Mersey Murder Mysteries Collection - Books 4-6

Chapter 7-2

“I get it,” Ross grinned at Morgan. “Just a matter of different training obviously.”

“Correct, sir,” Morgan replied. “As I was explaining, sniffing out drugs isn"t as simple as you think. You see, it isn"t just a matter of Sasha here sniffing around and, for example, locating a stash of h****n or c******s, or whatever. I"ll try and simplify this a bit. Most drugs are organic based, that"s to say they are created from substances that exist in the natural world. Some, though not so many are man-made chemical compounds. Sadly, they"re on the increase nowadays, but even there we have a bit of an edge. Dogs like Sasha are trained to locate and identify what we"ll call "organic markers" for now. So, any d**g made from the h****n poppy for example, will contain certain traits that can identify their presence, even if the original h****n content has been cut or diluted many times over. With me so far?”

“I think so, Sergeant. Please go on. This is fascinating stuff.”

“Okay, so if the dog senses the presence of any of the organic markers that go to make up any particular d**g, she gives me an indication and we go and investigate.”

“And what about the man-made stuff?” Drake interrupted. “You said something about an edge.”

“Yes, that"s right. In most cases, these modern chemically composed drugs have to be made into powder of maybe a tablet or capsule. To do that they have to use any one of a number of …”

“Organic markers,” Ross said, cutting Morgan"s explanation off in mid-sentence.

“Well done, Inspector,” Morgan applauded with both hands. “Fancy a job on the d**g Squad?”

“No thanks,” Ross laughed. “Give me a good old-fashioned murder to solve any day. I"ll leave that side of things to you and your colleagues.”

“Right,” Morgan said, before adding. “Trouble is, some of the bastards out there are employing top-notch chemists who are getting round the organic side of the business and using totally inorganic materials in the production of these chemically constituted drugs. So, unless we can get hold of enough to allow our dogs to learn their individual make-up, we"re on a hiding to nothing. You have to remember that every police force in the country employs sniffer dogs, so we need to be able to train these dogs all over the country to spot the same things.”

“I"ve got it,” said Ross. “So, it can be a constant war just coming up with enough of the artificially produced stuff to allow for standardised training around the various forces.”

“Correct,” Morgan confirmed Ross"s thoughts. “So, you can see how important dogs like Sasha are, and how she differs from the police dogs you"re used to seeing.”

Ross now saw Sasha in a totally different light, as he realised how intelligent and resourceful she and her fellow d**g sniffing dogs were. He made a point of following Izzie"s earlier example, going down on one knee to pet the dog, who rewarded his effort with a rapid and sloppy barrage of licks to his face.

As Morgan and Drake laughed, so too did the rest of the team, and Ross was pleased in a way as he knew it would help the two newcomers to fit in if they saw their boss was human after all.

As he stood up and wiped the back of his hand across his face to remove some of the dog"s "kisses", Sam Gable walked in to the room, a little later than usual due to a dental appointment that morning. Seeing the strange spectacle being played out before her, she joined in the infectious laughter, then walked across and, ignoring Ross, bent down to pat the dog.

“Hello you,” she said as Sasha again began her incessant tail wagging.

“Well hello to you too, D.C. Gable,” Ross greeted her in mock indignation. “Nice to know you have your priorities right.”

“Oh, yes, hello sir, sorry about that, but isn"t she the most gorgeous dog?”

“Yes, indeed she is. Allow me to introduce you to Sasha the sniffer dog and Sergeant Morgan of course. They"re going to try and help us discover whether there are any drugs on board the Alexandra Rose that may have contributed to our victim"s death.”

Alexandra Rose“What a great idea, sir,” Gable enthused. “I"ve seen these dogs at work in the past. They"re amazing. They can sniff out as little as a microgram of illegal substances. We sometimes worked jointly with the d**g Squad when I was in Vice. Unfortunately, p**********n and drugs go together like salt and pepper these days.”

“That"s true,” Morgan agreed and at that point the team"s newest addition, D.C. Keith Burton stepped closer and held a hand out to Morgan.

“I thought I recognised you from somewhere,” he said as Morgan shook the proffered hand. “You and Sasha were part of a joint raid on a brothel and c***k house that was being run out of a warehouse on the King Edward Industrial Estate a year or so ago.”

“That"s right,” Morgan smiled at him. “Looks like you"ve moved on from Vice too, like this young lady.”

“Yes, I have I"m pleased to say,” as he also introduced himself to Sam Gable who"d been absent from the morning briefing and was meeting him for the first time.

“Good to meet you,” she said warmly. “We"ll have to compare notes one day. D.I. Ross told me you worked under D.I. Bell too.”

“Yes, and he sends his regards, Sam,” Burton added, repeating her former boss"s message relayed to her by Ross the previous day.

“Well,” D.C.I. Agostini broke into the general conversation that had sprung up around the presence of Sasha the sniffer dog, “can we get things back on track, please people? We still have a murderer to find.”

“Sorry, sir, of course,” Ross became serious. “Is Sasha used to going on boats, Sergeant Morgan?”

“Not a problem, sir. She loves being on the water. She"s done quite a bit of work in the past, sniffing out drugs on suspicious craft entering the port.”

“Right then. Let"s see about getting the two of you out there with Detective Constables McLennan and Burton. They"re due to relieve Constables Dodds and Curtis very soon.”

“Okay, sir,” Morgan replied. “If you don"t mind, I"ll take Sasha for a walk round the block in case she needs to do anything before we set off, if you know what I mean.”

“Yes, of course,” Ross said, knowing exactly what Morgan was referring to. “Don"t be long though. When are you two setting off?” he directed the question at Derek McLennan.

“We"re leaving here in about thirty minutes, sir,” he replied.

“I"ll be here,” Morgan said as he led Sasha out of the squad room, the dog"s head held high and her tail wagging.”

“Quite a character eh?” Agostini asked after the pair had left the room.

“Sergeant Morgan, sir?” Ross looked puzzled.

“No, Inspector. I was referring to the dog.”

The rest of the team couldn"t help themselves and a round of laughter broke out.

“Oh, right, of course. Yes, she is a bit of a character,” Ross agreed. “That"s a dog with a big personality.”

“She"s lovely,” Drake commented. “I wish we could have a dog but with the hours me and Peter work it wouldn"t be fair to have one. We couldn"t give it the regular exercise and attention it would need.”

“I know what you mean,” said Sam Gable. “She is a great dog, though, that Sasha. My Mum and Dad have got a staffy at home, a b***h called Sheba. Such a loyal and loving dog.”

“Okay everyone, back to work, please,” Ross spoke firmly and couldn"t help noticing the broad smile on Oscar Agostini"s face as he left the squad room. As a regular visitor to his boss and friend"s home he knew the D.C.I. and his wife owned a pair of very cute Maltese terriers.

He knew Agostini had revelled in the few minutes that Eddie Morgan had been in the squad room, showing off his dog with such pride.

For now, he and Drake needed to press forward however they could with the investigation, with or without a positive identification of their victim.

* * *

Four hours later, Ross"s telephone rang, and he snatched it from its cradle, eager for news of a positive nature from someone, anyone. His luck was out.

“Sasha lucked out I"m afraid, sir,” Derek McLennan reported without the slightest preamble.

“You do know that the Romans had the nasty habit of executing the bearer of bad news, don"t you, Derek, or it might have been the ancient Greeks?”

“Sorry sir, not my fault. That dog literally went into every nook and cranny on this ship. Sergeant Morgan and I followed her wherever she went. She sniffed in every cabin, every cupboard, every companionway, the holds, both cargo and passenger luggage varieties, the engine room, the scuppers, whatever they are, everywhere except the bilges. There"s no way for passengers to get down there. Not a trace of anything. I thought we might have found the odd splif or something in the crew , but they were clear too. Mind you, Captain Gideon told us that he"s threatened any crew member who gets caught with drugs will be thrown overboard. He"s obviously exaggerating but I think they all know he won"t tolerate drugs on his ship.”

“Did the dog actually check the individual suitcases and so on in the luggage hold?”

“Yes, sir, and even their toothpaste tubes and the women"s…well, you know what I mean, sir?” McLennan sounded a little embarrassed.

“Okay, Derek, I take it you"re referring to the ladies" sanitary protection?”

“Yes, that"s it, sir.”

Ross smiled. For an experienced detective, Derek McLennan could still be easily embarrassed by certain subjects.

“There was a small glimmer of hope in the Colbert"s cabin, sir, but it turned out to be Mr. Colbert"s pain medication. He has a degenerative spinal condition and is taking a powerful painkiller that is actually h****n based. He showed us the tablets and copies of the prescription from his own doctor. It did at least prove Sasha"s abilities, sir.”

“Well, at least we know the ship is clean, Derek, unless the killer used one of those new chemically manufactured drugs that Sergeant Morgan talked about.”

“What now, sir?”

“Well, thank Sergeant Morgan from me, Derek, and oh yes, Sergeant Drake says to give Sasha a great big stroke from her and one from Sam Gable.”

McLennan laughed.

“That dog has got everyone drooling over her, sir. If she had hands the passengers and crew would all be eating out of them. She"s been quite a star wherever she"s been on board.”

“Yes, I"ve seen the effect she has on people,” Ross replied, recalling Sasha almost taking over the squad room earlier. “Send her and Sergeant Morgan home on the launch with my gratitude. How"s D.C. Burton shaping up?”

“He"s fine, sir. Very easy to get along with and eager to learn as much about how we operate within the team as quickly as possible. I think he"ll fit in well. He"s got the knack of making the passengers and crew feel as if he"s been part of the team for a long time. None of them would guess he"s still on his first day with us.”

“Ah well, that"s a little bit of good news I suppose. Thanks, Derek. Off you go now lad. Better get back to work. Remember, Doctor Nugent will be issuing his quarantine order tomorrow, so be prepared for a bit of a backlash from the passengers. Mind you, you"ll be back before it comes into effect. Who"s replacing you and Burton?”

“That"ll be Sergeant Ferris and D.C. Gable, sir.”

“I"m not sure if I want Ferris out there while he"s still trying to I.D. the victim. I"ll think about that.”

“Yes, sir, and I was thinking about that quarantine order.”

“Go on, Derek. What were you thinking?”

“Well sir, Sergeant Drake said something about wearing Hazmat suits once the ship goes into quarantine, but if there was any airborne virus present on the ship, all of us who"ve already been on board, including you and Sergeant Drake would already have been exposed to it, so the suits would be a waste of time.”

“That"s a very good point Derek. I"ll have a word with D.C.I. Agostini about it.”

Ross went looking for Izzie Drake, and eventually found her eating a rather unappetising looking cheese and tomato sandwich in the staff canteen. Walking to her table, he pulled out the plastic chair and sat down opposite his sergeant who acknowledged him with a look in her eyes rather than with words, as she swallowed a mouthful of sandwich.

“Thought I"d find you here,” Ross said, as Drake placed the rest of the uneaten snack on her plate and pushed it away into the centre of the table.

“I still think they"re trying to knock us off one by one with slow poisoning in here,” she said, pulling a face. “I"d swear that tomato was the same one I saw in a salad sandwich last week.”

Ross smiled and picked up the plate, swung his body round and placed it on the unoccupied table behind him.

“By the look on your face, I"m thinking Sasha the dog didn"t find anything on the Alexandra Rose?” she asked, reading Ross"s thoughts from the downcast look on his face.

Alexandra Rose?“Only Monsieur Colbert"s prescription painkillers.”

“Another dead end then?”

“Looks like it. I"m b****y frustrated to hell, Izzie. We"ve got a dead man and a ship at sea, and one of the passengers and crew has to be the killer but we haven"t got one single damn clue as to who it is. We don"t even know for sure who the b****y victim is.”

“Don"t be so hard on yourself,” Drake tried to reassure him. “Why don"t you head home and get Maria to give you one of those neck massages you"re always telling me about?”

“They always seem to lead to something a bit more vigorous than a massage,” Ross grinned as he spoke.

“That"s even better then,” Drake smiled back at him.

“Maybe I"ll try massaging Peter"s neck and see if it has the same effect on him.”

“You"re still b****y newly-weds, Izzie. You shouldn"t need neck massages to get you in the mood for…”

“Yeah, I know,” she laughed. “Just thought it might spice things up, you know, especially if we"re n***d when I do it.”

Ross groaned.

“I knew you"d find a way to s*x it up.”

“Well, we are newly-weds, after all,” Izzie grinned.

“Oh, shut up and go home, Sergeant Drake, or I"ll force-feed you that cheese and tomato sandwich,” he threatened as he swung round, picked up the now curled up remains of Izzie"s sandwich and placed it on the table in front of her.

“Yikes,” she screamed in mock horror. “Okay, okay, I"m out of here,” she said, rising from the table and waving at Ross as she scuttled off to the exit. Ross sighed, realised there was little more he could achieve that day and decided to follow his own advice. Ten minutes later he was in his car heading for his home in Prescot, where with luck, Maria would be home before long after completing her evening surgery.

Andy Ross really could use a neck massage…