“So can you arrange to have it shipped up to a warehouse near Surbiton and then when we get back we can take care of getting it moved in?”
“That’s not a problem, Katie, and I have some photos that you can take to show your husband, unless it’s to be a surprise?” Some surprise when Ralph and Katie find out that they’ve bought their desk from a dealer in more than just antiques, thought Cynthia.
“Look why don’t we all go down and celebrate over a drink and some refreshments. I know that Barbara will never forgive me if I don’t keep you here long enough for a bit of a chat.”
They walked out into the sunlight to a spread that had been set out under a large umbrella on the terrace facing a stunning view over the rolling countryside. Cynthia was unsure how to pass along the note she had scribbled on a piece of loo paper to let Katie know what she had discovered about this apparently idyllic pair and their perfect, if somewhat artificial, lifestyle. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Jason made his excuses and went off to finish the paperwork for the sale.
“Jason never stops. Sometimes I worry that he will make himself ill what with travelling around Europe to various sales and then having to make sure that what he has bought gets back in one piece.”
As Barbara poured the tea Cynthia passed Katie the note she had scrunched in her hand: cases of cigarettes in van at back. Smuggled?
Katie tried to look nonchalant as they munched on a selection of sandwiches. She decided to see how far she could push Barbara.
“Pity about poor Miles. I hear that Elizabeth is being questioned by the police about some smuggling. If they link that in with the shooting of those three fishermen then she could be in real trouble.” It hit the spot as she hoped. Barbara went deathly white and her hand shook spilling some tea onto the pristine white table cloth. There was a silence that seemed to last for an eternity before she recovered her composure.
“I suppose it was bound to come out in the end. But you see poor Miles was just one of many restaurateurs that we supplied with cigarettes and wine. I know it was wrong to involve him and Elizabeth as we had more than enough customers for the amount that the skipper of the Mary Ann was bringing in. But when he found out he insisted on being included.”
Katie and Cynthia were stunned. People might admit to being a bit overweight or having had a dalliance with a friend’s husband, but it was not every day that someone admitted
to smuggling while eating cucumber sandwiches and drinking tea. “So you see when Miles heard about the fishermen being shot, he panicked. Jason told him it was probably a rival gang wanting to get in on the act and things went wrong, but Miles was convinced that the police were on to him. That night he had the accident he was on his way up here to talk to us about a loan so that he and Elizabeth could get out of the country quickly. He must have been so agitated that he missed the turning and went straight over the cliff.”
It struck Katie that Barbara was surprisingly calm considering she had just admitted that she and Jason were smugglers. Presumably the smuggling thing had been going on for some time and now it looked as though the Andersons would pay the price once their involvement came to the attention of the authorities.
“Look Barbara, does Jason know that you are telling us all of this?” Said Cynthia, who was finding the scene a bit surreal.
“Well I don’t imagine he does.”
“What does that mean?” interjected Katie. “If he doesn’t, then what happens next? You realize that we can’t just forget about the whole thing and go on as though we know nothing about it.”
“I suppose not, but Jason always manages to sort things out. We’ll get Elizabeth a
good lawyer. Then I suppose Jason will have to close down the network he supplies. With the Mary Ann gone we are out of business anyhow. I don’t think that Jason would want to start up again. It’s all been quite a shock for him, what with those fisherman getting shot and now with poor Miles.”
Katie couldn’t believe what Barbara was saying. She glanced at Cynthia who was sitting there almost open mouthed. The logic was flawless but it somehow seemed to ignore the fact that they were running an illegal business that had resulted in three men getting shot and another driving to his death over a cliff. Barbara seemed to think she could simply draw a veil over the whole thing and move on.
“Barbara, we have to be going now,” said Katie as she stood up from the table. “We won’t say anything about what you have told us provided you promise that you and Jason will immediately go to the authorities yourselves. The whole thing will be discovered sooner or later anyhow, but my advice is that you contact your lawyer right away so you will get the right advice.”
Barbara suddenly looked tired as she stared out across the beautiful sunlit hills.
“You’re right, of course. I’m sure Jason will agree and then we can get the whole thing sorted out once and for all.”
With that they made their way back to the car and slowly drove down the driveway and back out into the real world.
“You do realize, Katie, that by not going straight to the police we are now aiding and abetting two criminals. We are in a fine pickle.”
“I realize that. But in some ways I think we are doing the right thing. Barbara did promise that they would go to the police themselves, and it will be much better for them in the long run if they turn themselves in. No one needs to know that she told us about it beforehand, so there’s no reason why we can’t forget the whole business about their involvement.”
As Cynthia turned on to the road for Bideford and the Hotel she glanced at Katie.
“There is one flaw in your plan, Professor Katie, and it’s a big one.”
“So tell me.”
“It’s Ralph and Lance. Those two are bound to want to see the police involved straight away; unless your plan includes not telling them?”
“Oops, forgot about that. They are probably already back at the Hotel in Bideford. I’ll give them a call and at least lay the groundwork for what we’ve found out.”
Katie called Ralph on his cell-phone and was surprised to hear that he was heading for Hartland Quay to moor up for the night. He explained briefly what had happened and as the connection was a bit erratic agreed that she and Cynthia should meet them at the Quay and they could go out for supper from there. An hour later they were all huddled in the cabin of the Westerly sharing the events of their day. Katie and Cynthia had agreed that they would say nothing about Barbara’s confession until after they had dropped Hans back at Bay View.
They chose a restaurant near the Quay as the BMW was designed to hold two people not five and they didn’t want to be squashed in any longer than necessary. As they walked along the cobblestone street Ralph let Lance, Cynthia and Hans go ahead while he and Katie walked a few paces behind. He wanted to tell her about his suspicions that Max Horton was involved in some form of illegal gold bullion trading using gold dredged up from some of the larger ships that had sunk off Lundy. It struck Katie that compared to this, Jason and Barbara’s activities would hardly register on the Europol radar. But there was no time to talk to Ralph about that now.
After the meal they walked back to the Gypsy Lady. Ralph and Lance had decided to sleep on the boat in order to get an early start back to Bideford the next morning and Katie would stay with Cynthia at the hotel. As Cynthia and Katie left the men to take Hans back to Bay View, they heard the strains of the traditional Navy toast wafting out of the cabin. To wives and sweethearts. May they never meet. They just rolled their eyes.
***
They were both tired by the time they had dropped Hans at Bay View and were headed back to the hotel. Cynthia was irritated to find a car tailgating them as they reached the open road, the lights almost blinding her in the rear view mirror.
“Bloody fool. Some idiot sees a BMW Sport and views it as a challenge. Most likely some young farmer who has an over abundance of testosterone flowing through his system.” Just then there was a bang as the vehicle behind ram
med them. Cynthia was a good driver and managed to swerve just avoiding hitting a milestone marker that appeared in the headlights.
“I think they’re trying to run us off the road,” shouted Katie as she braced herself against the dashboard.
“Hold on, the road’s straight here and I can put my foot down.” With that Cynthia held her foot to the floor boards. The BMW leapt ahead and soon their pursuer was a mere speck in the rear view mirror. After a few miles they saw the lights of Bideford and eased down as they entered the 30 mile per hour zone and the welcoming brightly lit streets.
“Wow. What the hell was that all about,” said Katie as she started to relax.
“I hope it wasn’t Jason Anderson, our antiques dealer cum smuggler trying to shut us up,” said Cynthia as she eased into the last empty slot in the Hotel car park.
“No, I think it was more likely someone connected to that mob Ralph said tried to shoot at them off Lundy. He did say that he had told the people at Bideford that he was going to Hartland Quay. They could have been watching us at the restaurant and wanted to frighten Ralph by getting at us,” replied Katie realizing that for some reason she was out of breath.
“So this is your idea of a relaxing day out,” said Cynthia with a laugh as they walked into the lobby. In future I’m going to stick to running a museum. It’s a lot safer even if it isn’t so exciting.”
“Tomorrow things will be back to normal and we can have a nice relaxing day with Ralph and Lance,” Katie promised.
“Perhaps we can just go for a stroll on the beach and have an ice cream,” said Cynthia. “That’s about all the excitement I can take. In the meantime you can explain why everyone around here keeps referring to Ralph as your husband.”
-------------------------------
Chapter 15
Breakfast in an English country hotel is always something of an occasion and that morning it was celebrated to the full as Lance and Ralph did justice to a ‘full English’. Katie and Cynthia, fortified with poached eggs and coffee, watched the whole performance with amazement. The foursome had already swapped stories about the previous evening’s car chase and what Barbara Anderson had told them. Ralph argued that they had to tell the police or they would be guilty of withholding information in a murder investigation. As Cynthia had predicted, Lance agreed with Ralph and they decided that the best course of action was to go to see Inspector Fletcher that morning. Lance and Cynthia wanted to beat the rush hour traffic going home so they called the Inspector and arranged to be at the police station by 11.
They were shown into the Inspector’s office by a young policewoman.
“Well here we are again,” Ralph said. “But this time we have first hand information that may help in your investigations about that contraband smuggling operation that everyone’s talking about. But it’s a bit difficult to know where to start.”
“Just try the beginning. It always works for me,” said the Inspector as he eased himself back into his 1930’s well worn red leather swivel chair. There was a creak as it took his weight.
“Yesterday Katie and Ms Harper went up to the Anderson’s to look at a desk Katie was interested in. But let them tell you since they were the ones who were there.”
“What Ralph is trying to say is that Barbara Anderson confessed to Cynthia Harper and me that she and her husband were receiving and distributing contraband goods; cigarettes and alcohol, to be more precise,” Katie said.
“And I saw a truck, packed to the gunwales with cigarettes at the back of their house, either loading or unloading, although I couldn’t be sure which,” Cynthia interjected.
“Thank you for coming in to report this,” Inspector Fletcher said as he leant forward with a slight smile on his lips, “But we had a visit from the Andersons and their solicitor earlier this morning and I am at liberty to tell you that we now have possession of all the relevant information concerning these alleged contraband activities. I can also add that we are linking this to the unfortunate deaths of the men from the Mary Ann.” He sat back in his chair again and surveyed his startled audience. “So I thank you all for coming in today and if you would be so kind as to make a statement to the duty Sergeant you can get back to your holiday and I can get back to business.” Ralph could almost taste the irony in the Inspector’s tone. It was an awkward moment but having made and signed statements, the Sergeant told them that they were free to go.
Once outside Lance sighed. “I don’t know about you but I feel like a schoolboy that has just been admonished by the Head Master for tattling but then let off.”
“Me too,” said Ralph,” but we had to do it. And I must say that it’s a relief to know that the smuggling business is now all tied up.”
“But if those three fishermen were killed by that Turkish mob for trying to see what was going on, then unless we say something about yesterday’s little shooting episode and get Hans to speak up, what will happen? We can’t just walk away,” Lance interrupted.
“Well I promised Hans that we would leave all of that for him to follow up,” replied Ralph.
“For heaven’s sake you two,” shouted Cynthia. “We aren’t either Europol or the police. Katie and I nearly got killed last night, you two were on the wrong end of an AK47 assault rifle and you still want to get involved. I think it’s high time we packed our bags and got back to London. No offense Ralph, Katie, but we need to go. We’ve done our civic duty and if you want my advice, you two should also get back to London, pronto.”
There was a moment’s silence as Cynthia’s outburst struck home. Ralph was the first to speak.
“You’re right, Cynthia. It’s up to Europol from now on. Let’s get back to the Hotel and have a coffee before you guys set off back to civilization.”
They all laughed with relief that the exchange was over. After a relaxing chat back at the Hotel and a few jokes about people ‘going native’ if they were away from home too long, the friends parted. Cynthia was anxious to get her damaged bumper replaced, and the sooner the better.
Ralph and Katie had a long chat about what to do next. Ralph was still concerned that Europol might let the gold bullion smuggling continue so that they could catch a larger group of criminals and make links to the terrorist organization they were convinced was behind all of it. If that was their strategy then they might make a deal with Horton that in return for his co-operation in helping to catch a terrorist organization he would be treated very leniently for any crimes he might have committed in connection with the operation. If that happened, then Horton might also get away with any involvement in Wakely’s murder. The police already knew from Clarissa about the offshore accounts and the purchase of the furnaces, but it was likely that Hans had put a hold on pursuing it further lest they alert Horton and ruin their chances of catching the whole network.
“Look Katie, we can’t let Horton get away with Wakely’s murder and most likely his part in the killing of those three innocent fishermen. We’ve got to flush the bugger out or I can see him going free just to satisfy some higher level plan of some faceless government that can by-pass the law.”
“Yes, but won’t we be interfering in police work? And remember you have signed the Official Secrets Act and I’ve only recently been given confirmation of my parole. We could both finish up in prison. Do you really think we should take the risk?”
“Once we forget the ordinary people we are lost, Katie. The wealthy powerful people will always take care of themselves and we have to fight for what we think is fair and right. Are you game?”
“Let’s just do it, then. I can always look forward to seeing some of my friends in Holloway. And you could become the next Jeffery Archer, writing your autobiography from behind the bars of Reading Prison.”
“I Hope it won’t come to that. And by the way, it was Oscar Wilde who wrote ‘The Ballad of Reading Goal’. Just for the record.”
“It was a joke, Ralph.”
“Sorry. I’m just a bit on edge about all this. But perhaps Bob
Wyman can help us out. What if we get him to print an article in his paper saying something like – Sources that wish to remain anonymous have told our reporter that documents linking Max Horton, the retired industrialist and landowner, to off-shore trading accounts have been discovered. A leak made to the press indicates that these papers had been hidden by Richard Wakely before his accident. That should be enough to flush Horton out of hiding. He will probably make another attempt to break into our cottage and we can nab him.”
“I’m not sure I like the idea of being the bait for a bunch of crooks, Ralph. But I suppose if we phone the police as soon as they turn up and don’t try any heroics, it might work.
By the way, we haven’t actually found the documents yet, have we? If they broke in now all we could accuse them of is attempted theft.”
“We can worry about that later,” said Ralph as the Jag accelerated up the hill towards Bideford. He was still thinking about who could have tried to run Cynthia and Katie off the road that evening when they were moored at Hartland Quay. The only people that knew their whereabouts were the yard where he moored his boat and the Harbourmaster’s office whom he had asked to be alerted of his change of plan. He decided to call in on Captain Will Hartley and see if there were any records of the high speed vessel that chased them being in the vicinity that afternoon. Katie agreed.
The harbourmaster’s office fronted onto a wooden hut that Ralph could see was furnished with a set of radio dishes and aerials that he knew were linked to various radar and radio sites along the coastline. Hartley’s office would be capable of monitoring and recording all shipping movements in and around Lundy and the Bristol Channel.
Murder at High Tide (The Ralph Chalmers Mysteries Book 4) Page 14