Grigory Borzenko Dead Man's Revenge from the series “Detective from Flint”

Grigory Borzenko
Dead Man's Revenge
from the series “Detective from Flint”

Episode one
The man who entered the office of private detective Jack Bradley showed some kind of timidity, uncertainty and even confusion.
- Come in, don’t be shy! Have a seat! Hello! How can I help you?
Jack decided to cheer up the guest in a perky voice, seeing his embarrassment.
- Hello! – He answered, sitting down. -Are you Jack Bradley?
- Yes it's me. I'm hearing you.
- Thank you. I've heard a lot about how you solve absolutely every case you take on. That's why I turned to you.
- Thank you. I'm listening.
The guest sighed heavily and scratched the back of his head, as if he was wondering where to start.
- You see... What I’m going to say may seem like some kind of confusion to you. That’s why I turned not to the police, but to you.
Seeing that the guest hesitated again, the owner of the office again encouraged him:
- Yes, tell me! Tell us! Do not be shy!
The detective's voice sounded friendly and soothing. This bribed the stranger, and he continued more confidently.
- My name is Isaac Eddington. I live here in Flint. I'm interested in fishing. You yourself know what wonderful places we have here. So here it is. Yesterday I had an unusual catch...
The narrator allowed himself to smile ironically. Jack was glad that the guest was beginning to loosen up a little. This gave hope that he would not waste time on embarrassment and unnecessary phrases, but would immediately get down to business. He will talk about the main thing.
- This is the catch...
And with these words, the fisherman placed his baseball cap on the table in front of Jack. A regular sports baseball cap that many people wear.
- I understand, Mr. Bradley, that this thing may surprise you. And you will say why I brought this to you. But when I took this baseball cap off the hook of my fishing rod and saw the badge of the Nike sports company on it, I remembered the description in the newspapers of a resident of our town who had once disappeared without a trace. Like he sank into the water. And the police couldn't find him. The notes of the criminal chronicle then described what this man was wearing, what he was wearing, what kind of headdress was on his head. I remember exactly that the note said that he was wearing a baseball cap with the Nike logo. So I thought: doesn’t it belong to the missing person?
Jack became wary. He took a closer look at the thing that now lay in front of him.
- The whole point is, Mr. Bradley, that yesterday I decided to conduct an experiment and tried to catch fish in an unusual place. Everyone knows him well. This is where the highest bank is located! The cliff is so high and constantly crumbling that the city authorities fenced off that place so that no one would approach the edge of the cliff. It's on the outskirts of the city, towards Prestatyn. And although there are paths for walking there, the passage to the cliff itself is closed. So I thought: perhaps that person, at one time, violated the ban, like I did yesterday, walked to the edge of a cliff, fell into the ocean and drowned. But the police didn’t look for him there, since that place was closed...
Jack continued to listen carefully, and at the same time inspect the baseball cap.
- I remember how I once read about how divers found an ancient anchor on the seabed, on which the inscription “Santa Maria” was engraved. It is known that this is one of the galleons of the Spanish Golden Fleet, which sank at one time with priceless cargo on board. Many treasure hunters tried to find this ship they desired, but no one knew the coordinates of its destruction. Now the divers realized that since the anchor was found, then somewhere nearby at the bottom the ship itself must be located. And so it turned out. There was so much gold and silver in the pot-bellied hold of that galleon that a group of these divers literally became rich! So now I’m thinking: what if, where I fished out this baseball cap, the corpse of a drowned man lies at the bottom somewhere nearby? The owner of this baseball cap. The missing person that the newspapers wrote about at one time.
Sometimes the same indecisive visitors came to Jack's detective agency, whose requests were very prosaic. Some asked to follow his unfaithful wife, some began to talk about domestic and territorial disputes with grumpy neighbors... Those visitors and their affairs emanated boredom. And this fisherman has now brought a story that keenly interested the detective. He felt that this was not just a find. That this is not just something lost by someone. Perhaps this is really what the guest is talking about.
Jack, of course, remembered the disappearance of a Flint resident about a year ago. The police were involved in this matter. Relatives of the missing person contacted them. But the search did not yield any results. Now it may happen that this headdress belongs to exactly that person. Jack even remembered his name. Alvin Bishop. It may turn out that this is his baseball cap. The detective was excited. A premonition told him that he was at the beginning of the path to solving an interesting and mysterious case.
- Thank you sincerely, Mr. Eddington! You did the right thing by contacting me. I think you understand that first of all you have to show me the place where you fished out this thing yesterday. Exact, specific place! As accurate as possible! Can you show it?
- Of course, Mr. Bradley! Of course! I used to be fascinated by the affairs of our famous fellow countryman, Ned Baxter. But he lived back in the days of Sherlock Holmes. And in our time you glorify our town! Your work is no less exciting! I have long dreamed of getting to know you better. And here is such an opportunity... I will be sincerely glad to help you! Let's go! I can show you right now.
And the guest immediately stood up. His face shone with joy, his movements conveyed confidence and a desire to act. Not a trace remained of the timidity with which he first crossed the threshold of this office.

Episode two
- Come in! Come in, Jack! I feel that, as always, you did not come empty-handed. If you also came about the Bishop case, then that’s generally good! That's what I'm doing now.
James Neal, Flint's police chief, motioned his guest into a chair. He sat down.
- Yes, Mr. Neal, that’s exactly what I came for.
- Glad! I'm sincerely glad to see you! – The owner of the office perked up. - Let's promote this case together. Otherwise, for us it was like some kind of, well, if not a shameful stain, then certainly unpleasant. A resident of our city has disappeared, and we, the local police, cannot find him. It hurt my pride. We worked, interviewed a lot of possible witnesses, did a bunch of things... And in the end, you see how everything turned out... It turns out that he was lying quietly at the bottom of the bay literally two steps from our town, and no one even thought of inspecting that place, where, it would seem, no one walks and no one can be there...
The cop sighed heavily. Apparently, he felt that a considerable share of the blame for this mistake was on him, the head of the local police department, but he did not want to talk about it again.
- And again, as in the case of our local Jack the Ripper, everything is revealed thanks to you, Jackie! I see that soon the residents of our town will be saying, let's disperse the entire staff of the local police department, and put Jack Bradley in their place! He alone will solve cases better than the entire staff of these... - Neil didn’t finish. Apparently, at the last moment he changed his mind about saying the word that he had originally planned to say. - OK! This is all empty talk. I'm just kidding. Tell me what you came with. I look forward to the fact that you will now tell me something important. Usually this is exactly what you always come to me with.
Jack nodded his head, as if thanking his interlocutor for giving him the opportunity to speak out, and began:
- Yes, I came with some considerations. However, I may not be telling you anything new. After all, I will talk about what you yourself know without me. That the drowned man was not only found with his hands tied, but that the knot on that rope was unusual. You probably yourself know that it was exactly one of those knots that are called “sea knots.” It is not difficult to guess that a former sailor could have gotten involved with him. I suspect that you yourself, without me, realized that first of all you need to look in our town for those who served in the navy. Or otherwise related to the sea.
Judging by the way Neil, listening to the guest, began silently slowly nodding his head, one could understand that Jack was right, and the police were also pursuing this version.
- I understood that you yourself could find the suspect. But you have a lot of other things to do. And fingerprints, and a bunch of all kinds of other examinations. I focused only on this node, which is why I advanced in my search, perhaps further than the police. I, too, first of all, redrew those of our townspeople who served in the navy. Our town is small, so I did everything quickly. But this did not bring any results. Then I began to study the sea knots themselves and everything connected with them. It turned out that there are a huge number of sea knots. And what is important! The knot with which the drowned man's hands were tied is very rare! Almost unique! This spurred me on and made me study these knots with renewed energy. And then I came across information on the Internet that interested me keenly.
Neil saw that the more Jack talked, the more the fire of excitement flared up in his eyes. This passion for his work of the young private detective really pleased the old policeman. He had long predicted a great future for Bradley in detective work precisely because he saw this passion in the guy. Something that is not given to everyone. Not everyone, as they say, “is on fire” at his workplace. Jack was one of those who were “on fire.”
- I accidentally came across an article on the Internet about the annual international competition for tying sea knots. Frankly, I didn’t realize that such a competition even existed. I began to read more carefully about the competition itself, and about its participants, prize-winners and winners. And then I came across information that amazed me!
The guest looked slyly at the owner of the office. He understood that he was extremely intrigued by him. That he, as they say, opened his mouth with impatience in order to quickly hear the main thing. Therefore, the narrator made this pause deliberately. To both emphasize the importance of what he is about to say and to intrigue his interlocutor. Judging by how tense and concentrated he was, he was really eager to hear what the narrator had to say. Realizing that it was undesirable to go too far, Jack continued:
- I read that one of the winners of this annual international competition was our fellow countryman! Resident of our town! One Paul Curry. I immediately made inquiries about him. Yes, as a child he read the novels “Treasure Island”, “The Odyssey of Captain Blood”, “Golden Island”, “Captain Bradley’s Map”, “The Enchanted Treasure of the Cursed Island” and other famous books about pirates, sailing ships, the sea. Apparently, this is what instilled in him a passion for these sea knots. But here's the main thing! He did not serve in the navy, nor is he in any other way connected with the sea! Therefore, the police may not pay attention to him in their searches. After all, he never spoke about his victory at that competition to anyone, and did not advertise his success. But the fact remains a fact! He may be involved in this knot in the hands of the drowned man! That's why I came to you to tell you: wouldn't it be logical if the police came to visit him with a search warrant? He wouldn't be superfluous! Agree!
It was clear from the animation on Neal's face that what he heard interested him keenly.
- Of course, Jackie! Of course! In our case, we cannot refuse any versions or possibilities! And even more so in such a matter! It really confuses me that this Carrie used this knot where he should never have done it. If he were not a stupid person, he could understand that a rare node could lead the police to the trail of a criminal. It would be easier for him to tie his victim’s hands with a regular knot.
Jack smiled.
- So you yourself said that “if he is not a stupid person.” What if you are still stupid? Or did you not realize this in your haste and fever?! And out of habit, he tied the unfortunate man’s hands in whatever way came into his head. After all, he just killed a man. It was necessary to quickly hide the traces of his crime. In the heat and haste, people sometimes make such ridiculous mistakes that under normal circumstances they would never allow themselves to do so.
- Yes, you're right, my boy. There is reason in your words. And a considerable one! Whatever it was, we have no right not to check this version! I'll look into the issue of a search warrant for Paul Curry's house right now. If this is your idea, then I invite you, along with the police, to be present during the search. You do not mind?
- Of course! Are you still asking?! I'm burning with desire!
Jack smiled good-naturedly and shook his head reproachfully.

Episode three
Police Chief James Neal was pitiful to look at. He had been reproached for so long about the unsolved fact of the disappearance of Flint resident Alvin Bishop that he now wanted to give an answer to all the critics and spiteful critics. Like, here it is! Look! We, the police, not only found Bishop’s body, but now we have identified and brought to light his killer! Paula Carrie! Here he is, who is now standing in the courtyard of his house and observing the search, and here it is, my dear, the evidence!
Neil really wanted at least one of his many employees, who were now searching the suspect’s house and yard, to joyfully cry out: “Yes! Found! Look, boss! So I found something very interesting!”
Alas, time passed, the search was coming to an end, but nothing was found to indicate any violations of the law on the part of the owner of the house, or was a clue connected with Bishop’s case...
Each of the employees, having completed the inspection of the area entrusted to him, approached the boss, and in response to his questioning look, he simply threw up his hands...
Soon everyone who took part in the search gathered in the courtyard near their boss. They expected a command from him. Like, that's it! It is done. Let's leave. But he still hesitated. He was in a lousy mood. He accepted everything that happened as a kind of defeat. Both personally and for the entire team that he led.
The owner of the house, on the contrary, was in very, very high spirits. He curled his lips in an ironic grin.
- Well, bloodhounds?! Have they all dug up my house with their lousy noses? Did they dig up a lot of compromising evidence against me? Or have they made fools of themselves?!
The malicious chuckle sounded very cynical. This really bothered Jack Bradley.
- You shouldn’t be doing that, Mr. Carrie. “He said reproachfully and firmly. - The police are doing their job. This is the job of the police. Sometimes people risk their lives in order for justice to prevail. So that the case is solved, and the criminals and murderers get what they deserve.
- So they are criminals and murderers. And you came to the house of an honest man! And they didn’t apologize for needlessly disturbing me.
- Sorry for disturbing you, Mr. Carrie. Let's go, guys!
The policemen, who had finally received the long-awaited command from their boss, walked towards the gate with a sad look.
Paul glared at them with disdain.
- Get out, bloodhounds... - He muttered angrily through his teeth. - Together with your lousy commander...
He said the last phrase in a half whisper. The police officers and their boss located closer to the gate could not hear it. But Jack, who had lingered and continued to stand, heard what was said. It touched the guy to the quick.
- You are in vain, Mr. Carrie... I apologize to you... Anything can happen in any job. Mistakes also happen. You shouldn't have quarreled with those who represent the law. It’s not your last day in this world. Today everything is fine with you, today you are a law-abiding person. But tomorrow anything can happen. And, if you stumble, those whom you have now offended, I can repay you in the same coin...
Jack glared at the owner of the house.
“I really, really didn’t like the disdain with which you spoke about James Neal, the chief of police.” This is a kind-hearted person. Doing his job honestly. I personally could forgive the insult directed at myself. But I will never forgive the fact that they so shamelessly insult a person who deserves only respect and nothing more! I think that now you, Mr. Carrie, have made a big mistake. Which you may regret later...
And with these words, Jack walked towards the gate with a decisive step.

Episode four
- Here's the story, George...
Jack Bradley sighed heavily and fell silent for a long time. As if taking a breath after a long conversation.
His interlocutor also fell silent, rethinking what he had heard. George Phillips worked as a mechanic in one of the auto repair shops in Flint. They were now sitting in one of the small back rooms of this workshop. George had his lunch break, and without any disruption to his work, he could calmly and leisurely listen to everything that his old friend and classmate, now a private detective, Jack Bradley, told him.
- I understand, George, that I am offering you something unusual. But the case is also unusual. For our small town, murder is no laughing matter! Rare! But I am sure, my heart feels, that not only this lover of tying sea knots, but also his friend was involved in Bishop’s murder. The police may not have paid much attention to the seemingly harmless item that was found in the pocket of the drowned man. A screwdriver with the letters BMW on it. Someone might think that the unfortunate person had previously unscrewed the screws on an electrical outlet with this screwdriver or was doing some other housework. And when the job was finished, I simply put this tool in my pocket. But I'm a detective. I can fantasize. I do not rule out that it could be like this...
Jack rubbed his chin, as if doubting whether his version was logical. And will the listener accept it?
- What if, in a moment of danger, before the unfortunate man realized that he was going to be killed, he grabbed the first thing that came to his hand. Screwdriver. Judging by the way it ended, it's clear that she didn't help him. It is also not clear how it did not fall on the floor, but ended up in the pocket of the murdered man. I understand that my version is shaky. But I know from experience that any detail, at first glance the most trivial and even unrealistic, can later turn out to be the main thing in the matter. So I admitted that this screwdriver might interest me not in itself, but as part of a tool that is included in the kit for BMW cars. This is where what led me to you begins...
Jack thought again, but then woke up, as if waking up from a dream, and continued.
- First of all, I checked all the residents of our town who drive a car of this brand. It turned out that there are not so many of them. But one of them caught my special attention. This is one Joe Dyson. He is not just the owner of a BMW car. He is a good friend of Paul Carrie, who interests me!
Jack paused again, this time holding up a finger. It was completely clear that he made this pause to emphasize what was said.
- I am driven not only by my famous premonition. I also installed surveillance on Dyson's house. Among other things, his garage caught my attention. Yes, the pictures were taken from afar, the details are not very visible. But still. While the garage door was wide open, I noticed that on the walls there were not only shelves with keys and other auto parts, but also spools of rope! Yes! It's the ropes! I understand that almost a year has passed and that everything could have changed. But I won’t be surprised if among the ropes I find exactly the same one that tied the drowned man’s hands!
The mechanic's face frowned.
- One day I saw how Carrie, who came to Dyson, got into his BMW, and they drove off somewhere together…. In a word, I am drawn to this garage like a magnet. You were somehow jealous of the romance of my work. He offered his help. So that I can take you on some investigations. So I am fulfilling your request. I help you, you help me!
- What exactly are you proposing?
- I found out that there were cases when Dyson did not take his car to the auto repair shop, but, on the contrary, invited mechanics from the auto repair shop to come to him. And they were repairing his car right in his garage! This is exactly what we need now! I don’t yet know what we will come up with, what we will do so that Dyson invites mechanics to his place. And before, he invited employees of your workshop! I know this for sure! Now we will need to make sure that not just anyone goes to this challenge, but just you and me. Yes! Do not look at me so! I think you will find some kind of branded overalls with the logo of your workshop, hand it to me, I will change, and we will go to this challenge together. You will do the repairs, and I will pretend to help you. But, you understand, my main goal will be to inspect the garage.
Jack fell silent, continuing to look questioningly at his friend.
He was also silent. It was clear from his face that he was overcome with confusion. That the last thing he wants to do right now is to joyfully thank his friend, rejoicing that he gave him the opportunity to play the role of a detective. George was thinking about something else.
- I understand, my friend, that you value your work and are afraid that all this may affect your reputation. But remember that murder is not a joke. If we manage to find the killer, then our actions will not only be justified, but also heroic! Think about it!
Seeing that his friend was silent for a long time, Jack realized that he would most likely refuse. Therefore, now he began to think about some other way to get to where he, a gambling detective, really, really wanted to get into. But suddenly I heard something completely unexpected from Philips:
- Every time this guy contacted our workshop with a request to send a mechanic to his home, every time the boss sent me there! The owner of the workshop considers me one of the best employees, I have a good relationship with him. In this regard, I have a plan. Listen to me carefully…

Episode five
- Well, you eagles are rustling here, do your job, take care of my horse, and I have a lot of repairs to do in my house. I will deal with them. If you need anything, or when you're done, call me! I'll come right away. With God blessing!
And with these words Joe Dyson left.
We couldn’t even dream of a better development of events! Jack was afraid that the owner would be nearby all the time during the renovation work. Which will ultimately make this whole adventure of his pointless. Now everything was coming together in such a way that he had a lot of time and the opportunity to thoroughly examine everything in the garage, to search it in the most thorough manner.
The first thing he did was examine all the ropes that were hanging on the wall. There were not many of them, but in one of the bays there was a rope that was very similar to the one that appeared in the Bishop case. Jack really wanted to cut off at least a small part from the coil, so that later this piece could be compared with the rope that is kept as evidence in the police. But he understood that this could only harm the matter, so he decided not to touch anything for now. The main thing is to inspect the garage itself. And try to find something! But the rope isn’t going anywhere anyway. It can be taken for examination at any time.
Although no one was standing over his head, no one was rushing him, Jack understood that time was precious. Therefore, I began the search with redoubled energy. First of all, he carefully examined everything, trying to find a possible CCTV camera. This was unlikely, but possible. I wouldn’t want Dyson to sit in the house now, look at the screen, and see how one of the mechanics, instead of doing repairs, sticks his curious nose in the wrong place. Jack didn’t seem to notice anything suspicious, so he plunged headlong into the search.
He examined the drawers of the tables and looked at the shelves as well. But he understood that the owner himself had used what was in the drawers and shelves more than once. If there was something forbidden there, he would have long ago removed it all out of sight. It was necessary to inspect the most secluded corners of the garage. Jack understood this. This is what he did.
Time passed, but his searches had not yet yielded any results. This began to worry our ranger, but he did not despair. Jack was patient. He could listen to the client for a long time and silently, and knew how to persistently and stubbornly look for evidence of crimes. Now that's exactly what he was doing.
Seeing that he couldn't find anything worthy of attention, Jack allowed himself to drop to one knee, bend over strongly, and began to examine the floor under the shelves. It was a hard to reach place. There was a tiny gap between the bottom of the shelf and the floor. If the owner sometimes swept the floor in the garage itself, he never looked into this gap. Even a broom probably won’t fit through these cracks.
At first, our tracker saw nothing but a thick layer of dust and small specks. But when I began to examine the back wall of the garage in this way, I noticed something turning white. At first he didn't understand what it was. After all, it was located in the very corner, right next to the wall. It was clear that this thing got there in the gap between the table with tools and the wall.
Taking a closer look, Jack realized that it was paper. A small sheet of paper folded many times. Now it was a note, like the one that careless students pass among themselves at school during lessons.
Realizing that this could be an important find, Jack tried to do everything to get it. He couldn't reach her. His hand simply won’t fit through this narrow gap. Therefore, he needed something thin and long with which he could slip the find closer to the edge and then pick it up.
He quickly looked around and saw a long tire iron. He took it, sank to the floor, and with its help took out a sheet of paper folded many times.
You could put it in your pocket and at home leisurely examine and read what was written. If anything was written there at all. After all, it could have just been a blank piece of paper. Which was placed by the owner of the garage under the edge of some object in order to level it. But now Jack could not help but be restrained by any force from unfolding the piece of paper with his hands, which were trembling with excitement, and looking at it. Curiosity is a great power! No one can resist him! And private detective Jack Bradley was now driven not only by curiosity. Other, more powerful and important forces were now guiding him!
He unfolded the sheet, saw that it was covered in writing, and immediately began to read.
The very first lines plunged him into euphoria! He realized that he had found what he wanted to find!!!

Episode six
The library in Flint is not just an ordinary library, but a kind of business center, where, as they say, creative life is in full swing. The building has many halls where meetings, meetings, conversations and other events take place.
The library staff are very hospitable. They offer visitors not only a range of services, but also a cup of tea or coffee. This is very captivating. It's very heartwarming. This gives the guest of the establishment a good mood. In such an uplifted spirit it is easier to work and echo.
It was precisely this kind attitude from the library warriors that the author of the books about Ned Baxter encountered. The first books in this series were written in this library. The author of the literary series “The Adventures of Detective Ned Baxter”, who is also the author of the “Detective from Flint” series, takes this opportunity to sincerely thank the staff of this library for their amazing hospitality that further encouraged the writer to work on books that would glorify Flint. A beautiful city in the north of Wales, which has become a second home, a second homeland for the author. All his life, living in Ukraine, he wrote books about the history of Great Britain. Including the famous epoch-making historical trilogy “Doomsday of England”. About the Great English Revolution of the seventeenth century, about the confrontation between King Charles the First Stuart and Oliver Cromwell.
Apparently, in a previous life the author lived in Britain. He dedicated all his work to her. I raved about her. He always dreamed of coming to the country of his dreams, at least for a while. And living there would be great happiness for him. There would be no happiness, but misfortune would help. Because of the war that broke out in Ukraine, Great Britain began to accept refugees from this long-suffering country. Among them was the author of books about detectives Ned Baxtrea and Jack Bradley. He fully thanked Flint and Wales for their hospitality: he makes films about the nature of Wales, writes and performs songs about Wales, and, most importantly, writes books about them.
But let's get back to our story.
One day, a brave young man crossed the threshold of a library in Flint with a confident gait and immediately approached the librarian:
- Hello! Please tell me. Do you have the collected works of Jules Verne?
The pretty girl answered the guy with an equally friendly smile.
- Of course! “Her voice sounded cheerful and gentle. – We have an excellent library, a large book collection. We even have two collected works of this wonderful writer. Of course, these are different editions, different years. One of them is the complete works of Jules Verne.
- Wonderful! - The young man was delighted. – Could you show me the shelves where these books are located? So that I don't waste time.
- Of course! I ask you to. Let's go! I'll accompany you.
Looking at the girl’s bright face and her friendly smile, the guest caught himself thinking that he damn well likes it when girls at their workplaces don’t just serve their number, work lazily, just to get the day to the evening, but, as they say, revel in their work. This girl was one of those to whom both work and communication with visitors brought true pleasure.
She led the visitor first to one shelf, then to the second, which was nearby, and pointed to a row of books in the same binding.
- Thank you very much! Now I'm on my own. Thank you!
The girl walked away, and Jack Bradley's heart began to beat faster. It was he who was this visitor.
He was looking forward to this visit here a lot. And now, when Jack saw the desired books in front of him, he became completely excited. The detective understood that he was on the verge of a new, next discovery. His premonitions usually never failed him. This was the case when he became eager to visit Dyson's garage. Why was he drawn to the garage with such incredible force? After all, it was possible to organize searches in the house itself, and shovel the entire plot of land, with the hope of finding what the owner could have buried there. But Jack became fixated on the garage. And for a reason. A chain of conclusions led him here.
He had no doubt that Paul Curry was involved in the murder. Where could he kill his victim? Nothing was found at Carrie's house. Just as they found no traces in the house of the victim himself. But somewhere, someone was killing him! Tied his hands. And then he drove to a cliff and threw the body down into the ocean.
When Dyson's name came up, along with his car and garage, the puzzles in Jack's head began to fit together. It seemed very likely to him that two friends, Paul Currie and Joe Dyson, killed Bishop in the garage where the BMW was parked. Most likely, they strangled the victim with the same rope that was then used to tie him up. Everything was done, as they say, without leaving a trace! There are no blood stains in the garage or in the car, clean your hands and clothes! The killers were happy that they had thought everything out so well. They were sure that they had hidden the loose ends. In the literal sense of the word.
But they did not take into account that their victim turned out to be a prudent man. He wrote a note in advance, which now gave Jack a stunningly excellent opportunity to completely unravel this whole tangle of secrets. It's not just about the murder itself. And also in what stands behind it. After all, they killed him for a reason. They were united by some kind of secret. This is exactly what became known from the note found. The following was written there, verbatim: “I suspect that something irreparable may happen. That's why I wrote this note. My life is in danger. I hope everything works out. But just in case, I always carry this with me. As soon as I see that my life is in danger, I will try to throw away this piece of paper without my killers noticing. Whoever finds him, please hand him over to the police! They will understand everything. Jules Verne, collected works, volume three."
It was this last phrase that brought Jack here. It is clear that first of all he thought that the book in which Bishop hid his secret, the solution to some burning mystery, was in his home. Alas, he had very few books at home. And, of course, among them there was no collected works of the famous French writer. And if it had been, then the police, after inspecting his house, would, of course, immediately find everything that could be hidden between the pages or in the spine of the binding. Jack immediately realized that the Jules Verne collection needed to be looked for elsewhere. Where? The local library was the first thing that came to his mind. With this thought, he headed here.
And now, standing in front of books neatly lined up side by side, with the inscription “Jules Verne” on the spine, he found a volume with the number “3” on the spine, and began to slowly and carefully, as if holding an unexploded guarantee or mine in his hands, leaf through it ...
His fingers were slightly sweaty. The goal was so close. The mystery of Bishop's murder fascinated Jack so much that he was ecstatic at the thought that in just a few seconds he could find out what had been keeping him from sleeping peacefully lately. We talked about how curiosity is a powerful thing. And excitement is an even more powerful thing! It was the excitement that now took possession of him. Mastered it completely and completely! How he now wanted to see the solution between the pages of the book!
Alas... She was not there...
He once again carefully reviewed and trembled the third volume of the book, but to no avail. There was no point in looking at other volumes. The note was specifically about the third volume.
Signs of deep disappointment began to overcome him, but he immediately drove away all bad thoughts. With his back he felt the invisible breath of another shelf on which other books stood. Another collection of works by Jules Verne. Complete! There he will definitely find what he is looking for.
With a sinking heart, Jack moved there. Beauty! Everywhere there is an inscription, “Jules Verne”, everywhere there are numbers on the spines of books with volume numbering. Here they are, lined up in a row, in order. One, two, four, five, six...
Stop! There is no volume with the number three...
Jack felt an incomprehensible chill run down his back...
No! Everything will be fine! Maybe someone mixed up the order of the books, and the third volume is next! Near the end of the list!
The excited ranger quickly looked through all the volumes once, second, third, fourth... The third volume was nowhere to be found...

Episode seven
The disappointment was terrible! To stand on the verge of revealing a secret, to be so close to it... All that remained was to reach out, take a book from the shelf, leaf through the pages of the third volume... If Bishop loves to write notes, and even in a critical situation for his life he left an important paper, then here, in the book Jules Verne, he probably hid something much more important, shedding much more light on this whole story. If in the first case he may have been afraid that that note would fall into the hands of his enemies and did not really explain anything there, then here he must speak out in full.
But there was no third volume in the collected works...
Jack realized that all this was not just like that. Maybe Bishop's killers found out about his secret. Perhaps it was not Bishop himself who threw out the note secretly from his killers, seeing the threat and realizing that something irreparable was about to happen. It is possible that the killers noticed the actions of their victim, took the piece of paper from him, and read it. And then they threw it aside out of frustration, then they forgot about it, and it lay in its place until that time. If the attackers found out about the secret kept in the writer’s volume, then they themselves realized what the essence of the matter was, came and stole this volume from the library shelf...
Jack's mood became terrible.
But before leaving, he still decided to approach the librarian. Not a trace remained of the radiant smile on his face.
“In the complete works of Jules Verne,” he began in a sad tone, “there is no third volume.” As I understand it, he disappeared... Someone stole him? Yes?
The girl raised her eyebrows in surprise.
- They don't steal books from us. – She answered calmly. “Perhaps this is the volume that someone took to read, and it is now in their hands.” I'll take a look now. I know a teenager who reads books like these. Perhaps he has this volume.
While the girl was reviewing the notes, Jack cheered up a little. New hope began to bring him back to life.
- Yes that's right! – The librarian said in a cheerful and confident voice. – A week ago this boy took the third volume of Jules Verne to read. Charlie Pass. He is very inquisitive. I wouldn’t be surprised if, as he grows up, he becomes a writer himself.
It seemed to Jack that at that moment he had won a large sum of money on a lottery ticket. The joy was almost the same.
It took Bradley a lot of effort to eventually learn the address of the young Flint resident Charlie Pass. But in the cases the detective dealt with, the result was always important. And Jack achieved it in this case.
The red-haired boy looked at the guest for a long time, at first not understanding what he wanted from him.
- I’ve been busy this week, so I just started reading this book. I haven't read it yet.
- Perhaps, when you started reading, you noticed that inside it, between the pages, there was a note, a folded sheet of paper, or something else?
He showed a grimace of bewilderment on his face.
- No... - He shrugged. - It seemed like nothing happened.
- In any case, I want to look at this book. Show it to me, please.
- Yes, of course... Now...
As Bradley began to slowly and carefully leaf through the pages of the book, he felt his former excitement and excitement return to him. It’s not often in the everyday life of his work that there are moments when you realize that there are only a few seconds left before the solution to which you have been going for so long, and on which so much effort and time was spent. Now was just such a moment.
The last page was turned, but nothing was found between them...
The disappointment was even greater than the first time. When Jack didn't see the third volume on the shelf...
Not believing in the reality of what was happening, and not wanting to accept defeat, our restless tracker began to flip through and examine the pages again. This time more carefully.
It was then that he noticed that one of the pages of the book was unusual. He's suspiciously fat...
Feeling a surge of excitement and inspiration begin to fill his soul, he felt this leaf. There was no doubt! Two pages were glued together, and there was something between them! Apparently a sheet of paper.
Jack wanted to scream from an overabundance of emotions. He didn’t yet know what was there, but he already knew perfectly well that it was exactly what he was looking for! A very, very important message from the other world. News from a man who has been absent from this world for a year now. The book contained a message from a dead man...

Episode eight
The Old Fortress in Flint is a major historical monument. A stunningly beautiful antique rarity that is already a thousand years old!
This is not just a piece of Flint history. This is a place of leisure for citizens.
The fortress is located in the very frontal place. On the ocean shore. By and large, this is a river that, on the approach to Flint, rapidly expands, forming a kind of bay, and then this bay just as quickly, almost immediately, develops into an ocean. Many residents of Flint believe that both the city itself and the fortress are located on the ocean. And their opinion is not far from reality. After all, if you look to the right from the window of a high-rise building, you see that there is a river there. And looking to the left, you see only a vast ocean, and nothing but the ocean! A unique place, a unique city, a unique fortress!
It would be more correct to say that this is not a fortress, but the ruins of a fortress. But they are perfectly preserved. Although a thousand years have passed. This is a great place for walking for both tourists and townspeople. There are no crowds of tourists here, but townspeople walk here all the time. For their convenience, the city authorities equipped two towers with stainless steel stairs that led both up and down. Basically, everyone wanted to climb to the top point of this grandiose structure to look at the city and the expanse of the ocean from a bird's eye view. The view from there is truly beautiful. If you look at the city, you see exactly it, buildings, streets, as well as mountains towering in the distance, outside the city. If you look towards the ocean, you see its vast expanse of water and admire it! The view towards the ocean is so beautiful that it is impossible not to admire it!
There are two staircases in two towers that lead up, and from those heights you can admire the scenery. But there is one that leads down. Almost no one ever goes down there. There are none of the beauties that are visible from above. But there is another, special aura there. There you can see the ruins of ancient huge fireplaces, there are mysterious dungeons...
It was into one of these dungeons early in the morning, when the surroundings were practically deserted, that a man with a sports cap pulled low over his eyebrows carefully descended. With all his unhurried behavior, he tried to show that he was simply taking an early stroll along the shore, breathing fresh air. Taking the opportunity, he entered the unguarded territory of the ruins of the fortress, accessible to everyone, turned his head, slowly looking around, and, making sure that there was no one around and no one was watching him, began to go down.
From that moment on, all his movements and actions were more decisive and quick. He understood that no one could see him here anymore, so he acted relaxed.
Having descended to the very bottom, he hurried to one of the most remote corners of the dungeon, knelt down in front of one of the stones with which the walls of the dungeon were lined, took a knife from his pocket, inserted the tip of the blade into the crack separating this stone from the rest, and picked it up like would thereby pick it out of its place. The stone block moved forward a little. The man immediately picked it up from the other side. He moved even further from his previous place.
Soon the stone was freed enough that the man took it in his hands, pulled it towards him, took it out of the wall and laid it on the floor. A niche gaping in darkness opened before him.
The stranger stuck his hand into the opened hiding place, took out a package from there, put it on the ground in front of him, unfolded it, and looked at what opened before his eyes. And there was something there that really couldn’t help but touch the eye. Judging by the tenderness with which his lips spread into a smug grin, one could understand that the huge number of bundles of banknotes sincerely pleased his eyes.
The man gently stroked them, reveling in the moment, but immediately drove away the lyrical mood. He quickly counted out a few packs, hastily put them in his pocket, wrapped the rest again in a bundle, tied it up, and put it back in the niche. He picked up a stone block from the ground, slowly and carefully inserted it into the hole, and carefully, using the handle of a knife like a hammer, pushed the stone into its usual place.
Having stood up, making sure that the stone fit tightly to the wall and did not arouse any suspicion, the stranger crossed himself, turned around, and with a decisive step headed again to the stairs.
But without taking even two steps he suddenly stopped...
What he saw shocked him...
On the bottom step sat a young man he knew, who had previously come to him with the police to conduct a search. Now this guy was sitting, holding a camera in his left hand, filming what was happening...
The ironic smile on his face was very eloquent...
The confusion and stiffness in the movements of the man taken by surprise lasted only a second. The numbness quickly passed. He slowly took a knife out of his pocket, raised his hand, preparing to attack, and looked angrily at the uninvited guest, indicating that he would now rush to attack.
But the guy was no stranger. Continuing to film, pointing the camera lens at his opponent, he, with the same leisurely movement, as if imitating him, took out a pistol and put his hand with the weapon on his knee.
“Don’t be a fool, Paul Carrie...” Jack said firmly and confidently. - It won't give you anything. You are being filmed not only by my camera, but also by those micro cameras that the police have quietly installed here. We watched your every move. Now the fortress is surrounded by police. Even if you somehow escaped my grasp and made your way outside, the cops still wouldn't let you get away. You're trapped, Paul...
The nodules played on the villain’s cheekbones, his gaze radiated withering anger. But by the way his hand with the knife trembled, Jack realized that he realized the hopelessness of his situation.
“I promised, Paul, that I would not forgive you for speaking so unflatteringly about a man whom I sincerely respect.” As you can see, I kept my word.
The cornered animal's eyes darted around. He didn't want to give up. He was wondering how to get out of this mess.
- God! How much ambition did you have then, Paul Carrie! And you called yourself an honest man, and boasted that we didn’t find any incriminating evidence on you, and called the chief of police ugly names. And you see how everything turned out... The compromising evidence is now enough for a life sentence...
“We can agree...” Carrie began in a hoarse voice. – I can offer you a considerable amount of money.
John's eyes widened in surprise.
- What did you say, Paul?! What do you want to present to me?!
Before this, Jack spoke in a quiet and calm voice. Now the tone of his voice was raised, irritation became obvious.
- Do you even realize what you are offering me?! To me! To an honest man! If you earned this money through honest work, you could manage it. But you, an unworthy person, are offering me stolen money! Stolen!!! Do I really look like someone who can stoop to the baseness and take money stained with blood?!
- This is my money...
It was said in such a way that Carrie himself probably did not believe what he said.
Jack furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head reproachfully. By this he showed that he was so deeply affected by the nonsense that had just sounded.
- I see that you don’t understand, Paul, what’s happening... I know everything. All! And the time you three robbed a bank in Swansea. They specifically chose a place for the crime away from Flint, naively believing that the long distance would help you hide the traces of your crime. And they deliberately hid the money here so that if they searched your home, the police would not find anything. And how they then decided to kill Bishop with Dyson. And not to share with him, but to divide his share between the two of you, and to be sure that Alvin, the most indecisive of you, will not spill the beans and hand you over to the police. But he spoke... Even the dead spoke! Being in the next world. He, being a dead man in the other world, took revenge on you and Dyson for your meanness...
Paul Carrie's face turned white. He realized that this was the end.
“Will it offend you, Mr. Curry,” Bradley suddenly spoke in a feignedly polite voice, “if from now on you will be taken care of by the one you called the “lousy commander”?
Jack looked ironically and maliciously at the drooping criminal and shouted loudly:
- Call your people, Mr. Neal! Now it's your turn to work!
The metal staircase perfectly conveyed the sounds of the pattering feet of many people who began to escape to the bottom. Hearing this extremely unpleasant sound for him, Carrie closed his eyes. From artlessness, anger, resentment that his rosy plans were never destined to come true. Stacks of money, which just a minute ago had warmed his pocket with such pleasant warmth, and which he planned to spend with the greatest pleasure, now did not please him, but exposed him. They were physical evidence.
One group of policemen handcuffed the arrested man, the second began to examine the cache, take money out of it, count it, and document everything.
When everything was finished, the basement of the fortress was empty.
Years will pass...
Many tourists will visit the fortress in Flint, this is a beautiful creation of human hands. Mostly everyone will be climbing the top stairs, admiring the beautiful city of Flint from above.
Only a few will go down. They will examine these ancient walls, imagine in their fantasies what events and dramas unfolded here a thousand years ago. But none of them will know that quite recently in this fortress, in this dungeon, something unusual happened. What became a triumph for one, who was glad that he had solved the crime, and drama and tragedy for the second. For whom the proverb, striking in its worldly wisdom, came to life: “No matter how much the criminal path winds, it always, sooner or later, inevitably comes to an end”...

Completion date for this story: December 2, 2023
Place of birth of the story: Great Britain, North Wales, Flint, Bolingbroke Street 135.



You are provided with the text of the next story of the new detective series, the author of which translated from Russian into English using the usual Google translator. We really need a literary editor for the English texts of these detective book series. I am ready to pay for the work of an editor and translator. Respond! Thank you! Best regards, author.
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