Red Hawk Rising

by Peter William Hall

  “Well, Corporal, it’s good to see you with your eyes open. We’ll get the doctor to come and see you and have a chat with you. You have concussion and a fractured shoulder. I can see you are in pain so we’ll get you something to ease it after the doctor has seen you,” she told him.

  “Thanks, Sister,” he tried to say but it came out as more of a weak croak. Jamie smiled his embarrassment.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll take good care of you,” she replied. Then, to the nurse, “Go and get the duty doctor, Nurse. I’ll stay here with the patient for the moment.” The nurse hurried out of the room and Jamie could hear her footsteps going down the corridor. The sister checked his pulse again and found it to be normal. “Well, your pulse is normal. That’s a good sign,” she said to Jamie. She then took his chart from the end of the bed and made an entry on it, noting the time that Jamie recovered consciousness. More footsteps came their way and the doctor entered the room.

  “Evening, Doctor,” said Sister Lazenby. “The patient recovered consciousness a few minutes ago. He’s in pain but his pulse is normal,” she told him.

  “Thanks, Sister,” he said and then to Jamie, “Well, Corporal, you took quite a blow to the head and shoulder. The time in the sea didn’t help. You are very lucky to be alive from what I’ve seen in the report. We’ve set your shoulder but it is going to take about six weeks to heal. The blow to your head is a different matter. You’ve got concussion and you were unconscious for a long time. We will need to keep you in here for a while for observation. Now, I’m going to do some small checks now and then we’ll give you painkillers and something to put you to sleep until morning.” Jamie didn’t say anything. The doctor held his index finger up and said, “Watch my finger and follow it with your eyes but do not turn your head.” The doctor moved his finger from side-to-side and up and down, watching Jamie’s eyes. He noticed that Jamie’s eyes followed his finger without seeming trouble. “Now, could you see my finger all the time?” He got a nod. “Was it in focus all the time or did you see double or was it blurred at any time?” he asked Jamie. A shake of the head from Jamie was his answer. “That’s a good sign,” the doctor said. “Now I want to ask you some questions and I want verbal answers. “What is your name?”

  “James Edward Rogerson,” was the reply.

  “What day did you have this incident?”

  “It was Tuesday,” Jamie said.

  “That is all positive. I’ll let you get some rest now and we’ll see you again in the morning. Goodnight.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Jamie said.

  The doctor turned to Sister Lazenby and the nurse. “Check him regularly tonight, will you? Let me know if there is any change.”

  “Yes, Doctor,” Sister replied and he left the room. The nurse also left and came back with a pill and a glass of water. Jamie swallowed the tablet and took a good drink of water. “That will help you to relax and go to sleep,” she said. Press the buzzer if you need help.”

  “I need to relieve myself,” said Jamie.

  “Nurse, will get you a bottle,” Sister replied. After that had been dealt with, Jamie settled back on the pillows and drifted off to sleep. Sister Lazenby told the nurse to check him every thirty minutes and then left the room and went back to her desk.

  ***

  Commander Rice looked at his watch as he entered the lobby of the hotel. It was 8.34 p.m. (20.34 hours in his thinking but his watch was not a 24-hour watch). The clerk on duty told him that there was a message for him. He was handed the message and also his room key. Rice read it as he went up the stairs to his room. He was to call the London office. He turned round and went back down the stairs and out to the hotel yard where his car was parked. Rice got in and switched on the radiophone. After it had warmed up he dialled the London office and asked to be put through to the duty officer in his section. The duty officer came on and Commander Rice identified himself. “Wing Commander Hamilton left a message for you, sir. The check on William Enderby found several by that name. Only one fits the age group that we are looking for. He was born in Hastings in 1934 and killed in a car accident in Germany in 1956 and his body cremated over there. The Special Branch has been advised and they are arranging a search warrant. Officers will meet you at Parfleet St Peter at 08.00 hours tomorrow morning.” Rice thanked the duty officer and hung up. His gut feeling was to go out there immediately but realised that would be risky. If Enderby, or whatever his real name was, had attempted to kill Corporal Rogerson, then he would have no hesitation in attacking anyone else that could be a threat. He went back into the hotel and headed to the bar for a drink.

  Berin sat considering his options. His instincts told him that the military-looking man in the pub was no ordinary serviceman. He looked and carried himself like senior operatives in the KGB. Berin had a telephone number to ring in case of these situations but he could not call it from a telephone in the village. It was too late to leave the village for a telephone beyond the local exchange. One option was to walk along the sea wall to Humberston and get lost in Grimsby. That would leave Walmar at risk and of the flat being searched and equipment found that could be incriminating. Berin decided that the wise move would be to clear the flat of the encoder and other material and put it all on the fishing boat. He would take the fishing boat out to sea and get rid of the evidence. Berin went and switched on the encoder and allowed it to warm up. Valves were a nuisance like that. Once it had warmed up, Berin prepared a tape for transmission from the fishing boat. He then switched it off and unplugged it. Berin systematically went through his living quarters and put anything that could be incriminating in a fish box from the shed. Berin took the spare keys for the boat from the hook in the shed and went out the rear door carrying the box. He went down the lane and across to the Penny Jane. Once on board he put the box on the deck next to the cabin door. Then Berin went back to the shed and collected his duffle bag with his personal belongings in it. He locked the living quarters up and locked the outer door behind him, making no noise.

  Berin walked quietly down the lane and onto the Penny Jane. The tide had turned and was running out. Berin knew that he had another forty minutes before the water level would be too low to leave the harbour. Once on board, Berin stowed his gear and cast off at the bow which was pointing seaward. He let the tide swing the bow out and then cast off at the stern. Running forward, Berin grabbed the boat hook and used it to pole the boat out into the current and clear of the next fishing vessel. He then went into the cabin and took the wheel to steer the vessel into mid-stream. Gradually the vessel slid silently out of the harbour. With the inclement weather there was no-one in the harbour to see what was happening. The Penny Jane cleared the harbour and Berin kept her in the channel. As she drifted out to sea she lost way and Berin turned the key to warm up the igniters before firing the engine. It started first time when he pushed the starter button on the console. With the noise of the wind and sea it was not heard back in the village. Berin left the riding lights off as he steered the vessel out to sea. It was a dark night with the clouds hiding the moon. As he headed the boat out to sea it was hit by a rain squall and he turned on the wiper, a circular piece of glass driven by an electric motor. It spun the rain off the glass to give clear vision. Berin took the vessel out about two miles into the shipping roads and brought the motor to idling speed to maintain way. He switched on the transmitter and waited for it to warm up. When it was ready, Berin switched to the channel he needed to transmit to Moscow. He then fed the tape into the teletype machine and switched it to send. When that was done, Berin ripped the tape into little pieces and opened the cabin door. He stepped out and dropped the pieces overboard. The wind caught them and whisked them away into the night. They would eventually drop into the sea and gradually sink. Berin then locked the wheel and went down below into the engine room. He then unscrewed the cocks so that seawater started pouring in. Going back on deck, Berin put some weight into the fish box with the encoder and other equipment. He put a lead weight i
n the bag with the documents and threw both the bag and box overboard. They sank without trace.

  Taking his duffle bag, Berin put it in the dinghy and then put a jerrycan of fuel in too. The Penny Jane was beginning to settle in the water. Looking up, Berin saw a large freighter bearing down on the fishing boat. He thought he couldn’t have worked it better. He went aft, climbed into the dinghy and cast off. Putting oars into the rowlocks, Berin pulled clear of the fishing boat. Now the freighter was looming very large and Berin rowed away and clear of the path of the freighter. The thud of the freighter’s engines grew louder and Berin turned the bow of the dinghy to ride out the freighter’s wash. He watched, fascinated, as the bow of the freighter bore down on the small fishing vessel. There was a crunch as the freighter’s bow hit the fishing boat. Being wooden, it stove in and broke apart. By the time the freighter passed, the fishing boat was beyond saving. A crewman on deck near the stern noticed the bow and wheelhouse of the Penny Jane silhouetted against the light-glow from Grimsby and Cleethorpes as it crested a wave. He raced to the deck ‘phone and called the bridge. “Looks as though we hit a fishing boat and it’s sinking,” he said. The telegraph to the engine room rang to stop and the freighter started to slow down. Berin pulled on the oars and headed away from the area and toward the coast. It would be at least half-a-mile before the freighter could stop and lower a boat to check for any remains and crew. When he was well away from the area, Berin set the throttle to start the outboard motor of the dinghy. He pulled at the starter cord and the motor fired, a tribute to the way Walmar maintained his vessels. Berin steered towards the coast. He could see the lights of Cleethorpes and Humberston as the dinghy crested each wave. He set a course just south of the lights so that he would be able to beach the dinghy clear of the town but within walking distance. With the tide still running out, it was a slow journey to the shore. He had to refill the fuel tank and eventually saw waves breaking on a sand bar. Berin recalled seeing the bar on the charts and steered the dinghy north to clear it and be able to land on the beach. He brought the motor to idle as it reached the beach, jumped out and pulled his duffle bag out of the boat. Then Berin pulled out the water chock, turned the dinghy so that the bow pointed seaward and opened the throttle. The little vessel headed out into the night and a watery grave. Berin picked up his duffle bag, slung it over his shoulder and started walking towards Cleethorpes. Back on the freighter, the first mate radioed a report of the incident to the port authorities in Grimsby. They reported having searched the area and finding nothing. The vessel continued on its way.

  Wednesday morning (12th) and the weather continued to settle. The fishermen in Parfleet St Peter listened to the weather forecast and decided it was time to try and fish again. It was 7.15 a.m. and daylight. They headed down to the harbour and their respective vessels. Walmar stopped and stared when he saw the Penny Jane missing from her mooring. Others called out to Walmar and asked him where his fishing boat was. Walmar said he didn’t know. It should have been there. He went to the harbourside and noticed that the mooring ropes were hanging from the bollards. Then Walmar headed for his shed. Once inside he called out for Enderby but there was no reply. The door to the accommodation at the rear was locked. He pulled his bunch of keys out of his pocket and selected the Yale for the door. Unlocking the door he went in and found the place deserted. Walmar started checking the cupboards and noticed that Enderby’s personal effects were missing, as was the encoder and code books. The place was ‘clean’. He realised that Berin (alias Enderby) had left and must have taken the Penny Jane. His immediate feeling was a sense of relief but he was angry at the theft of the Penny Jane. It was his vessel that he had worked and saved for. He decided to report it stolen. Walmar went back out to the harbour and told the other fishermen that Enderby had packed his things and must have stolen the Penny Jane. He walked over to the co-operative and went to the office to use the telephone and report the missing vessel to the police. After that, Walmar walked home to tell his wife about the missing vessel. He was relieved that the vessel was insured and would now report it to the insurance company.

  Unaware of the events, Commander Rice drove out to Parfleet St Peter and parked in the harbour area. He got out and noticed that the Penny Jane was not at her moorings. Rice asked one of the men on an adjacent vessel when the Penny Jane went out. “She were stolen last night by Walmar’s crewman. Walmar’s gone and reported it to the police.” Rice thanked the man for the information.

  As he walked back to his car, a car pulled up alongside his and two men in suits got out. Rice walked over to them and introduced himself. They proved to be the Special Branch men he had to meet. “It looks as though the bird has flown and taken the fishing vessel he worked as crewman on,” he told them. “We had better find Walmar and check his premises.” They agreed that the Special Branch men would stay and watch the harbour while Commander Rice went to Walmar’s house. Arriving there he knocked on the front door and Penny Walmar answered his knock. He asked to see Mr Walmar and she invited him in.

  “He’s just on the telephone and will be with you soon,” she said as she showed him into the sitting room. Commander Rice thanked her and stood on the rug near the fireplace as Penny went out to tell her husband of the visitor. Looking round the room, Rice noticed it was warm and homely. There were pictures of the two children, wedding photos and another of the family. It showed a happy family.

  Walmar entered the room and apologised for keeping him waiting. “My fishing boat was stolen last night by my crewman and I was reporting the loss to my insurance company,” he said. “I’ve already reported it to the police so I guess they’ll be out soon. How can I help you?”

  “My name is Rice, Commander Rice of MI5. We have reason to believe that your crewman is not the person he claims to be.” As he spoke, he pulled out his identification and showed it to Walmar. “It also appears that he could be a suspect in the attack on a RAF serviceman yesterday morning. Could we go down to your shed and make a search, please?”

  Walmar nodded his agreement. “Let me just tell my wife and I’ll take you down,” he said. He left the room and went to the kitchen and explained to his wife, Penny, what was happening.

  “Just be careful, darling,” she said.

  “I’ll be fine,” Walmar replied. He kissed her and went back to the sitting room.

  “Let’s go, sir,” he said to Commander Rice and led the way out of the front door. He took a duffle coat off the hallstand and put it on as they went out.

  As they walked down to the harbour, Rice asked Walmar, “How long has Enderby worked for you?”

  “Just a few weeks. He’s an experienced deck hand and was looking for work. My other deck hand had left and I needed one so I checked his papers and gave him a job,” Walmar explained. “There were no locals looking for work at the time.” As they neared the harbour, Walmar saw the two cars and the two men in suits standing outside his shed. “Are they with you Commander Rice?” he asked.

  “They are Special Branch policemen who came to take Enderby in for questioning and to search the premises. They have a search warrant,” was the reply.

  “That won’t be necessary,” said Walmar. “I have nothing to hide and they are welcome to search the place.” Inwardly, he wondered how much they knew about himself. Arriving at the shed, the two Special Branch men introduced themselves to Walmar and asked to examine the premises. Walmar unlocked the shed doors and opened one side. He led them in and went to the accommodation area and unlocked the door to it and opened it wide. Rice and one of the Special Branch went in and checked the accommodation rooms. They checked the cupboards and drawers and found nothing of interest. Meanwhile, the other Special Branch man checked the shed, all the while keeping an eye on Walmar. They found nothing.

  As they went outside, Yvonne came down from the co-operative office with a message. “Walmar, the police have ‘phoned to say that there was a report last night from a freighter that they saw a fishing boat broken up and sink
ing. They stopped and put a boat out to search but found nothing. A police launch is going out to search the area where it was reported to have happened, about two miles off-shore north-east of here.”

  He replied, “Thank you for that, Yvonne. I’ll see if any of our boats will go out and join the search.” Turning to the three men, he said, “It has been known for large freighters to run down a fishing boat in these waters. We are a bit close to the shipping channel. If any of our boats go out I would like to go with it on the search.”

  “That’s fine, Mr Walmar,” said Commander Rice. “I’d like to come with you.” Turning to the other two men, he said, “Perhaps you would like to check the area and then arrange a search of the coastline for the Penny Jane’s dinghy. Mr Walmar, would you give a description of it, please?” Walmar was happy to oblige and gave them a detailed description. He and Rice then went over to the nearest fishing boat, which happened to be Jimmy Anderson’s, and Walmar explained the message that Yvonne had given him. “We’ll go out and have a look, Wal,” Jimmy said, using the name the fishermen gave him. “Give us about thirty minutes and we’ll head out.”

  “Thanks. I’ll organise some flasks and food to take with us while you get ready. This is Commander Rice, a navy man. He’d like to come as well,” Walmar answered. Turning to Rice he said, “Why don’t you come up to the shop and have a coffee while I organise the flasks and food. Then I’ll get a set of oilskins for you. It’s still a bit blowy out there. What size gumboots do you take?”

  “Nines,” Rice replied, “and I’ll take you up on that offer. The Special Branch men could most likely do with a coffee as well.”

  “Fine,” said Walmar. “It can go on my account.” Rice called to the two men and they all walked up to the cafe together.

  Thirty minutes later, Walmar and Rice were boarding Anderson’s fishing boat. They were kitted out in gumboots and oilskins. As Anderson steered the vessel out into mid-stream, two other vessels followed to help in the search. Rice found immense pleasure to feel a deck under his feet again, balancing his body against the swell that caused the vessel to rise and fall. The three fishing boats headed out on a north-easterly course. Anderson changed radio frequencies to make contact with the customs vessel that the police were using After speaking to them, he changed back to the fishing frequency and called up the other two boats with the course and rendezvous reference. They then all three switched over to the search frequency that Anderson had been told to use. There was still a large swell that would make the search more difficult. Anderson and Walmar were in the wheelhouse with a chart and discussed the wind and tide influences that would affect any floating debris or a person in the water. Anderson then got on the radio to the police and they agreed a search pattern.