The Inspector Walter Darriteau Murder Mysteries - Books 1-4 David Carter (autobiographies to read txt) 📖

finished the translation, ‘She says, she is very very sorry for what she has done.’

They all stared at Monica.

Monica uttered through a stone face, ‘It’s too late. She’s gone to China.’

Seventy-Seven

13.59. Jenny came running into the warehouse.

‘Guv! The medics are here, they want to take Brinton away.’

‘Do they now? Well, I want a word with Brinton first,’ and Walter led the team back to Brinton’s office. He was sitting on the desk, looking mighty uncomfortable, swollen face, angry eyes, being attended to by one of the medics. They were both guys, one short and thin, one tall and thinner.

‘We know Jessica Stone has been sent to China. How and when was she sent?’ asked Walter.

Brinton glared at the officers.

The short medic said, ‘He’s got a broken jaw, he can’t speak.’

‘He’s also wanted for murder and attempted murder and God alone knows what else. So I’ll ask him again, where and how was Jessica Stone sent to China?’

The tall skinny medic said, ‘It simply isn’t possible to speak if you have a broken jaw, and that is about as broken as you can get. We need to get him to hospital, and we need to do that now.’

Brinton beckoned to the desk, and some paper and a pen. Karen stepped in and grabbed the pen and a pad and gave them to Brinton. He took them and began writing.

I am going to sue you for grievous bodily harm. You’re finished!

He tore off the page and gave it to Karen. She passed it to Walter, who sniffed and said, ‘Gibbons, go with Brinton. Don’t let him out of your sight.’

‘Sure, Guv,’ and the medics took their cue and escorted their patient back to the ambulance. Gibbons jumped in the back with the short medic, and the damaged Brinton, and the tall guy leapt behind the wheel, fired up the diesel, hit the accelerator, and headed off toward the hospital.

‘Guv?’ said Jun.

‘What?’

‘They can’t have taken her to China by air, not unless they had all the necessary papers, too risky, she must have gone by ship.’

‘Of course,’ said Karen.

Walter thought for a second and said, ‘Can you get the Lloyds List shipping site on your smart phone?’

Karen took out her phone. Said, ‘Should think so,’ and tapped in lloydslist.com and up it came.

‘Departures from Liverpool, heading for the Far East.’

Took a bit of finding, but there it was. The State of Divine Providence, due out of Liverpool Freeport that afternoon, estimated sailing time. 15.15, on the high springtide.

‘It can’t be a springtide,’ said Karen, ‘not in the autumn.’

‘It is a springtide,’ said Walter. ‘It’s nothing to do with spring as in the season, it’s to do with springing forth of the moon, and when it comes to tides, the moon’s top banana.’

Karen and Jenny shared a smirking now-you-know, look.

Jan said, ‘I was searching the drawers before and found this,’ and he passed over to Walter an unsealed envelope.

Walter peered inside and pulled out the content. Black hair.

‘What is it?’ asked Karen.

‘Unless I am much mistaken it’s Jessica Stone’s forelock. Brinton must have kept it as a souvenir. She always had an irritating haircut, looks like it all got too much for poor Brinton.’

‘What next?’ asked Karen.

‘We need to quickly check out the dispatch bay,’ said Walter, and they all headed back inside, and made their way to the far exit doors. Jun selected another key, and another good selection, for the lock turned and the shutters clanked and began opening.

Inside, it was empty, no finished product, it had all been shipped out with Jun, and no desperate men waiting around either. Much as Walter imagined.

‘Close it up,’ he said, and the shutters came rolling down. ‘Jenny and Jan, I want you to stay here in case they come back.’

‘Sure,’ said Jenny, as they made their way out and back to the offices.

‘Remember, they are very dangerous. Don’t take any unnecessary risks. They probably killed Stevie Cliffe. That’s all you need to know. I’ll get reinforcements to you. Jenny’s got her gun, and it’s possible I might carelessly drop mine in the hallway on the way out. You’d better check for that, Jan.’

Jan grinned and said, ‘Sure, Guv. Thanks.’

‘We’re going to the Freeport.’

Jenny nodded and said, ‘We’ll be fine.’

‘And don’t forget the Border Force guys will be here soon. They’ll come mob handed and will scoop up all the IC5s.’

‘Does that include Shu?’ asked Jun.

‘Yes, it will have to, but we’ll see what we can do about that later.’

Jun nodded and said, ‘I’d appreciate that,’ and Walter, Karen and Jun hurried down the corridor and away. Jan and Jen peered after them and watched them approach the door without looking back. On the final step, before the doors, they heard a dull thud, and the doors opened and closed, and they’d gone, and all that remained was a Heckler & Koch USP lying on the floor, looking lost and forlorn. Jan ran after it and picked it up. Jenny followed and Jan said, ‘Now what?’

‘We wait, may as well make ourselves comfortable.’

‘Sure,’ said Jan, examining the pistol, and looking forward to the day when he would be authorised to carry one.

OUTSIDE IN THE CAR, Hector was quizzing the young guy. To begin with the kid played hardball, knew nothing, seen nothing, done nothing, heard nothing, all of which even Hector, in his fledgling career, had heard a hundred times before, but as Hector’s insightful quizzing continued, the penny must have dropped in the young guy’s head that he was mired in a well of dead dog’s doo-doos a good mile deep.

Hector watched Guv, Karen, and Jun, come out of Minstrel and hustle toward the car. Walter nodded Hector out. Karen and Jun carried on by and jumped in the new Volvo.

‘How’s it going?’ asked Walter.

‘The guy knows everything. He’s singing for his supper.’

‘We need to get up to Liverpool, like now.’

‘You need to know this, Guv.’

‘Tell.’

‘Ricky Barton turned up here looking for Jessica Stone. Pryce told Barton she’d