James Benn - Billy Boyle

“And you saw him help Daphne put her things into the car?” I asked.

“Yes. I stopped to chat with them. He was interested in her vehicle…”

“A 1934 Riley Imp. Red,” I filled in.

“Yes. She told us it was a gift from her father, and that Kaz was always wanting to drive it, but she saved that pleasure for herself.” Jens’s face clouded over.

“Soon after, Rolf left in his jeep for Southwold while Daphne waited for Kaz. I said good-bye and went inside to my office. Several minutes later, there was an explosion.”

“Did you see it?”

“No,” Jens answered.

“I did,” Harding said. “I was having a smoke and walked over to a window for some fresh air. I opened it and looked at the countryside for a minute. The car park was to my left. I was on the third floor.”

“Tell me exactly what you saw. Sir.” Harding half closed his eyes, recreating the scene in his mind.

“Daphne was standing next to the Imp. Kaz came out with his bag and stowed it. I couldn’t hear them, but I could tell they were excited. Just as Kaz was about to get in on the passenger side, he stopped. He made a gesture to Daphne like, Wait a minute, and ran back inside, as if he’d forgotten something. Daphne got in the car and started it. She sat there for a minute, idling.”

“Did she move the car at all?” I asked.

“Not right away. I saw Kaz come out the door, carrying a briefcase, which is probably what he’d forgotten. He walked toward the car. Daphne must’ve seen him, and decided to back out, so he could just hop in and they could drive off.”

I held my hand up for him to stop. I tried to relax and just let the thought surface. It was right on the edge of getting through. Then, suddenly, I knew.

“As soon as she started to back out, there was an explosion. It was on the passenger side of the car and caught Kaz as he walked toward the car door,” I said calmly, seeing it all in my mind. “Then a second or two later, the gas tank went up.”

“You’re right, Boyle,” Harding said in surprise. “I remember hearing a loud noise before the car burst into flames. It happened so fast… how did you know?”

“Let’s go outside and check the car. I’d like to be certain.”

“Are you sure you’re all right, Billy?” Jens asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m a cop, remember? I see this stuff all the time.” I stood up and held on to the table for support, trying to convince myself. We went outside.

Men were cleaning up. Daphne’s body hadn’t been moved, but someone had placed a sheet over her. The wreckage of the Imp was still smoldering and the place stank. Two staff cars that had been parked on either side of the Imp had also been badly damaged. Glass, metal, and charred leather debris littered the area. The Imp was at a slight angle from the others, evidence that Daphne was pulling out of the space when it blew up. I walked toward the passenger side and studied it. It was ripped open. If Kaz had been in the car, he would’ve been in a dozen pieces even before the gas tank went. A blackened hole in the crushed gravel driveway had been blasted down to the hard-packed dirt. It was right under the passenger seat.

“Tire bomb,” I said.

“What?” asked Harding and Jens together.

“Tire bomb. It’s a tube filled with plastic explosive and a detonator. One end is flat, and you jam it under a tire. That depresses a switch. The bomb goes off when the tire moves off it and frees the switch. Daphne had the car parked facing in. The device was placed under the left rear tire. When she pulled out, it went off under the passenger’s seat and lit up the fuel tank.”

“Sabotage?” Jens asked.

“Murder,” I answered. “To cover up the murder of Knut Birkeland.”

“Where would you get this tire bomb?” Harding asked.

“It’s standard equipment for SOE commandos.”

“Why would someone want to kill Daphne?” asked Harding.

“The criminal knew Kaz had been snooping around in London. He hotfooted it back here to see if Kaz had found out anything. I bet he had, and he’d confided in Daphne. Then he concocted that phony message from me to get them right where he wanted them. In the car, together.”

“Who did?” asked Jens.

“A guy who had access to commando equipment. The guy who gave them the message and helped Daphne out to the car. Rolf Kayser.”

Jens opened his mouth, as if to deny it, but the logic of was undeniable.

“But why commit murder?” Harding asked. “Why kill Birkeland?”

“I don’t know, sir. But I’ll bet Daphne did. And now she’s dead. Kaz is our only hope.”

I turned and walked inside. I had to wash and change my clothes. The smell of death was everywhere. I scrubbed my face, hands, and hair. I threw everything I was wearing into a pile on the floor and changed into fresh khakis. I still smelled the smoke on my skin.

Twenty minutes later Harding and I were in a jeep heading to the British military hospital in Ipswich. We had left Jens on the phone with the Southwold base, issuing orders in the king’s name for Lieutenant Rolf Kayser to be held for questioning as soon as he showed up. For the moment, all I had to do was drive and worry about Kaz. There wasn’t time to mourn Daphne yet. I wanted Kaz to be all right, and part of me felt guilty that I might care more about finding out what he’d discovered than about him. I wondered if he knew about Daphne, and hoped I wouldn’t have to be the one to tell him. Things just seemed to get worse and worse. How would Kaz take it? He and Daphne were so different, yet so alike. They had been perfect for each other. How could you live, knowing the perfect thing you once had was gone?

“You know what, Boyle?” Harding said. I was grateful to him for breaking into my thoughts. “This means that going after Anders Arnesen would have been a wild goose chase. Now that this has happened, it’s obvious he isn’t involved.”

I hadn’t even thought about Anders. I was so pissed at Harding for not stopping him that it hadn’t even occurred to me that he couldn’t be the killer.

“That’s right, sir. But we still need to talk to him. I want to know why he lied about being up and around early that morning.”

Harding shrugged, as if what I wanted didn’t count for much.

“That reminds me of another thing, Boyle,” he said. “I thought you had ruled out Rolf as a suspect because he was with the king when Birkeland was killed?” He finished his question as he pulled up to the gate at the hospital. The sentry asked for our IDs and we went through the drill with him.

“It’s a long story, sir. Can it wait until later when I can lay it all out for you?”

“OK.” Harding pulled into a parking place. “Let’s see how Kaz is doing.”

He wasn’t doing well. A doctor took us into his room and read from his chart. Broken leg, a large gash on the left side of his face, multiple lacerations, probable concussion, a collapsed lung, and second-degree burns where his clothing had caught fire. Plus they were concerned about the effect on his heart, which wasn’t very strong to start with.

I stopped listening and pulled up a chair next to the head of his bed. His face was wrapped in bandages. All I could see was one eye between the layers of gauze. I gently put my hand on his arm, afraid the slightest touch would hurt him.

“Kaz? Kaz, can you hear me?”

“He can’t hear you, Lieutenant. The pain medication has put him out,” the doctor said.

“When will he wake up?”

“We hope tomorrow. But in his condition, it may be hard to predict.”

I didn’t ask any more questions. I wasn’t crazy about the answers I was getting. Harding went out in the corridor with the doc. I didn’t know what to do. Hospitals always made me nervous. But Kaz was my partner, or at least as close as a Boston cop could get to one over here. So I stayed. I looked around to make sure the door was shut, and then I started talking to Kaz. I filled him in on everything that had happened since we left him at Daphne’s father’s place. Until this morning, anyway. I told him about Southwold, Anders, Victoria Brey, everything I had seen and done.