Death Diamonds of Bermudez (3 page)

Storm replied, “Sorry, my friend, for the early morning wake up call.”

Savage snapped back, “Well, did you apprehend your dead man?”

Storm answered in a soft tone, “No, not really. In fact I lost two of my fellow agents last night.”

Savage added, “I’m sorry, mate. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Storm replied back, “Thanks, man. Yes, there is something you can do.”

Savage replied, “What is it?”

Storm asked, “I never understood why you have a Boer Prisoner of War Cemetery in Bermuda. Wasn’t that war fought in South Africa? So how did they end up in Bermuda?”

Savage was surprised at Storm’s question, but he vaguely remembered Storm commenting on a Boer prisoner of war on the phone last night. Being a history buff, Savage went on to tell Storm the Boer history. “The Boers were of Dutch ancestry. Thousands of them migrated from their native homeland to South Africa. They acquired vast regions of farm land. Just like in America the battle over control of land was ongoing. The mighty Zulu nation would fight to the death over their land. At times the Boers joined forces with the British to fight the Zulu’s. But over the years, the Boers fought two wars with the British. The Boers were expert marksmen and understood the terrain much better than the British. When it was all said and done the Boers were just overwhelmed and out-gunned by the British.

Back in June 1901 forty-six hundred Boer War prisoners were detained in Bermuda prisons. They were subjected to hard labour under very poor health conditions. The ones who died in Bermuda were buried on Long Island in the Great Sound.” After a brief pause Savage asked, “So what’s this all about?”

Storm replied, “I’m really not sure, but what started out as a stakeout is now a full blown murder investigation. The South Africans were looking for a hundred year old map that an ex-prisoner of war from the Boer War took to the grave with him. As far as I know, I’m pretty sure they got what they were looking for.”

Savage asked, “So what now? Are you still tracking the South Africans?”

Storm allowed his emotions to seep through into the conversation, “Hell, no. Those bastards made a clean getaway! Savage, my fellow agents were well trained, and these South Africans made us look like amateurs. These guys were invincible. We never stood a chance.”

Savage added, “Well, if the bloody Boers have the map then they must be looking for what’s at the end of it. Any idea where you think the map originates?”

Storm added, “After talking to you, yes, I believe I do.”

Savage asked, “Then where?”

Storm replied, “Buddy boy, I’ll bet a million dollars it’s in your back yard.”

Savage snapped back, “Crap, that’s all I need now--- some bloody paramilitary murderers trekking about Bermuda. The Commissioner will eat me alive. So if that’s the case when do you think those bloody bastards will show up?”

Storm answered, “Well my friend, I’m guessing they’re on their way now or will be shortly.”

Savage replied, “Alright then. For the next week I’ll volunteer for airport duty. No one else will mind: it’s typically a boring beat. I’ll keep you posted. ”

Storm added, “Like hell you will! I’ll be seeing you in the next forty-eight hours, as soon as I can get clearance.”

Savage laughed and said, “Oh lord, here we go again.” Both men said their goodbyes and hung up.

Unexpected Visitors

That night Samantha Savage and Michael Clark were on their scooters following the taxi that was taking Michael’s grandmother to the airport. Samantha, better known as Sam, was Inspector Savage’s daughter. Michael was one of her best friends and a member of the group she belongs to called “The Spinners”.

Michael’s grandmother was flying out that night on the British Airways flight to the UK to visit her sister.

It didn’t take long for Michael to say goodbye to his grandmother. After she entered the terminal waiting area and could no longer be seen, Sam and Michael walked outside. They were just hanging around waiting to watch the large jet take off in the night sky. Both Spinners were sitting on their scooters and playing with their portable video games. They were only about twenty feet from the taxi pickup area for arriving passengers and within ten feet of an old red British telephone booth. Passengers that had arrived on an American flight were now leaving the airport terminal and looking for transportation. Michael spotted a small group of oddly dressed men leaving the airport.

Michael nudged Sam and whispered, “Aren’t those dudes dressed funny? It looks like they’re going on a safari.”

Sam scratched her head for a few seconds trying to get the old thought processes going. Then it hit her like a ton of brick. She jumped up off her scooter, but before she could blurt out her thoughts, Michael grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her down. Michael whispered, “Are you going to tell everyone in the airport what you’re thinking?”

Sam, a little less excited, whispered back, “Look at the clothing these guys are wearing. Does it remind you of something we saw the other day at the library?”

Michael responded, “No! I can’t think of anything we saw at the library.”

A little annoyed Sam replied, “Those aren’t safari outfits! They’re modern day versions of Boer military uniforms!” Michael just about fell off his scooter when he heard what Sam had said. Before Michael could reply, one of the men walked in front of the two Spinners and stepped into the phone booth. He dialed a number and the party on the other end of the line answered so quickly the man didn’t get a chance to close the phone booth door.

The mystery man replied to whoever was on the other end of the call, “Yes, this is Kruger Van Eck. Did you get our cottage on Long Island?” Before the Spinners could hear anything else, Van Eck managed to close the door. The two could now no longer hear anything that was being said.

The two looked at each other slightly bewildered. They both started stepping backwards towards their scooters intuitively sensing it was time to be going. Suddenly, someone grabbed both of them by their shirt collars and yelled out, “What the bloody hell are you two punks looking at?”

Michael and Sam both turned their heads around and looked up almost at a ninety degree angle. The man gripping them by their collars was huge. He was a giant. He was over six feet seven inches tall and looked enormously threatening. It was Dirk Lynch. Sam was flinging her arms around, but getting nothing but air. Michael yelled out, “Let us go, you big oaf, before I get mad!”

Savage being the police officer on duty at the airport saw the situation and walked over to the giant asking, “What’s the problem here, mate?”

Lynch let go of Sam and Michael, but before he could respond Van Eck stepped out of the phone booth saying, “My apologies, officer. My mate thought these kids were trying to steal our luggage.”

Michael straightening out his shirt snapped back, “Inspector Savage, you know that’s a lie.” The Inspector knew Van Eck was lying. After all, he trusted his daughter and Michael without question. However, Savage did not think it was wise to reveal the fact that one of these youths was his daughter.

Inspector Savage nodded in agreement and said, “You two move on along. Get on your scooters and go home.” He turned to Lynch and said, “You better watch your step, or your stay in Bermuda will be a short one.”

Lynch’s face went beet red. No one but Van Eck ever told him what to do. With no warning he threw a round house right swing at Savage with his massive fist, but to no avail. He missed Savage by a mile. Savage’s pre-police boxing reflexes had kicked in and had saved him from a crushing blow to the head. Savage reacted with a pounding left hook into Lynch’s belly. Lynch bent over, and Savage let him have it in the jaw with a vicious right uppercut. Lynch staggered backwards. Savage expected him to collapse, but instead he shook off the blow like it was nothing and moved back in the direction of Savage. Savage pulled out his night stick pointing it at Lynch and bracing himself for the worst, but Van Eck stepped between the two and signaled Lynch to back off. Lynch did as he was commanded. Savage was surprised at the toughness of Lynch. No one had ever withstood a right uppercut like that from him. Savage turned and flipped out his handcuffs thinking of arresting the unruly tourist, but he changed his mind and walked away. Before he walked back into the airport he stopped and gave the South Africans one more glancing look and said, “You’re all very lucky I didn’t arrest you.” He turned and disappeared into the airport. Van Eck and his associates ignored Savage and hailed a taxi.

Meanwhile Sam and Michael were on their way back to St. George’s both wondering what these South Africans were up too. Savage also was left wondering. He knew he had just had a run in with the South Africans that Storm had told him about. The South Africans had already left in their taxi, but Savage knew he would be able to find out where they were dropped off. The taxi driver was a good mate of Savage’s.

The next day the Spinners met at their favorite spot, the dunking stool in St. George’s King’s Square. The Spinners were a close knit group of high school kids who did everything together from attending school to socializing. They were best friends, and there’s nothing they would not do for one other. Michael Clark was an American who lived with his grandmother in St. George’s. He was six foot one inch tall with jet-black hair and very slender. His weight of one hundred fifty pounds had not kept up with his height. He played guard on the school basketball team. Michael missed American football, and he knew he did not have the frame for rugby. School in Bermuda was much more demanding than he had been used to in Boston. Thank goodness Sam was there to help him out. Michael was also very fond of Sam.

Samantha (Sam) Savage was a beautiful and brilliant young girl. Only 15 years old she was considered the “brains” of the group. Her father was Inspector Ian Savage, the local police Inspector for the St. George’s Branch of the Bermuda Police Service.

Keno was a giant for his age of sixteen. With his massive frame of six feet four inches and a weight that tipped the scales at over two hundred twenty pounds, he appeared to be much older than he was. For a big boy, he was agile and could play any sport. The studies came hard for him, but his Spinner friends were there to help. Keno had a close bond with his father. They both loved electronic communications. Girls were the last things on Keno’s mind. His friends, his scooter, and electronic communications came first.

Then there was Graham, the good-looking ladies man. There was not a girl in the school that didn’t dream of a date with Graham. Graham was almost six feet tall with a medium build. His hair was done up in short braids most of the time and he had a smile that would melt the heart of any girl in the room when he made an entrance. Graham was in the top two percent of his class academically, as was Sam. His goal was to further his education at university, earn a Masters Degree in geological engineering and continue on in the family petroleum business.

Roderick, or as his friends would call him, ‘Portagee,’ was the “odd man out,” when it came to height in the group. Being younger, he may have not hit his growth spurt yet, but no one was holding his or her breath. Portagee, if he stretched, was only five feet four inches tall at his best. Being short didn’t hold him back. In fact it just made him work harder at whatever he did. He held the record as the highest scoring batsman ever for his school. He was sharp as a tack and loved electronics. Portagee had a great thirst for knowledge, but this thirst would sometimes get him into awkward situations. Because his father was a fisherman, Portagee was the seaman in the group.

This summer getting around the island was much different for the Spinners. Graham, Michael and Keno had all turned sixteen. Zoom, zoom, the three of them now had scooters. They were free to explore the entire island without relying on parents or buses. Sam and Portagee were welcome passengers on the back of any of the three scooters.

Sam and Michael quickly filled the others in on the events at the airport the night before. Keno said, “It sounds like the Inspector really saved your butts.”

Michael snapped back, “That’s bull. I was just about to free myself and kick the big guy in the groin”. He turned to Sam and said, “Right Sam?”