CHAPTER TWELVE
"It's Darklow." Mirielle whispered.
There was silence on the other end of the line.
"Theo? Theo are you there?"
"Tell me everything Mirielle. I just left Darklow now but I'm going back immediately."
He screeched off the motorway into the hard shoulder and skidded into a u-turn.
"Theo wait, you have to listen to me. You need to pull over and listen."
"Mirielle, if you are right... how can this be? I don't understand...."
"There's not much I can tell you Theo. Not without risking myself."
"Mirielle please, just tell me anything you can, let me take care of the rest."
"OK, but please be careful."
"Always."
"I have a source from an ongoing investigation into human trafficking which has found its way to Darklow, your Irish skin crime village."
"OK."
"There is an individual there sought by Interpol. His real name is Gino Ngata. He is ethnic Maori."
"OK. That surname is traditionally a North Island iwi."
"A what?"
"Iwi, like a tribal or clan name."
"I'm sorry, of course you would know this." Theo's expertise was the trade in high-value human skin art and good traditional Maori artifacts were in high demand. "His current alias is Samuel Sharkey and his cover cash for gold and loan-sharking. We believe him to be involved in much more unsavory activities, including organ-trade and human trafficking."
Mirielle still hadn't revealed what Theo was waiting to hear.
"What's the connection Mirielle?" His voice was a whisper. "Have they seen her?"
"I can't reveal all the details to you. The investigation is ongoing, but a name was mentioned. A girl with the same name as that of your niece, about the same age she would be now if... well, about 18 to 20 years of age. He may have trafficked or had some contact with her in the last year."
"Is that all?"
"All I can say for now."
"Merci mille fois Mirielle. I love you."
"Don't do anything crazy Theo. Remember, Samuel Sharkey is under investigation already so nothing strong-arm or aggressive. Leave him to us."
"OK, no problem. A call is coming through I have to go." It was a local Irish number. "A bientot mon amour."
He took the other call.
"Petrakis?"
"This is me. Who is this?"
"Detective Melinda Casey, Garda Europol Liaison Officer."
The voice had a soft south Dublin accent, female. Theo pictured a round, pale friendly face at the other end.
"Thank you for calling Detective. I thought I would hear nothing until tomorrow."
"Well, I thought you would want to be thoroughly informed in advance and I saw that you had signed in but not signed off on the briefing forms so it struck me as strange. Was I wrong?"
"Not at all Detective Casey. It is just very late already. Are you still on duty?"
"My Dad always said a real detective is always on duty."
Theo smiled. "This is very true Detective Casey. My father was on the other side of the law but he would have thoroughly agreed."
"Please call me Melinda, you are in Ireland now. My father was also on the other side."
Theo laughed. "Well, I see we have something in common Melinda. And please call me Theo. Is there anything new with the case?"
"Well quite a lot actually. Or completely nothing. Depends how you look at it."
"OK."
"The body in Sunnyvale had no ID and no visible or intact markings. The victim was decapitated and we were unable to locate the head. We presumed the holes in the skin were from tattoos that had been removed because the remainder of the victim's body was well inked and also because a shred of the removed tattoo had been left behind. It seemed like a sloppy job."
"You seem to have experience with this kind of case Melinda."
Theo passed more speed cameras on the way back, he was at nearly twice the speed limit on some sections of the small Irish motorway.
"Actually, it was me who insisted on calling this in to Europol and to you in particular."
"Really? And how is this?"
"I've seen some of your cases in the news and when I saw this body it seemed to fit your profile. Otherwise it may have just gone into the records as another gangland killing."
"Very good Melinda. I thank you. I hope we will have some success with this case and stop this kind of crime from spreading in your beautiful country."
"Not everyone thinks it's so beautiful Theo, but I'm glad you do. Anyway to answer your question, no I don't have experience of these crimes but from what I could gather it seemed a little messy. I might be wrong. Didn't you see the picture of the Sunnyvale crime scenes?"
"They were not volunteered."
"Or the body itself?"
"I was informed that the morgue was closed for the night."
"That's not true. The state coroner is paid enough to stay late and show a visiting officer important evidence. And he’s a very accommodating man as well. It would be no problem at all."
Theo weaved at break neck speed before hitting a stop go section of road works. He began speeding along the hard shoulder to the left of the tailed back traffic, oblivious to the angry stares of other motorists. He had been stonewalled in Dublin and then again in Darklow. It seemed the cancer of organized skin trade was not so new here as everyone thought.
"Theo? Are you there?"
"Sorry Melinda, yes I am. Is there more?"
"Yes there is. The heart and lungs, both kidneys, liver and pancreas had also been removed. This part of it seemed pretty neat. The right hand was gone. The genitals were missing. According to the state pathologist there were no mistakes here. Great care was taken to remove the organs neatly. Also there was evidence that peripheral blood had been collected."
"For stem cell extraction."
"That's right. So anyway, here's the useful part. Forensics in the UK identified the man from his DNA samples through cross-reference with the Europol database. The remaining tattoos on his body and the strip of skin left behind allowed them to confirm the identity through prison tattoo file photos. It turned out that the man had form and not just any form but some of the most disgusting known to humankind. Zamir Bajrami is the name that eventually came out. Ever hear of him?"
"Zamir Bajrami. Yes. Unfortunately I have. Formerly of Albania but with British nationality. Wanted for human trafficking, prostitution, white slavery and of course, drugs. But Zamir was never involved in skin-trade, at least not the kind that I specialize in."
"Don't they usually go together though? Human trafficking, organ trade, skin trade?"
"This is true and it is always possible. Did they find anything else?"
"Well, apparently he had quite an ornate representation of the Albanian double-headed eagle tattooed across his upper back."
"He brought nothing but shame to his nation's flag. He did not deserve even to have this tattoo."
"Well someone agreed with you Theo."
"Oh really?"
"It was stripped off his back during the attack."
"It seems that Zamir finally crossed someone more disgusting and evil than himself. I remember him from my time in the human trafficking division. He was a prominent figure in the people moving industry on the Albania to Italy routes. He was a self-made man, raised himself up from pimping on the streets of Tirana to become a snake head and drug baron on the streets of London. Tattoos were very important to him. He had some good ones, some of the very best in fact."
"The bad guys usually do, don't they?"
"They do. And now it seems the hunter becomes the hunted. Perhaps we should be grateful."
Melinda did not share this kind of sentiment, although she did understand it.
"So what was the deal with Zamir's tattoo? Why would anyone want a tattoo of the Albanian flag?"
"There was more to it. It wasn't just the flag. There was also some lettering."
"How do you know that?"
"I saw it once and I never forget a tattoo. Zamir was a Sunni Muslim so tattoos were forbidden to him. The lettering on his back was an elaborate Islamic prayer for protection. This was a very beautiful piece of artwork carried out by a Coptic calligrapher and tattoo artist who works from Cairo. Zamir paid a lot of money for this tattoo but obviously it didn't work."
"I still don't get it. Who would want it?"
"It's hard to say. It could be for aesthetics, it could be for superstition. It may be a decoy of some kind. Whatever the reason it could fetch as much as $300,000 from a discerning buyer who would expect its value to increase over time, particularly if a little of the owner's personal history is included in the sale. The Asian markets for skin are very inflated at the moment and are home to some of the more perverted tastes in human flesh. The price might even double if you have the right broker."
"If Zamir was such a big fish in London and Europe how did he end up, quite literally, in our little neck of the woods here in Ireland?"
"Well, this I don't know yet. But of course the bigger question is who did he cross here who was able to do this to him? Zamir was a ruthless psychopath with no conscience and a taste for torture."
"So whoever did this to him must be...."
"You do not even want to think about this Melinda, believe me. When you go home tonight, may it not exist for you in any part of your world."
"Don't worry, I'm good at that." She lied. She was the worst she knew on the force of anybody for taking brooding thoughts of work home with her. It seemed to take more and more effort to get her mind off things when she wasn't on the job.
"I hope so." He sounded sincere. Melinda had watched him on the news. She wondered what it would be like to meet him. People were always so different in real life and usually disappointing "Can you get me a list of all the main tattoo artists in the country, Melinda?"
"I'll take care of it."
"Excellent. I thank you. Will you be working with me on this case?"
"Well, only as an assistant to your main Liaison Officer, Detective Tom Dunne."
"Tell your boss you have been upgraded and assigned directly to this case. I'm going to need your help and I would like you to be my main contact."
"Uhh..."
"Assuming you wish to help of course."
"Of course I do, it's just that... well, it's not really my decision."
"I know that. But don't worry, just tell whoever needs to know and if there are any questions, direct them to me. Ciao Melinda, I will be in touch soon, OK?"
"OK."
"One more thing Theo."
"Tell me."
"The other assaults on the Sunnyvale Estate. Were you given details?"
"No, but I can follow up tomorrow."
"You might want to hear them now. They make the suspected homicide seem merciful by comparison."
Theo had heard every possible perverted twist and take on skin trade and organ harvesting imaginable. At least he thought he had.
"You had better tell me Melinda. Go ahead, I'm listening."
There was a silence.
"Melinda?"
"Sorry Theo, just got a text from Tom Dunne, my boss."
"Is it important?"
"No. It's to another officer called Belinda. Just a mistake, nothing important. I just forwarded it to her is all. Now get ready for this because I don't think you are going to like it." She took a deep breath and got ready to describe some of the most vile details of human depravity that would ever cross her lips.