Black Daffodil (Trevor Joseph Detective series) (19 page)

‘Walk out of the door with our uniformed friends and drive to the lucky place and search the yachts for illegal immigrants.’

‘You’re dealing with Darrow, make sure there’s no film of either of you breaking and entering any of those boats,’ Dan warned. ‘I’ll have back-up standing by,’ Dan took his cell phone from his pocket and hit speed dial.

Ten minutes later Peter and Trevor left the tower block. They pulled their hats down low over their eyes and followed the two constables to the squad car. They climbed in the back.

‘The marina, sir?’ the one who’d taken the car keys asked.

‘Not, sir, Trev and Pete, we’re the same rank as you. And yes, straight to the marina.’

‘How do you want to play it?’ Trevor asked Peter when they’d parked as close as they could get to the Darrows’ yachts.

Peter tapped the driver on the shoulder. ‘Names not numbers?’

‘I’m Jason, he’s Neil.’

‘Right, Jason, you and Trev start with
Lucky Star
. You are acting on “information received” relative to people trafficking.’

‘Still think the Darrows are involved?’ Trevor asked Peter.

‘I do. You?’

‘No, but we’ll soon find out. Neil and I will take a look at Lloyd Jones’s new home,
Lucky Me
.’ Trevor ran his hand along his shin to check his Glock was in place before he climbed out of the car. He looked at Peter and saw that he was doing the same.

Trevor and Jason walked up the gangplank to Lucky Star. A man walked down to meet them.

‘Can I help you, officers?’

Trevor did the talking. ‘We’ve had a complaint.’

‘What kind of a complaint.’

‘The kind that gives us the right to search the premises.’

‘I’m sorry, my order are to allow no one on board. Mr Darrow …’

‘We don’t need to see him.’

‘I can’t allow you to …’

‘We have received a report that people are being held on this premises boat their will. We are duty bound to investigate such reports immediately.’

‘I have to telephone the owner.’ The man dialled his mobile. Trevor could hear it ringing the other end. A standard voicemail message cut in. Had Dan already arranged for the Darrows to be picked up? He pushed past and walked on deck.

‘You take the rooms on the right, I’ll take the rooms on the left,’ Trevor ordered Jason. If you see any young women enquire if they are being held against their will.’

‘You can’t do that.’ The man ran up to Trevor.

‘Stay on deck. Otherwise I may be forced to arrest you for obstructing an officer during the course of his duties,’ Trevor ordered.

After he and Jason searched the cabins, they searched the engine room, heads and galley. Remembering that Ally had mentioned a walk-in freezer, he opened the door. It was stacked high with crates of vodka and frozen food.

‘Hold the door, Jason.’

‘Yes … Trev.’

Trevor stepped inside and shivered. Move the crates and it was big enough to hold a couple of people. He only hoped Daisy hadn’t ended up in here. And Andrew? What did he hope for Andrew?

That Ally had been lying?

He knew she hadn’t been.

Chapter Nineteen

Trevor was returning to the deck when his phone rang.

‘We’ve cuffed Lloyd Jones to the wheel. I might have found something.’

‘I’m there.’ Trevor switched off the phone and turned to Jason. ‘I’m joining Peter. Handcuff our friend to the wheel. Stay with him.’ Trevor looked at the deck of
Lucky Me.
It didn’t seem so far. He almost jumped it before thinking of his age – and his son.

As Trevor approached the cabin of
Lucky Me
, Peter held out an earring. ‘I found it in here.’ He pushed an empty water barrel towards Trevor. ‘Daisy wears earrings.’

‘But you don’t know if that’s hers because you never notice them,’ Trevor suggested.

‘They’re earrings, not suspects. Daisy always looks great to me.’

Trevor took a closer look at the piece of jewellery. ‘It’s Daisy’s.’

‘How do you know?’ Peter asked suspiciously.

‘It’s hand-made, the beads are antique. I was with Lyn when she bought two pairs at an antique fair. One pair for herself and one for Daisy. She gave them to Daisy on her last birthday. That’s what you do when you marry. You notice what your wife wears.’

Peter looked down into the barrel. ‘If they dumped her in there – she must have been bloody terrified. If they threw her overboard …’

‘They wouldn’t have while they were berthed. You’ve searched the boat?’

‘Yes.’

‘The galley?’

‘Yes.’

‘The freezer?’

‘I looked inside.’

Trevor ran into the galley and pulled down the lever that locked the freezer. Like
Lucky Star
there were crates of vodka, and frozen food. He stepped inside and peered behind the crates.

Just like on Andrew’s, frost had formed on Daisy’s eyebrows and lashes. Their skins were paler than porcelain. But the frost on Andrew’s face was thicker than on Daisy’s.

‘Call an ambulance!’

Peter stepped behind him. ‘Oh Christ.’ He fell to his knees.

‘There’s a pulse. Faint but there,’ Trevor moved his fingers from Daisy’s neck. ‘I can’t take her out. You have to be careful with hypothermia. Bring victims round too quickly and they won’t survive. The ambulance crew will know what to do.’

Peter and Trevor followed the paramedics off the boat. Dan and Bill were waiting for them on the dockside.

‘Daisy?’ Dan asked.

‘Touch and go, but she’s a fighter.’ Like Peter, Trevor didn’t want to believe she could die.

‘Andrew?’ Bill asked.

‘Dead and I’m not sorry,’ Peter snapped. ‘It takes a dirty worm to turn on his own kind.’ His eyes were dark.

Jason and Neil were escorting Lloyd Jones and Darrow’s man into the back of a police van.

‘I didn’t hurt my uncle or the woman,’ Lloyd shouted at the uniformed officers. ‘I couldn’t. That’s why I put them in the freezer. I had no choice.’

Bill walked over to him. ‘Go on.’

‘I had to take her to make you call off the investigation. My uncle planned it but he changed his mind. He was going to tell you everything. All Lucy wanted to do was stop your investigation long enough to sell the formula. We were going to take the money and go abroad. Start a new life together. Lucy had it all planned. We were going to the Med …’

‘You saying that Andrew Jones was going to tell us that he had leaked the identities of undercover police officers to the criminal gangs they’d infiltrated?’

‘Yes. He told me he didn’t think they’d kill them. Just stop working with them. When they were murdered, he panicked. Lucy and I couldn’t let him go to you just because he got cold feet …’

‘Bad choice of words, boy.’ Bill returned to where Dan, Trevor and Peter were standing.

Trevor remembered how upset Andrew had been when he’d heard about Alfred, Lee and the others. It all made sense – now. ‘The Darrows?’ Trevor asked Dan.

‘Looks like they had nothing to do with it. But that won’t stop us impounding their yachts – for a while.’

*          *          *

It was quiet in the hospital waiting room. Still in uniform, the buttons of their tunics undone, Trevor and Peter sat side by side, listening to the doctor’s footsteps echo down the corridor.

‘She’s going to make it.’ Peter repeated the doctor’s words as if he couldn’t believe them.

Trevor looked up as Bill entered.

‘Did I hear you say what I thought you said?’ Bill asked.

Peter rose to his feet. He couldn’t trust himself to speak so he nodded.

Trevor patted his pockets and found the key he was looking for.

‘You win some, you lose some,’ Bill said quietly.

‘Don’t expect me to cry over Andrew Jones. No copper should sell out another, not even for a share of fifty million quid,’ Peter said bitterly.

‘I wasn’t talking about Andrew. Jake Phillips’s – or rather Evans’s – life-support system has just been switched off. Dan’s with his mother now.’

Peter blinked hard. ‘Tell Dan I’m sorry. Really sorry.’

If Bill hadn’t known Peter better, he might have thought Peter was fighting back tears. ‘Jake was the first one Andrew shopped. When Lloyd contacted Andrew with Lucy’s “get rich quick on Black Daffodil scheme”, Andrew ran a check on undercover officers working in the area.’

‘How?’ Trevor demanded. ‘Andrew wouldn’t have had clearance.’

‘According to Lloyd, who couldn’t get the full story out quick enough after we told him there might be a chance he’d get a lighter sentence if he came clean and co-operated, Andrew tricked the monitoring office. Rang them and said a call had come into our station from an officer in trouble. The stupid bloody clerk asked Andrew for his number so he could check it out. When he found out it was from a station, he rang Andrew back and told him there was only one undercover officer working on the Bay and gave him Jake’s ID. Lloyd said that after he and Lucy approached Andrew, his uncle came up with the idea for the auction. But none of them made allowances for the contaminated pills in Amber’s flat. Chances are Amber Smith knew they weren’t right. But Marissa and Lucy didn’t. Marissa saw Lucy break into Amber’s flat and steal the pills and formula. Marissa hid, took the Black Daffodil Lucy had left and managed to get out after the blast killed her sister. Marissa sold the pills on the estate and Lucy dished them out at Damian Darrow’s party. That’s when we came in. Andrew must have been delighted when Dan offered him a chance to work undercover. But, Lloyd said Andrew changed his mind when Alfred, Michael and Maria were killed and Lee and his wife disappeared. He rang Lloyd and told him he was going to turn himself in. Lucy had other ideas. There was no way she was going to give up fifty million quid. She may look pretty but she was the brawn of the operation.’

‘After being massaged by her, I can believe it.’ Trevor recalled her muscle-roped legs and arms.

‘Lloyd’s insisting he was completely under her spell. He’s trying to convince everyone that Lucy all but hypnotized him into helping her throw Jake off the balcony, and kidnap Daisy after teaching him the moves that enabled him to do it. According to Lloyd she kidnapped Andrew by herself. Enticed him into her car then killed him with a karate chop to the neck. I don’t entirely buy Lloyd’s “I was under Lucy’s evil influence version” but we’ll know how much truth there is in his story after Andrew’s post-mortem.’

‘And Ally?’ Peter asked.

‘In Ally’s own words, she’s Lucy’s lover, accomplice and paid heavy,’ Bill said. ‘As you mentioned, Peter, equality in all things, even crime.’

‘Lee and his wife?’ Trevor asked.

‘Two heads were found floating in the Bay this afternoon. Man and woman, both Chinese. The locals are looking into it and hoping to find more body parts, but you know the Triads. Anyone who talks will get the same treatment as Lee. The case will remain open.’

‘And never closed.’ Peter turned towards the ward.

‘If Daisy’s awake, give her my apologies for our screw-up,’ Bill called after him.

‘And my love.’ Trevor left his chair.

‘Where you off to?’ Bill asked Trevor.

‘To hire a taxi to take me to the estate to pick up the car. You’ll make sure the gangs know the case is closed, that there’s no Black Daffodil to fight over any more?’

‘Already done. You’ll be back in an hour or so to sort out the paperwork?’ Bill checked.

‘I’m going to Cornwall.’

‘The paperwork …’

‘You do it so well.’

‘Trevor, you can’t take the Maserati to Cornwall, it costs a fortune to rent and you’re in uniform …’

‘I’ve split the seams. Put it down as expenses and buy the owner a new one.’ Trevor held out his hand. ‘Can I borrow thirty quid? I left my wallet in my suit. The taxi will cost at least ten and Peter paid a couple of kids to look after the car. We were away longer than we expected. They deserve a bonus.’

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