On the way back Giles was able to obtain the name of the cabbie and to confirm with him the observation made by the injured sword balancer about the Panama hat. In return he was given the lowdown of the historical data as to how the South Downs racecourse of Goodwood became associated with the hat and the linen suit.
Colin Forbes, the cabbie with the enlarged hippocampus, elaborated about the origin of the Goodwood summer meeting and the Panama hat. It seems Edward V11 had turned against convention one summer and donned a linen three-piece suit and on his head had placed a Panama hat. From that day on, a uniform was born for the summer meeting at what became known as Glorious Goodwood.
Giles put Colin Forbes and his contact number into his memory bank. There was just a possibility he would use him again at some stage.
The South Kensington flat was quiet when Giles got home. He removed his linen jacket, hat and shoes, poured himself a drink and put a call through to Freddie and his wife Penny at their Evesham home to wish them a Happy New Year.
He consulted his diary for the year ahead and pencilled in dates when he and Freddie might pay a visit to the Devon quarters of the Cuban circus.
There was going to be much to do in the succeeding weeks with a couple of lectures thrown in. Also he did contemplate a return trip to the Ramsden home near Lockerbie, to do some research in the library which housed a unique collection of volumes relating to the circus.
That trip might have to wait until the end of March when he was determined to fulfil a promise made to a member of the Maskelyne Hall household who was possibly going to ride in the local point-to-point.
Giles finished his drink, had a good look at the list of supposed suspects and made a few notes. He looked at his watch, his bleary eyes coming to grips with the fact that it was the First of January 1967 and today would be a welcome day of rest.
Chapter 5
THE WRAITH OF KHAN
It was late when Giles awoke and, after breakfast, he spent much of the day noting down all the so-called accidents that he’d witnessed or been told about. Freddie would expect first hand notification about each and every incident and who’d had opportunity.
As was his wont papers with little notes and names on them were strewn around the floor and Giles took painstaking efforts to arrange them eventually in some form of chronological order. Freddie would insist he got it right.
He went out for lunch, had a walk in the brisk winter weather while his brain mulled over the events and tried to piece together some semblance of logic.
There was no disguising of the fact that this quest for truth was going to be entirely different from his previous case. Earlier he’d tried to figure out what had happened in the past and this time he had to deduce what might happen in the future and who might be to blame.
That first week of January seemed to fly past. Giles was heavily involved; interviews with the Press became a priority as journalists were anxious to know what was going on and why he appeared to be so important to the Portuguese circus owner.
Some newspaper headlines had exaggerated the happenings at Tropicana and others were quick to claim that supernatural irregularities were engulfing the circus to such an extent that delay of the seasonal opening had to be inevitable.
After a night at the theatre, to watch a comedy mystery, Giles returned to the flat just as the phone was ringing.
It was Freddie.
‘Hello Giles,’ the familiar voice said. ‘Can you please tell me what the hell is going on? I’ve just had a call from someone whose voice I didn’t recognise. All it said was “Do not believe all you see or hear.” Is this some kind of a joke or are you up to your neck in circumstances out with your control.’
‘I’m sorry, Freddie. I’m afraid I’m none the wiser. Such a lot has happened and I really need to meet up with you as soon as possible.’
‘You sound as if you’re in a spot of bother again, old son. Expect me in a few days time and we can maybe get to grips with whatever is the problem.’
Freddie was true to his word. His arrival was greeted by Giles with welcome relief though he could detect, in his friend, a disturbing anger. Freddie had said, later in his phone call, that he would meet up with Giles, at the flat, after racing on the first Thursday of the New Year and stay the night, before returning to his home in Evesham for the week-end. He was hardly in the door of the flat when the first outburst came.
‘I’m a fairly patient man Giles but I do think it’s time you told me what’s going on.’ Freddie’s blunt words made his friend sit up and take notice.
‘You’re right, Freddie. I’ll go over everything that’s happened so far but, before I do, I think we both need a drink.’
‘Is it that bad?’
‘No, not really, but I’m puzzled about the whole set-up. I guess a little snifter might just help us both to fathom out some meaning and put some logic into everything.’
‘Well I’ve had a disappointing day at the races and a little nectar might put me back on an even keel again before I get confused by what you are about to tell me.’
‘I’ll do what I can to fill you in,’ Giles declared as he laid a glass of brandy in front of his pal. ‘After that we can look at some of the common denominators and try to find a pattern.’
‘Cheers!’ Both men clinked glasses.
‘Let battle begin!’ said a more relaxed Freddie after taking a sip from his glass.
‘I’ll start by listing the so-called accidents I’ve either been told about or have seen for myself.’ Giles produced the list of suspects given to him by Ramon Mordomo. ‘Here is Ramon’s list of suspects. I’ve added to that but the list may not be complete.’
‘When you’ve let me know about the accidents we can maybe tie in who may have had the opportunity to cause them. If a pattern should appear that would be a step forward.’
‘I’m not convinced it’ll be as simple as that but it’s worth a go. I must also tell you about certain happenings that weren’t accidents but were unnerving and need explanation.’
‘Yes…like that phone call to me warning me not to believe all I see or hear. I’d certainly like an explanation for that!’
‘I’d like to have an explanation for that as well.’
‘While we’re on that subject…how did the caller know who I was and how did he get my number?’
‘Getting your number would be easy. Knowing who you were would be a little more difficult but as the fortune teller had read newspaper cuttings about the last case we solved she knew about you and there could be others.’
‘Hang on a bit Giles! What’s this about a fortune teller? I thought neither of us totally believed in premonition.’
‘Well as you know there have been classic cases of foretelling the future but I’ll come to Eva in due course.’
‘You’re getting ahead of yourself, old son. Who the hell is Eva?’
‘Eva is the fortune teller. That’s her name… Madame Eva Zigana…but I’ll come to her later.’
‘I hope so…but let’s get on with those accidents.’
‘The first one was told to me on the journey from Eggesford to RAF Winkleigh.’
‘Where the dickens is Eggesford and what were you doing there?’
‘Eggesford is a railway station in North Devon. It happens to be the last stop on the way to RAF Winkleigh.’
‘The place that didn’t exist!’ said a smiling Freddie as he took a sip of brandy.’
‘Yes.’ nodded Giles in response.
‘A driver picked me up there. He is a funambulist.’
‘A what?’ exclaimed an incredulous Freddie.
‘Yes, I felt the same way when I heard it. That’s one f word I didn’t know the meaning of.’
‘Well…?’
‘It means a wire walker or tight rope artist.’
‘And…?’
‘He’d had an accident on a tight rope that started to vibrate violently causing him to fall when he wasn’t using a safety net.’
/> ‘What was his name?’
‘Hank. Hank Findley.’
Freddie grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from his pocket and wrote something down on it.
‘Any number of people could have been responsible for that vibrating wire,’ said Freddie looking up at Giles. ‘But one person stands out a mile as a possible culprit…Hank himself!’
Giles nodded, realising full well how easy it would be for the wire walker to make the wire vibrate and imitate a near disastrous fall.
The next incident, the unlocked cage of Khan, the Tiger, presented Freddie with a slight difficulty. He made a note of the incident and wrote down the name, Khan, with a question mark.
He continued writing as Giles described the fire scene during the clowns’ act that went wrong.
Freddie checked the list that Freddie gave him, noted the name, Allison Somerfield, and then looked up at Giles.
‘What makes you think she may be a suspect?’
‘I’m not sure. She wasn’t on the list given to me by Senhor Mordomo. I added her to that list after watching the clowns’ act involving the fire. It’s just the fact that she could have been in control of the lycopodium as she was the only one at the place where the fire started.’
‘She certainly fills the same role as Hank on the tight rope. I’ll give you that. But she doesn’t strike me as someone prepared to take on a circus of this size.’
‘I suppose you’re right…but she could be an accessory for someone else…perhaps even the magician himself as she is his assistant.’
‘Hmm! You could be right. We’ll keep her on the list.’
Freddie looked decidedly concerned when Giles briefed him on the injuries to Leonardo at the Tropicana show in Soho. He accepted the Ecuadorian athlete on his list but suggested that any number of people could have been involved. Once again though Leonardo could have arranged the swords so that he might receive cuts without them being life threatening.
The recounting of the incidents involving the throwing of the gauntlet in the former control tower, the clandestine visit by the shadowy unknown figure to Giles’ trailer with the note listing names of celebrities who’d later changed their names, and the comments made by Eva, the fortune teller, all had a bewildering effect on Freddie.
‘Why are you prepared to have this gypsy girl on your list? You must have had a very good reason.’
‘She seemed to know that I was being followed and we both know, that when that happens, there’s a pretty good chance that they’re in cahoots with the one doing the following.’
Freddie nodded in acquiescence.
‘How many people knew of Ramon’s concern that he was running, as he described it, this gauntlet of fear?’
‘Why do you ask?’
‘For the very simple reason that whoever threw down that iron glove in the control tower had to know of Ramon’s latent fear and that could conceivably narrow the list of possible suspects. Also the unknown figure who left the list of names in your trailer – we don’t even know if it was male or female.’
‘No, that’s true…but he, or she, did head in the direction of the tiger’s wagon, and that might lead us to think it was Khan’s trainer or someone connected with the animal.’
‘So far it’s all a hotchpotch of uncertainty. We’re going to need more information about persons who might have been involved.’
‘Yes, and I’m certain there’s more to come. You know I have a shrewd idea that the accidents could occur when I return to the winter quarters! Do you fancy a trip with me sometime? Two heads are better than one!’
‘That might not be a bad idea! Penny’s taking the girls to spend a few days with their gran before they go back to school so I could drive you down to Devon and that will get me acquainted with this circus of yours.’
The two companions talked well into the night. Freddie wanted to know more about the fortune teller and became intrigued at the predictions about the 1967 Grand National. He couldn’t quite work out the puzzling words of Madame Eva Zigana and how his lucky number came into the equation, but experience had taught him that strange unexplained premonitions had been involved in his previous racing encounters.
The Grand National, run at Aintree, was only a few months away and Freddie would be giving the race a good check once the entries were known. It could be interesting to examine Eva’s predictions, and try to decipher them, as the race drew nearer.
Some days later Giles was heading back to RAF Winkleigh but this time in the passenger seat of Freddie’s red Triumph Spitfire.
Freddie breathed a sigh of satisfaction as he approached familiar territory near Exeter racecourse.
‘I’ve spent quite a few pleasant days at the Devon and Exeter meetings here,’ he confided. ‘But we have to get a move on if we want to get to your non-existent airfield before dark.’
‘Yes, we don’t want to have our journey interrupted by the ghosts that apparently haunt the place. We have enough on our plate trying to rectify Ramon’s problem.’
Giles surveyed the scenery as he returned to the winter quarters by a different route this time. He was now travelling between Exeter and Winkleigh and, looking at his watch, he guessed he should be there in about an hour or so.
He looked across at his colleague and smiled as he recalled “Two heads are better than one!” Confidence was returning.
Senhor Mordomo welcomed both men when they arrived, and had someone escort Giles and his friend to their trailer with instructions for them to join him for the evening meal.
The spell before dinner was the chance for Giles and Freddie to go over the catalogue of incidents and potential suspects. It was also an opportunity to give Freddie a look around the site and make him familiar with the lie of the land.
Freddie had a good look at the note Giles gave him. His concentration deepened the lines in his brow at what lay in front of him.
Giles interjected with ‘Not much to go on but I suppose you haven’t heard all that’s happened so far.’
Freddie had another look at the short list of events and the people who were present.
Incident - Present
Hank Findley’s vibrating wire - All suspects?
Khan’s cage unlocked - Giles and Ramon
Fire in clown scene - Allison and others?
Gauntlet in control tower - Giles himself
Clandestine visit to Giles’ trailer - Unknown?
Swords balancing act - All suspects
‘No, not much to go on there, old son! I’m afraid we’ll have to keep a very close watch on things before we can start to eliminate anybody.’
‘You’re right, Freddie, but, I’ve only just started and we may have more to go on over the next day or so.’
Giles looked at his watch. ‘Let’s pop over to the big chief for a spot of dinner. Tomorrow will be soon enough to get a grip of things.’
Dinner was a cordial affair with Ramon, the host, offering Freddie the same amenities as he had previously extended to the Prof.
Talk centred on the main suspects and included a distinct possibility for Freddie to meet with Madame Zigana to clarify her previous prediction about himself given to Giles.
Before the evening was over Senhor Mordomo proposed that Giles should take his friend to see the noble jungle beast which was the apple of his eye in the circus – the Royal Bengal Tiger, Khan.
The two men left the congenial atmosphere of the lavish trailer in a cosy, if slightly, groggy state of mind. They picked their way in the dark among trailers and wagons lit by subdued lamps.
The hushed silence heightened the eeriness of their surroundings as they made their way towards the large wagon, with the extended tented awning, that housed the cage of Khan – the Tiger.
There was nobody outside the door and the door was unlocked.
Giles turned the handle and pushed. Inside the warmth and animal smell was mildly comforting as both men stepped in and Freddie shut the door. As their eyes adjusted to the faint light they
could distinguish the bars and the straw-covered floor beyond.
‘He’s probably asleep,’ whispered Giles. ‘So let’s not make a noise.’
‘I’m trying my best, but the pounding of my heart isn’t helping me. My ears feel as if they’re fit to burst. Can you see him?’
‘No, not yet. He’s probably lying down. But don’t go too close to the bars.’
Two pairs of eyes searched the straw then both men turned to look at each other and shook heads.
It was the soft rustle of an animal’s movement that brought two pairs of eyes back to look at the area beyond the bars. Nothing could be seen…but something could be heard.
It was the prolonged but muffled throaty growl that seemed to come from the inner depths of a huge animal’s body…and the sound came from behind them.
Both men turned slowly and came face to face with the black and orange markings of the huge beast from Bengal. The white spots above the animal’s eyes appeared to glow in the dim light and the large mouth opened to reveal menacing teeth.
‘Don’t move a muscle!’ a voice uttered from the gloom. ‘The cage door has been unlocked and if you make any sudden movement you’ll be in grave danger.’
The voice belonged to Senor Gomez, the animal’s trainer, who managed to gently persuade an inquisitive Khan back to the open door of his cage…much to the relief of Giles and Freddie.
‘What are you doing in here?’
‘Senhor Mordomo thought I should let my friend see your magnificent animal,’ Giles disclosed with a slight tremor in his voice.
‘He should have known better!’ The outrage in the voice was clearly evident. ‘You must not visit this area without someone in charge. You could both have been killed. Please contact me if you want to visit Khan. I’ll make sure that everything is secure. You will then get a chance to enjoy the encounter.’
‘Thank you. I’ll remember that. Freddie and I have no wish to provoke the wrath of Khan. And we would prefer to avoid the wraith of Khan that we experienced a few moments ago.’
Gauntlet of Fear Page 6
