Red Hawk Rising

by Peter William Hall

  One of Hamilton’s colleagues knocked on Hamilton’s office door and went in. He was carrying a file titled ‘Major Andrei Garasov’. “Iain, I think you might be interested in some new material on Garasov’s file.”

  Iain Hamilton waved him to a seat and asked, “What have you got?”

  “Garasov seems to have a new lady-friend. She is a British subject by the name of Janet McLaren. Janet is a lecturer in Russian literature at the Manchester University. They met at a dinner at the university and he recently stayed overnight at her home in Stockport. Since then they appeared to have spent a weekend in the Yorkshire Dales together. Miss McLaren doesn’t have access to anything that would benefit the Russians but I think we need to have a talk with her.”

  Hamilton replied, “Okay! Leave it with me for a while and I’ll look at it later and we’ll make a decision on our course of action. Thanks, Harry.” A nod from Harry who then got up and left the office.

  Corporal Andy Hill had a hurried lunch and headed back to the new JSTU HQ building. He went through and checked that the right furniture and equipment had gone to the appropriate offices. He checked the telephone system and found it to be working. Before the end of the week the unit would have its own switchboard and this would provide greater security. Looking at his watch, Andy Hill realised that the unit HQ staff were about due and he headed back to Station Admin. Mike Armstrong would be among those arriving soon. He wondered whether Mike’s romance with Sheila had progressed to the engagement stage. Andy would be pleased to see him since he would be relieved of the domestic site duties.

  Having checked everything, Corporal Hill went back to the temporary unit offices at Station HQ and reported to Flight Lieutenant Gaskin that everything was ready. “Thank you, Corporal, I’ll go over and make a final check. You come with me and bring the inventory list with you,” was the response. They headed out of the building, climbed into the Landrover and drove back to the new unit HQ building. Fifteen minutes later Flight Lieutenant Gaskin was satisfied. “Right, Corporal, let’s go back and start moving out of the present offices. I’ll arrange some labour and a truck.” With that he led the way to the Landrover and drove back to the old offices. Thirty minutes later the first of the HQ staff arrived from Low Fenton. The rest of the day passed with the settling in of the new arrivals both at the new HQ building and on the domestic site.

  After work, Andy headed for the gym to work out on the mats before going to the mess for the evening meal. After the evening meal, he and Mike Armstrong drove down to the village to visit the ‘local’. Andy also wanted to have a chat to Jamie. Not long after they arrived, the bar started to fill up with more of the new arrivals. While Mike was talking to a couple of the other unit airmen, Andy slipped over to the bar and asked for Jamie. The publican was serving. “He’s out the back,” Andy was told. “It’s supposed to be his day off but he came back early so he could take tomorrow morning off.”

  “Thanks,” said Andy. “Could I go out and see him?”

  Bob recognised Andy. “You’re one of Jamie’s mates, aren’t you? Okay, but make it quick. We look like being busy this evening.”

  “Thanks, “replied Andy. “I won’t take long.” He headed out to the rear of the building and found Jamie. “Hi, Jamie. How did you go today?”

  “Hello Andy. Had a nice time with Yvonne but she is getting serious quickly. I wouldn’t mind normally but this is different. Enderby is out of town for about three days. He left yesterday afternoon on the bus for Louth. I’ll go over tomorrow morning and see if I can check his flat out without being seen. Yvonne said that none of the boats are going out in this bad weather and that Walmar will go down to the school and volunteer to help there for the morning.”

  “Do you think it would be better to leave it to Hamilton and his boys?” asked Andy.

  “Maybe,” said Jamie, “but this is a good opportunity. I’ve let Lutterworth know about Enderby and what I plan to do.”

  Andy looked thoughtful and nodded. “Well, if they didn’t stop you then I guess it must be okay. Just be careful and ready for the unexpected.”

  “Thanks,” was the reply and Andy left with a wave of his hand. He headed back to the bar and re-joined Mike Armstrong and the others.

  “Not a bad local,” said Mike. “It’s got a good atmosphere. Thanks for suggesting we come down. The local beer’s got a bit of a strange taste, though.” Andy smiled. “You’ll get used to it. Although once the trials get under way we may not have much time to enjoy it.”

  “You may be right there, Andy,” replied Mike. “Let’s have one more and then head back for an early night.”

  “Agreed,” said Andy.

  CHAPTER 12

  The next morning (Tuesday 11th) Jamie headed for Parfleet St Peter with an order for seafood from the publican. It would be a cover for his real intent. It was just after 9.00 a.m. and school would be started so Walmar should be out of the way. When he arrived and drove to the harbour, Jamie noticed that the fishing boats were riding high. It meant that the tide must be in. He went in to the fish shop and saw Yvonne and gave her the order from his boss. They exchanged pleasantries and then Jamie said he was going for a walk and would be back in a few minutes. He walked out of the shop and down past the sheds. There were men working on a couple of the boats but the Penny Jane was devoid of activity. Walmar’s shed door was closed so he walked to the end of the sheds and then around the back of them. Jamie had noted that Walmar’s shed was third from the end. He hoped to find an entrance at the rear and as he neared the shed he saw that his guess was right. The back lane led up to the back of the co-operative cold store. There were several trolleys outside its door but there was no activity. Jamie tried the door which was located to one side of Walmar’s shed. It was an old mortice lock and it was locked. Jamie looked around and saw an old crab pot near the door and wondered. He lifted it up and found a key wedged in the frame. It was normally out of sight but visible when the pot was turned up. He prised it from its position and tried it in the door. Fortunately there wasn’t a key on the inside of the lock and it opened. Jamie slipped inside and found himself inside the shed but not in the living quarters. An internal wall about twelve feet long ran to one side of the doorway and another doorway was set into the end of that wall. Jamie closed the outside door and walked to the internal door and tried the handle. It was locked. The lock appeared to be a Yale and Jamie didn’t have the means to pick it. He walked around the corner and saw a window set into the wall. It was a casement window but it was locked. It was clear that Jamie wasn’t going to get access without breaking his way in and he didn’t want to do that. Jamie had a quick look around the inside of the shed and saw nothing but tools and spare parts for the boat and the fishing gear. There were also a number of crayfish pots. Jamie made a mental picture of everything and then let himself out of the shed. He locked the door and bent to put the key back into place in the old crab pot. As he was putting the key in place he heard a noise behind him. Turning, Jamie saw Enderby swinging an iron bar at his head. He raised the crab pot to protect himself as the bar was swung down and it broke the full force of the blow. The bar broke through the pot, glanced off Jamie’s head and smashed into his shoulder. Jamie felt his shoulder go numb with pain and then everything went black and he fell to the ground. Enderby looked around and noted that they had not been seen. He had his own key and unlocked the door and dragged Jamie inside. Berin, alias Enderby, checked Jamie’s pulse. He was still alive. How to finish the job? Berin realised that the tide had turned and was now flowing out. If he could drop an unconscious Jamie into the harbour quietly then the tide would take him out and he would drown. If he was found then it would be recorded as accidental death. He went back out into the alley and brought back one of the fish trolleys and pulled it into the shed. He put Jamie’s body onto it and covered it with some canvas. Walking out and down to the harbour, he looked to see who was around. Apart from two men working on one of the boats farther up the harbour there was
no-one around. They appeared to be engrossed in what they were doing. The cold wind seemed to be keeping everyone else inside. Berin went back to the shed, pulled the trolley out and down the lane. If he was seen, people would think he had something for the Penny Jane. He got the trolley to the water’s edge and no-one had stirred. Moving to the seaward side of the trolley, Berin lifted the canvas so that it would partially hide what he was doing. He pulled the unconscious Jamie off the trolley and over the edge, holding Jamie’s arm so that he could lower the person into the water without a splash. Berin let go of Jamie’s arm and Jamie slid into the water face down. The current caught him and started to pull him away from the harbour wall. Bering quickly pulled the trolley back out of sight and returned it to its proper location. He then went into the shed to check on whether Jamie had got into the living quarters.

  As Berin went out of sight behind the shed, Yvonne came out looking for Jamie, wondering why he hadn’t returned to pick up his order. Not seeing him she walked down the harbour-side looking for him. As Yvonne walked down she happened to glance out across the harbour and saw the body floating in the water. Recognising Jamie’s jacket she screamed in horror. The two men working on the boat heard the scream and looked up to see Yvonne pointing out into the harbour. They had a dinghy tied to their fishing boat and moved quickly to get into it to get the body.

  As Jamie had slid under the water the shock of the cold water hit his senses. Slowly, he started to regain consciousness as water slid into his lungs. His head and shoulder made him want to scream in pain but he couldn’t. He felt paralysed as his lungs were rapidly filling with water and stopping his breathing. He tried rolling over in the water so that he was no longer face down but failed. Blackness enveloped him as he slipped back into unconsciousness. Yvonne remembered the loss of her husband and didn’t want a repeat. She kicked off her shoes and tore off her apron as she ran to the harbour edge. Throwing the apron aside Yvonne dived into the water and struck out with a fast crawl towards Jamie’s inert body. Her clothes slowed her down and the cold of the water sent a shock through her system. Yvonne steadily reduced the gap between herself and Jamie. Vaguely she heard a Seagull outboard motor roar into life as the two fishermen sought to go to the rescue. She reached the inert body and turned Jamie over to be face up. Yvonne trod water as she put her hand under his chin to hold his face clear of the water. The tide was pulling them both out towards the sea. The noise of the outboard motor got closer and then was throttled back as it reached them both. Willing hands first pulled Jamie out of the water and into the dinghy and then it was Yvonne’s turn. With both persons safely aboard, the dinghy headed back up the harbour to steps that went up onto the quayside.

  The scream had brought others out of their homes to see what had happened and they hurried to the harbour-side. Berin also heard Yvonne’s scream and guessed what had happened. He knew that he hadn’t been seen arriving back in the village so he decided to grab his overnight bag and slip away while everyone was focused on the harbour front. Berin locked the door and stood the broken crab pot up as best as he could. He then slipped across the alley and through the dunes, keeping well down so that he couldn’t be seen. He would go up the coast a mile or so, cross over the sea wall and head for a bus route, arriving back in the village later in the day. He felt thankful that he had not stayed overnight in Nottingham when he saw a train was leaving for Lincoln and Grimsby.

  As Jamie was brought ashore, one of the fishermen shouted for someone to telephone for an ambulance. A woman came out with a couple of blankets and, hurrying down, wrapped Yvonne in one of them. The two fishermen lay Jamie on his side, checked his tongue and mouth, then lay him on his back to start resuscitation. After a minute there was a cough and water came out of Jamie’s mouth. The two men grinned to each other and turned Jamie to allow the sea-water to drain out of his lungs. There were further coughs but Jamie remained unconscious. However, his pulse grew stronger. Yvonne looked anxiously on, shivering with the cold. One of the fishermen said to her, “You go on home and get out of those wet things. We’ll look after things here until the ambulance comes.” Yvonne nodded her assent and headed for home before she froze. The men made a temporary stretcher and carried Jamie into the nearest shed for protection from the weather. From the preliminary examination it was clear that his right shoulder bone was broken. They strapped his arm across his chest and then wrapped him in a blanket. One of the ladies went home and filled two hot water bottles which were put each side of him under the blanket to help to keep him warm. Then they had to wait for the ambulance to come from Louth.

  Surprisingly, they heard the ambulance bell much sooner than they had expected. As it came through the village and turned to the harbour, they saw that it was a RAF ambulance. The vehicle drew up and a doctor and nurse jumped out. Seeing the surprised look of the locals, the doctor said that the Louth hospital had called the RAF base because it was much closer and could get to the sick person sooner. He went across and pulled the blanket back and checked Jamie’s pulse. Then he asked the fishermen questions about the incident as he checked Jamie physically for injuries. “I congratulate you men. You’ve done a good job in saving this man’s life and making him comfortable. It’s a pity that he’s still unconscious. Do you know who he is?” asked the doctor.

  “Yes, he works at the pub in West Sanby village but he’s not a local,” said one of the fishermen.

  “Fine,” said the doctor, “we’ll take him to our sick quarters now at RAF West Sanby and see about transferring him to Louth or Grimsby hospital.” As he finished speaking, a police car arrived and a sergeant and constable got out. The doctor explained the situation to him and the extent of the injuries.

  “Thanks, doctor,” said the sergeant. “You’d better get him to your sick quarters and we’ll get a statement from you later.” Then the sergeant turned to the locals and asked who were the witnesses. Meanwhile, Jamie was transferred to a stretcher and put into the ambulance. The nurse climbed in to stay with him. As they closed the doors of the ambulance, Yvonne came back round the corner and broke into a run to the scene. She had a thick seaman’s sweater on and slacks and was holding a towel where she had been drying her hair as she walked back to the harbour. The doctor saw her as he was about to get into the cab and paused.

  Seeing this, one of the fishermen said, “Here’s Yvonne. She saw him floating in the harbour and dived in to get him.”

  “Then I’d better check her out before we leave,” said the doctor. He walked round the front of the ambulance towards Yvonne and asked her to let him check her.

  “What’s happening with Jamie?” she asked.

  “We’re taking him to the RAF sick quarters initially since it is closer. Now, let me check your pulse. How are you feeling?” asked the doctor.

  Yvonne put her arm out and pulled a sleeve up. “I’m fine. I’m dried and changed. I’ll have a hot bath later,” she said.

  “H’m,” muttered the doctor. “You seem okay. We’d better get going. I suggest you go and see your doctor if you feel flushed or get a temperature.” She nodded and he turned away and climbed into the cab of the ambulance. It then drove off.

  “Well, you’re a bit of a heroine, young lady,” the police sergeant said to Yvonne. “I’ll need a statement from you. Are you warm enough?” Yvonne nodded. “Go back to the shop and finish drying your hair out of this wind. You’d better make yourself a mug of tea and get your insides warmed up. Then I’ll come up and see you,” said the sergeant with a kindly smile.

  “Thanks, sergeant,” said Yvonne, “I’ll have a hot drink ready for you and the constable.” He smiled his appreciation and Yvonne walked off.

  The sergeant then turned to his constable who was taking down the statements of the two fishermen and said, “Constable, when you have finished taking those statements, go up to the shop and get the young lady’s statement. I’m going to take a walk round and I’ll see you in the shop.” The constable nodded his agreement and kept writing. Th
e sergeant walked down to the harbour’s edge and followed it round. Seeing the lane behind the sheds, he walked up it towards the cold store entrance. As he walked he noticed the broken crab pot and paused to inspect it. The broken edges of the timber were fresh and he wondered about that. There was no evidence of a struggle, blood or anything else. He looked further up the lane but couldn’t find anything else. Turning towards the retaining wall that kept the sand back, the sergeant saw a footprint in the sand that had been blown onto the top of the wall. He jumped up onto the retaining wall to one side of the footprint and noticed depressions in the dry sand but with the wind blowing and filling them in they could be old. He walked up the dune and looked along the beach but couldn’t see anyone. The sergeant walked back looking thoughtful. The smashed shoulder and mark on the side of the head could have been the result of an attack. They didn’t fit in with a fall from the quayside into the water.

  When she was in the shop, Yvonne decided that she had better telephone Bob at The Hound and Pheasant and tell him what had happened to Jamie. She dialled the operator and asked to be put through to the pub in West Sanby.

  “What’s all the commotion in the village, Yvonne?” the operator asked as she was connecting the call.