The Chess Player

by Andrew Parker

  ‘Okay Stephen?’ Freddy asked seeing the sudden tension in Tarling’s face.

  Tarling nodded and waited for Freddy to lead on. They crossed the pad and started climbing some steps that went higher into the mountain. Suddenly it leveHed out and Tarling could see the splendour and impressiveness of the villa that cut into the mountainside. Freddy could see the amazement in Tarlings face. ‘Ill take you to his office and Rafael will then join you shortly’.

  Tarling nodded ‘Thanks Freddy’.

  Freddy slapped him on his back in a friendly gesture and wished him good luck.

  Tarling was led into the office, and was immediately awe struck by the view from the window that ran the length of the wall behind Rafael’s desk. He fell the knot in his stomach tighten and grimaced. The well rehearsed questions in his head were now absent and he questioned his sanity in meeting the ‘Chess Player’ face to face.

  Two gentlemen walked into the room, surprising Tarling although he was expecting someone at any minute. They both looked at him in an unnerving way.

  ‘Do you want me to stay?’ Jose Luis asked his brother.

  ‘No leave us’ Rafael answered in a soft tone although his eyes were transfixed on Stephen Tarling.

  ‘Are you‘

  Rafael broke him off in mid sentence and angrily raised his voice leave us now!’

  Stephen Tarling backed away feeling uneasy about the situation and hoped he hadn’t caught Rafael in one of his violent tempers. He remembered the time when a young inexperienced PC was in front of him for his time keeping and because he was in such a bad mood, the air was blue and he nearly threw the book at him, literally.

  ‘Stephen sit down’ Rafael’s tone had returned to the calm and soft tone. ‘So Stephen, Freddy tells me you have solved the problem and I want to thank you for doing that very much, but you have something else on your mind?’

  Stephen coughed but didn’t want to sound intimidated, ask for a drink he thought before getting down to business. ‘Yes that’s right, but maybe we can discuss over a drink, my throat feels a bit dry?’

  ‘Of course’ Rafael responded, he picked up his phone and spoke in Spanish, although Stephen could obviously detect the word’s coffee and water.

  ‘Stephen, I just want to tell you that you are my

  friend and most welcome at my humble villawe are

  both regular guys eh ?….Barbecue’s, football with the kids?’

  ‘No I haven’t any children’

  ‘No’ Rafael leant back in his chair with an expression of surprise ‘Wife?’

  Tarling shook his head ‘No’

  ‘Still playing the field eh?well you are a

  good looking guy why not’

  Tarling smiled and began to feel his stomach unwind. At that moment a young girl walked in carrying a tray with the coffee and ajug of water.

  ‘Pretty,takes after her mother, thank you

  Tolomina’

  She smiled lighting up her facial features and quickly walked away. Rafael poured out some coffee and water. Tarling gladly received the water first to quench his dry mouth.

  ‘Stephen, I remember now’ Rafael let out a laugh to himself’ You were deeping with your partners wife’.

  Tarling showed a look of embarrassment and before he could answer, Rafael continued in his joking manner ‘ Another good reason for seeing her dead eh? Becomes complicated’.

  Tarling took offence to being the target of his fun and although he was right in the fact he was playing a dangerous game by deeping with the Judge’s wife, fell angry that he could just discard her life and make fun. He thought it was time to get down to business and out of Colombia as soon as he could.

  ‘Rafael, on the back of Susan’s death and the investigation getting heavy at home’ he took a gulp ‘Me and the Judge want out’

  Rafael’s humorous expression quickly evaporated from his face. He leant forward staring into the eyes of

  Tarling in a menacing fashion. ‘You want out?you

  want fucking out ! The heat gets put on at home and you just want to run away’

  Rafael then reclined back into his chair, his mean exterior vanished and he started tapping his finger against his head contemplating. Stephen Tarling was surprised by this sudden change of mood, but picked up his cup of coffee nervously and drank it down in one fell swoop. He wondered what Rafael was thinking and hoped this sudden mood swing was going to show him being more rational and understanding.

  Rafael stood up, he was well over six-foot tall and a well-built man, obviously someone who knew how to look after their body. He walked towards Tarling, stood behind him and put his hands on Tarling’s shoulders and began massaging.

  ‘Stephen, I’m sorry to hear you want out, we had a good thing going eh?’

  Stephen Tarling nodded but fell very uneasy, his heart was pounding faster, cosed his eyes ‘We did a fantastic job, but it’s getting a bit messy’.

  ‘We’ve been through problems before, you’ve dealt with them and become rich’.

  ‘I appreciate what we’ve done Rafael, but as they say all good things come to an end’.

  Rafael stopped massaging and moved his hands upwards and around his neck, slight pressure was applied, Tarling eyes were wide open and sweat began to trickle down the back of his neck. Rafael pulled his hands away ‘Okay Stephen, if you want out, what can I say?’ Rafael sat back down at his desk, ‘promise me one thing Stephen, pease stay in contact so maybe we can be partners again?’

  Tarling took a deep breath and fell his heart returning to normal, his body was numb, he opened his mouth but no words came out. He slowly stood up to revive his dead limbs, ‘Fucking hell, you had me worried’ Tarling said with a hal-hearted smile. ‘Of course I will’.

  Rafael, let out a loud laugh ‘goodgood’ he

  smiled, Ill get Freddy to get you back to your hotel, although pease stay and have lunch first’.

  Tarling nodded in approval, but still fell anxious and couldn’t wait to get out of Colombia. Rafael picked up his phone and spoke in his native dialect. He returned it to the base, ‘I will join you later, but I have some important business to discuss with my brother’.

  Tarling was pleased to leave Rafael’s presence and was relieved he could give the Judge the good news, but would wait until returning to the hotel. At that moment Jose Luis entered the room and brushed his shoulder, the look given told Tarling that there was an instant dislike and Tarling said ‘Sorry’ and carried on walking, where he was met in the corridor by the bright eyed Tolomina.

  ‘So Jose how is El Gordo getting on’

  ‘Everything is in place’ Jose looked at his watch, ‘hell be calling soon’

  ‘Good’ Rafael grinned with approval.

  ‘So how is our Mr.Tarling?’ Jose enquired.

  ‘On borrowed time….’.

  Chapter 11.

  He dropped the cigar down on the ground, moved his foot slightly sideways and ground the smoking embers into the dusty earth beneath as he waited for the signal that would come from the local bar across the road. Nervously he glanced at each individual that walked passed him and nodded with a friendly smile at anybody who looked his way.

  The run down 1950’s Pick-up truck that was parked directly opposite the Police station, and a good two hundred yards from where he was standing was packed with one tonne of dynamite. He couldn’t park it outside as it would arouse suspicion and would be towed away after two or three minutes. So he was to drive it straight at the police headquarters when he got the signal and throw himsel out hal way across, pray and run like heU for cover and hope El Gordo was waiting with the get away car.

  El Gordo was sitting at his usual table at ‘El COMAL’ bar, he wiped some sweat from his forehead with a serviette while looking at the cock on the wa
ll. He had just finished off his favourite dish ‘bandeja paisa’ which was a corn cake with fried plantains, beans with bacon and chicharrones and a side dish of hand made tortilla’s. He tapped his fingers repeatedly on the table, which aggravated some of the other people in the bar. They knew who he was so with obvious fear they didn’t say anything.

  El Gordo, looked at the cock again and was relieved that it was only seconds to go before he was to phone into Rafael. As he pulled his mobile tdephone out of his pocket, two Police officer’s entered the bar laughing and joking. He quickly looked out of the window and a look of panic spread across his face as his field operative was no where to be seen.

  He swore under his breath and turned his large frame away from the policemen in a sub-conscious way of blocking them out. He fumbled Rafael’s number out on his mobile anxious to abort the mission.

  ‘It’s meproblem, I think?’.

  He quickly switched the phone off after feeling a tap on his shoulder, he turned around to see the two officer’s standing above him.

  ‘El Gordo how’s it going’

  El Gordo smiled and nodded his head in a way of greeting good friends, as he always remembered what Rafael had told him: Keep your friends cose, but your enemies even coser.

  ‘I’m good, but unfortunately gentlemen I have just finished a delicious meal and must be going’ he said as he tried to get up. A hand pushed him gently back down.

  ‘Just a few questions before you go’

  El Gordo knew what was coming but the wrath of Rafael would be far worse and he gulped in such a way that made his double chins quiver.

  There was a sudden change in the atmosphere at El Comal, chairs were being scraped back with people leaving, others were anxious to receive their bill.

  ‘El Gordo’ the police officer said removing his sunglasses and looking directly into El Gordo’s eyes in a menacing way. El Gordo stared back showing no fear to these low life coppers he thought. Slowly he moved sausage like fingers down both sides of his body in an inauspicious way, he put his hand into the inside of his coat.

  ‘Careful El Gordo’ the policeman said anxious that he wouldn’t do anything silly.

  ‘Okay’ El Gordo responded in a tone suggesting would he do otherwise ‘I’m just getting my wallet, you wouldn’t want me to leave without paying’

  Suddenly he retrieved a revolver from his pocket and in the blink of an eye shot the two policemen dead. A mighty crash was heard as one of the bodies fell backwards, a gunshot straight between the eyes, sending chairs flying across the room. The other body leapt forward onto the table where El Gordo was sitting. Blood started pumping out from under the body, El Gordo pulled the policeman’s head up by his hair, he was still

  alivebut not for much longer and dropped it making a

  loud thud.

  Calmly El Gordo stood up, brushing his coat down in a gesture of just ridding himself of unwanted dirt. As one proverb states he said as he left the restaurant,’ Shed no tears, until you see the coffin’.

  He knew it wouldn’t be long before the Police would be swarming all over the town and decided to call Rafael on his mobile as he sped away from the scene.

  ‘Rafael disaster, someone knew, they were waiting’

  El Gordo drove as fast as he could to escape the scene, he knew a back road that would take him out of the city centre and a quicker way of getting back to safety. His eyes sprang wide open as he headed towards a police trap. ‘Shit’ he said aloud and pushed his foot down harder on the accelerator and headed straight at the roadblock.

  The car swerved violently as the wheels hit the vicious metal teeth that were laid on the road. The rubber was ripped apart and torn away from the metal hubs, causing a terrifying screeching noise with bright yellow sparks flying into the air. A hail of machine gun bullets ripped through the car, puncturing the bodywork and spraying the windscreen glass. Bullets pierced his body and head as the car plummeted through the wooden barriers and crashed into a bus stop on the side of the road. El Gordo opened his eyes for a split second before he dumped forward on the steering wheel.

  The mobile phone was lying on the passenger seat next to El Gordo covered in splintered glass and splattered by blood. An almighty explosion followed seconds later.

  ‘Hello,…hello’, Rafael heard the noise of the bullets and car going out of control. He then winced as the noise of the explosion shattered his hearing and he threw the phone down and sat in silence for a few moments as his anger grew within.

  ‘What is wrong?’ Jose asked anxious to know what his brother had just heard. ‘Rafael, what is fucking wrong’

  ‘El Gordo is fucking dead, that’s what’s fucking wrong!’

  Jose stared blankly into space; Rafael thumped his fist down on the desk, stood up and kicked his chair out of the way. ‘Someone knew Jose, someone fucking knew!… I want them found and brought to me immediately’. He walked over to his brother and put his forehead to his brothers, in a calm soft tone he repeated ‘I want them found and brought back to me’.

  Stephen Tarling was relieved to be sitting at the table enjoying peasant conversation and a cool lager with the Rooas family. The laughter and conversation was mainly in Spanish and Tarling nodded and smiled, which he hoped was in the right places.

  Two big bowls of ‘peasant salad’ were placed in the middle of the table, bread rolls were being served to everyone by Tolomina, who was smiling constantly at Tarling. There were twelve bodies at the table, sisters, brothers, wives Tarling thought and two empty placesJose and Rafael?

  Jose suddenly changed the atmosphere at the table, by storming into the room.

  ‘Tarling’ he angrily shouted ‘Come outside now!’

  Stephen Tarling had a look of astonishment on his face as the room fell into complete silence. He gingerly got up from his chair as though he was nursing bruised ribs. He slowly walked over to where Jose Luis was standing, in a deep and confused state as to why this sudden outburst requested him to leave the room?

  Jose turned and walked out when he saw Tarling was making his way over to him. He walked hallway down the corridor, which would eventually lead to the veranda. Jose stopped and waited for Tarling.

  ‘Jose, I don’t understandwhat is the matter?’

  Stephen Tarling asked, anxious to know the reason why he had his hospitality cut short.

  ‘You fucking know why you bastard!’Jose

  lunged at Tarling and pinned him up against the wall with both hands gripped tightly around his throat. The veins squeezed to the surface of Tarlings neck as he tried to gasp for air. A knee to the groin area sent a searing pain through Tarlings body, Jose released his grip only to deliver a hard punch in the ribs, Tarling let out a yelp of agony as he crumpled to the floor.

  Tarling looked up eyes wide open as a baseball bat came crashing down, there was a loud crack as the wood hit the bone. Jose stumbled one step forward before falling to the floor, blood oozed from the long gash that had split his head. Freddy Morales threw the bat down on the floor and hurriedly pulled Tarling to his feet.

  Tarling winced and coughed as he steadied his sel upright ‘Thanks Freddy I thought I was a gonner’.

  ‘No time for thanks Stephen, I need to get you out of herequick the helicopter is waiting’.

  Tarling smiled at his quirk of fate and hastily followed Freddy out onto the veranda and the steps that would lead down to the helicopter pad.

  Chapter 12.

  ‘What you having Doc?’ Howcroft asked as he stood at the bar, with the barmaid patiently waiting.

  ‘Director’s pease’ Doc responded. ‘Ill find a table’.

  Howcroft nodded in acknowledgement and asked for two pints of Director”. The lunchtime menu on the blackboard caught his eye. ‘Ill have two hot roast beef sandwiches, as well pease’ he smiled.

  �
��Ill bring the food over’ she smiled back.

  Howcroft steadily wandered over to the table, careful not to spill any of the precious liquid. Minutes later the barmaid brought over the sandwiches and smiled politefy ‘enjoy your meal’.

  ‘How is Lisa these days?’ Doc enquired, engaging in conversation that would take Howcroft away from the investigation.

  ‘Yes she is fine’ Howcroft said, trying to recall the last time they spoke. ‘High flier in London now Doc, Marketing Executive or something like that’.

  Doc raised his eyebrows, then grinned as Howcroft’s mobile burst into life with the Hawaii Five-0 theme tune.

  ‘Howcroft’ he answered abruptly.

  ‘Chief Inspector, my name is Zara Norton from Special Operations Scotland Yard’.

  Howcroft’s jaw dropped, especially with the delightful sounding voice on the other end. ‘Yes sorry Zara, to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?’

  Doc frowned at Howcroft in trying to get an indication of whom it could be?

  Zara continued ‘I understand you are reviewing unsolved crime files, I’m interested in one you investigated two years ago’.

  Howcroft hesitated before answering and then remembered the file he had sent back to Tarling. ‘Oh yes, that’s right, the dead Colombian’.

  ‘Yes, I was wondering if you had a spare couple of hours in your diary, just to go through some of the investigation with you?’

  Howcroft was silent for a moment, curious why the case should be so important. ‘I’m not at the office at the moment, as soon as I get back, Ill have a look in my diary and get back to you’.

  ‘That will be fine, I look forward to your call’. The mobile tone went dead, Howcroft was puzzZed and frowned, looking at his mobile as though it was a strange object from Mars. ‘Well, well, well, very interesting call’.

  Doc looked at him inquisitively, eager to understand Who? Why What? held out both his arms to the side in gesturing to know.

  ‘I think this investigation has taken a very intriguing twist’ Howcroft smiled. ‘Sorry Doc, lets eat as I need to arrange a date with a lovely young lady. I think my hunch might be right. Any sign of that DNA report?’ Howcroft asked now re-focused on the murder investigation.