Crash Course by Derek Fee (pdf to ebook reader .txt) 📕

pleasures of the Riviera tomorrow,” David said. “But I want both Morweena and you at the Palm Beach Port first thing on Friday morning. Third in Sorrento was one thing but we’ve got to keep up the momentum if we intend to make it to Key West.” He looked at Kane. “Let’s not get distracted by the social programme. For those of you who are interested, Dinos Karakatis has invited all the teams to a party tonight on board his yacht. Let’s make it our one and only social event.”

“You can count Bill, Doc and myself out, boss,” Reg said. “We’ll be putting in some hours tonight on the boat. Fact is we should be on our way now.” He finished his beer and motioned to Bill and Doc.

“I’ll be right with you,” Doc said as the other two mechanics stood and left the bar.

“Looks like you’ve been grounded, mate,” Kane smiled. “You’ll have to think of all that grub and booze. What’ll I do without my sparring partner?”

“I need a word,” Doc said.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll find somebody else to spar with,” Morweena said. “Doug Jackson’s clipboard girl should be in town.”

“Mark,” David said. “I’ll be supervising the work on the boat until quite late. I wonder would you mind escorting Morweena to the party.”

“Sometimes I despair of you.” Morweena turned her most withering gaze onto her father. “I’m well past the age when you have to organise escorts for me.”

“Morweena, let me be honest,” David said quickly. “Karakatis wants Penhalion Marine and what he wants he usually gets. If I go onboard that damn floating gin palace of his, he’ll spend the evening trying to convince me to give him my company. And I’m to smile while he’s doing it. I’m too damn proud to take that. However, there’ll be food and dancing and there’s no reason why the Penhalion team shouldn’t be represented by you and Mark. Please, darling, don’t behave like a spoiled child. Go to the party with the bugger and leave Tom and me to have a quiet dinner in some bistro or other.”

“I don’t believe this.” Morweena continued to stare at her father. “David Penhalion scared to confront a creep like Dinos Karakatis. Perhaps I should attend with Mark after all.”

“There are still times, Morweena,” David said. “When I think I really should have the right to put you across my knee and spank you.”

“But you don’t,” she said.

“Suppose I pick you up about eight,” Kane said.

“Yes, you may.” Morweena stood up from the table and strode off in the direction of the lobby.

“Oh God,” David said, downing the remains of his whisky and heading after her.

“We have a problem,” Doc said as soon as the Penhalions were out of hearing.

Kane motioned for another beer. The hair of the dog was working much more effectively than the painkillers. “What problem?”

“Morweena Penhalion,” Doc said simply.

“Tell me about it.” Kane took the fresh beer from the waiter and took a slug. The effect of the second beer was not quite as stunning as the first. But it was still up there.

“She thinks that we’re up to something.”

“Clever girl.”

“She’s asking herself how you and I arrived together both foisted on them by Tom, and how come we became such firm friends if we didn’t know each other before? I had to play bloody twenty questions with her in Sorrento. And all because you weren’t there when she woke up that morning. Where the hell did you guys get yourselves to?”

“Burying my mother,” Kane said simply.

“God, mate, I’m sorry.” Doc leaned over and took Mark’s hand. “Condolences, mate.”

“Thanks.” Kane swallowed the remainder of his beer and called for another.

“Steady on, mate,” Doc said. “It’s early yet.”

“And we’re free tomorrow. If you need to father someone why don’t you find a deserving case?”

Kane’s third beer arrived and he deposited the empty second glass on the waiter’s tray. “I bet you’ve solved the case while we were in London.”

“Not by a long way,” Doc said. “I’ve been doing more than a little drinking myself. I’ve pumped away at those mechanics but so far nothing.”

“Anybody mention Safardi?”

“No. Should they?”

Kane explained his conversation with Davenport. “Europol is still digging into the guy but he appears promising.”

“Where does that leave Barrett?”.

“The same thought ran through my mind,” Kane said.

“I better get down to the port.” Doc stood quickly. “Otherwise I might not have a job. And try to keep your pecker in your trousers tonight. I think Morweena has much more than a passing interest in you.”

“No need to worry. I have it under control.”

“Yeah,” Doc said as he strode towards the front door of the hotel.

“And how are you?” Tom said as soon as Doc left.

Kane swallowed some beer. The effect had been reduced to a slight tingle. “As well as can be expected.”

“I wouldn’t fault you if you pulled out,” Tom said. “I can’t really ask you to go on under the circumstances.”

“The circumstances haven’t changed.” Kane drained his glass. “Guys like me don’t have families. Don’t have emotions. I do the job that they pay me for. Tick follows tock follows tick follows tock. I plod on until I nail the bad guys. Then someone else takes the case over and I start on something new. Then after that another one and so on until I get too old and fat. Then they’ll dump me like I never existed.”

“I’ll understand…” Tom began but then stopped. Kane’s eyes were glazed over. “You want to be alone. “I have to go upstairs,” Tom stood up. “I will understand you know.”

“Yeah,” Kane said, echoing Doc’s departing shot.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Barrett sat at the table already occupied by Sheikh Safardi. in the restaurant at the Carlton Hotel and the young Arab, dressed in a pure white silk suit, cream cotton shirt and silk tie, looked like he had stepped out of the window of a Savile Row tailor. A thin solid gold Blancpain watch adorned his left wrist.

“How nice to see you again,”