CHAPTER 1
I was making my way to the taxi office just as the town hall clock was striking the last note of midnight.
I checked my watch; it was a minute slow. I crossed over the road going towards the Seamans mission. The taxi rank was not far from the Seamans mission.
As I walked past the mission, I thought I heard a muffled cry; it seemed to come from the alley that leads to the back of the seamen mission.
'Amigo.'
Yes, there it was again.
I approached very cautiously straining my eyes in the pitch darkness for any signs of movement.
'Hello' I called. 'Anyone there? 'Can I help you?'
'See senior.'
'Where are you?
'Akhee. Akhee.'
That's not English I thought, I groped my way along the alley wall in the darkness. 'Hello, where are you, are you alright?
I just got the words out of my mouth, when I stumbled and fell over something, scraping my left knee on the cobblestones as I fell.
'Oh senior help me.'
I picked myself up and rubbed at my knee.
'Who are you? What happened?
I could just make out in the dimly lit alley, a young man lying on the ground right in front of me.
I pulled him up into a sitting position; it was then I saw that his face was covered in blood.
'What happened to you? I asked again.
'I don't know senior.' He said.
'How are you like this? Have you been drinking?
'No senior believe me.'
'Well, where have you been?
'In the seamen's mission senior I have just left the dance that was being held for all the seamen that are on the ships in the river. I was going to go back to my ship the "El Condor". Then someone attacked me from behind, hitting me over the head.'
'You have been mugged.'
'Mugged senior?. What is this mugged?
'It means you have been robbed, if you look in your pockets you will find your money and wallet have been stolen.'
He searched his pockets and pulled out his wallet.
'I do not understand senior, my money, it is still in my wallet, and nothing seems to have been taken.'
'You are lucky man then, they or whoever it was that attacked you must have heard me coming and ran off before they had time to rob you.'
I helped him up onto his feet, when he suddenly shouted.
'Caramba.'
He was clutching at his neck.
'Take it easy, 'what is wrong? I asked.
'I have been robbed senior.'
'But I thought you said nothing was missing.'
'Not from my wallet senior, but they have stolen the gold chain and Medallion; I was wearing around my neck.'
'Was it expensive?
'No senior, you do understand.'
'Ken is my name. What is it I don't understand?'
'The medallion senior Ken.'
'What about the Medallion?
'It is very important to me senior Ken, I have to take it to someone. I promised to deliver it and they will be expecting me to keep my word, and I must deliver it.'
'I will take you to the police station and you can report the theft of the chain and Medallion. Tell them that it has been stolen from you, the police are very good, and they will help you.'
'No Ken I cannot do that.'
'You must if you want to try and get it back.'
'No Ken, No police, you see it is no ordinary chain or Medallion, It has magic powers.'
'Magic powers you say. I think that knock you took on the back of your head has got you all crazy and mixed up, magic powers, never heard anything so stupid.'
'You must believe me senior Ken, it is magic, and I promised to deliver it when my ship reached our next port of call on the West African coast.'
'Who else knew about this chain and Medallion?'
'No one'
'Someone from your ship must have followed you out from the dance, or someone who knew you had it.'
'It is impossible.' He said to me. 'I have just bumped into the man inside the mission, for the first time tonight; it could be no more than fifteen minutes ago.'
'You mean a complete stranger, you had never seen before in your life gave you a valuable gold chain and Medallion and asked you to deliver it to someone in Africa for him.'
'Yes senior Ken. I know it sounds crazy but you must believe me, it is true. He asked if I would deliver it for him, he told me where I had to take it, and who to give it too. He also knew that when we sailed from this port, which my ship was going to Africa, he then gave me the fifty pounds in English money that you saw in my wallet, he made me give my word that I would do as he asked. I still have the money in my wallet.'
He took out his wallet and showed me. 'Look senior, I do not lie.'
'Yes I see it, put it away, dont flash money around like that, not in this area.'
'He told me of the Medallion and its magic powers senior Ken, then stressed how important it was, that I get it back to the tribal chief of the Ashanti people in Africa, and not to give it to anyone but the chief or it could cost me my life, he then disappeared.'
'And that was the last you saw of him?'
'Yes senior Ken, I swear it is the truth.'
A police car sped past us with it siren going, it stopped a little further up the road from where we were standing,
I noticed a crowd had gathered where the police car had stopped.
'Come on,' I said 'Let's go and see what all the fuss is about.'
We reached the crowd just as the ambulance pulled up; the paramedics jumped out and knelt down to help someone who was lying face down on the ground.
We pushed our way to the front; the paramedic had turned the man over onto his back and started to examine him. He looked up at the police officer and I heard the doctor say to him. 'Its too late there is nothing we can do, this man is dead.'
My companion gasped and started to tug at my coat sleeve.
'It is him, Mama Mia it's him' he said.
'Who, Who is it? Do you know him?'
'Yes, it is the man who gave me the chain and Medallion, he has also been attacked, and they have murdered him.'
I took him by the arm and lead him away from the crowd.
'Are you sure that is the man who you met inside the mission dance.'
'Yes, it is the same man senior.'
'Come with me.'
We made our way to a little cafe that I knew would be still open in the high street. We entered the café, I took him straight to the wash room, and as luck had it, it was empty.
I tore off some toilet roll, and told him to put his head over the wash basin, he did as I asked. I turned on the cold tap and started to clean up my new amigo, getting rid of the blood that was on his face from the wound on his head.
'There that's a lot better. Take a look in the mirror. Are you happy with the way you look?'
'See senior Ken, but my head, it aches.'
'Come on I will get you a cup of coffee'
We left the wash room; there were only a couple of people in the café.
We took a table beside the window and sat down.
The man behind the counter said. 'If you want anything you better make it quick, I am just about to close for the night.'
I ordered two cups of black coffee.
The man was eyeing us with suspicion.
'I hope there have been no trouble with you two.' He called over.
'Trouble No we have not caused any trouble.'
'I heard a police siren outside not long ago.'
'Yes we saw the crowd that had gathered just up the road. I think Road accident by the look of it, but nothing to do with us.'
'It's just that I saw blood on your friend there, when you both came in.'
'Yes it was blood. We were watching the commotion outside and my friend here walked right into a lamppost, and split his head open. I told him he should not have been nosey, anyway a cup of coffee will put him right.'
'When I saw the blood on your friend I thought you had been in some sort of trouble. You have to be careful out late at night these days. It is getting worse around here, what with all these wine bars open till early hours in the morning.
The kids of today are spoilt, too much money in their pockets I say. When I was a young, everywhere was closed at 10pm, people just wanted to dance or sing a song, then get home to bed without any trouble. Now all you hear are police sirens, it is getting like New York around here.'
He eventually brought the two coffees and placed them on the table and returned to the back of the counter, I was glad we didn't get another lecture off him.
Turning to my companion I asked him to think hard.
'When the man gave you the chain and Medallion and the money, was there anyone from your ship, or anybody close enough to hear or see what was going on between you and him.'
'No, I had finished a dance with a girl I had been with all night, and besides the girl, I spoke to no one except that man,
'What girl?'
'Gloria, I met her last night at the mission, she works there.'
'Do you know anything about her?
'No not really, only that she was very nice and also very kind to me, well not only to me but to all the people that were at the dance.'
'Did you see her talking to anyone who might have looked suspicious?'
'No, as I have said she was friendly with everyone encouraging them to get up and dance with the other girls, and to take part in the fun. When it was time for her to leave for home, just like last night, I put her in a taxi and said goodbye. The only difference from last night was. I arranged to see her at the dance again tonight, nothing else.'
'The taxi when she got in. Did you know, or did you hear her tell the driver where to take her to.'
'I closed the taxi door when she got in; I think she told the driver the Hook or something like that.'
'The Hook, Iv'e never heard of it. Think hard, try and remember when she got into the taxi what did she say exactly to the driver.'
'That was all senior Ken, something like, the Hook please driver.'
'Wait a minute, could it have been the Nook you heard her say to the driver.'
'Yes senior Ken that is it, the Nook.'
'Well that's a start, I know a lot of people from around that area so we might be able to find her, but first we will go to the seamen's mission tomorrow, if she works there as a regular, someone should know where she lives. Where is your ship berthed?
'It's called the El Condor and it's at the Middle Docks down by the Milldam.'
'Yes I know where it is.'
I got a taxi for the both of us and dropped my friend at the Middle Dock gates.
'It is too late to do anything tonight, so tomorrow I will meet you outside these dock gates at eight o-clocks sharp.'
'Sharp senior Ken.'
'Yes that means eight o-clocks on the dot and no later, and don't say a word to anyone, or you could be roped in for murder.'
'Roped in.' He put his hand up to his neck. 'Why you say roped in.'
'Its just a saying, don't worry it doesn't mean your going to get hanged, our justice isn't as bad as that, remember your in England, see you tomorrow.'
I made my way home; it was late as I put my key in the lock. I could hear Spot on the other side of the door, I opened the door and before I could get my coat off, Spot was asking me.
'Where have you been Ken? I was getting worried, it's almost one thirty in the morning.'
'Yes I know Spot, let me get my coat off, I will make a cup of tea and then I will tell you why I am so late.'
I sat down in the kitchen with my cup of tea, I then told Spot all about what had happened, and that we were going to the Middle Dock in the morning to meet the Spaniard, to see if we could help him get back his Medallion.
The next morning Spot was up very early. He was all excited; he couldn't rest till we had had our breakfast and were on our way by bus to the docks.
We had arrived early; it was ten minutes before eight. The last of the workmen were going in to the dock, to clock on for their shift.
'Do you think he will show up Ken, what did you say he was again?'
'He is a Spanish sailor.'
'Be patient Spot, I told you we were a little early.'
We had been standing outside the gates for a while and there was no sign of our Spanish friend. I looked at my watch.
'You could be right Spot, about him not turning up, it is twenty past eight and there is no sign of him.'
We were just about to give up waiting when I got my eye on him; he was showing the security man in the gatehouse his pass to let him out of the docks
'There he is Spot.'
'Buenos dais, I mean good morning senior Ken, I am sorry I am late but the Captain had me doing extra duties.'
'We were about to give up waiting for you and go back home.'
'Yes, I understand but I could not get away, believe me.'
'Yes alright I believe you.'
'And who do we have here senior Ken.'
'This is my dog, and my best friend, Spot.'
'Pleased to meet you senior Spot.'
'Come on lets go to the seamen's mission and have a word with the Padre see if we can sort out what happened to you last night, or more important what happened to the Medallion and gold chain.'
When we approached the door of the seamen's mission, I turned and said to my Spanish friend 'Let me do the talking.'
'Okay Ken as you like.'
I rang the door bell and we waited, I could hear someone coming, the door opened, it was the padre,
'Yes what can I do for you?' He asked.
'Well padre we are trying to find a girl, she works for you at the mission, Gloria is her name, and we have to talk to her.'
'I am sorry but we do not give information to strangers about anyone who works for us at the mission.'
'But padre it is important that we see her.'
'I am sorry I cannot help you, it is the rule, and we don't give out information about our staff to strangers.'
'I understand, thank you all the same.'
'Come on Pedro.'
'My name is not Pedro senior Ken.'
'What is your name then? You never told me.'
'My name is Gonzales Miguel Pinto Maximillan Sanches,
'Come on Pedro, I am not saying all that.'
'Okay senior Ken.'
We walked to the Market Place to catch a bus for the Nook, I paid the fares and we took our seat upstairs, it was only a ten-minute ride to where we wanted to be.
At the Nook we called on a few friends, and asked if they knew a girl called Gloria, who worked at the mission to seamen, no one knew a Gloria.
'No luck Pedro, no one seems to have heard of this Gloria.
'Someone must know her senior Ken.'
'Wait we have one more chance of finding her. If anyone knows of her it will be my friend the landlady at the Nook pub, Charlotte Bell she knows everybody.'
We went into the pub and asked one of the barstaff if Charlotte was in.
'Yes, she is in the lounge, I will go and get her for you only be a minute.'
'Hi Ken. What brings you in here?
'We, that is me and my friend here Pedro, are looking for a girl, it is important that we find her Charlotte, we have asked all around the Nook but no one can help us, Thought you might be able too.'
'If I can Ken. What do you call her?
'I only know her as Gloria, don't know her second name, and that she works at the seamen's mission.'
'Gloria, no cannot recall anyone by that name Ken, not around here. Not a Gloria.'
Charlotte called to her friend behind the bar.
'Elaine do you know a girl called Gloria from around here who works at the seaman's mission.'
The Mission, 'No never heard of her.'
Sorry Ken can't help you.
'Well thanks anyway, if you do hear anything Charlotte let me know.'
'I will keep my ears open and ask around for you, it's important you say Ken?'
'Yes, it could be that she could help my friend Pedro. I need to talk to her. Thanks for your time; we must be off now seeing you.'
As we were about to go through the door, Charlotte called us back.
'Wait Ken?
'You remember her Charlotte.'
'No Ken, not a girl called Gloria, but there is a girl that has just come to mind who works, or used to work at the mission, but you call her Mavis not Gloria, it could be the girl you are looking for.'
'Do you know where she lives?'
'She lives at Ridgeway Road, she has a boyfriend who was on drugs, he was horrible, and I don't know why she puts up with him. Everybody has told her the same thing. Mavis is a nice girl Ken, I will show you the house she lives in, but she will probably not be there now.'
'Why? Does she have a day job?'
'No, I think she will be around at her boyfriend's house now. I will just put on my coat and take you there, it isn't far.'
We followed Charlotte, she was right it was only around the corner, she pointed out the house, and it didn't look very nice.
'That's the boyfriend's house Ken. I had better get back to my pub, I am busy with the auditor, and I hope it's the girl you are looking for.'
'Thanks for your help Charlotte.'
I walked up the path and knocked on the door, it had a hollow sound, as if the place was empty, and I knocked again and waited.
'You will not get an answer there.' said a little boy.
'Why not?'
'Because the police came and took Tom and Mavis away.'
'When?'
'About half past two this morning.'
'Half past two, you would have been in bed at that time, a little boy like you.'
'Ah know where I was mister at half past four, I've got a watch that tells the real time.'
