The Kit Aston Mysteries (All Five Books)

by Jack Murray

  ‘It’s only just come to light, sir. Where are they now?’ pressed Jellicoe.

  ‘Inside the main ward having afternoon tea with some patients and staff,’ replied Macintyre, with just a hint of a curl on his lip. His tone was less abrupt, however as the implications became clear. He took Jellicoe’s arm and moved him indoors, taking a quick glance at Kit and the other police officers.

  ‘They’re with me,’ said Jellicoe indicating Kit and the other men.

  ‘What are we looking for?’ said Macintyre heading through the entrance doors.

  ‘Ambulance men. They brought in someone three quarters of an hour ago.’

  Macintyre stopped and stared at Jellicoe and Kit. He then looked at the other policemen, ‘Can they check at the back, where the ambulance would’ve arrived.’

  Jellicoe nodded to the men, ‘Four of you go. These men are armed and dangerous. Be careful.’

  The men nodded and headed off in the direction indicated by Macintyre. Jellicoe looked at Kit. He could see a look of consternation on his face. He hadn’t known Kit long, but he recognised the look.

  ‘What’s wrong Lord Aston?’

  Kit looked at Jellicoe, then Macintyre before replying.

  ‘They’re dressed as policemen.’

  -

  Daniels had observed the arrival of Kit and the police with alarm. He followed them as they went over to Macintyre and then through the hospital entrance. As Kit had surmised, Daniels was now dressed as a policeman. He was standing with other policemen outside, with the crowds. This presented a problem. A big problem. Kopel was inside waiting for the Royals to leave their appointment. He had no way of warning him, and Aston would immediately recognise his friend.

  The question he was wrestling with was how to get inside without attracting the attention of the other policemen. Fortune smiled.

  ‘Hey, you,’ called out a policeman at the front entrance.

  Daniels nodded in response.

  ‘Come here, we need some men.’

  Daniels did as he was instructed. Moments later he was inside with five other policemen.

  ‘I want you all to go inside the ward where the Royals are. For God’s sake do it quietly, don’t draw too much attention to yourselves. I don’t want to spook everyone. They’ll be finished shortly.’

  ‘What’s happening sarge?’ asked one of the men.

  ‘Not sure exactly, but there’s a possibility someone might be trying to kill them. Nonsense if you ask me. Now off you go.’

  -

  On the second floor, in a small office overlooking the front entrance sat Olly Lake / Kopel. He, too, had seen the arrival of Kit with the police and with a similar degree of alarm. There could be no doubt as to why they had come. Then he smiled. It was a smile of admiration for his old friend. He had underestimated him, yet he felt oddly reassured by this. A wave of affection passed through him, a reminder of another time. A happier time. Perhaps, a less enlightened time. He was a different person now.

  Sitting back from the window, he kept an eye on what was happening outside while he considered his options. It was clear the operation was compromised. They would conduct a thorough search of the hospital. Upstairs, where the front windows overlooked the entrance, would be an obvious starting point.

  The room was small and easy to defend, but not indefinitely. They could smoke him out. He had two hostages. The thought of them made him glance down at a nurse and a doctor. They were lying on the floor. Both were tied up, both looking at him fearfully.

  As he was lighting a cigarette, he saw Daniels being approached by another policeman. At first, he thought Daniels was about to be arrested, then it became apparent he was going to join the other police officers in the search. Putting a cigarette to his lips, he dragged slowly. Outside the office he could hear shouting and footsteps. Then he heard people trying to enter. From the muffled shouts he knew they were about to ram the door. He stubbed out his cigarette. It was time to move.

  -

  In the reception area, Kit, Jellicoe, and Macintyre watched the police officers deploy. A group headed off towards the ward where the Royal couple were situated. Another group went upstairs, on Macintyre’s order to check the front offices. The final group went to check the area where the ambulance had been left.

  Macintyre looked at Kit and Jellicoe, ‘What do you suggest we do now?’

  ‘I think we should be near the couple. Are there any other entrances to the ward?’

  ‘No, we chose it for that reason. Just through the front. We’ve two men stationed there and now a few men have joined them inside as well.’

  Kit nodded and then a thought struck him, ‘Did you recognise all of the men who went into the room?’

  ‘I didn’t recognise any of them. I’m in charge of palace security, I briefed a group of officers two hours ago, wouldn’t know any of them from Adam. You don’t think one of them is an impostor?’

  ‘I don’t think we can take that risk,’ pointed out Kit, ‘I’ll follow your men upstairs. You should check inside the ward itself.’

  Macintyre nodded, and watched Kit head upstairs. He turned to Jellicoe and said, ‘This way.’

  Both men began to move towards the ward. As they reached the doors of the ward, they could see the Royal couple on their feet shaking hands with the doctors and patients. The tea had obviously finished. Moments later they heard screams from outside. A quick glance at one another and they changed direction, the door they had entered through. As they exited, Jellicoe could see the crowd outside looking up and pointing.

  -

  Kit made his way up the stairs as quickly as was possible. By the time he arrived on the first floor, the police had already searched the first few rooms on the right. Turning to his left, Kit made his way towards last room on the corridor. He tried the door.

  It was locked.

  ‘This one’s locked, help me open it,’ shouted Kit. In a matter of seconds two policemen were ramming the door with their shoulders. The door burst open. Kit followed the policemen. His eyes were drawn immediately to the window and someone shouting outside. He ran over and looked out.

  -

  Lake opened the window. He stared at his rifle for a moment and then set it down. A few seconds later he had hooked his leg outside and hoisted himself through the window and onto the ledge. Ignoring the shouts of the crowd, he inched his way along the ledge. At the corner he could see part of the roof straight ahead.

  He heard the door inside crash open. Down below, the crowd below was screaming, and he could now hear shouts from the police. As he was dressed as a policeman, he guessed they were thinking he was chasing someone.

  ‘He’s escaping, get help,’ shouted Lake.

  Someone responded, but Lake was a little too preoccupied to care what they said. From behind he heard a familiar voice.

  ‘Olly!’

  He turned around and saw Kit looking out of the window.

  ‘Sorry old boy can’t hang around to chat, so long,’ replied Lake with a smile and a mock salute.

  Turning away from Kit, he fixed his eyes on the roof on front. Tensing his leg muscles, he tried to crouch as much as was possible in the tight space. He leapt forward towards the roof of the side building.

  -

  Daniels stared straight ahead. Less than twenty feet away, drinking tea with a few doctors, nurses and patients were King George V and Mary, the Queen Consort. He could feel the gun in his pocket. It would be so easy.

  Two shots. It would be over.

  Therein lay his problem. What then? The officers beside him were, in all probability, armed. He’d be dead by the time the second shot had been fired. Like Princip he would go down in history for this notorious act of regicide. Perhaps he would become a hero of the Revolution. Perhaps he would start another war.

  Two shots. It would be so easy.

  The Royal couple did not seem particularly relaxed in the company. It all felt artificial. Forced smiles. Nervous laughter. He wondered i
f anyone was enjoying the experience. He certainly wasn’t. Daniels could see the flecks of grey on the King’s beard. His hand caressed the cold metal of the revolver. A finger hooked around the trigger. Did he want to become a martyr of the Revolution?

  The Royal couple were standing up now, everyone, except a couple of the patients did likewise. They walked over towards where he and the other newly arrived policemen were stood. Daniels eyes widened in terror. George was coming directly to him.

  And then they heard the shouts outside. Seconds later the doors of the ward burst open.

  -

  Macintyre ran forward to see what the crowd were looking at. He caught sight of a policeman jumping onto the roof and disappearing over the crest. It was impossible to tell if he was giving chase or the quarry. Macintyre turned back to Jellicoe and shouted, ‘Check the Royal couple.’

  Jellicoe raced inside and towards the ward and ordered the two men standing guard, ‘Open the doors.’

  Jellicoe ran through the door, followed by the two guards. The Royal couple stopped and stared at the intruder. Jellicoe removed his hat and said, ‘Forgive me your highness, we‘ve reason to believe an intruder is on the premises. Please follow me.’

  Macintyre appeared at the door. This persuaded the couple. Jellicoe had to admire their calm reaction to his announcement. He allowed them to walk past, flanked by the two guards and out of the ward, following Macintyre.

  Jellicoe stopped at the door as they left and turned around. He looked directly at Daniels and pointed towards the big Russian.

  ‘Arrest this man.’

  As he said this, Daniels pulled out a gun and levelled it straight at the Chief Inspector.

  -

  Lake landed on the edge of the roof. For a moment his balance was off, and he leaned backwards. However, this was momentary. Re-steadying himself, he crouched forward and made his way up the roof tiles and levered himself over the crest of the roof. He slid down the other side on his back.

  Down below, he could see other policemen milling around. They still had not seen him and, in fact, seemed blissfully unaware of the commotion at the front. Taking a chance, he jumped down from the roof, startling a few of them.

  ‘Where did he go?’ he demanded of a young policeman.

  ‘Where did who go?’

  ‘The man I was chasing you fool. Weren’t any of you paying attention?’ Lake’s tone of voice and natural command had all the policemen jumping to attention.

  Pointing to two of the policemen, he ordered them to go around the other side of the hospital in case the intruder had managed to make his way across the back of the hospital roof. Turning to the young policeman he said, ‘He may have escaped on foot. Is there a car?’

  The young policeman pointed to a police vehicle parked a few yards away.

  ‘Come with me.’

  The young man accompanied lake to the car.

  ‘I’ll drive,’ announced Lake.

  -

  Kit arrived at the bottom of the stairs, just as George V and Mary were exiting the ward behind Macintyre. The Scotsman looked at Kit who shook his head grimly. Kit glanced at the Royals, who were too preoccupied to notice him. Accompanied by the two police guards they continued to walk down the corridor, away from the entrance. Kit watched them go.

  There was no sign of Jellicoe. He had either gone to the back or was in the ward recently vacated by the Royals. Kit decided to head towards the back of the hospital as this was the direction Lake would probably have taken. Followed by two of the policemen he turned down a different corridor and walked towards the back entrance. They were met by two policemen rushing through the doors.

  Kit was confused by their arrival.

  ‘Why are you coming this way? He went your direction,’ said Kit, pointing out towards the back.

  ‘The Sergeant told us he might’ve come this way,’ said one officer.

  ‘What sergeant?’ asked Kit.

  ‘He was chasing the intruder on the roof.’

  Kit was alarmed by this, ‘Where did this sergeant go?’

  ‘He took the car.’

  Kit exhaled slowly and shook his head. He investigated the faces of the policemen, who were slowly realising what had happened.

  ‘He’s with young Thomson,’ said one of the policemen.

  ‘Are there any other cars out back?’

  But Kit already knew the answer.

  -

  Jellicoe slowly put his hands in the air, to indicate he had no weapon. He looked at Daniels and then lowered his gaze. The gun was pointed right at his chest. Daniels stared at Jellicoe, unsure of what to do next. He could hear his own breathing such was the silence in the room.

  With his eyes, Jellicoe indicated for Daniels to look around him. Daniels did so. Four guns were trained on him. He returned his gaze to Jellicoe, a half-smile appeared on his face.

  Jellicoe saw Daniels smile. He wasn’t sure how to interpret it. The man before him was a killer. He had killed at least four people in this country. There was nothing left for him except either death now, thanks to the several revolvers pointed at him, or the hangman’s noose.

  Daniels looked at the middle-aged man with the heavy moustache. He wondered if he had a wife. Children. A dog. The man seemed oddly at peace with his fate. Daniels could see no obvious signs of fear in the man’s eyes. Either he did not believe he was about to die, or he was an exceptionally brave man. Daniels believed it was the latter. The man spoke in a steady voice.

  ‘Put the gun down Mr Daniels. As you can see, there’s no escape.’

  Daniels glanced at the other policemen before returning his gaze to Jellicoe. It was true, there was no escape now. He was glad there was no false promises of a fair trial, British justice. One way or another, Daniels would not have much longer to live.

  But the man before him would.

  Daniels lowered his arm and dropped the pistol. He nodded to Jellicoe and allowed the policemen to come forward and take his arms.

  Jellicoe watched the big Russian being marched out of the ward. He slowly exhaled. Moments later, a doctor came over to him.

  ‘Would you like a cup of tea?’

  Jellicoe was too astonished to say anything other than, ‘Yes please.’

  -

  Kit rushed back towards the entrance. As he did so, he could see Daniels being led away in handcuffs by three policemen. Kit changed direction and walked into the ward. Sat with the doctors was Jellicoe, taking a sip of tea. He had removed his hat Perspiration matted his hair. Jellicoe looked up at the arrival of Kit.

  ‘Lake?’

  Kit shook his head, ‘He escaped. In a police car. He has one of your men.’

  ‘Good Lord,’ said Jellicoe.

  ‘Indeed,’ said Kit, clearly unhappy, ‘Your men at the front have been told. They’re looking for him now.’

  ‘Will he kill our man, Kit?’

  Kit did not answer immediately. A vision of four boys sitting by a pond came to mind. On the pond was a toy boat. A schoolmaster came to join them. The sun was shining, all were in shirts, ties removed.

  Will he kill the policeman? Kit shook his head, his eyes faraway.

  Jellicoe didn’t know if this was an assurance he would not, or if Kit could no longer tell how his friend might act.

  -

  Lake and the young constable were moving steadily along Church Road. The young man turned to Lake.

  ‘Who are we looking for sarge?’

  Lake glanced at his companion and remained silent for a moment. Finally, he replied, ‘Chap’s dressed in dark clothing, couldn’t make out his hair that well.’

  They continued along the road with Lake making a show of looking around at the pavements either side of the car. ‘Been in the job long, son? I’m Lake by the way.’

  ‘Thomson, sir. No, just six weeks since I left training,’ replied Thomson.

  Lake smiled, ‘Family?’

  ‘No plenty of time for that, sir. I live with my mum in Shoreditch.’ />
  ‘Dad?’

  The young man’s voice caught a little, ‘Lost him in fourteen, sir.’

  Lake looked at Thomson, he could see the young constable’s eyes redden. He smiled sympathetically, ‘Sorry son. Ghastly business.’

  Thomson saw a man straight ahead, dressed in dark clothing, entering Teddington Cemetery. He pointed towards the man. Lake looked ahead and saw who Thomson was pointing to.

  ‘You could be right, son,’ said Lake pulling over. ‘You follow him on foot, don’t engage him. He could be armed. ‘I’ll drive around to the other side of the cemetery, maybe we can take him by surprise.’

  ‘Yes sarge.’

  Thomson hopped out of the car and ran towards the cemetery. The man in the dark coat was fifty yards ahead of him. Suddenly, the man stopped and moved over towards one of the graves. Thomson dived behind a nearby tree. As he did so, a thought struck Thomson: why didn’t Sergeant Lake come with him? The man was now kneeling by the grave. He gently left a bouquet of flowers by the gravestone.

  Moving away from the cover of the tree, Thomson approached the man. The man turned and looked up at him. He was probably no older than thirty. There were tears in his eyes.

  ‘Sorry constable, I didn’t know it was time to leave,’ said the man.

  Thomson looked at the headstone. It read “Sarah Ogden, 1894–1918”.

  ‘Don’t worry, sir, stay as long as you wish. I’m sorry for disturbing you,’ said Thomson to the man. He turned and walked towards the exit.

  Chapter 33

  Early morning, two days later, Kit sat in the office of “C” in Holland Park. “C” looked across the table at Kit, Spunky Stevens, and Billy Peel. Removing his monocle, he polished it for a moment. The office was particularly gloomy, and this was not solely because of “C’s” penchant for low lighting. “C” started summing up for the benefit of the others in the room.

  ‘There have been no sightings of Lord Lake, I’m afraid. He’s gone to ground and, as we know, he has a lot of experience in doing this. I’m not hopeful of finding him. The ports have been alerted of course. Kit, you knew him best, was there no indication, at all, he’d gone rogue?’