Aftershock

Fifty-five

‘Thank Christ for a pause button,’ Mario McGuire exclaimed, as the phone rang for the second time in ten minutes, ‘or this DVD would be a total waste of time.’

‘Stop moaning.’ Paula Viareggio laughed. ‘You must know Pirates of the Caribbean off by heart now. I’m beginning to think of you as an outsize Johnny Depp.’

‘Sorry, I can’t do the accent.’ He glanced at the caller number on the handset. ‘Hello, Mags,’ he said. ‘Are you and McIlhenney conspiring to ruin my evening?’

‘I’m sorry, Mario.’ She sighed. ‘I forgot the time.’

Her crestfallen tone made him feel instant guilt. ‘It’s okay. I didn’t mean it, honest. What can I do for you?’

‘Probably nothing. I wanted to share something with you, that’s all.’

‘Then share away. I’m listening.’

’I think I’ve found a route to Drazen Boras.’

‘You’ve what? Explain!’

‘Have you ever heard of Margaritaville?’

‘Jimmy Buffett’s greatest hit. He’s a country singer. Wrote a couple of books as well.’

‘He’s more than that, and so’s Margaritaville. It’s been turned into a franchise, a chain of bar restaurants in hip places, like Jamaica, Las Vegas, Florida and so on. Remember the jacket Boras wore when he came to Edinburgh, the day you saw him down in Leith?’

‘Margaritaville,’ said McGuire. ‘You’re right.’

‘That was the Jamaican one,’ she told him. ‘He’s also been to the Las Vegas version; there’s a Fishheads press release all about his trip, and a photo to prove it. His pal Ifan Richards was there as well, according to a shirt he was wearing in a shot taken a few months ago in Cape Town. He’s also been to the Margaritaville in Key West.’

‘They seem to be big fans of Mr Buffett.’

‘Very much so. Ifan Richards was in Columbia, South Carolina, on Wednesday last week, and guess where he bought the shirt he was wearing in the pic that his PR firm circulated last Friday? Margaritaville, Myrtle Beach: South Carolina.’

‘That’s bloody good, Mags,’ Mario conceded. ‘But we can’t stake out every one of these places indefinitely in the hope that Boras drops in for a beer, and nobody else will do it for us.’

‘We don’t have to,’ Maggie retorted. ‘On Monday, the document recording the sale, or transfer, of his share-holding in Fishheads was lodged with the company’s registrar in London, in accordance with company law. It was dated the previous Tuesday, the day before his mate showed up in Columbia wearing the Myrtle Beach shirt. . and Dražen’s signature was on it.’

‘It could have been couriered to him from anywhere.’

‘It could,’ she admitted. ‘But I don’t think it was. Do you? You’re the one who spoke of the Boras arrogance. Don’t you think that he’d show up with his new identity and his old signature to meet his mate?’

‘I’ll give you that,’ he murmured. ‘Go on. What’s the next stage?’

’We don’t waste time looking for Dražen,’ she said. ‘We concentrate on his mate instead. And we don’t write off Davor; we keep tabs on him too. We track every flight booking Richards makes, and every flight plan that’s filed for Davor’s private jet. If either of them heads for a place that has a Margaritaville, then so do we, and we check out the local hotels for a booking in the name of Ignacio Riesgo.’

‘That’s bordering on the brilliant, Mags, but. . forgive me for saying this. . “we” aren’t looking for Dražen. Stevie was murdered in Northumbria: it’s their investigation.’

‘And they’re stuck!’ she snapped. ‘They could have done this, if they’d been willing or able, but they’ve got nowhere. Their thinking doesn’t extend beyond the River Tees.’

‘But how are you going to do all of this keeping tabs?’

‘I’ve got a contact, through Bob. His name’s Adrian St John.’

‘Thames House?’ asked Mario, taken by surprise.

‘Yes.’

‘I’ve met him. In that case, you’ve got a chance. Those people probably know my shoe size. What happens when he gets a hit?’

‘I get on a plane.’

‘Mags!’

‘Just kidding,’ she said quickly. ‘When that happens I talk to you and Bob. Hopefully you can go to the Met, and ask them to arrange for the co-operation of the local agency, whatever that is.’

‘That’s a sound idea. Listen, kid, if we get that far, and I can swing it, I’ll get on that plane myself. Seeing Dražen in the dock has been your dream up to now, but I’m starting to buy into it.’