The Body in the River (25 page)

Brookes smiled.
‘
Well it certainly wasn
’
t Miss Moneypenny. Resident spook no doubt. But I
’
m glad he came to say hello.
’

*

‘
But the principle failing occurred
in the sailing,

And the Bellman, perplexed and distressed,

Said he had hoped at least, when the wind blew due East,

That the ship did not travel due West.
’

The Hunting of the Snark, Lewis Carroll

The evening passed slowly, the three detectives unable to relax and enjoy the pleasures of the magnificent resort they found themselves in. Holmes joined them at midnight with the news that the white man and his Jamaican friends were sitting in a bar in Georgetown, drinking. They didn
’
t seem concerned about anything, which made Brookes worried about what they may have planned.

The call eventually came at 3am.

It was Aitcheson.
‘
News, John; the Bella Marie has passed the lighthouse on the south-east tip of the island and is steaming parallel with the south coast. It has slowed to a crawl, probably waiting for dawn to make its final approach. I
’
m told that it
’
s a dangerous coast.
’

‘
It is; there are several wrecks on the reefs all around the island.
’

‘
Have you got your reception committee ready?
’

‘
Yes; we
’
ll move off now we have an idea of where he
’
s likely to come ashore.

‘
Call me when you are in position. The Americans are being most co-operative; they tell me they will be able to tell if someone leaves the ship with their thermal imaging equipment. We should be able to give you ten minutes
’
notice of Fleming
’
s final approach.
’

Putting the phone down, Brookes nodded to his companions and they made their way out to the car park and the waiting Land Rovers. Holmes got in beside the driver of the first vehicle; the three Brits squeezed into the back. The eight armed constables followed in the other two vehicles.

They followed the thin strip of tarmac that ran south along Seven Mile Beach, past a row of luxury hotels. It was a clear moonlit night and there was hardly a need to use the vehicles
’
headlights. Waves broke gently on the white sands. Brookes found the scene almost surreal when he thought of their mission.

Further on, the road turned east away from the sea, cutting across South West Point. They passed the airport, quiet now as there were few arrivals after dusk on this small island. Half a mile further on, they joined the road that ran all along the south coast and headed east towards Prospect Point.

A short time later, the radio on the dashboard crackled; a voice said,
‘
This is unit three, sir. We have a car following us with no lights showing.
’

Holmes replied,
‘
Go back and stop it, find out who it is. Be very careful, the occupants may be armed.
’

Brookes turned in his seat to watch what was happening behind. He saw the third Land Rover performing a three point turn on the narrow road. In the distance, he could just see the shape of a car, which appeared to have stopped. Then the car reversed onto a side track and accelerated away back towards Georgetown.

The radio crackled again;
‘
He
’
s turned round, sir; we
’
re giving chase.
’

Brookes opened his mouth to speak. But Holmes beat him to it.

`Do not give chase; I repeat do not give chase. Rejoin the convoy and keep your eye on the rear view mirror. Report any other vehicles following. Acknowledge please.
’

A reluctant voice replied,
‘
Yes, sir, rejoining convoy.
’

Brookes caught Holmes
’
eye in the rear view mirror. He smiled.
‘
Well done, Chester; never split your force and concentrate on your objective.
’

‘
Yes, sir; my men are just a little over-enthusiastic.
’

The remainder of the journey passed without further incident. The land rose as they passed Prospect Point and followed the cliff-tops along the coast. Five miles further on, Holmes said,

‘
We
’
re there, sir; Half Moon Bay is just over the next rise.
’

They soon topped a small hill and began to descend. Ahead was a long, gently curving beach. Towards its centre was a cluster of buildings, opposite a long wooden jetty reaching out across the beach and into the sea. Beside the jetty were a half-dozen small craft hauled up on the sand.

Holmes said,
‘
It
’
s just a fishing village, although we get quite a few scuba divers here after the abalone.
’

‘
Is there somewhere we can park the vehicles out of sight?
’

‘
Yes, behind the fish factory.
’

‘
Good. It might be an idea to get two of your men to set up a road block at the entrance to the village, just to make sure the Jamaicans don
’
t surprise us.
’

Five minutes later, Brookes stood on the seaward end of the jetty, looking out across the waves. In the moonlight, he could see a fair way out to sea, but there was no sign of any vessel. To his left he caught the occasional glow cast by the East End lighthouse as it pulsed its warning to passing ships.

‘
Are you sure he
’
ll come ashore here, Chester?
’

Holmes gave him one of his beaming smiles.
‘
There is a reef that runs the whole length of the south coast. The only gap in it is right in front of us.
’
He pointed off to the left.
‘
Look out there, you can see the waves breaking on the reef.
’

Following his pointed finger, Brookes could just make out white water some half a mile from the shore. Looking the other way he saw the same. The gap between was no more than two hundred yards.

‘
So, he has to come straight to us here.
’

‘
Once he
’
s through the reef he could turn either way. But if he doesn
’
t expect we
’
re here there
’
s no reason for him not to come straight ashore.
’

Brookes frowned.
‘
How would he get from here to Georgetown?
’

‘
There are taxis here during the day.
’
He laughed.
‘
And there
’
s a perfectly good bus service.
’

Brookes nodded.
‘
OK, now we wait. Have you briefed your men on the importance of taking this man alive?
’

‘
Yes, I
’
ve told them exactly what you told me.
’

*

They had a long wait. It was 5.30am and the sky on the eastern horizon was just turning a lighter shade of blue when Brookes
’
mobile phone rang.

It was Aitcheson.
‘
They
’
ve anchored a mile off Half Moon Bay. Give Inspector Holmes a cigar, he was right ... just a minute.
’

Brookes heard Aitcheson talking to someone else.

Then he returned to the phone.
‘
I
’
m on the other line to NRO; they say the ship has just launched a dinghy. There are two men in it; they
’
re heading towards shore. It
’
s over to you now, John, good luck.
’

Brookes closed his phone.
‘
OK, Chester, there are two men coming in on a dinghy. Alert your men and tell them not to show themselves until Fleming is ashore.
’

Now the action was imminent, Brookes
’
mind was fully alert. Just one negative thought kept intruding into his mind; something from Rabbie Burns:
“
The best laid plans of mice and men...
”
He pushed the thought aside.

First they heard the sound of an outboard motor out towards the reef. Then the dinghy came into sight, heading straight towards them.

Five minutes later, it came to rest with its bow on the sand. The figure of a man jumped ashore and began walking up the beach. He was dressed in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt and carried a duffle bag. He waved to the man in the dinghy at something he said but did not look back. The note of the outboard engine rose and the dinghy backed away from the beach. Turning round, it accelerated away from the beach, towards the gap in the reef.

Brookes waited until the man was just twenty yards from him before stepping out from behind a building. He couldn
’
t resist speaking the words that came to his mind.

‘
Mr Fleming; fancy meeting you here.
’

The look on Fleming
’
s face would have been comical were it not for the gravity of the situation. He looked around him for somewhere to run. But Holmes
’
men had stepped forward as Brookes had, and surrounded Fleming.

Stepping forward himself, Brookes took the man by one arm.
‘
I am arresting you for the murder of Alison MacPherson.
’
He then read him the caution in very precise terms.

Fleming seemed totally flabbergasted. His shoulders slumped and he meekly allowed himself to be led to the waiting Land Rover.

They met little traffic on the coast road and drove as quickly as was safe.

Dawn came quickly here in the tropics and the sun was peeping over the horizon as they reached the outskirts of Georgetown. It was only here that they met any other traffic, and they used their police sirens to clear a path.

Arriving at the police station, the vehicle carrying the prisoner drove straight into the station yard, situated to the side of the building. The other vehicle stopped in the street outside and the constables quickly got out and formed a cordon facing outwards, with their rifles at the ready.

A moment after the Land Rovers had come to a standstill, a sleek, white Chevrolet drove slowly past, its four occupants taking in every detail of the scene. It did not stop and disappeared north towards the harbour area, where Chester had informed Brookes the night club visited by the Jamaicans was.

*

‘
When the captains courageous who death could not daunt,

Did march to the siege of the city of Gaunt,

They mustered their soldiers by two and by three,

And the foremost in battle was Mary Ambree.
’

Mary Ambree

Brookes stood in the street, assessing the security of the police station. It stood at the end of a terrace of old colonial-style buildings. With thick walls and deeply recessed windows, it had obviously been built to withstand the heat rather than physical attack. Ironically, to its immediate left was an office of the Cayman Islands Banking Corporation; steel bars lined the windows and the entrance door looked capable of withstanding attack by anything short of a tank.

Middlemiss commented,
‘
Kin
‘
ell, boss, it might be safer putting him in the bank vault with his loot.
’

Brookes smiled grimly.
‘
There
’
s a thought, Fred.
’

Certainly, in contrast, the police station looked vulnerable. Huge wooden entrance doors stood permanently open to admit the public. The large, wooden-framed windows had no bars and stood open to admit the slightest breeze.

Even with the entrance doors closed and bolted, a determined attacker with modern weapons would have little trouble getting in. To the right of the station was the yard, with police vehicles parked in a neat row. The yard did have wooden gates, but they were flimsy and would not resist ramming by a motor vehicle. A door in the side of the building provided access from the yard into the station charge room, where prisoners were processed. Fleming had been taken into the station through this door.