. Reaching into their pockets they both pulled out the pistols they had been carrying all the time as was standard issue and fitted silencers. It was standard procedure when entering an uncertain situation where firearms could be present. Upon reaching the top of the stairs they found themselves in a small room with a balcony in another doorway ahead of them. Kneeling down as to tread as lightly as possible they made their way onto the walkway overlooking the function room with the two men still present as West had hoped. Pausing in a position of good view he proceeded to draw his weapon fully, causing a quiet protest from John,
Three Faces of West (2013) Page 15