Chapter 19: Chapter 19

Richard James and Klempner, heads close, voices low; they stand together at the end of the hall discussing something… I assume Finchby…

The bell rings. I don’t feel quite comfortable answering the door in someone else’s home, but James waves me on, his eyes flicking between me and Klempner.

I open the door to find myself face to thunderous face with Will Stanton.

For a second or two, I hesitate, blocking the view down the hall. Deliberately raising my voice, “Will…

Good to see you.” I glance back. Klempner exchanges an alarmed look with James.

“Richard...” Will Stanton's voice booms through the house. “May I come in?”

In the hallway, Will stands, legs akimbo, hands clasped before him, holding his hat, eyes darting in all directions. James, all casual good manners, strolls down, hand proffered. “Will, thank you for calling by.

What can we do for you?”

Will awards him an old look. “Nice eye patch, James. How did you come by it?”

James sucks at his teeth. “Why don’t you come into the lounge. We can talk there.”

James takes his armchair. Will accepts the seat offered him on the couch, but his face is set. “The eye, James. What happened?”

“We received a ransom demand for Charlotte. Richard here provided the money. I delivered it. The kidnappers weren’t gentle in their handling of me.”

Will absorbs this. “You have Charlotte back?”

“Yes. She’s safe upstairs, along with my new daughter.”

“Congratulations.” It’s a happy word, but thunder rolls over Will’s upper reaches. He turns to me. “And what were you doing last night, Richard? While this was going on.”

“I had my own difficulties. Elizabeth went into premature labour… The upset, you know. The stress.

She and Charlotte are very close.”

“Ahhh…” Will nods slowly, scratching at an ear. “Is everything…?”

“Elizabeth is fine now. The doctors halted the contractions. But she is resting. I trust you are not going to ask me to disturb her? The doctors were very clear that she must be free from stress over the next few weeks. Would you like some coffee? Tea?”

“No, thank you, Richard.” He clasps his hands, winding thumbs one around another. “I have to ask you both what you know about events at one Club Electric last night. Down by the old docks.”

James takes a moment to reply. “Charlotte’s kidnapper was the owner of that establishment; Finchby.”

“Is that right? And you went there… Why?”

“To deliver the ransom money and get Charlotte back.”

“You realise that I cannot condone paying ransom. It’s playing into the hands of…”

Fire blazes in James’ eyes. “I do understand that. It wasn’t your wife in labour and puking her guts up…” Abruptly, as if by the flick of a switch, his calm returns. “As it emerged, they had no intention of releasing Charlotte. And they were planning to sell the baby for organs…”

Will’s mouth works. He swallows. In a calmer tone, “You said they, not he. Was Finchby working with someone else?”

“Yes. A man called Baxter.”

“So, what can you tell me about the fire which has gutted the building and the escape of some forty or so apparently trafficked women and boys from the premises?”

James’ expression switches to ‘bland’. So does his voice. “Forty? As many as that?”

“Yes, I don’t have all the details. Most of them speak no English. What happened?”

“While we were escaping with Charlotte, Michael and I released the others we found imprisoned. Given Charlotte’s background, I’m sure you understand where we, both of us, stand on the subject of human trafficking and slavery. As to the fire… I don’t imagine Finchby had too many friends in there last night.”

“So, Michael was with you too?”

“He was.”

“You didn’t mention that before.”

“We’d not reached that point of the conversation before.”

“Anyone else with you?”

“Such as?”

“I couldn’t say.”

James wears a face as blank of expression as an egg.

Wonder if he ever plays poker?

Will stares at him hard. James holds the stare and returns it.

Must have been a cat in a previous life…

Will cracks first. “You should know James…. You too Richard… The Mayor is giving me hell. That end of town does not have a good reputation, even at the best of times. After this…”

James cuts in. “Why should Vandervoort give you a hard time? A most disreputable establishment has been very effectively closed down. An organised crime ring has been taken apart. I would have thought Mayor Vandervoort would be delighted about it all. Certainly, he’ll be able to claim credit for it. Surely all that has to be good for votes?”

Will sucks at his cheeks, but the ghost of a smile haunts there. “I'll suggest that to him.”

“And of course…” continues James…. “I'll be happy to give a statement to that effect. Perhaps even to the press…” He rocks a hand… “Strong policies. Powerful policing… Leadership at the top.” His voice trails away. He sits back in his armchair, eyes steady on Will, forefinger pressed to his lips.

Will sits back too, inhales deeply, then harrumphs. “Richard, on a complete change of subject, you asked me to look into the situation in Thailand, with a view to a holiday there I believe? With Beth, once the baby is born.”

Oh, Good Lord…

Now what?

“That's right.”

“I’ll admit…” Will rubs a finger across his chin… “… when you first mentioned this to me, I had concerns. Young wife. Young baby. Thailand has a reputation after all.”

“So it does.”

“So, as you requested, I made some enquiries for you.” A smile ghosts over his face “And…?”

“From what I'm being told by my opposite number over there, Thailand has been a busy place over the last several months.” That smile isn’t a ghost anymore. It swims around his eyes.

“Busy? In what way?”

“It appears that someone has launched a crusade against organised crime over there… The syndicates. The families…”

James leans forward, intent.

“… Specifically… this crusade has been against the traders in human traffic. Although it's in the nature of things that the trade in illegal drugs, protection rackets and suchlike has also been affected.”

Will is trying hard to keep his face straight.

James makes a winding motion with his fingers. “Do go on.”

Will shifts in his seat. “It began with a number of… of the more unpleasant variety of tourist turning up dead there…”

“The kind looking for the sort of entertainment they can’t legally get elsewhere?”

“Exactly that kind. … In each case, the bodies were deposited in some highly public place, in one case on the frontage to a noted national newspaper."

I glance to the side-table where my ‘City International’ lies folded, waiting to be read. "I don't recall seeing anything about this in the papers or on the news.”

“Here, no. You know what they’re like with foreign news. But in Thailand and the area, it made the headlines.”

Will steeples fingers, face intent. “On the first occasion, it was treated as a simple robbery with murder.

But after the third such incident, the ripples were damaging the trade. It was becoming known that a visit to the country might result in more than a simple trip to the brothels…”

He pauses, apparently collecting his thoughts, then, “At that point, our... vigilante... turned his attention away from the customers and onto the suppliers.”

James exchanges glances with me. “Really? Don’t stop there. This is fascinating.”

“Isn't it.” Will is making no attempt now to hide his grin. “Over a period of months, the heads of several of the criminal families and rings have been assassinated. We can identify at least twelve such cases.

There may be more. Whoever our assassin is…” He pauses again, holding eyes with James… “… he started with the big fish, then worked his way down the food chain…

“Piece by piece, and systematically, someone has dismantled the Thai infrastructure in human trafficking.”

“No doubt…” I say… “… others will step up to replace those removed.”

“In time, no doubt, but right now, there is an odd reluctance to do so. With the Garcias family for example, first, the father was executed… in his own villa… by a marksman from a range of over a mile...”

James leans forward. “A mile?”

“A mile.” Will pauses, lets that sink in. “After that, his eldest son, Chakan, took up the reins. He survived a week. What was left of him was found garrotted in his own bathroom. And then, the second son, Ananada replaced him. He vanished three days later and hasn't been seen since. So, volunteers for the top jobs are in short supply.”

“And no one knows who is responsible for all of this?”

Will straightens up again, leaning back in his seat. “No one has been identified, no. However, the Thai authorities are of the opinion that, whoever it is, with the knowledge displayed, the pinpoint targeting, it has to be someone who already knew the trade, knew the connections and understood how the network held together.”

James sucks in his cheeks. “Kind of poacher turned gamekeeper?”

“You could say that.” Will turns brisk again. “For the moment at least, the Thai police find themselves occupied dealing with traffic violations and quarrels between neighbours over whose dog shat in the lawn.”

James plucks at this chin. “Did your contact have any comment on all of this?”

Will is deadpan. “Remarkably little in fact.”

James stares into space, wheels clicking behind his eyes. “Will, why was Finchby’s place never closed down before? With everything that was going on there and his reputation…”

Will’s mouth presses flat. “We tried, several times. Every time, Finchby lawyered-up on the spot and…”

His eyes flash the whites… “… friends in high places put a stop to further investigation.”

“Hmmm…” James stands, moves to toast his back with the fire. “Would one of those friends be Diarmuid Powell?”

Eyes narrowing, “In fact, yes. Why do you ask?”

“I visited Club Electric two nights ago. Powell was there being entertained by some of Finchby’s workers.”

Will’s mouth quirks. “Is that a fact? Did he see you?”

“No, I kept my head down.”

“Can you prove it then?”

“Finchby’s security footage will show it. He had cameras everywhere.”

“In fact,” says Will, his words turning slow, “Forensics have been trying to find the security records. So far, they’ve not turned anything up… You wouldn’t know anything about that?”

James shifts, looking uneasy…

Caught on the hop…

“I saw a laptop in his office. I’m not sure what happened to it.”

Will holds him, hard-eyed, then me. “Should anything occur to you, either of you about the whereabouts of that computer, I’ll expect to hear about it.”

He heaves himself up from the couch. “Anyway, Richard, I've taken up enough of your time. I'm sure you'll be wanting to attend your wife. Do give my best to Beth.” Hat in hand, he nods to each of us. “I hope it all goes smoothly for you both.”

“I’ll see you out.”

Closing the door behind him, I find James and Michael watching me from along the hall. “Did you hear that, Michael?”

“I was standing right by the door. I heard everything.”

“Where is he?”

“Made himself scarce. Downstairs. I’ll go check what he’s doing. You stay here in case Will comes back.”

*****