Carmichael exchanged pleasantries in turn with Sharon Evans, Elizabeth Burkett, Motby’s Executive Secretary and Debra Adams, his Diary Secretary. All three of her now former colleagues appeared happy to see her. They confirmed that they would attend tonight’s reception. None mentioned attendance at her church service, so Carmichael assumed they would not be there. She believed she knew why. Neither Evans or Burkett were Anglicans and she recalled that Adams had never shown or mentioned any interest in religion. Seeing them all at the reception would be good enough for Carmichael.
She believed there was no better time than now to confirm her acceptance of the UK assignment that had been offered to her by Motby, so she decided to send him a simple text.
“PM, I accept. Carmichael.”
She was most surprised to receive an immediate response from Motby in the form of a telephone call.
“Hi, Petra. I’m absolutely delighted that you’ve accepted my offer! You’ll be a great success. I’m sure the Brits will accept you. Running, so see you at 6:00.”
She barely got out “Thank you, Prime Minister…” before he hung up.
Carmichael did not have a lot to say to the dozen staffers now assembled in front of her in the conference room she had now returned to.
“My friends, thank you for joining me. Let me express heartfelt thanks to you for all of the support and hard work put in over the past ten years while I was your PS. It’s been a real joy…an honour, pleasure and privilege to work with you over that period. We’ve faced and successfully overcome many a challenge by working together. We were a team, something I hope continues under Joe.”
A few of Carmichael’s former colleagues nodded in agreement as she spoke. Delaney Prescod, an Executive Officer known as the joker in the pack because he was always one to make wisecracks around the Prime Minister’s Office, asked the person standing next to him softly, “You mean long days, sleepless nights and weekend working won’t end under Mr Joe?” to which Jessica Bean, a Clerical Officer responded, “Nope. Just more of the same.”
Carmichael noticed the exchange but persevered with her comments. “There is one last thought that I’d like to share and leave with you. It’s in the form of a poem, a copy of which I have for each of you. I confess to not knowing the alleged author’s name for a long time. Its sentiments have repeatedly inspired me throughout my career. I pinched a copy of this poem from a colleague’s notice board in our High Commission in London on my first visit there back in 1998. I hope it comes to mean as much to you as it still does to me.”
Carmichael looked at the ceiling for a few seconds to retain control of her emotions before concluding.
“I wish you all the very best that life has to offer in both your career, family and personal lives. Good luck and thanks again. Hope to see you all later.”
With that, Carmichael distributed copies of the poem. Some of her more observant former colleagues recalled seeing a framed version of it on her office wall throughout her tenure as their PS. They could all now read it at their leisure. Carmichael had typed it up and gone to the trouble of framing twelve copies of the poem for them.
There were a few hugs and some tears before Carmichael picked up her notepad and handbag with the intention of heading out of Government Headquarters for the last time.
“Not so fast, Petra…” said someone almost jumping her.
It was Medbin approaching. Evans was walking beside him and they were carrying a large package between them.
“This is for you. It is just a little something from all of us who have worked with you here at Government Headquarters and elsewhere across the various Ministries and Departments of Government where you’ve served. We hope it reminds you of what’s been done together over the years,” he said.
Carmichael was surprised, because she’d already been presented with what she believed was her farewell present from her colleagues on her last day in the office two weeks earlier. She was therefore unprepared for this extra gift.
Managing not to cry, but still speechless, Carmichael invited Evans to help her open the package. Everyone looked on as they did so. The gift was a framed map of Barbados, showing locations of Government Ministries and Departments where she had worked and statutory corporations that had fallen under her responsibility during her long public service career.
This is a great reminder of what we all do, day by day, hour by hour, week by week, month by month, year after year not only for ourselves, but for the near three hundred thousand Barbadians and the over one million annual visitors to our shores we serve daily, Carmichael thought.
“Wow…! Seriously folks, this is beautiful. I’m absolutely blown away. Lost for words.”
Struggling to speak, she continued, “Colleagues, please know that I’ll treasure this collage forever, It will take pride of place in my home because it reminds me of you and the work you do. Thanks ever so much, everyone,” Carmichael concluded uncertainly.
With that, there was an outburst of applause, followed by a verse of ‘for she’s a jolly good lady…’ before persons started to drift back to their desks and work stations amidst promises of ‘see you later’.
Carmichael asked Medbin to help her take the collage to her car. He willingly agreed. It was only after she had gone down the three flights of stairs and passed through the reception area and had waved to those looking on and standing on the steps of Government Headquarters that she felt the tears she had earlier managed to hold back start to trickle down her cheeks. She looked away, hoping Medbin would not see her crying, but it was too late. He noticed and understood.
After helping her to load the collage into the back seat of her vehicle, he gently tapped her on the shoulder saying, “Thanks for everything, Petra. Go safely and see you later.”
Once in her car, she thanked Medbin for his assistance and support over the three years they had worked together. He simply nodded and tapped the top of her car as she drove away. Carmichael was conscious that she was now driving away from Government Headquarters as a former top Barbados-based public servant for the last time. She also realised that she had a new and different opportunity before her to serve Barbados from a distant place. She would work as hard at that task as she had always done.
***
In Miami, Castille visited his local barber shop for a haircut before attending the local gym. There, he made himself undergo an hour-long workout. Keeping himself in tip-top physical condition was important to him.
Back in his apartment, Castille fixed himself a quick meal. In the process, he realised that he was low on some basic items, so he made a mental note of his needs with the intention of visiting the grocery store later that afternoon. Castille never liked leaving his apartment for even a few days and returning to it without having a good selection of items from which he could prepare a tasty meal for himself.
A lengthy afternoon stretched ahead of him. How to kill some hours before his late-evening meeting with the Head of The Organisation? Castille decided to spend some time reviewing his plan to quickly recover an outstanding sum of money owed to The Organisation from another one of its few but delinquent Caribbean clients located closer to the US. He anticipated completing that task (including any necessary ‘clean-up’ work) within two days. Post-Barbados, of course.
His review completed, there was still more than enough time for him to grab a late-afternoon nap before his visit to the grocery store. The late-evening appointment with The Organisation’s Head should not last too long.
***
Promptly at 2:00 p.m., P.A.A.N.I.’s meeting commenced at its customary venue, BIB HQ in Christ Church. P.A.A.N.I. (Police, Army, Air Force, Navy, Intelligence) is Barbados’ four-pronged security entity which oversees all national security matters, incidents and necessary investigations that take place in Barbados and in its coastal waters. P.A.A.N.I. met at least once a week, normally on Tuesday afternoons. Written reports on conclusions reached at the end of its weekly meetings were provided to Barbados�
� Head of Government within twenty-four hours.
P.A.A.N.I.’s size had been increased from its original three-member agencies (RBPF, BDF, BIB) to four, following the May 2016 general election with the addition of the Barbados Prison Service (BPS) which has responsibility for Her Majesty’s Prison (HMP) Dodds. P.A.A.N.I.’s mandate remains to keep on top of Barbados’ security situation through a minimum of once-a-week ‘in-person’ meetings (rather than the weekly teleconferences the agencies originally held). In exceptional circumstances where in-person meetings are neither practical nor possible, a preferably video, if not a teleconference would be arranged. Though all four Heads were busy running important law enforcement/security agencies this new, stepped-up and best-practice system put in place by Motby seemed appropriate after the earlier assassination attempt on his life.
P.A.A.N.I.’s usual participants were: Commissioner Jeremie, RBPF; Chief of Staff Brigadier Tenton, BDF; Superintendent Innis, Head, BPS/Superintendent of HMP Dodds; and Colonel Burke, Director, BIB. With Barbados having no full-fledged Air Force or Navy, its small air-wing unit, comprised of two C26 surveillance aircraft and Coast Guard unit made up of five motorised vessels, both air and sea units operated under and reported to Tenton. He was careful to leave the day-to-day running of these units to Captain George Collins and Commander Edward ‘Ted’ Madley respectively. Tenton held twice weekly (Tuesday and Friday morning) videoconference meetings with Collins and Madley to ensure he was kept up-to-speed with what both units were doing.
***
DON’T QUIT [Edward A. Guest: 1881–1959]
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will; When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill; When the funds are low and debts are high and you want to smile, but have to sigh; When care is pressing you down a bit – Rest if you must…but don’t you quit. Life is queer with its twists and turns, as everyone of us sometimes learn. And many a failure turns about when they might have won had they stuck it out. Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow –you might succeed with another blow. Often the goal is nearer than it seems to a faint and faltering individual; Often the struggler has given up, when they might have captured the victor’s cup. And they learned too late when the night had slipped down, how close they were to the golden crown. Success is failure turned inside out – the silver tint of clouds of doubt, and you never can tell how close you are. It may be near when it seems afar. So, stick to the fight when you are hardest hit. It’s when things seem worst that you MUST NOT QUIT.
Evans had been kept busy throughout the morning, so it was not until mid-afternoon that she got to read Carmichael’s literary gift over a late sandwich lunch, with a strong cup of coffee for good measure. She read the poem three times before understanding what Carmichael was saying to her former colleagues. DON’T QUIT was too simple. Most likely, Carmichael was telling them to Just DO (N’T QU) IT!
Evans read the poem a fourth time, even more slowly. She became convinced that this was Carmichael’s subliminal message. Just Do It – your job as a public servant: help Barbadians and visitors alike.
***
P.A.A.N.I.’s meeting was chaired by Colonel Burke. Jeremie and Tenton came up from their respective central Bridgetown RBPF and BDF HQs, while Innis came down from his BPS HQ at HMP Dodds in St Phillip.
The agenda for today’s meeting was a short one. Nothing of great significance had changed on Barbados’ security front from the previous week’s P.A.A.N.I. meeting. Their approved plans for the week ahead now only needed their formal sign-off, having been carefully examined for any holes a week before. The nine-day extra cricket cover (ECC) security screen project, set to run from Tuesday night, 17 April to Wednesday morning, 25 April, would start with the England and West Indies cricket teams’ arrival tonight ahead of the second Test Match being played at New Kensington Oval. The five-day game was scheduled to start on Friday, 20 April and end on Tuesday, 24 April. The security arrangements around the team’s movements in Barbados had only been completed after extensive discussions between the England and Wales and West Indies Cricket Boards and the RBPF.
Last week’s P.A.A.N.I. meeting had been a long one. Only minor last-minute tinkering with the ECC plan was needed. Thankfully, these were quickly dealt with. The carefully made plans by senior officers within the Heads’ agencies were therefore signed off as being feasible, practical, applicable and appropriate. The ECC security screen project had passed P.A.A.N.I. Heads’ stringent operational acid tests.
BIB’s operational team leaders were James ‘JJ’ Johnson (code number P3) from Gold team, Alfred ‘Fred’ George (code number E5) of Blue team, and Kylie ‘Joe’ Callendar (code number S11) of Black team.
Beyond the ECC security screen project’s arrangements, three other major public events were scheduled for the coming week and so these also formed part of the discussion. Minor adjustments were made to the first two before they were approved by the Heads. These events were to be a friendly international soccer match between Barbados and the USA at the National Stadium on Saturday night (21 April), and a concert by a top Canadian performer at the refurbished Garfield Sobers Sports Complex on Sunday night (22 April). The changes made to earlier plans were around the total number of island constables to be deployed at each event being increased from eight to twelve to augment the allocated compliment of RBPF officers and BDF soldiers already assigned to oversee these events.
No changes were made to the third public event – arrangements for a two-day Commonwealth Sports Minister’s conference being hosted at Hilton Barbados Resort by the Government of Barbados on Tuesday (24 April) and Wednesday (25 April). Hon. Preston Grant MP, Minister of Tourism, International Transport and Sport would host a reception at the Hilton on Monday evening (23 April), but the hotel’s experienced security team, supported by RBPF’s Visitor CPU and a small contingent of regular RBPF officers, would run that event easily. They had handled a hemispheric Health Minister’s meeting the previous October at the same venue without a hitch.
With P.A.A.N.I. Heads contented, their meeting ended in under an hour. Details of the final approved security arrangements for all of the upcoming events would be circulated later that afternoon by Jeremie as his RBPF was the designated lead agency for each event, enabling all relevant public and private sector entities involved and responsible for executing various aspects of the events, to kick into high gear. Emergency back-up plans for the ECC security screen project and three other public events were also signed off just in case something went drastically wrong, which called for additional security measures implementation. Jeremie, like his fellow Heads, hoped that none of their back-up plans would be needed over the nine days.
***
The P.A.A.N.I. meeting did not discuss the BPS or HMP Dodds’ weekly prison run (PR) which enabled prisoners to have their day in court. Colonel Burke was aware that, for the following day’s PR, BIB’s Gold team would participate. Innis brought up no concerns about his BPS agency and so the four Heads had nothing further to consider.
In less than twenty-four hours, this would prove, with hindsight, to have been a big mistake.
Thursday afternoon’s forthcoming meeting with the visiting British security official was also not on the P.A.A.N.I.’s agenda, so was not mentioned during the Heads’ meeting. The Thursday session was to be a special stand-alone one, unprecedented in fact, as it was set to include Commander Junior Samuel, the Barbados-based Coordinator of the Regional Security System (RSS). Barbados and the six-member Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) had set up the RSS as a collaborative response mechanism to help ensure state stability, emergency security and responses to national disasters over three decades ago, but the RSS had never been asked to join such a meeting before.
“Thanks for coming by, guys. See you later at Petra’s double-farewell do?” asked Colonel Burke of his three colleagues who he knew Carmichael had invited. They all confirmed their attendance at the events. She had been good to all of the P.A.A.N.I. Heads and their
agencies at various times during her tenure as Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office.
***
Once his fellow Heads had departed, Colonel Burke started to draft his weekly P.A.A.N.I. security brief. As he was attending Carmichael’s double-function that evening, he wanted to finalise and submit his brief to Motby early the following morning from his office. As usual, Colonel Burke anticipated having to answer a few questions from Motby ahead of Thursday’s weekly Cabinet meeting. The secure phone call normally came to him at BIB HQ around 3:30 p.m. each Wednesday afternoon.
Unknown to both men, the coming Wednesday afternoon conversation would be unlike any other they’d had before. In fact, it would be the first of several conversations they would need to have over the coming week. As for P.A.A.N.I. Heads, they could not have known that by late Thursday, all that they had carefully planned for and signed off on would have been turned upside-down.
***
Superintendent Innis returned quickly to HMP Dodds, Barbados’ sole adult custodial facility. Having responsibility for this facility, he needed to do two things before he headed home for a shower, change of clothing and could set off to attend Petra Carmichael’s double-retirement function. He would enjoy some of the excellent food that was sure to be available from BDF HQ at her farewell reception. A couple of stiff drinks would also help to wash away what had been a long day. Innis was also looking forward to his spouse joining him at the reception once her 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. shift had ended at a private south coast health clinic where she was the facility’s administrator.
Hung Out to Dry Page 4
