“It will be full later,” Alec said, “Estonians drink at night. We’ll sit at one of the larger tables in the corner there.”
He pointed to a very impressive wooden table with eight wooden chairs around it.
Lucas put a tray of extremely large beers on the table.
“Proper beer glasses,” he said, “Drink up.”
Smith looked around the room. He was agitated. Would he meet his sister in here later? He thought. What would he say to her if he did?
“I happen to know that some of them will be here tonight,” Alex said.
“Some of them?” Smith was confused.
“The Wolfie people,” Alec replied, “I have it on good authority that they are busy finalising a very lucrative property deal in Tallinn and this is where they like to take their clients. How’s the beer?”
“Very good,” Smith replied, “much better than English beer.”
The bar was slowly filling up. Every time someone new entered the bar, Smith jumped. A blonde woman around twenty walked through the door. She was with a much older man. Smith looked at her suspiciously. The man she was with approached their table and said something in Estonian. Alex said something back to him and the man walked away.
“Relax,” he said to Smith, “you’re not going to get anywhere if you’re on edge. That man wanted to know why you were staring at his girlfriend.”
“What did you say to him?”
“I told him he was stupid; that you are obviously gay and have no interest in his girlfriend.”
Smith laughed.
“Thanks a lot,” he said, “how will we know who we are looking for?”
“You’ll know when they come,” Alec said, “You’re a Policeman aren’t you?”
Smith took a long sip of beer. He was feeling more relaxed now. A group of around ten people walked through the door. They were obviously very drunk already and were making a lot of noise. People moved out of their way as they approached the bar. They were of all different ages but they were all dressed very smartly. Alec whispered something to Lucas. He turned round and nodded.
“Wait here,” Lucas said to Smith.
Alec followed Lucas to the bar. Smith watched as Lucas spoke to a bald man in his forties. They looked like they knew each other quite well. He saw Lucas point in his direction. Alec came back to the table with a fresh tray of beers.
“Listen carefully,” he said to Smith, “you are an Australian business man in Estonia looking for land to purchase for development. Be very careful with these people; they have very powerful connections in this country. Do you understand?”
“What do I say to them?” Smith said, “I know nothing about developing land.”
“You tell them you’re just an agent. We will help you. Get ready, he’s coming over.”
The bald man had his arm round Lucas as they walked to the table. He had a very red face and his eyes were bloodshot. Smith stood up and thought carefully about what he was going to say.
“Gregor Sertov,” Lucas said, “meet a very good friend of mine Jason Smith. He’s from Australia and he is looking for land.”
Sertov looked Smith directly in the eye.
“Australian,” he mumbled, “I like Australians.”
He shook Smith by the hand; he had a very firm handshake.
“I was in Australia once,” Sertov said, “where are you from?”
“Perth,” Smith lied. He exaggerated his accent slightly.
“Perth is very beautiful,” Sertov said, “I believe you are in the market for land?”
“I might be,” Smith said, “if the price is right.”
“I like you Jason Smith. You don’t fuck around. We are all going to the Angel in a while. Why don’t you join us; there are some people who will be very interested in meeting you.”
Smith looked across at Lucas and Stepan.
“You’re all welcome,” Sertov assured them, “we leave in half an hour.”
“That wasn’t too bad,” Smith said when Sertov was gone, “I thought he’d want to know a bit more about me.”
“That was the easy part,” Lucas warned him, “Sertov claims to be a good judge of character but he is, in fact quite stupid. You may not be so lucky with the other people.”
“What’s this Angel place?” Smith asked.
“It’s a gay club,” Stepan laughed, “They have nice private sections of the bar. I think these people like it because it’s exclusive.”
“Two gay clubs in one night,” Smith said, “people are going to talk.”
Smith looked over at the crowd by the bar. One woman caught his attention more than the others. She was sitting at the bar and Smith could only see her profile. Even so, there was something very familiar about her.
“Where are the toilets?” he asked.
“To the left of the bar,” Lucas said, “don’t do anything stupid; I saw you looking at that woman.”
“I need a piss,” Smith said, “this beer goes right through you.”
Smith had the feeling he was being watched as he made his way to the toilets. The bathroom was empty. Smith chose the cubicle closest to the door. When he was finished, the door opened and a man walked in. He was one of the crowd that had come in with Sertov.
“Jason Smith,” the man said, “I’ll let you wash before I shake your hand.”
His accent was difficult to place. It was a mixture of accents.
Smith washed his hands, dried them and looked the man up and down. He was very short but he had broad shoulders. He would be difficult to knock over, Smith thought. He offered his hand to the man and braced himself for a bone crusher of a handshake. Thankfully the man’s handshake was neither firm nor limp.
“How do you know my name?” Smith said.
“Sertov,” the man said, “I believe you are here to acquire land?”
“That’s right. I think Estonia has potential.”
“Forget about it,” the man said, “Estonia is backward thinking. They live in the past. But I do have something you might be interested in.”
“What’s that?” Smith asked, “And I didn’t catch your name.”
“I didn’t offer it, “the man said, “I believe you will be joining us at the Angel. I will explain to you there.”
As Smith made his way back to the table he glanced quickly at the woman he had noticed earlier. She looked straight at him. Their eyes met and they stared at each other. The woman frowned, shook her head and turned her back to him. Smith knew there was something familiar about her. Laura would be nineteen now, he thought. This woman had the same blue eyes but her hair was darker and her nose slightly longer than Laura’s had been. His phone started to ring in his pocket. He took it out, it was Thompson. He pressed the reject call button and put the phone back in his pocket. It rang again. Smith switched the phone off. Thompson was staying at Smith’s house while he was away; he had been kicked out of his house and Smith was more than happy to have someone to look after Theakston while he was away. He was not sure whether Theakston and Thompson would get on though.
“Are you ready to go?” Lucas asked. He finished the rest of his beer.
“Do you know that woman over there?” Smith pointed her out.
“Never seen her before,” Lucas replied, “she’s one of Wolfie’s people.”
“Have you ever met this Wolfie?” Smith asked.
“Of course,” Lucas said, “so have you. You too just took a piss together.”
SIXTY FOUR
BLOODY DOG
Thompson had his evening planned out. Pizza, beer and football. He had bought a second hand television to replace the one of Smith’s that had been stolen; the pizza was warming up in the oven and the national anthems were just about to begin. England versus Germany in the1966 World Cup Final. Thompson had been a child when England had played Germany in the final but he remembered it like it was yesterday. Theakston ran into the room with something in his mouth. It was one of Thompson’s slippers.
“Give that back,” Thompson demanded but Theakston carried on chewing it.
Thompson got up from the couch and walked towards the puppy. He tried to take the slipper out of his mouth. Theakston thought this was great; he shook the slipper and pulled it from Thompson’s grip.
“Bloody dog,” Thompson moaned. “You’ll sleep in the rain tonight if you’re not careful.”
The alarm on the oven sounded. The pizza was ready. Thompson forgot about his slipper, pressed pause on the video machine and walked through to the kitchen. He put the pizza on a plate, took a beer from the fridge and walked back to the living room. He put the pizza on the coffee table, pressed play on the machine and settled down to watch the game. Theakston could smell the pizza and he dropped the slipper and sat next to the table begging.
“Bugger off,” Thompson said, “you’ve got plenty of food in your bowl.”
Theakston did not want dog food, he wanted pizza. Siegfried Held sent the ball into the England penalty box and Thompson groaned as he knew what was coming up next. Ray Wilson headed the ball straight to the German Helmut Haller who put the ball past Gordon Banks. England 0 Germany 1.
“You’re a moron Wilson,” Thompson said.
He took a slice of pizza. Theakston sat there wagging his tail but Thompson ignored him. Bobby Moore was about to take a free kick. Thompson put the pizza down and watched the television intently. Moore curved the free kick straight to the head of Geoff Hurst who headed it down into the back of the net. England 1 Germany 1. Thompson stood up and did his victory dance. He sat down again and picked up his pizza. The slice was gone. While Thompson was dancing around, Theakston had not only helped himself to the slice but he had eaten nearly half of the pizza on the plate.
“Bloody dog,” Thompson said again.
He knew there would be no more goals until the second half of the game so he picked Theakston up, took him to the kitchen and closed the door. The puppy started to bark. Thompson merely turned up the volume on the television. Theakston’s bark had turned into an almighty whining sound. This dog has been spoiled, Thompson thought. He went back to the kitchen, picked the puppy up and carried him back to the living room. He put him on the couch beside him.
“Now keep quiet,” he ordered, “the second half is about to start.”
Theakston curled up beside him and watched as the players returned to the pitch. Thompson picked up his phone and dialled Smith’s number. After two rings it went to voice mail. He tried again. The voice mail message came up after one ring. Once more, he thought. Voice mail immediately. The bastard has switched his phone off, he thought; I wonder what he’s up to.
Allan Ball was about to take a corner. He sent the ball straight to Geoff Hurst. Hurst’s shot was deflected to Martin Peters who quickly slotted the ball in the back of the net from eight yards. England 2 Germany 1. Thompson patted Theakston.
“Don’t get too excited boy,” he said, “the bloody Krauts equalise just before full time.”
Theakston stretched out his paws. The Germans were awarded a free kick.
“Open your bloody eyes ref,” Thompson shouted.
Emmerich passed the ball straight to Cohen who blocked it. He sent the ball to Weber whose shot went into the back of the net.
“Hand ball.” Thompson protested, “That referee needs glasses,” he said to Theakston.
England 2 Germany 2.
“Extra time now boy,” Thompson said, “What am I doing? I’m sitting talking about football with a bloody dog.”
Thompson went to the kitchen to get another beer. Theakston jumped off the couch and followed him. There was one slice of pizza left so Thompson cut it up and put it in Theakston’s bowl.
Ten minutes into extra time, Allan Ball sent in a cross to Geoff Hurst who turned and shot. The ball hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced back down. The referee gave the goal and the crowd went wild. England 3 Germany 2. With one minute to go before full time the Germans pushed forward with everything they had. Bobby Moore threaded a pass through to Geoff Hurst. People started to run onto the pitch. Hurst blasted a shot towards the goal and it smashed into the back of the net.
“Some people are on the pitch,” Thompson said, “they think it’s all over. It is now, four.”
England 4 Germany 2. Thompson patted Theakston on the head.
“Good boy,” he said.
SIXTY FIVE
ANGEL
The Angel was only two streets away so they walked. Smith was still thinking about the young woman in the bar. He was sure he knew her; she might even be his sister, he could not be sure. He had the ominous feeling again; the feeling that something was about to happen. There was a queue outside the Angel. Smith looked at his watch; it was almost midnight, Tallinn time. Alec walked to the front of the queue, handed something to the man on the door and beckoned for Smith, Lucas and Stepan to follow him. Inside the night club it was warm and dark. The music was so loud that it would be impossible to talk. Smith followed Alec up a set of stairs to a private room with leather couches and glass topped tables. The music was not so loud in there. They were the only people in the room.
“Have a seat my friend,” Alec said, “this is one of the benefits of having a lot of money; you don’t have to queue and you can avoid the crowds downstairs. We will not be disturbed in here. I’ll organise us some drinks.”
Smith sat at solid wooden table. He looked around the room. There was a bar in the corner and a balcony that overlooked the dance floor downstairs. A man approached and put a tray of drinks on the table; he eyed Smith with suspicion. This is a country of ironies, Smith thought; the people are very open and generous and yet they do not seem to trust anybody. His phone beeped in his pocket. He took it out and looked at the screen; it was a Face Book message. He opened the message and gasped at what he saw. ‘I know you are in Tallinn’, it read, ‘and I know exactly who you are. Be very careful’. It was the woman he believed to be his sister, Moonface Wolf. Smith put the phone away and scanned the room anxiously. Maybe he was right, he thought, maybe the woman from the bar earlier was Laura.
“Too much thinking can send you mad,” Alec said, “drink your beer and focus; this is not going to be easy. Do you think they are just going to let you take her away from them?”
Smith was amazed.
“How did you know?” he said, “are you a mind reader?”
“Just incredibly perceptive,” Alec replied, “we need to approach this very carefully; Tallinn is an easy place to get lost in. It is an easy place to make someone disappear too if you understand what I’m saying.”
“I think so,” Smith said, “you don’t think they’d harm a Policeman from England though do you? Surely there would be repercussions.”
“My friend,” Alec sighed, “you are very naïve. These people will not hesitate to dispose of you and they will easily make it look like you had an accident. A car accident, drowning on the ferry to Finland maybe. Does anybody know you are here?”
Smith thought hard for a while and realised that only Whitey knew he had come to Tallinn to look for his sister.
“Only one person knows,” he admitted, “and he also warned me that this could be dangerous.”
“Listen to me,” Alec said, “do exactly what I say and you will not be harmed. If that woman you saw earlier is your sister, it will be difficult to talk to her on her own. Also, if what Stepan has told me is true, you haven’t seen her for ten years?”
“That’s right,” Smith said.
“Ten years with these people will have altered the way she thinks; she’s not likely to want to just get on a plane with you and leave all this behind.”
“So what do I do then?” Smith asked.
“What we do is have a few drinks with these people and enjoy ourselves; this will not happen overnight.”
Stepan and Lucas sat down at the table. They were covered in sweat and had obviously been dancing. Lucas grabbed one of the beers and drank half of it in one go. “They are playing so
me good stuff tonight,” he said.
He put his arm around Stepan.
“Why the serious face?” Stepan said to Smith, “drink and be happy you’re alive. The night is still young.”
Smith smiled and finished his beer.
“Where’s everyone else?” he asked.
“Dancing of course,” Stepan replied, “that is what we like to do in Tallinn, drink and dance and forget everything else. Do you want to dance?”
Smith frowned.
“I’m not much of a dancer,” he said.
“Get up,” Stepan ordered, “you’re going to dance. You don’t mind do you?” he said to Lucas.
Lucas shrugged his shoulders in reply.
The dance floor was full as Stepan literally pushed Smith into the middle of it. It was a Gay Bar but there were plenty of women dancing too.
“Women feel safer in gay clubs,” Stepan shouted into Smith’s ear, “they don’t have to put up with the bullshit.”
The music was not to Smith’s taste. He hated electronic, computer generated noise but he made an effort for Stepan’s sake. He spotted the woman from the bar. She was dancing with another older woman. She looked over at him and smiled. Smith did not know what to do so he concentrated on trying not to look too ridiculous while dancing. The music stopped abruptly and another song began. The crowd of people on the dance floor screamed and many more people barged in to dance. Smith did not recognise the music but it seemed to be very popular here. There was barely room to dance and Smith was getting thirsty so he decided to leave and go back upstairs. He had left the dance floor and was walking towards the stairs when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned abruptly and saw the woman standing there. She put her hand in his and headed back to join her friends. Smith thought she looked nervous. He opened his hand. The woman had given him a piece of paper. He looked around him before opening the note but he could not see anything suspicious. Nevertheless he put the note in his pocket and decided to read it in the toilets where nobody could see. He pushed his way through the crowd and opened the door to the toilets. There were a few people inside so he entered one of the cubicles and locked the door behind him. He took out the note. He realised his hands were shaking. What he read in the note did nothing to calm his nerves. ‘There is a door to the left of the bar downstairs, it said, ‘it leads outside to an alley. Meet me outside in ten minutes. L.’ Smith put the note back in his pocket and walked back upstairs.
The York Trilogy: The First 3 DS Jason Smith Detective novels Page 25
