Blood Tribute (The Lucas Gedge Thrillers Book 1) by Andy Emery Read Free Book Online Page A

looking into. Did you come across this story a few years ago?’
    Rondeau picked up a set of newspaper cuttings, and passed them to Gedge.
    ‘The Pall Mall Gazette , five years ago. It’s headed “The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon.” I may have heard something about it when I was abroad.’
    ‘There was controversy over the sexual abuse and trafficking of girls, often very young girls. As well as being exploited in our own fair city, many were sold into effective slavery and taken to the brothels of Brussels. Incredibly, much of this was legal, and the journalist WT Stead made it his mission to expose what was going on, and used his sensational reporting style to excite popular opinion against the traffickers. It is a pity he got himself put in prison, by using the kidnappers’ own tactics to show what was going on. But his exposé, in the form of these articles, led to the passing of a bill which outlawed these activities.’
    ‘What’s the significance of that title? Why “Maiden Tribute”?’
    ‘It’s quite clever, actually. Babylon is the biblical city which, although a powerful capital, had also become corrupt and immoral. There’s an obvious parallel with the London of today, if you look beneath the surface. And the “maiden tribute” refers to the Greek legend, whereby the people of Crete offered up an annual sacrifice of young maidens (and male youths, too) to the minotaur, in its labyrinth lair. The hero Theseus slew the minotaur.’
    ‘Ah! The minotaur being a monster with a bull’s head and tail? My schooldays are coming back to me.’
    Rondeau brought out a briar pipe and proceeded to light it. ‘Very good. A myth of course, but the labyrinth could be said to represent today’s criminal underworld, and the minotaur either the criminal mind behind the crimes, or the corrupt system that allows it to flourish.’
    ‘I like that. It seems to me that what’s missing is a Theseus to do the slaying.’
    ‘Yes. It’s possible that Stead thought of himself like that, but it looks very much like the modern minotaur is far from slain. Unfortunately, making an activity illegal does not always stop it, especially when there is a lot of money involved.’
    Gedge cut in. ‘Are you saying that this sort of thing is going on again?’
    ‘In reality, it never stopped. Of course, it’s carried out in a more clandestine way. There are some differences to what went on back then. The girls are older, since the age of consent is now sixteen. But yes, to summarise, this is the problem I am looking into.’
    ‘And what is the connection with me?’
    ‘A young journalist called Harry Frowde has been investigating the recent disappearances of young girls for me.’
    ‘Ah. I saw a piece of his in Lloyd’s Weekly .’
    ‘The latest edition? Yes, that is one of the articles he has written about the goings-on. He hasn’t revealed much in the articles, you understand. Not yet. But he has found out that one of the ringleaders of this current gang is someone you came into contact with eight years ago.’
    ‘In ’82? I was in Egypt then, seconded to an internal investigation. Allegations of atrocities involving British troops.’
    ‘One of whom was called Roland Ackerman.’
    ‘Ackerman. Yes, I’d almost forgotten. My god, the man was an animal. He was a sergeant. A fearsome fighter, but totally without morals. It was in the aftermath of the battle at Tel el-Kebir. Not content with murdering Egyptian soldiers who had already surrendered, his squad raped and murdered native civilians as well.’
    ‘Court martials took place. You were the one who brought him in, helped to gather the evidence against him.’
    ‘True. So, he’s resurfaced? But why are you looking into it? What about the police?’
    Rondeau shook his head. ‘There is little they can prove, and so far they have shown little interest.’
    ‘I begin to wonder if there are any of our institutions that one can still look up to. If people can’t