‘Ready?’ called one of the deckhands as two of them lifted Jack off the deck and carried him quickly to the bunkhouse. He wasn’t about to argue.
The cook had warm blankets ready and wrapped them round Jack’s body and thighs but not his arms and lower legs. He knew it was vital to warm the body up slowly and not to risk cold blood, in extremities, being forced to circulate. He knew that was the best way to kill someone! They propped Jack up into almost a sitting position before they offered him hot, sweet tea. It took no coaxing because the dull headache told him he was dehydrated. Between the sips of tea the captain started to question him. What was his name, what was he doing in the water, who should they contact? Jack was about to tell them to contact his ship, the MV Sultano, to say they were OK but he changed his mind.
‘Do you have a mobile phone? Could I phone my friends in Split?’ he asked.
The captain returned with a phone and punched in the number Jack gave him and waited until it was answered.
‘Someone to speak to you, hold on’, said the captain as he gave the phone to Jack.
‘Kev, it’s Jack,’ he said slowly and deliberately.
‘Where the hell are you?’ Kev shouted down the phone.
‘Listen, listen… listen,’ insisted Jack as he tried to stem the comments from Kev. ‘Sandro and I are OK. Tell Shaun, Patrick and Penny but no one else, repeat no one else.’
It may have been a short and simple phone call but it seemed exhausting and Jack had to steel himself to stay awake and to thank the captain. It was then just a question of letting him warm up slowly. Sandro was submitted to the same regime. He was swathed in blankets and every fifteen minutes or so the cook came with mugs of tea and forced them to drink it. He also knew that dehydration was a killer when people had been adrift at sea for hours or days.
It was more the urge to pee than to get out of the bunk and explore his surroundings. Sandro got unsteadily to his feet and looked around him. He started to make his way to the hatchway, at the end of the bunkhouse, in search of the “heads”. He found the toilet and after so much to drink it was a relieving experience! The cook intercepted him on his return to the bunkhouse to say they would be docking in Dubrovnik in a couple of hours.
Jack was still asleep but not for long.
‘Jack, Jack wake up. Are you OK?’ Sandro asked.
Jack stirred and obviously still sleepy replied,
‘Yes, yes, I’m just fine but I need to go to the loo, with some urgency!’
News of their recovery soon circulated around the ship with the cook asking them what they wanted to eat before the captain was asking what they were doing in the middle of the Adriatic and if they wanted to contact anyone! Jack and Sandro had already planned their responses to any questions. They merely said they had been on a diving trip and had become separated from the group and boat. They were sure their previous phone call had assured their friends that they were safe. If they could make another phone call they could arrange transport back to Split. Jack made a call to the Italian coast guard headquarters in Dubrovnik.
The cook had found both Jack and Sandro a pair of plastic “flip flops”. Despite looking comical in their all-in-one fluffy suits, they resisted offers of spare clothes. They were happy to be helped ashore wearing the AP Inspiration rebreathers and harness, metal backplate, inflatable wing and weight belt. A drysuit was draped across one arm with fins and helmet clutched in hands! Several of the seamen were following them, carrying the heavy cylinders. Jack had seen the Alfa Romeo, festooned in the emblems of the Italian coast guard, from the deck of the freighter. He and Sandro started to make their way towards it when a rear door opened and Penny not only emerged but broke into a run towards them. Perhaps a working dockside is not the most romantic of places but it didn’t matter to either of them. Jack simply dropped his very expensive diving helmet, and everything else, as he caught Penny in full flight and whisked her around.
‘Oh Jack, I thought I had lost you,’ she sobbed before hugging him so tightly he struggled to breathe. A passionate kiss followed before she buried her face into his neck.
Tears were welling up in Jack’s eyes and his throat seemed completely blocked as he struggled with the emotion enveloping him. In that moment the impact of being cast adrift and almost losing what he most desired hit home. He didn’t want to let go of Penny but she broke free, wiped away the tears and was back in control.
‘Will you get all your kit in the boot?’ she gestured as she looked at the amount they and the seamen were carrying. ‘You can sit in the back and it’s only a short drive to coast guard headquarters.’
Fortunately, the coast guard used estate cars and so they managed to get everything into the car. As Penny got into the front passenger seat she called to Sandro who was starting to put on his safety belt.
‘Forget the safety belt for a minute. Here’s a present,’ she said as she handed him a shopping bag.
Sandro took a peek inside and then burst out laughing as he pulled out a gold coloured polo shirt and black sports trousers with a drawstring waist.
‘Questo è meraviglioso, you are wonderful. This all-in-one suit is so hot it is driving me crazy!’ said Sandro as he started to strip it off in the back of the car.
‘Jack, here’s one for you,’ said Penny as she handed him the other shopping bag. ‘I couldn’t get colours to match your delightful wetsuits. These were the closest,’ she said with a grin. I can’t have you turning up at coast guard headquarters looking like pantomime characters,’ she laughed. Then, more seriously, she said:
‘You need to make formal statements about the whole incident. I can’t say any more at the moment. I’ve booked you into a hotel and arranged transport to take you back to the Sultano tomorrow.’
The Croatian police and coast guard were painstaking. Jack and Sandro’s statements were taken, written up and checked before being compared, elaborated and signed. Just when they thought they had finished they spent another couple of hours with an officer creating photo IDs of Gino Baiggio and the other two crew members. Then it was another office, another computer screen, where they spent more time viewing one “mug shot” after another. In the end, awash with tea and coffee, they were released into the care of Penny and whisked off to the hotel; it was already dark outside.
Chapter 28
Awakening
Something must have awoken her. She partly opened her bleary eyes but it was pitch black in the room. She stretched out an arm and touched the shape next to her. Her hand slid over his shoulder, down his side, along his thigh and rested by his groin.
‘I’m sleep,’ came the plaintive murmur.
‘Oh no you’re not!’ was the retort.
Before another word could be said the alarm clock signalled it was time to get up. Penny reached backwards to stop it.
‘We may have to be quick,’ she said playfully.
‘We could miss breakfast,’ was the mischievous reply.
Jack and Sandro were refreshed and still looked like escapees from some sports team. Inspector Tomich looked anything but refreshed. In fact, he looked as if he had been working all night; he had. He joined the three of them at a corner table in the almost deserted breakfast room. The bulk of the guests were either off to work or having an early start to their sightseeing.
‘I can bring you all up to date,’ Tomich said in a weary tone. ‘Based on your statements, and those from the freighter captain, we have tried to work back from the point you were rescued from the water. We believe you were taken in the general direction you expected but then you veered off towards the Kornati National Park and dived in the Domani Channel. The sea conditions, depth at this point and lack of any traffic, suggest this. Locals avoid the area due to the nature of the tides,’ he added.
‘The timings are critical but we estimate you entered the water just before high tide. Close to the seabed the current would be negligible. However, the Domani Channel has unique characteristics. As the tide changes, the huge vo
lume of water that has entered the bay and waterways between the islands has to escape. A combination of the shape of the seabed and funnelling effect of the islands results in water being flushed through the Domani Channel and into the Adriatic. It’s a classic riptide. Whoever dropped you off at that spot was trying to kill you.’
The breakfast table was silent and Inspector Tomich continued:
‘We believe we have traced the boat that was used. A fifty foot Sunseeker motor cruiser was reported as missing on the day you dived. It was stolen from a marina north of Selinik. The same boat was found abandoned at a public pier near Split. We are still processing the boat but doubt there will be any usable prints. It seems all the surfaces were wiped down.’
‘What about our kit crates?’ asked Jack. ‘There were two large aluminium crates on board when we dived.’
‘There is no report of any crates on board. My guess is that they threw them over the side and they let them follow you to the bottom. They wouldn’t have left them on board because they would have attracted attention,’ he said. ‘We are looking for witnesses and are even testing and trying to trace the business card this Gino character gave you. But, to be honest, I do not think it is going to be helpful,’ he added.
‘My colleagues will continue to enquire here. Officer Pendleton-Price and I will be travelling to Split to question Mrs Petra Kovačić. We can offer you a lift if you wish,’ he added.
Chapter 29
Helping with our enquiries
Petra Kovačić was sitting behind her desk facing Penny Pendleton-Price. Inspector Tomich, of the Croatian Police, had telephoned Petra and asked if she would agree to meet them and help both the police and the British Border Force with their enquiries. He had explained that it was a joint operation.
‘Thank you for agreeing to meet us and to help both the local police and British Border Force with our enquiries. Do you object to our conversation being recorded? It means we can share information with our colleagues,’ explained Penny.
‘No, not at all. I'm happy to help in any way I can,’ she replied.
Penny took out a small digital recorder, switched it on and placed it in the middle of the desk; a red light twinkled.
‘Mrs Kovačić, could you explain to me your relationship with both James Blake and Lawrence Anderson?’
‘Of course,’ said Mrs Kovačić. ‘After my husband was killed I realised I needed advice on production and marketing. James and Lawrence provided that advice and with their help we turned Pharmaco into an efficient and profitable company. We've been working together for over two years. I know they were paid as consultants but I regarded them as friends,’ she concluded.
There was still some uncertainty about the working relationship between the two men and Pharmaco. Penny had contacted their respective companies in the UK and was still awaiting replies to her requests for information.
‘What can you tell me about the products Pancrovita and Livactomel?’ asked Penny.
Petra took a deep breath and breathed out through her nose in a mild snort.
‘It was during one of our periodic meetings when we reviewed production levels, profit margins, existing and future markets for our products,’ she explained. ‘Lawrence and James made a pitch for Pharmaco to make and distribute Pancrovita and Livactomel. Superficially it sounded like an amazing deal and one that would transform the company, but I'd never heard of these products! However, it didn't take me long to discover that the two drugs, or drug combinations, were about to be launched in America. It was my judgement that the companies concerned were unlikely to subcontract production, let alone sales to a tiny outfit like Pharmaco. You may not know but Pancrovita and Livactomel are very sophisticated, cutting edge drug combinations. They will have taken millions of dollars and years to develop. We have neither the experience nor equipment needed to manufacture them. It was fantasy and I'm afraid I told them so,’ she said.
Penny paused and moved on.
‘Mrs Kovačić, you turned down their proposal to manufacture the two drugs or drug combinations, thought it was a fantasy, yet you rewarded them with free use of your sailboat. Why?’ she asked.
Petra gave a little laugh and resumed eye contact with Penny.
‘Over the last couple of years James and Lawrence helped me a lot. I may have turned down their dubious proposal but that didn't mean I couldn't continue to benefit from their advice and assistance. Who knows, in the future they could come up with an idea that really was profitable!’
Petra went on.
‘I knew Lawrence liked to sail and my sailboat spends longer moored in the marina than sailing. They were actually doing me a favour by sailing it for a few days,’ she explained.
‘Did you also reward them with a fully stocked larder and two prostitutes?’ Penny asked.
Petra reeled as though she had been slapped across the face.
‘I knew nothing about the two women on the boat until the manager of the marina told me. I certainly did not procure them! I suggest you talk to the marina manager about that,’ she said forcibly. ‘As for the provisions, the cost was trivial compared to the help James and Lawrence had given me. It merely represented good will,’ she explained frostily.
Inspector Tomich had already spoken to the marina manager about the two women. The manager claimed it was he who had paid for them. The inspector wasn’t convinced and had told Penny of his doubts.
‘I'm sorry, I didn't wish to appear rude or judgemental,’ replied Penny. ‘I'm just trying to clarify a whole series of issues,’ she added. ‘Can we move on?’
‘When contact with your sailboat was lost, and you had fears for the safety of those on board, you asked the Marine Salvage & Investigation Company to undertake a search for the sailboat. I understand you offered them $15,000 to do so. Could you tell me why? The coast guard and police would do this for free!’
'The storm wreaked havoc over the entire area. The coast guard and police were overstretched. I wasn't worried about the boat, it was insured, but I was worried about James and Lawrence. Officer Price,’ Petra continued, ‘Croatia is a small country and Split a small city; word gets around. Whatever the outcome of the search, everyone in town, and in the country, would know that I did all I could to save them. It was Lawrence himself who explained to me some time ago about the benefit to sales for a perceived generous act. It may sound callous but I expect sales to increase when it is known that I tried to save them. Also, Marco had told me about the young men starting up their company and the problems they were having with their ship. I know what it is like starting a business. I wanted to help,’ she confided.
Petra had succeeded in business and socially because she picked up verbal and non-verbal cues from people. She exploited these to her advantage. She had sensed an intimacy between Jack and Penny whenever his name was mentioned. Petra decided to exploit this now. She reached across the table and switched off the tape recorder. With her hand still on the switch she smiled at Penny and said:
‘I also thought Jack was cute. I thought I could entice him into my bed.’
The effect on Penny was immediate. She flushed and could feel the heat welling up in her body, shoulders and neck. In an attempt to control her emotions Penny smiled back and asked:
‘Any luck?’
‘Not so far,’ replied Petra. ‘I think I frightened him and he ran back to his ship and his friends,’ she added.
Petra switched the tape recorder back on and asked, with a smile:
‘Any more questions, Officer Price?’
Penny guessed that Mrs Kovačić was deliberately mispronouncing her name. It was a simple ploy to irritate and disrupt one’s concentration. It didn’t work.
‘Yes, just one or two,’ Penny replied. ‘Mrs Kovačić, why did you wait nearly ten hours before alerting the police to the discovery of the wreck of the Pharmaco and the bodies of your friends and the two young women?’
Petra would have made an excellent poker player, or actress, because wi
th a sigh she looked down at her hands and in a soft voice replied:
‘I was shocked by the news, shocked. Lawrence and Jim were dear friends… and I could only imagine what the death of two young women would mean to their families.’
Petra then turned her gaze upon Penny and then to Inspector Tomich.
‘I’m afraid to say the Croatian police are not very… efficient. If I had phoned them so late in the day I’m sure a note would have been scribbled by some half asleep officer and dropped into an intray. Eventually it would have got to the people responsible but it’s unlikely anything would have happened for hours. I decided to wait until I could speak to the senior officer at the main police station. That is what I did.’
Petra felt increasingly in control of the meeting and wanted to strengthen her advantage by unsettling the police inspector. Undermining the authority of the police was one way of doing this. However, Inspector Tomich didn’t react to the criticism. He merely noted that her explanation was consistent with the time of her phone call. Penny thanked Petra for her answer and continued:
‘Mrs Kovačić, when did you last receive a phone call from either Jim Blake or Lawrence Anderson?’
It was the first time Petra had hesitated, the first time she had looked remotely flustered. Seeming to stall for time she almost mumbled:
‘Er, I’m not quite sure. Sorry, I can’t remember.’
It had been Inspector Tomich who had requested the telephone logs for Mrs Kovačić’s landlines and mobile phone for ten days before the Pharmaco foundered. It was then merely a case of tracing these calls to the person who made or received them. Amongst the calls had been the one from Mrs Kovačić to the police to alert them to the discovery of the sailboat and bodies. There were no phone calls to anyone resembling Gino Baiggio or a haulage company. The painstaking work did not appear to provide any information on communication between Mrs Kovačić and others. It wasn’t until Penny had asked the telling question about phone calls that one would expect to have been made! She had commented that she would have expected the two consultants, Jim Blake and Lawrence Anderson, to have made and received calls from Petra and from Pharmaco. But there was no evidence of any telephone communication at all, she had pointed out.
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