‘Well, it has been running a very long time, sir.’
He shot her a thin smile. ‘Funny, Meadows. But in this case, maybe everybody in first class took one little piece of the gun and swallowed ’em.’
‘You really think so?’
‘Nope.’ He drummed his fingers on the table, then stood. ‘Come on. Let’s go and have another look at the crime scene. There must be something we’ve missed.’
Gold shook his head with amused dismay. ‘Sherry! Really.’
The constable led him through the terminal to the room where the first class luggage was being searched. The cases from the hold had by now been retrieved and matched to their owners’ carry-on baggage. The first passengers were summoned to open them, then had to stand back and watch as gloved officers examined every item within.
Gold looked on with interest. Even though all luggage going onto an airliner was x-rayed as a matter of course, most people still had an exaggerated expectation of privacy regarding its contents, and having their most personal possessions exposed to official — and public — scrutiny could be a humiliating experience. There was nothing in his own luggage that he was embarrassed about, even though a few items might raise the eyebrows of the more prudish — such as Desmond Perch, had he still been alive — but would any of his fellow travellers have their peccadilloes brought to light?
Ratanakul, the Thai businessman, had just unlocked his cases, and watched with evident annoyance as an officer trawled through what was inside. Neatly-packed clothes were tugged out and shaken, toiletries opened, individual items scrutinised. Irritation changed to discomfort when the officer found an opaque plastic bag. He unwrapped it, finding several thick bundles of high-denomination banknotes, a mixture of sterling and euros, inside. ‘Make sure you declare these at customs, sir,’ said the policeman, deadpan. ‘I’ll let them know to expect you.’
Gold smiled slightly. European Union nations had a 10,000 euro limit on the amount of cash that could be brought into the country undeclared, and the Thai was clearly well over it. The search concluded, Ratanakul angrily stuffed everything back into his cases and stormed away, to be replaced by the Grogans.
On the next desk, Jarnow was called to open his scuffed cases. His belongings were, to Gold’s eye, as cheap as his crumpled off-the-peg suit, but that didn’t stop the large man from complaining loudly as they were removed. ‘Hey! Careful with that. You’re supposed to be searching them, not destroying them.’ The officer treated him to a dismissive stare before continuing. No gun was found, nor anything else suspicious. Muttering vague threats of legal action, Jarnow departed, Niratpattanasai taking his place.
Gold cast an approving eye over the long-haired man’s slim body, then heard his own name being called. The Grogans’ luggage had turned up nothing incriminating. ‘Hell of a thing,’ said the male half of the couple as Gold approached the desk. ‘A man murdered, ten feet from us. I don’t think we’ll be flying this airline again, huh?’
‘I know, I know,’ said his wife as she finished repacking her possessions. ‘Someone shoots him, and nobody hears nothing! How does that work?’
‘Ain’t no gun in the world that quiet,’ he agreed. ‘Know that for a fact. What do you think, Levy?’
‘It’s certainly a mystery to the police,’ Gold replied. ‘I hope it hasn’t ruined your holiday.’
‘Oh, it’d take more than a dead body to do that,’ said Evelyn. ‘Anyhoo, it’s been lovely to meet you, Levy — even if the flight was a little spoiled! We’ll be in England for five days. You said you were on TV, so will we see you on it while we’re here?’
‘Almost certainly,’ Gold said, beaming. ‘Or you could follow me on Twitter.’
‘Ah, we leave the Twitters to our grandkids,’ Charles said. ‘But we’ll watch out for you anyway. Nice to meet you.’
‘You too.’ He waved as the elderly couple walked away, then turned to the officer. ‘So, my turn to have my unmentionables rummaged through, then?’
The man struggled to conceal a smile. Pleased at having found a fan in the police, Gold grinned, then looked across at Niratpattanasai. The Thai was travelling light, with only one medium-sized suitcase accompanying his large carry-on bag. He still appeared in a state of mild shock about what had happened. ‘Hello, Som,’ said Gold. ‘Are you feeling all right?’
Niratpattanasai looked at him and blinked distractedly. ‘Hmm? Oh, yes, Mr Gold. Very well, thank you.’
‘Please! Call me Levy. Like the place you take the Chevy.’
‘The… Chevy?’
‘It’s a song — never mind. I can tell you all about it over a drink, if you’d like. Oh, speaking of drinks…’ The officer had just taken a long white box from Niratpattanasai’s carry-on bag, which he opened to reveal a black champagne bottle swaddled in tissue paper. He lifted the bottle out to make sure nothing else was hidden in the packaging, the wrapping sticking to it. ‘A ’96 Oenotheque! Good choice. I would say surely you must have had enough of that on the plane, but when it comes to vintage Dom I don’t believe there is such a thing as too much.’
‘It is for a… friend.’
‘You have a very lucky friend, Som.’ He was about to say more when the rustle of strained material from his own suitcase caught his attention. ‘Do please be careful with that,’ he told the officer. ‘It’s silk. I wouldn’t want to go on Graham Norton’s show with my chest hair poking out of a torn seam, would I?’
The man tried to hold in another smile. By the time Gold looked back at his fellow passenger the search of the Thai’s luggage was almost complete, the female officer returning a lilac item of clothing to the carry-on bag with a questioning expression. ‘For my friend,’ said Niratpattanasai, seeming faintly embarrassed.
‘So, about that drink,’ Gold said. ‘Perhaps we could meet at your hotel, and progress from there?’
‘I am not staying at a hotel,’ said Niratpattanasai with a shake of his head. ‘I am staying at an apartment in Woodside Park.’ There was a questioning uplift at the end of his words, suggesting that he was not familiar with the place.
‘With your friend? I see. Will you be spending your whole trip with her?’
He seemed momentarily puzzled by the question before answering. ‘Oh… yes, I will.’
‘Ah, young love,’ said Gold. ‘But should you change your mind, she’s more than welcome to come too.’
Niratpattanasai blushed. ‘Thank you, but we will be, ah… busy.’
Gold winked. ‘I’m so glad to hear it.’
‘It was very nice to meet you, though. Have a good day, Levy.’ He closed his luggage and headed away, Lewis being called up in his place. Gold glanced back to admire the sway of the young man’s hips as he walked away.
The check of the celebrity’s own belongings took somewhat longer, Gold having brought three Louis Vuitton suitcases of clothing as well as a carry-on bag. He tutted as they were repacked with rather less care than they had originally been. While a couple of sexually suggestive souvenirs had raised the officer’s eyebrows, nothing resembling a gun was found. ‘Okay, Mr Gold, you’re clear.’
‘Words that are always welcome,’ he replied, shutting the cases. ‘I don’t suppose there’s a trolley around, is there?’
‘Afraid not, sir. I think there are some in the corridor outside, though.’
‘Well, I suppose I can carry my own luggage for fifty feet, if I must…’ A final smile, then he gathered up his suitcases and headed for the door.
There were no trolleys near the exit, but he did spot a few some way down the terminal’s wide corridor. However, his gaze was quickly distracted by the distinctively coloured uniforms of two of the flight attendants closer by. ‘Ah, Mali,’ he said, joining them. ‘And Tola, how are you all?’