The Speedicut Papers by Christopher Joll

Author:Christopher Joll [Joll, Christopher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781546291398
Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
Published: 2018-04-30T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: RIPPING TIMES

“Your presence here is most opportune,” the fiend went on. “I had thought to make the King’s demise look like suicide. But, thanks to you, I can now wring even more political advantage for my country out of this affair. The murder of a ruling sovereign by the hand of a foreign power – a hand that will be found dead at the scene – will not only eliminate one of Bismarck’s most powerful allies, but will also have the most interesting implications for the continuation of Britain’s world hegemony. Two birds with one stone, as you English are so fond of saying.”

Then, without warning and in quick succession, two shots were fired behind me. Ludwig crumpled to the ground, von Gudden’s body jerked with the impact of the second round, Searcy leapt to his feet and I felt something warm and heavy slip into the right pocket of my waterproof.

“Stay exactly where you are,” Ignatiev ordered Searcy, “and do exactly as I say or your master will join the King and the Doctor.” Searcy froze, something my guts had already done. “Now I want both of you to drag the two bodies into the lake. It’s quite shallow here, but make sure you are wet up to the knees.”

Ignatiev gave me a savage push in the middle of my back, I stumbled forward to join Searcy and then turned to look at the bastard.

“Do as he says,” I said to my secretary, “I think he’s got a second barker.”

“Correct,” said Ignatiev as he stepped forward of the tree line brandishing a large revolver, “and get on with the job I’ve given you or the guards will arrive before I’ve finished establishing this little tableau.”

Searcy and I looked at each other in horror, but what choice did we have? Together we dragged the two bodies into the shallows.

“Excellent, now all I have to do is kill you both.”

“But what earthly good will that do you?” I asked in desperation.

“You always were a fool,” snarled the Russian. “Tell your master, peasant.”

“I would imagine, Colonel,” said Searcy is a fairly level voice, “that Count Ignatiev has already – or will shortly - plant evidence on you that will convince the authorities that it was you who murdered the King and Dr von Gudden. You won’t, however, be able to defend yourself or me because, as he’s already said, the Count will have shot us both before the guards arrive. His story will be, I would hazard, that as a member of the Commission he was concerned at the King being permitted to take a walk, so he shadowed His Majesty and the Doctor, saw us sneak up on them, was too far away to help but shot us as we were fleeing the scene of the crime…”

“Very good,” said Ignatiev. “Now all that remains is for the two of you to start running along the shore line so that I can complete the scenario.”

“You’ll never get away with this, Ignatiev,” I said, in a probably futile attempt to buy us some time.

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