Death Warmed Up

by John Paxton Sheriff

  ‘I’ve absolutely no idea. But another thing I learnt from Charlie in the UK is that there’s a reward for the recovery of the diamonds, and Charinformation?lie’s got his eyes on it.’

  ‘Well, there you are. Sort of proves his innocence as far as the theft goes, and me a clever clogs for guessing right.’

  I grinned. ‘A guess? I thought it was your vast experience. Anyway, Calum ferried the two of them overland from the UK to La Línea. It was when they got to the address they’d been given by a man called Mario that they were taken by Rickman’s two heavies and, as you rightly said, that would have been that. But a short while ago I got a phone call from Charlie. He did make it back to Gibraltar. I’m seeing him at ten o’clock tonight, so if he has got information he must have been working his socks off between their being taken by Clontarf and Ebenholz, and making it across the border.’

  Reg nodded. ‘If he knows the name of the man who has the diamonds, that means he can identify the airport killer.’

  ‘Yes. And as Charlie mentioned an end game, “hotting up” must mean a deal has or is being arranged.’

  ‘As in the diamonds are about to change hands for a king’s ransom. And Charlie, being after the reward, intends to scupper the deal.’

  ‘Mm. Which brings me to the reason this dinner was an excellent idea: I wanted to talk to you. I’ve no idea what Charlie’s going to say to me, but if there is a deal, and he wants me involved – then I’d like you to be there with me.’

  Reg was silent for some time. Silent, and very still. Then he looked down at the can he was holding, took a deep breath and shook his head. When he spoke, his voice was gruff.

  ‘I’m overwhelmed, old boy. Baffled, I must admit. Honoured, too – definitely. Disbelieving – well, that’s understandable because of my age, yet a look at your face is enough to tell me you’re serious, and I… .’

  He shook his head again.

  ‘Come on, let’s join the ladies.’

  With a slap on my knee as he passed he was up out of his chair and trotting off down the carpeted steps into the living room, an elderly man with a pony tail, a can of Heineken and a definite spring in his step.

  ‘You will never in a month of bloody Sundays,’ he said to Eleanor, ‘guess what Jack wants to do.’

  ‘God, don’t tell me he’s takin’ up fishing?’

  That got a roar of laughter from Reg, and an arched eyebrow and an offended glance in his direction from Sian.

  ‘You may think that’s a big joke,’ she protested, ‘but we did daydream about doing something just like that when we retired, didn’t we, Jack? A boat out in the bay, a couple of rods, a six-pack dangling in the water.’

  ‘The only fishing Jack’s doing, my dear,’ Reg said, plonking himself down on the arm of Eleanor’s chair, ‘is for villains with a haul of stolen diamonds they’re offering to the highest bidder – and he wants me to join in the hunt.’

  ‘Make up your mind,’ Eleanor said, winking at me, ‘is it hunting or fishing? And what does he want you to do, hold his hand? That’s all you’re good for, and you know it, but the job’s already taken. Sian does that when you’re both in a tight spot, don’t you love?’

  ‘No, it’s the other way round; I hold hers to restrain her,’ I said. ‘She’s got a short fuse, quickly loses patience. If I don’t hold her back, she’s eyeball to eyeball with men twice her size, then flooring them with what I think’s called a yoko geri keage. Often fatal. Or was it a yoko geri kekomi you used on Ebenholz?’

  ‘Neither. Not the first, anyway. That was a ushiro mawashi geri.’

  ‘A wha’?’ Eleanor said, finishing open-mouthed after deliberately exaggerating her accent.

  ‘If my memory serves me correctly,’ Reg said smugly, ‘it’s Japanese for the reverse roundhouse heel kick. Attackers usually aim to strike below the waist to maintain their balance.’

  There was complete silence.

  ‘Bloody hell,’ Eleanor said, absently fiddling with his pony tail, ‘I hope you’re not thinking of emulating her, not with your blood pressure and dicky back.’

  ‘Actually,’ I said, ‘if you can switch the context a little that’s just why I do need Reg. You’re a high flier, aren’t you, Reg? Not in a kicking sense—’

  ‘Oh, I wouldn’t be too sure, old boy—’

  ‘—but in the way you cosy up to big-time wheelers and dealers. Those up in the financial stratosphere. And while we can be pretty sure the person peddling the diamonds is nothing more than a petty thief and a vicious killer, the person who puts in the winning bid will almost certainly be a man of substance.’

  ‘But not averse to buying stolen goods,’ Sian said.

  ‘Probably gives him a buzz. So he’s amoral, but with millions stashed in banks from Gibraltar to the Caymans. I’m not thinking too far ahead because I don’t know what Charlie’s going to tell me, but it’s possible we won’t catch the thief until the moment the jewels are being handed over: cheap crook with stolen diamonds; amoral billionaire with a suitcase full of banknotes. So you can see my reasoning. If the situation gets sticky, it’ll be an advantage to have along a man who speaks that kind of language.’

  ‘Then if I really am going to be of use to you,’ Reg said, ‘I’ll start by cautioning you against thinking in stereotypes. A thief this chap with the diamonds may be, must be, but I’m not so sure about vicious, petty or cheap. The killing at the airport could have been an accident. And it took brains, wouldn’t you say, to outwit the likes of Rickman and that feller Creeny? A clever man, in my opinion, and if I’m right then you must take great care.’

  ‘You too, I’d say, because Bernie Rickman’s almost certain to be involved, and aren’t you two still at loggerheads?’

  ‘Indeed we are,’ Reg said, ‘and that’s one reason I’m jumping at the opportunity of becoming a soldier of fortune on your team. I’m itching to get back at that blighter.’

  ‘Then you’d better get dressed into something suitable.’

  It was Reg’s turn to stare. As the silence lengthened, Eleanor tugged at his sleeve.

  ‘Wakey wakey, sunshine, you’re off on a mission so go’n get your loins girded.’

  Sian yawned, stretched, then snuggled deeper into the corner of the enormous leather sofa.

  ‘If I’m asleep when you get back, carry me out to the car. Or are you going to drop me off at the bungalow on the way?’

  ‘If it was on the way I would, but it’s not, so I won’t.’

  Eleanor chuckled throatily. ‘Double Dutch, as usual. Anyway, she’s staying here to keep me company.’

  ‘On which note,’ I said, ‘we’ll say adieu.’

  And I bent to kiss Sian on the top of her blonde head, waited until Reg had thrown on a jacket, then followed him to the door and the steep steps up to Europa Road.

  It was twenty to ten. As I was going the long way around – through town, Winston Churchill Avenue, Devil’s Tower Road – I estimated that the drive would take a little over fifteen minutes. There was a car park at Catalan Bay, just off Catalan Bay Road. From there we could walk to the address Charlie had given me in less than a minute, so I intended to go all the way around to the eastern side of the Rock as slowly as I could, short of switching off the engine and applying the handbrake. Or driving all the way in reverse Reg said, with a fierce grin.

  I took the Punto tootling down past the brightly-lit Rock Hotel with Reg a diminutive figure in the passenger seat, radiating enthusiasm. He looked for all the world like a frail old man, but under the jeans, pink shirt and teal cord jacket he was built like a whippet. What do they say about sprinters, they get their burst of speed from fast-twitch fibres? Well, that’s what Reg must have been using when he came down the bungalow steps the time he thought I was one of Ronnie Skaill’s thugs. In a fierce fight he’d tire quickly, because that’s what fast-twitch fibres do, but by then the fool who’d mistakenly judged him a pushover would be flat on his back, out for the count.

  I couldn’t have
chosen a more worthy colleague.

  The address was a block of flats I knew of in Catalan Bay, and Charlie and Adele were ensconced in the top apartment. I thought that strange, because in the event of an assault by enemy troops there’d be no way of escape. Maybe Charlie saw it from the other viewpoint: if an assault was launched, there would be no way in for the attackers without their suffering casualties.

  Reg used language that was much less gung-ho and tempered with common sense when we discussed the situation on the way in. Maybe, he said, it was the only apartment vacant.

  There was no lift, and a lot of stairs to climb. When we got there, Charlie opened the door and let us in without even checking who had his finger on the bell. So much for my anticipated siege mentality. Adele, wearing a shapeless coral dress, was sitting curled up and slumped sideways on a shabby sofa in a posture reminiscent of Sian but without the charm or the style. An equally shabby standard lamp with a frayed shade shone weak light on the glass in her hand, the cigarette smouldering between her fingers, and emphasized the deep purple shadows beneath her eyes.

  Charlie, sweating profusely, flopped down beside her without the usual offer of drinks, and dragged a weary hand across thinning hair that looked like a spider’s web on a rainy day.

  ‘What’s he doing here?’ he said. He jerked his chin at Reg. ‘Isn’t he one of Rickman’s pals?’

  ‘Rickman hates my guts, old boy,’ Reg said, and he sat down on an overstuffed easy chair and beamed at Charlie.

  ‘He’s here for backup.’ Reg preened. I ignored Charlie’s snort of derision. ‘More to the point, how’d you get away from Rickman’s boys?’

  ‘Loyalty. The guy who gave us away came back to let us out.’

  ‘If he got paid twice, where did the loyalty lie – or your perceptions of it?’ I smiled. ‘So what then?’

  ‘We worked our way through the backstreets—’

  ‘Through the rubbish tips,’ Adele said. ‘Through the cat crap, the slimy food—’

  ‘Shut up you, silly old bat—’

  ‘— last month’s paella, every month’s sanitary—’

  ‘Christ, you’re pissed,’ he said, spinning away from her and standing up.

  At that she collapsed into giggles.

  ‘Of course I am, I’m thinking about all that lovely lolly,’ she gasped when she was able to speak, ‘loads and loads, put us back where we belong—’

  ‘I told you to shut up.’

  He was almost shouting, bent over with his face close to hers. She pouted, subsided, and he stood back up again and thrust his hands into his pockets.

  ‘One way or another,’ he said, breathing hard, keeping his eye on her, ‘we made it to Tony Ramirez’s waterfront penthouse.’

  ‘You mentioned his name on the phone. You also mentioned a deal had been arranged.’

  ‘That’s what I’ve been saying, if anyone cared to listen,’ Adele said, sulkily. ‘There’s this scary bloke, Creeny—’

  This time a savage glare from Charlie was enough to cut her short.

  ‘That was the other thing I mentioned on the phone,’ he said, and he crossed to a stained sideboard and poured half a tumbler of whisky from an open bottle.

  ‘Laphroaig Quarter Cask single malt Islay?’ I said.

  ‘I wish,’ he said, and there was wistfulness there, but also a light shining in his eyes. ‘Maybe when we get that reward. And we will,’ he said, ‘because that’s what I was on about on the phone, but wouldn’t say. You’ve been wondering who the guy is holding the diamonds. Well, I can tell you now it’s Karl Creeny.’

  ‘Is that something you dreamt up while lying awake at night?’

  ‘Absolutely not, it’s straight from the horse’s mouth. Tony’s talking to him as the man with goods to sell, and then there’s these other parties—’

  ‘Yes, yes, anonymous Arabs, Russians, whatever,’ I said impatiently.

  I frowned, found a chair and sat down, thinking it through. Charlie rejoined Adele. Calmer now, he rubbed her arm, his face softening. She smiled weakly, whispered something that could have been an apology.

  ‘But Creeny and Bernie Rickman were in this together,’ I said. ‘Then Creeny blamed Rickman for losing the diamonds. Rickman’s desperate to get hold of you, because he believes you stole them. And if you didn’t, well it’s pretty clear someone else snatched them from under Creeny’s nose.’

  ‘No.’ Charlie shook his head. ‘What Karl Creeny did is he saw the writing on the wall when my girl Pru accidentally took his picture. He knew after that there was a good chance everything would go pear-shaped.’

  ‘What, he expected Pru to go rushing to you, you’d inform the police and there’d be a raid?’

  ‘Not that, no, because as far as Creeny knew I was on their side; I worked for Rickman, didn’t I? It was Rickman – I don’t think Creeny trusted him. His nerve, you know? If Rickman panicked, he could go rushing to the police to shop Creeny and save his own skin. Creeny saw that straight off, an’ he didn’t hang about. The courier couldn’t be talked round; he was what you might call “programmed” to hand those diamonds to Rickman. So Creeny didn’t bother talking; he simply whacked him over the head when he was taking a short cut away from the airport, took his holdall with the diamonds in it, and crossed into Spain.’

  ‘But Creeny wouldn’t get through customs, not if he had to show his passport.’

  ‘Depends which one of several he had with him, wouldn’t it?’

  That stopped me. I looked at Reg, my oracle. He shrugged.

  ‘It makes sense, old boy. Creeny masterminded the Liverpool end of the jewel robbery, and lots more before this one. He’d be used to thinking on his feet, making split-second decisions.’

  ‘I find it hard to believe.’

  ‘Who then? We both thought it was Charlie. Then you got the idea it was Rickman who’d stolen them for himself and was weaving a web of deception to cover his tracks. Never likely, that one; Rickman hasn’t got the brains. But Creeny? Well, now that it’s been put to us, I really can’t imagine why we didn’t reach that conclusion ourselves.’

  I sighed deeply.

  ‘So, this deal, Charlie?’

  Again he glanced at Reg. Though the naked suspicion had gone from his eyes, he was clearly wary of saying too much in the ex-diplomat’s presence.

  ‘I could always leave the room,’ Reg said helpfully. ‘But then, if you give Jack vital information in my absence, you’ll have to kill him so he can’t tell me later.’

  Adele giggled.

  ‘Yeah, well, there’s no need for any of that because Tony hasn’t finalized the negotiations; hasn’t worked out time or place yet.’ He looked at me apologetically. ‘Forty-eight hours should see it settled, but all I can do is promise I’ll phone you soon as I get the news.’

  ‘And what form will this handover take?’ Reg said. ‘I assume it will be in a place not overlooked, a place where there’s also no chance of anyone approaching the scene unobserved.’

  ‘A deserted airfield, big flash black car with tinted windows parked right in the middle, headlights full on.’ Charlie grinned, enjoying himself now. ‘Another car rolls up, this one old, scratched, parks so it’s like two dogs snarling. Couple of guys in black suits climb out of the big car, one carrying a suitcase stuffed with money. Then the passenger door opens and out slides this little feller, wearing shades—’

  ‘Oh do give it a rest, Charlie,’ Reg said, ‘you really have been watching too many movies.

  ‘But if we ignore the airfield bit,’ I said, ‘I bet he’s got the scene just about right. Trouble is, I can’t think of anywhere here in Gib that fits, other than Casemates Square – which is overlooked – or Europa Point, the former sports field.’

  ‘Forget Europa,’ Reg said firmly. ‘That open ground’s overlooked from high viewpoints on two sides. If the balloon goes up, the roads back to town are too easily blocked, and this rich buyer will have minders alert for any sniff of a trap.’

&nb
sp; ‘Right, so all we can do is wait for Ramirez to wrap this deal up,’ I said, and I rose to my feet with Reg catching my eye and following suit.

  We departed with a wink from me for Adele and from both of us a quick shake of Charlie’s hand. It was cool but clammy, I noticed. He’d lightened up towards the end, but for most of time we were there he must have been a bag of nerves. Hence his erratic behaviour towards his wife. I wondered about those nerves as we made our way back to the car park at the north end of the little bay, because he’d told us very little and would deny all of it if pressed. So why was he frightened? And if not frightened, what? Acting a part, and feeling the strain? Continuing to pull the wool over my eyes, as Rickman had insisted?

  ‘He’s not the most confident of men,’ Reg said, catching my mood, reading my mind. ‘I think you’ll find poor old Charlie would be a pool of sweat when doing something simple like talking to a bank manager – in those long-ago days when such a meeting was possible, of course.’

  And on the drive back to his house on Europa Road, despite a lingering sense of unease, I couldn’t think of anything to suggest he was wrong.

  Twenty-four

  The next day, Calum and I had an interesting talk with DI Luis Romero. It was disturbing because, in closing, the Gibraltarian police inspector dropped a bombshell: it appeared that I was not the only person certain individuals involved in the diamond theft were talking to. And it was also exciting, because the discussion and what emerged from it brought home to me the truth in what Charlie Wise had said: we were approaching the end game, and that realization certainly got the adrenalin flowing.

  Or the sap rising, as Calum would put it, and I was never quite sure what he meant.

  After the anti-climax of the late-night meeting at Catalan Bay I’d taken Reg home to Eleanor and, under a brilliant, star-studded sky, Sian and I had driven up to Eleanor’s bungalow where Calum was already asleep in his room.