‘Sandro, talk to me so I know where you are.’
‘I’m here – what are you doing?’ asked Sandro.
‘I’m trying to work out where the dining table is,’ he replied.
‘It’s next to me, here,’ Sandro confirmed.
Jack hobbled in the direction of Sandro’s voice until he bumped into the table. Nervously he moved his fingers over the table until he came to the cutlery. He felt the pieces with his fingers until he found a steak knife. Jack found the spot between his arm and the chair and started sawing at the overlapping strips of tape with the sharp, serrated-edged knife. To his surprise he was still stuck to the arm of the chair even though the tape had been cut through. It only took a moment to peel the tape away and he had a free arm. As soon as the hand was free he pulled the plastic bag from over his head. The inside of the bag was running in sweat.
‘Sandro, give me another minute and I’ll have you free,’ Jack said reassuringly.
A few more minutes of sawing and peeling and both of them were free. They stood, in just boxer shorts, surveying the devastation around them. Jack started to gag at the combination of the horrific sights and smells in the room; he choked it back with some effort.
‘We need to call the police,’ said Sandro with some urgency. ‘We have to report the crime and help them catch the gunman,’ he said.
‘You mean the gunman who saved our lives!’ replied Jack in a sober tone. ‘I suggest we phone Penny and ask her to notify the police on our behalf. With a bit of luck our guardian angel may be miles away before they turn up here,’ he added.
Postscript
A police investigation continues into the murder of Petra Kovačić, Anna Salopek and Luca Domazet. Several lines of enquiry are being pursued including the possibility that the murders were conducted by a professional assassin. Attempts to trace the whereabouts of Gino Baiggio are continuing but to date have been unsuccessful.
An inspection of the contents of the two containers being shipped to St Petersburg by Pharmaco revealed one hundred and twenty packaged treatments that appeared to be Pancrovita. However, analysis by the US drug company confirmed that the contents were not active ingredients but a simple multi-vitamin. They regarded the packaging of the drug to be an impressive forgery.
McKnight, Lewis & Watts successfully negotiated a settlement on the salvage of the Gronkowski 34 and her cargo. The ship was designated as scrap and the cargo transferred to other vessels for ongoing delivery.
Penny Pendleton-Price coordinated the UK Border Force investigation into the illegal sale of Pancrovita. Rapid progress was made within the BRIC countries in arresting the sales reps and locating patients who were sold the illegal drugs.
Brian Kenworthy also extended his visit to Croatia to help pursue those involved in the trafficking of men, women and children on board the Gronkowski 34.
Dan Harvey continues to pursue the salvage claim made by Marine Salvage & Investigation Company. He remains confident that the Spanish government will accept that the vessel is indeed the Contessa Esmeralda del Guadaira and not a crown vessel. Once this is confirmed he expects US authorities to release the gold and silver artefacts.
The MV Sultano completed an uneventful journey to Liverpool and is currently secure at a temporary berth in that port.
Missing Presumed Lost Page 27
