Death Surge (A DI Andy Horton Mystery) by Pauline Rowson

Author:Pauline Rowson [Rowson, Pauline]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Published: 2013-12-20T00:00:00+00:00

THIRTEEN

‘Do you believe all that bollocks about international jewellery thefts?’ Uckfield swallowed a large mouthful of his half pint of bitter and glowered at the city spread out before them as though it had done something to personally annoy him.

Horton eyed him closely. ‘Do you?’

‘No, I bloody don’t.’ Uckfield swivelled his gaze back on Horton. ‘I didn’t the last time Sawyer shoved his beaky nose into one of my cases and I believe it even less now.’

‘Then what’s he doing here?’

‘I was going to ask you that.’

‘How should I know?’ Horton said, surprised, and yet deep inside him he thought of Zeus. He wondered what Uckfield had picked up from his sources. Sawyer was hardly likely to confide in Uckfield, but perhaps Sawyer had mentioned to Uckfield that he was interested in getting Horton seconded to the Intelligence Directorate. ‘Detective Chief Superintendent Sawyer doesn’t confide in me.’

‘But Agent Eames might.’ Uckfield eyed him pointedly with a grotesque leer.

‘There’s no reason why she should,’ Horton said somewhat stiffly, keeping his gaze steadily on Uckfield. Just what had been said in Cowes on Monday night when Uckfield had been there? Or was Uckfield implying that Harriet Eames fancied him?

Uckfield sniffed, shrugged and let it go. After a moment he said, ‘Funny how she’s shown up with Sawyer twice and how she seems to be spending more time here than at The Hague where she’s supposed to be working.’

Yes, wasn’t it? Horton hadn’t checked that she really was working at The Hague; maybe he should. Even if he did though, he guessed whoever he asked would be primed to confirm it. Unless he could find someone he knew personally who was working on secondment there and could pump them for information on the quiet. Perhaps she, like her father, was working for the intelligence services. Or perhaps she was working with the Intelligent Directorate. He said, ‘Maybe there is some truth in these jewellery robberies, and maybe Johnnie Oslow is involved.’

‘Yeah, and maybe I’m the fairy on the Christmas tree.’

The mind boggled. Any Christmas tree would buckle under Uckfield’s weight. Horton suppressed a fleeting smile. ‘The Andreadis family are very wealthy, and they’re personal friends of Lord Eames. Xander’s probably pulled some strings to bring in the big guns.’

‘For a lad of twenty-three, only one amongst his hundreds of employees, who he’d normally think has gone off with a tart!’ scoffed Uckfield.

He was right, but what was he driving at? ‘Then why spin us this yarn about jewellery thefts if it’s not true? We can easily check it out.’

‘Trueman’s working on it when the blonde beauty isn’t breathing down his neck, and before you suggest it I’ve also got him checking out Masefield and his jolly jack-tar crew.’

Good. Trueman had contacts everywhere. Horton said, ‘And that seems even more relevant now. Two of them sailed with the same charity as Johnnie.’ He told Uckfield about his visit to Don Winscom and Dr Needham, adding, ‘So if it isn’t jewellery robberies or a woman, what do you think is going on, Steve?’

‘Blackmail.

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