Take Two

CHAPTER 57

It was starting to get dark when Halpin arrived at the marina. He was with Sonny Parker, the man that Richards hired to drive the boat. Parker was in his late fifties, grey haired and his skin leathered from years in the sun. He’d been a keen yachtsman in his teens, crewing for wealthy owners year-round, and in his twenties he had sailed around the world single-handed in a thirty-foot yacht. In his thirties, he made a living smuggling cannabis from North Africa into the UK and, as a result, spent most of his forties behind bars, during which time his wife divorced him and the police seized almost all his assets. Now in his fifties, he offered his services as a freelance captain, though he did risk the occasional drugs run if the price was right. Parker worked for cash and never asked questions. He had helped dump the trunk containing Nicholas Cohen for two thousand pounds and had agreed to help Halpin with the second trunk for the same amount. He parked his car and walked with Parker to the boat. ‘Let me have a quick look around and then you can let go the ropes,’ said Parker.

Parker headed up to the bridge while Halpin stayed in the main cabin. He picked up one end of the trunk. It was heavy and would need the two of them to get it over the side.

Halpin went through to the galley, opened the fridge and took out a bottle of lager. He was halfway through it when Parker reappeared, wearing his captain’s hat. ‘All good,’ he said. ‘Untie us and we’ll head out.’ He looked at the trunk and if he had any reservations at all about the fact it contained a body, he didn’t show it.

Halpin undid the ropes that held the boat to the pier as Parker went back to the bridge. The engine kicked into life and, as Halpin went up to join Parker, the boat reversed away from the pier.

The journey from the marina to the Thames Estuary could take between three and four hours, depending on the tide. Halpin sat in the high-backed grey leather chair next to Parker’s and sipped his lager as they headed along the river. Parker took them through the Thames Barrier and onwards to Dagenham, Dartford and Gravesend.

Eventually, they were out in the North Sea. Parker picked up a pair of binoculars and spent ten minutes reassuring himself there were no other vessels close by. He put down the binoculars, cut the engine and nodded at Halpin. ‘This is as good a place as any.’

‘How deep is it?’

Parker looked at the depth indicator. ‘Ninety feet.’

‘Come on, then,’ said Halpin, pushing himself out of the chair. The two men went down to the main cabin. There were handles on either end of the trunk and they grabbed one each. Halpin grunted as he lifted but Parker seemed to find it effortless. They took it through to the stern and heaved it over the side. It went straight under the waves. Almost immediately there was a flurry of bubbles as the air in the trunk burst to the surface but after a few seconds that stopped.