Chapter 19


    Richard


    James and Klempner, heads close, voices low; they stand together at the end of the hall discussing


    something… I assume Finchby…


    The bell rings. I don’t feel quitefortable answering the door in someone else’s home, but James


    waves me on, his eyes flicking between me and Klempner.


    I open the door to find myself face to thunderous face with Will Stanton.


    For a second or two, I hesitate, blocking the view down the hall. Deliberately raising my voice, “Will…


    Good to see you.” I nce back. Klempner exchanges an rmed look with James.


    “Richard...” Will Stanton''s voice booms through the house. “May Ie in?”


    In the hallway, Will stands, legs akimbo, hands sped before him, holding his hat, eyes darting in all


    directions. James, all casual good manners, strolls down, hand proffered. “Will, thank you for calling by.


    What can we do for you?”


    Will awards him an old look. “Nice eye patch, James. How did youe by it?”


    James sucks at his teeth. “Why don’t youe into the lounge. We can talk there.”


    James takes his armchair. Will epts the seat offered him on the couch, but his face is set. “The eye,


    James. What happened?”


    “We received a ransom demand for Charlotte. Richard here provided the money. I delivered it. The


    kidnappers weren’t gentle in their handling of me.”


    Will absorbs this. “You have Charlotte back?”


    “Yes. She’s safe upstairs, along with my new daughter.”


    “Congrattions.” It’s a happy word, but thunder rolls over Will’s upper reaches. He turns to me. “And


    what were you doingst night, Richard? While this was going on.”


    “I had my own difficulties. Elizabeth went into prematurebour… The upset, you know. The stress.


    She and Charlotte are very close.”


    “Ahhh…” Will nods slowly, scratching at an ear. “Is everything…?”


    “Elizabeth is fine now. The doctors halted the contractions. But she is resting. I trust you are not going


    to ask me to disturb her? The doctors were very clear that she must be free from stress over the next


    few weeks. Would you like some coffee? Tea?”


    “No, thank you, Richard.” He sps his hands, winding thumbs one around another. “I have to ask you


    both what you know about events at one Club Electricst night. Down by the old docks.”


    James takes a moment to reply. “Charlotte’s kidnapper was the owner of that establishment; Finchby.”


    “Is that right? And you went there… Why?”


    “To deliver the ransom money and get Charlotte back.”


    “You realise that I cannot condone paying ransom. It’s ying into the hands of…”


    Fire zes in James’ eyes. “I do understand that. It wasn’t your wife inbour and puking her guts


    up…” Abruptly, as if by the flick of a switch, his calm returns. “As it emerged, they had no intention of


    releasing Charlotte. And they were nning to sell the baby for organs…”


    Will’s mouth works. He swallows. In a calmer tone, “You said they, not he. Was Finchby working with


    someone else?”


    “Yes. A man called Baxter.”


    “So, what can you tell me about the fire which has gutted the building and the escape of some forty or


    so apparently trafficked women and boys from the premises?”


    James’ expression switches to ‘nd’. So does his voice. “Forty? As many as that?”


    “Yes, I don’t have all the details. Most of them speak no English. What happened?”


    “While we were escaping with Charlotte, Michael and I released the others we found imprisoned. Given


    Charlotte’s background, I’m sure you understand where we, both of us, stand on the subject of human


    trafficking and very. As to the fire… I don’t imagine Finchby had too many friends in therest night.”


    “So, Michael was with you too?”


    “He was.”


    “You didn’t mention that before.”


    “We’d not reached that point of the conversation before.”


    “Anyone else with you?”


    “Such as?”


    “I couldn’t say.”


    James wears a face as nk of expression as an egg.


    Wonder if he ever ys poker?


    Will stares at him hard. James holds the stare and returns it.


    Must have been a cat in a previous life…


    Will cracks first. “You should know James…. You too Richard… The Mayor is giving me hell. That end


    of town does not have a good reputation, even at the best of times. After this…”


    James cuts in. “Why should Vandervoort give you a hard time? A most disreputable establishment has


    been very effectively closed down. An organised crime ring has been taken apart. I would have thought


    Mayor Vandervoort would be delighted about it all. Certainly, he’ll be able to im credit for it. Surely all


    that has to be good for votes?”


    Will sucks at his cheeks, but the ghost of a smile haunts there. “I''ll suggest that to him.”


    “And of course…” continues James…. “I''ll be happy to give a statement to that effect. Perhaps even to


    the press…” He rocks a hand… “Strong policies. Powerful policing… Leadership at the top.” His voice


    trails away. He sits back in his armchair, eyes steady on Will, forefinger pressed to his lips.


    Will sits back too, inhales deeply, then harrumphs. “Richard, on aplete change of subject, you


    asked me to look into the situation in Thand, with a view to a holiday there I believe? With Beth, once


    the baby is born.”


    Oh, Good Lord…


    Now what?


    “That''s right.”


    “I’ll admit…” Will rubs a finger across his chin… “… when you first mentioned this to me, I had


    concerns. Young wife. Young baby. Thand has a reputation after all.”


    “So it does.”


    “So, as you requested, I made some enquiries for you.” A smile ghosts over his face


    “And…?”


    “From what I''m being told by my opposite number over there, Thand has been a busy ce over the


    last several months.” That smile isn’t a ghost anymore. It swims around his eyes.


    “Busy? In what way?”


    “It appears that someone hasunched a crusade against organised crime over there… The


    syndicates. The families…”


    James leans forward, intent.


    “… Specifically… this crusade has been against the traders in human traffic. Although it''s in the nature


    of things that the trade in illegal drugs, protection rackets and suchlike has also been affected.”


    Will is trying hard to keep his face straight.


    James makes a winding motion with his fingers. “Do go on.”


    Will shifts in his seat. “It began with a number of… of the more unpleasant variety of tourist turning up


    dead there…”


    “The kind looking for the sort of entertainment they can’t legally get elsewhere?”


    “Exactly that kind. … In each case, the bodies were deposited in some highly public ce, in one case


    on the frontage to a noted national newspaper."


    I nce to the side-table where my ‘City International’ lies folded, waiting to be read. "I don''t recall


    seeing anything about this in the papers or on the news.”


    “Here, no. You know what they’re like with foreign news. But in Thand and the area, it made the


    headlines.”


    Will steeples fingers, face intent. “On the first asion, it was treated as a simple robbery with murder.


    But after the third such incident, the ripples were damaging the trade. It was bing known that a


    visit to the country might result in more than a simple trip to the brothels…”


    He pauses, apparently collecting his thoughts, then, “At that point, our... vignte... turned his attention


    away from the customers and onto the suppliers.”


    James exchanges nces with me. “Really? Don’t stop there. This is fascinating.”


    “Isn''t it.” Will is making no attempt now to hide his grin. “Over a period of months, the heads of several


    of the criminal families and rings have been assassinated. We can identify at least twelve such cases.


    There may be more. Whoever our assassin is…” He pauses again, holding eyes with James… “… he


    started with the big fish, then worked his way down the food chain…


    “Piece by piece, and systematically, someone has dismantled the Thai infrastructure in human


    trafficking.”


    “No doubt…” I say… “… others will step up to rece those removed.”


    “In time, no doubt, but right now, there is an odd reluctance to do so. With the Garcias family for


    example, first, the father was executed… in his own vi… by a marksman from a range of over a


    mile...”


    James leans forward. “A mile?”


    “A mile.” Will pauses, lets that sink in. “After that, his eldest son, Chakan, took up the reins. He survived


    a week. What was left of him was found garrotted in his own bathroom. And then, the second son,


    Ananada reced him. He vanished three dayster and hasn''t been seen since. So, volunteers for


    the top jobs are in short supply.”


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    “And no one knows who is responsible for all of this?”


    Will straightens up again, leaning back in his seat. “No one has been identified, no. However, the Thai


    authorities are of the opinion that, whoever it is, with the knowledge disyed, the pinpoint targeting, it


    has to be someone who already knew the trade, knew the connections and understood how the


    network held together.”


    James sucks in his cheeks. “Kind of poacher turned gamekeeper?”


    “You could say that.” Will turns brisk again. “For the moment at least, the Thai police find themselves


    upied dealing with traffic vitions and quarrels between neighbours over whose dog shat in the


    lawn.”


    James plucks at this chin. “Did your contact have anyment on all of this?”


    Will is deadpan. “Remarkably little in fact.”


    James stares into space, wheels clicking behind his eyes. “Will, why was Finchby’s ce never closed


    down before? With everything that was going on there and his reputation…”


    Will’s mouth presses t. “We tried, several times. Every time, Finchbywyered-up on the spot and…”


    His eyes sh the whites… “… friends in high ces put a stop to further investigation.”


    “Hmmm…” James stands, moves to toast his back with the fire. “Would one of those friends be


    Diarmuid Powell?”


    Eyes narrowing, “In fact, yes. Why do you ask?”


    “I visited Club Electric two nights ago. Powell was there being entertained by some of Finchby’s


    workers.”


    Will’s mouth quirks. “Is that a fact? Did he see you?”


    “No, I kept my head down.”


    “Can you prove it then?”


    “Finchby’s security footage will show it. He had cameras everywhere.”


    “In fact,” says Will, his words turning slow, “Forensics have been trying to find the security records. So


    far, they’ve not turned anything up… You wouldn’t know anything about that?”


    James shifts, looking uneasy…


    Caught on the hop…


    “I saw aptop in his office. I’m not sure what happened to it.”


    Will holds him, hard-eyed, then me. “Should anything ur to you, either of you about the whereabouts


    of thatputer, I’ll expect to hear about it.”


    He heaves himself up from the couch. “Anyway, Richard, I''ve taken up enough of your time. I''m sure


    you''ll be wanting to attend your wife. Do give my best to Beth.” Hat in hand, he nods to each of us. “I


    hope it all goes smoothly for you both.”


    “I’ll see you out.”


    Closing the door behind him, I find James and Michael watching me from along the hall. “Did you hear


    that, Michael?”


    “I was standing right by the door. I heard everything.”


    “Where is he?”


    “Made himself scarce. Downstairs. I’ll go check what he’s doing. You stay here in case Willes


    back.”


    *****