Chapter Twenty-Three
‘Are you sure this is okay, Paul,’ Magee asked as they mounted the short flight of steps to the front door of Nick Price’s mansion. ‘I’m quite happy to press the bell and ask for permission to come in.’
‘Nah, don’t worry. I’ve got the code,’ Paul responded. ‘Anyway, this place is like an open house. There must be twenty-odd staff coming and going during the day. Nick operates his entire business from the east wing. There are fifty rooms here, Magee, they all get used. One more face won’t go amiss.’
‘Sure? It’s just that I’m not keen on the idea of arriving unannounced,’ Magee mumbled. ‘Things got a bit heated last time I was here.’
‘Nick will be sweet as pie, trust me. He wouldn’t dare cause a scene with Nittaya around.’
‘No?’
‘No, Nick adores Nit. God, she can twist him around her finger. He’s putty in her hands.’
‘I’ve met her already, but not Somsuk. What’s he like?’
‘He’s the son every father would hope for. Handsome, athletic, intelligent. And a really nice person. Right then,’ Paul said as the door opened, ‘are you ready to do battle?’
‘I’ve no choice. You’ll give me some support I hope.’
‘You bet. I’m just as interested in this as you are.’
Paul held the door to the inner hall open for Magee. ‘Hi, Annie,’ he said to a passing maid. ‘Is Nick home?’
‘Yes, Mr Paul. He’s in the lounge.’
‘This way,’ Paul said to Magee, crossing the galleried hall. He opened the door to the room Magee had been in before. ‘Hi, Nick!’
‘Hey! Paul, good to see you.’
Magee walked in behind Paul. ‘Afternoon, Mr Price.’
‘Jesus Christ! What the hell are you doing here, Magee?’ Nick rose from his chair as if to engage in a challenge.
Paul stepped in quick. ‘I invited him here, Nick.’
‘You invited him? You invited a copper, into my home? Bloody hell, Paul. I hope you’ve got a good reason.’
‘I have, Nick. Bear with us will you?’
Nick looked over towards Nittaya who was sitting on the sofa reading a book. She glared back; be polite her eyes seemed to demand.
Nick Price appeared to relax a little. ‘Well, Magee, this is a surprise, I must say. I thought you’d been thrown out of your job.’
‘I’m officially off the case, if that’s what you mean.’
‘Meaning what? That you’re working unofficially on the case?’
‘Correct.’
‘And you’re here to pursue the case?’
‘Correct.’
‘I’ve told you I don’t know anything about it.’
‘You did. You lied.’
Nick’s jaw dropped. ‘Are you calling me a liar, Magee? In my own house?’
‘Yes. You knew the three recent murder victims; Todd Conners, Mike Harwood and Robert Harrison. Then there’s Keith Gibson as well, he was to have been the fourth victim.’
Nick’s eyebrows screwed up tightly. ‘What the hell are you talking about?’
Magee could sense Nick Price’s discomfort. ‘You knew all the victims in Bangkok, at the bar you ran with Paul’s brother, John. Lucy’s Tiger Den wasn’t it?’
‘You have proof of this?’
‘Yep. I certainly do. Oh yes, one other thing, Mr Price, I know who the next six victims are going to be.’ Magee took a moment to enjoy the shocked reaction he could see on Nick’s face. ‘Just as you do.’
Nick Price was well and truly speechless. Magee took advantage of the situation, caught Paul’s attention and gave him a discrete nod.
‘Magee has found something interesting, Nick. It needs an explanation. I need an explanation. It involves John.’
Magee brought out the photo from his jacket pocket and passed it over.
Nick hissed. ‘Shit!’ He stared at it for a few seconds then handed it back to Magee.
‘Shit indeed, Mr Price. You’re in it up to your neck, aren’t you?’
‘Where did you get that photo, Magee?’
‘Keith Gibson’s mother kept it as a memento. She let me make a copy of it.’
‘Well, bully for you, Magee. But so what?’
‘I want to know the story behind it. No bullshit,’ Magee demanded. ‘Just the plain honest truth.’
‘Story, Magee? What story would that be?’
‘The story about how the ten of you pulled off some big job in Bangkok. It must have been a pretty big heist. Conners, Harwood, Harrison, Gibson and yourself all seem to have become millionaires as a result.’
‘I don’t know where you got that information, Magee, but it’s way off the mark. There was no heist in Bangkok, as you put it.’
‘Really? I always did wonder where your money came from to establish your property empire. Don’t tell me you just found the money?’
‘As a matter of fact, Magee, we did just that.’
‘Bollocks! You don’t expect me to believe that do you.’
‘That’s up to you Magee, but it’s true nonetheless. Anyway, what does it matter how we got our money?’
‘Oh, it matters a lot. Believe me.’
‘Go on then, explain.’
‘I’m working on the theory that the ten of you were involved in some heist. It was successful, but something went wrong. Maybe not everyone got away. Maybe someone didn’t get their fair share. Maybe someone got caught, thrown in jail. Whatever went wrong, eighteen years later, someone’s out of jail and seeking revenge,’ Magee paused to savour the look of distress registering on Nick Price's face.
‘It wasn’t like that, Magee.’
‘How was it then? What other reason is there for someone to seek revenge?’
Nick Price hung his head as though in exasperation. ‘Why do you keep saying revenge?’
‘The murder weapons, the daggers, they’re related to a culture of revenge.’
‘Bollocks, Magee. I don’t buy that. There’s no one involved that could be seeking revenge.’
‘Oh come on, what other motive is there? Eighteen years on, it’s obvious someone is out for revenge. Did you cut someone out of a share? Did you abandon someone out there, let them take the rap?’
‘No!’
‘Eighteen years is a nice hefty prison sentence, is that why John Mansell never came back?’
‘What? No!’ Nick snapped.
‘Is John Mansell free now and wreaking havoc? Is that why you took pity on Paul here when he was younger? Were you suffering from a guilty conscience over John being stitched up?’
‘No!’ Nick shouted.
‘I've read Paul's criminal record,’ Magee continued. ‘It must have cost you a hell of a lot, and not only in terms of cash, to get Paul released with just a caution. Don't tell me you took pity on a poor young boy because you saw yourself in him. That's bullshit! You paid dearly for Paul's freedom. It must have hurt you, don't tell me it wasn't because you were stricken with guilt over dumping John in some shitty Thai prison!’
Paul stirred uneasily and glared menacingly at Nick.
‘You're out of order, Magee!’ Nick shouted, his face contorted in pain. He turned to Paul. ‘I promise you that last bit is not true. John has been as free as the rest of us these last eighteen years. It was his personal decision to stay in Bangkok.’
‘But he never came back, Nick,’ Paul interjected. ‘He never even tried to contact me! Why not? If he's been free all these years then surely he would have sent one letter at least? A prison sentence makes sense to me, Nick.’
‘It’s not what happened!’
Paul had tears in his eyes. ‘Then talk about it, I beg you!’
‘Paul, listen to me. The reason John never came back has nothing to do with this photo. There were other reasons. Personal reasons. The same reasons that caused him to flee there in the first place. You'll have to ask John yourself. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is. I promised John I’d never talk about it.’
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‘But . . .’
‘No “buts” Paul. I was closer to John than I am to you. Would you expect me to break a promise if I made it with you?’
Paul briefly lowered his head and stared at the carpet. He reluctantly shook his head.
‘Right! Thank you. As for looking after you, Paul, I've told you this before, I owe my life to John. Seriously! I'd have been dead if John hadn't put himself in physical danger to rescue me. I was that close to death,’ Nick said gesturing with his thumb and index finger the narrowness of his escape from the jaws of death. ‘John saved me from a situation that still makes me wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, as you well know. Every time it happens, I'm reminded of John. I owed him one. When we last spoke, just before I left Thailand, he asked me to look you up sometime, send you a birthday card, that sort of thing. He’d given me your parents address in Arnos Grove and your date of birth. It took me a long time to make contact, I know, but I eventually came searching for you on your sixteenth because of a particularly bad night with that recurring nightmare. I thought it was about time I saw how my old mate’s kid brother was doing. Admittedly, I saved you from a nasty situation, but it was incomparable to the risk that John took in saving my life. It was the least I could do to fork out fifty grand for your life.’
Paul looked startled. ‘Fifty grand?’
‘Yes, Paul,’ Nick spat out. ‘Twenty five grand to pay off the storeowner and another twenty five grand as a bung to Inspector Stallard who . . . Oh, fuck, you didn’t hear that Magee.’
Magee was stunned. ‘You bribed a police officer?’
‘Yes, Magee, I bloody well did. He was known for being bent. But don’t bother trying to pursue it. Stallard got his comeuppance years ago, he got far too greedy for his own health. Anyway, he got his money’s worth and some. He insisted that I found out who’d pulled off a bank raid in my old manor the previous month. You know what I think of grassing people up Paul, well I did it. It really got my goat. I exposed myself to blackmail by Stallard, but I did it for you Paul, as a payback for John. That’s how much I owed him, that’s how much I cared for him. So please, both of you, don’t you dare insult me by suggesting I stitched up John.’
The room went silent for a while. Nittaya crossed the room to put her arms around her father.
‘Shit, Magee!’ Nick cursed, ‘you've upset all of us now.’
‘I had to ask. I’m sorry.’
‘Yeah? Well, you’ve asked. Is that it now?’
‘I need to know what happened in Bangkok.’
‘I'm not prepared to discuss it. It's history. It’s no longer relevant. Okay?’
‘I disagree, Mr Price. I think it's very relevant. Couldn't you at least point me in the right direction? I'm convinced that someone connected to this photo is the killer. I need to understand why the killer has been using Paul. Maybe he’s got something against John; hence he’s taking it out on his brother. Paul’s not off the hook yet, so if you have any feeling for him then help him out and that means helping me.’
‘Nick, please! I'm being set up. Maybe I'm on this death list as well.’
Nick looked at Paul's pleading eyes. ‘Fuck it!’ he swore, sighing deeply. ‘Okay, okay, Magee. But only what I deem relevant.’
‘Thank you. You did pull off a job, right?’
‘No, we did not. We simply found something that had been hidden years beforehand. That’s the truth.’
‘If the money came from abroad, then it's no concern of the British police. We have no interest in it. Okay?’
Nick Price gave a nod in response.
‘Did you all come back?’
‘John stayed, the rest came back.’
‘Why did he stay?’
‘I’ve answered that already. Personal reasons. The lifestyle suited him out there. He would have been frustrated back in England. His bad habits might have got him into trouble with the police here.’
‘You all got equal shares?’ Magee continued.
‘To the penny.’
‘But it took several months to clear, didn't it? Todd Conners didn't have a penny on his return. It wasn't until later that year that his fortune started mounting up. Was John the banker? Is that why he stayed?’
‘One reason, yes.’
Magee stabbed a finger at the photo. ‘Anyone else involved other than this lot?’
Nick paused for a moment, biting his lip and lowering his eyelids. ‘No one that's relevant, Magee.’
‘What about a fence? For the, well, for whatever it was you say you found.’
‘Anyone else involved, as you put it, received fair commissions. There were no complaints over percentages.’
‘So there were others involved, then? Are you sure they were all paid fairly? No one got fitted up?’
Nick sighed. ‘The others are no longer relevant, Magee, let's leave it at that.’
‘On the contrary, Mr Price,’ Magee persisted, ‘I think the others are exactly where the relevancy lies.’
‘The dead can't walk,’ Nick whispered, tears welling in his eyes.
Magee tried to work out what lay behind the slip. Did he mean the others had died since, or what, he wondered? ‘Who is the woman in the photo?’
Nick lowered his head and took a firmer grip on his daughter’s arms. ‘Mal,’ he said choking back tears. ‘My wife.’
‘Let me see that, Chief Inspector,’ Nittaya demanded.
‘Nit, please, leave it,’ Nick pleaded as a fresh wave of tears cascaded down his cheeks.
‘No, Daddy, I want to look. I don’t have enough photos of Mum as it is.’
Magee handed the photo over reluctantly. Nittaya took it gingerly, as though a treasured object. She stared at it for a full minute, taking in the faces, the surrounding bar, as though trying desperately to remember those times.
Nick wiped his face with his hand and said, ‘Nit, really, you were far too young.’
‘When was this taken, Daddy?’
‘It was taken at your mother’s twenty-first birthday party.’
A door behind them shut with an unexpected bang. ‘What’s that you’ve got?’ The question was asked by a handsome looking young man as he entered the room.
‘A photograph taken at Mum’s twenty-first birthday party,’ Nit replied. ‘I haven’t seen it before.’
‘Magee, this is my son, Somsuk,’ Nick butted in. ‘Som, this is Detective Chief Inspector Magee. He’s trying to piece together the recent murders.’
‘I’ve heard about you, Chief Inspector. But how does this involve us?’
‘I don’t know exactly, I’m trying to work that out.’
Somsuk took the photograph from his sister, stared at it for a few seconds and nodded his head. ‘Where was I, Dad?’
‘In bed I expect, it was past midnight when that photo was taken, and you weren’t yet two years old.’
‘You left us on our own?’ Somsuk enquired.
‘Course not! You always had someone looking after you. You were a real pain at times, Som, always determined to run off exploring at the slightest opportunity. If Mum or I weren’t around you’d have Ay or Jook dancing attendance.’
‘Who are they?’ Magee asked.
‘Ay was the maid, babysitter.’
‘And the other one you mentioned?’
Nick didn’t respond. He just bit his lip as more tears ran down his face.
‘Jook was my mother’s twin brother, Chief Inspector.’
Magee turned to Nick price and demanded, ‘And where is he?’
Nick did not to respond. He turned to brush away the tears from his cheeks.
Somsuk replied, ‘He is dead as well, Chief Inspector.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Magee said to Somsuk. ‘I really didn’t intend to intrude upon your family’s grief.’
‘That’s all right, Chief Inspector,’ Somsuk replied. ‘Nittaya and I were only babies when the accident happened. Sadly, I can only recall the merest glimmer of a memory of my mot
her and uncle. It is my father who still mourns. As you can see, he has never got over the death of our mother.’
‘Mr Price . . . Nick . . . look, I’m so sorry for this intrusion, but someone from your past has come back to haunt you. I think the killer is a Thai national. How would that fit in?’
‘It doesn’t, Magee,’ Nick responded, breaking his silence. ‘What makes you think it did?’
‘A security guard caught sight of the killer in Hove. He said it was a “Chink”, to use his precise words.’ Magee caught Nittaya’s eyes. ‘Sorry for the offensive language.’
‘A Chink?’ Nick asked with a startle, as though a light had switched on somewhere in his head. ‘You mean a Chinese?’
‘Not necessarily,’ Magee replied. ‘Why, does a Chinese person fit in to the equation?’
‘Maybe, Magee. Maybe.’
‘How?’
‘There were several Chinese soldiers involved.’
‘And they could harbour a grudge?’
‘One received a fair share of the proceeds, the others, well, they’re no longer relevant either.’
‘Dead?’
‘Mostly, I expect.’
‘Oh, Jesus,’ Magee exclaimed. ‘This is a real can of worms. How many Chinese soldiers were involved as you put it?’
‘I . . . I really can’t say. Far too many to count.’
Magee’s eyes widened. ‘Pardon?’
‘We’re talking half the bloody Chinese Army for god’s sake,’ Nick spluttered. ‘And yes, some of them probably did have a grudge. In fact some definitely did have grudges.’
‘Their names?’
‘Haven’t a bloody clue! Our paths only crossed for a few hours. We were under intense stress, introductions weren’t called for.’
Magee hesitated a moment to gather his thoughts. ‘Nick, look, the reaction I've had from the victims’ families is that none of you lot ever wanted to be reminded of Thailand again. Someone has a grudge against you and your friends, so you must have done something to upset someone. Whoever it was, I believe that person is someone you know; someone you may even think is dead or out of the picture. Anyway, I believe that person is here, in England, right now, and intent on revenge. Whoever he is, he’s extremely clever and very resourceful. And he’ll soon be after you. Now, who the hell could it be?’
Nick sat down on a sofa with a dazed look on his face and ran his hands through his hair. ‘Shit, Magee. You certainly know how to rattle someone. But this is all just speculation, isn't it? You have no real evidence to go on, do you?’
‘No. None at all I suppose. It’s mere conjecture, I admit. But your reaction proves it all for me. Now then,’ Magee said as he approached Nick, with the photo held out, ‘who are these others? I need to find them and warn them, if nothing else.’
Nick pointed to the men in the photo. ‘That's Todd Conners, Mike Harwood, Robert Harrison and Keith Gibson. John and myself are down here.’
‘And the others?’
‘No way!’
‘Paul said he thought one of them was Sean Fitzpatrick.’
Nick winced. ‘Whose side are you on, Paul?’
‘Sorry, Nick. Magee caught me unawares.’
‘Oh, never mind. Yes, that's Sean Fitzpatrick down there. That's it, Magee.’
Magee was perplexed. ‘Why ever not?’
‘They wouldn't thank me, Magee.’
‘For saving their lives? Are you kidding me?’
‘No, Magee. I'm not kidding you. Sorry, but no ball. If they want to, they'll identify themselves to you. But I'm not getting involved for anything. Well, not at this stage anyway. Maybe if things get really bad, then okay. Until then, well, I'm sorry. No deal, and that's final.’
Magee didn't quite know what to say. He had met a brick wall, just as he thought he’d got his man to open up. He handed over a card and said, ‘If you change your mind, here's my phone number, okay? Maybe you could do with police protection some time.’
‘I can protect myself, thanks. And my family, which includes Paul.’
‘If you decide to help the others, I'll keep it off the record. The others won't know you told me. Do you really want more deaths on your conscience?’
Nick shrugged his shoulders, pulled a grimace then slowly turned in the direction of the bay window, pausing for a few seconds before replying in a whisper. ‘It's the risk one takes in life, Magee. The price of sin, perhaps?’
Magee didn't like that comment; it was far too close for comfort. He was just about to speak again, when he realized that Nick's eyes had misted over and were staring vacantly into the distance.
Nittaya dabbed a tissue against beads of sweat that were breaking out on her father’s forehead. ‘Daddy! Daddy! Are you okay?’
‘Yeah, sorry, Nit,’ Nick replied. ‘You know what I’m like when I get reminded of the past.’
‘Chief Inspector,’ Nittaya said in a firm tone. ‘My father is sick. Please, enough questions.’
‘You’re right, I’m sorry. Thank you for your time.’
‘Magee, just a second, I’ll see you out.’
Magee walked with Nick to the front door in silence. He stepped outside and waited for Nick to unload whatever was on his mind.
‘Magee, look. Whatever’s happening, it’s personal, between me and the others in the photo. Leave it to us, we’ll deal with it.’
‘You sound as though you know who it is.’
‘No, I don’t. Seriously, I can’t fathom it out. It doesn’t make any sense to me. Look, I know we don’t see eye to eye on things, and I’m still really pissed at you, but can we do a deal here?’
‘Such as?’
‘Information. Let me know what happens your end. Give me a chance to sort it out.’
‘Why should I do that?’
‘Because some of the others involved are . . . how can I say this . . . a bit too heavy.’
‘You mean they’ve got more clout than you?’
‘Yeah, I wouldn’t want to piss them off. Nor would you, if you knew who they were. You’ll have to trust me on that.’
‘You fear them?’
Nick reflected for a few seconds before saying, ‘I wouldn’t want to tangle with them, Magee. They could outmaneuver me easily.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah, really. There are few men I fear, Magee, but I do fear organizations. Especially those with resources.’
‘You’re being cryptic.’
‘Yeah, I am. Sorry, but it’s for your own good.’
Magee thought for a moment. ‘You know something? Ever since I started in the police, I’ve despised you and what you stand for. I know it’s irrational. Yet the strange thing is, the more I get to see of you, the less I dislike you.’
‘Is that supposed to be a compliment, Magee?’
Magee smiled a little. ‘I guess it is. You’ve got two smashing kids. You can’t be all bad to have them turn out like that. You’re also carrying a lot of guilt, aren’t you? About your wife, I mean. You must have loved her deeply.’
Nick simply nodded his head.
‘You’re no longer the monster I remember from the sixties. You’ve turned into a human being, haven’t you?’
‘I always was, Magee, you just didn’t see it before. Yeah, I admit I was a bit of a thug in my teens, but I like to think I’ve moved on. My life was hell until I met my wife, she sorted me out.’
‘She was like Nittaya?’
Nick grinned. ‘Yeah, just like Nittaya.’
‘I’ll give your request some thought. Just one thing though.’
Nick looked expectantly.
‘Would you be offended if I called you by your first name? I’d prefer that, with your family around.’
Nick held his hand out. ‘See you, Magee. Watch your back.’
‘I will.’