The Eighteenth Panda

By Robert A.V. Jacobs

With virtually nothing happening except divorce cases, Larry is getting bored. So much so that when he is approached by a five year old to find her stolen Panda, he jumps at the chance.
But when the one escalates into seventeen, and then a murder in front of him, followed by an attempt on his own life, and the death of his friend, he realises that there is more to this affair than was at first realised.
It seems that an eighteenth Panda may be the key to the puzzle, so all of his efforts are channelled into an intensive search for it.
When the truth is revealed, and the extent of the criminal activity becomes known, Larry risks all to protect those around him, and bring the perpetrators to Justice.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Robert A.V. Jacobs
• Release date: Jul 26, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463381892

Book preview

Children’s fiction, ten years upwards:

Daisy Weal

Daisy Weal and the Monster

Daisy Weal and Sir Charles

Daisy Weal and the Last Crenian

Dauntless

The Adventures of Daisy Weal (Omnibus edition, containing four of the books in the series)

Grandpa’s Shed

Short Stories in the Daisy Weal series

(Available as ebooks):

Daisy Weal and the Grelflin

Daisy Weal and the Weenies

Daisy Weal and the Millions

Daisy Weal and the Outside Place

Daisy Weal and the Secret

Daisy Weal and the Disaster

Daisy Weal and the Ghost

Daisy Weal and the Figment

Young Adult and Adult Fiction:

The Lost Starship

The Star Queen

Speaker (A collection of 31 short stories)

The Yellow Dragon

The Diamond Sword of Tor

Cardoney (Omnibus edition containing both The Yellow Dragon and The Diamond Sword of Tor)

Adult Science Fiction:

As a Consequence

Taldi’na

Adult Detective/Murder Mysteries:

Dexxman

The Disappearance of Natalie Firth

Time to Die

A Promise to Doreen

Almost Enough

Non-fiction:

Sudoku, Food for the Mind

Table of Contents

Also By:

Previous Books in the Series

A note from the Author

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty-One

Chapter Forty-Two

Chapter Forty-Three

Chapter Forty-Four

Chapter Forty-Five

Chapter Forty-Six

Chapter Forty-Seven

Chapter Forty-Eight

Chapter Forty-Nine

Chapter Fifty

Chapter Fifty-One

Chapter Fifty-Two

Chapter Fifty-Three

Chapter Fifty-Four

Chapter Fifty-Five

Chapter Fifty-Six

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Chapter Sixty

Chapter Sixty-One

Why not write a review

Character List

Previous Books in the Series

Dexxman

When the body of the British Home Secretary’s son is found in an alleyway where he had been battered to death, Larry Dexxman, a seventy-five year old private detective is thrown into the middle of a political minefield that could easily cost him his life.

His only protection is Sally, a tiny Shih-tsu/Yorkshire terrier cross, Penny his twenty-four-year-old assistant and his own combat experience gained in the armed forces fifty years ago.

Narrowly surviving several attempts on his life, Larry must try to protect those around him while, at the same time, keeping his promise to the murdered boy’s girlfriend that he would find out who was responsible and see that they are brought to justice.

When the Director General of MI6 is murdered, his daughter Hayley fears for her own safety, and turns to Larry and Penny as the only people that she can trust.

Worried that the situation might be terrorist related, the Home Secretary orders his own daughter, Denise, placed under protection as a precaution, but Larry soon realises that it is not enough, and if he can’t remove her from danger she could easily be next

As Larry probes deeper into the conspiracy, he is placed under police protection himself. But he still must find a way to keep Denise safe, even if he has to kidnap her, without at the same time, alerting Counter Terrorism Command or his own bodyguard to his plans.

The Disappearance of Natalie Firth

When all the bodies have been filed away, and the killer of the Home Secretary’s son apprehended, Larry must cope with being inundated with the request for work, having become a household name and a knight of the realm. But then unaccountably he starts having dreams...

Harry, the eight year old son of Malcolm and Natalie Firth, engages Larry Dexxman to find his mother, but he has no idea of the can of worms that he is about to open. Larry is perplexed as he realises that though his dreams, he knew that Harry would be coming.

His wife Penny, Neil and Denise his two new assistants, and Sally, a tiny shih-tsu/Yorkshire terrier cross, embark on a mission to find her. With the help of MI6 they delve into the murky depths of Malcolm’s life and are horrified to learn that he has links with Vincente Vasquez, a known villain, suspected of drug smuggling and murder.

When Special Branch shows an interest in the case, Larry finds that he has unwittingly become embroiled in an ongoing espionage investigation, which seems to be inexorably linked to Natalie’s disappearance.

Whether Natalie is alive or dead is a moot point, when keeping Harry, his friends, and himself alive becomes the order of the day

Time to Die

It all started when Larry Dexxman received a letter more than twenty years late. It cast doubt upon the official verdict of accidental death on two employees of a legal company, one of which was Larry’s former wife. Several attempts on Larry’s life, when there is no discernible reason for them, drag him ever further into a web of lies and deceit.

It seems to involve espionage, and is believed to be centred on the law firm of Parkes and Parkes, until links back to a former adversary are found. All of the main suspects are already dead, so his attention is inexorably drawn back to the law firm.

The action moves into one of the many deserted tunnels in London, where a shocking scenario unfolds, leaving Larry and his friends embittered, stunned and confused.

Finally things come to a head, when Larry and his friends are trapped by two people consumed with the desire to see them dead in the slowest and most painful way possible. Now, the only question that he has left to answer is whether or not now will actually be his ‘time to die’ after all.

A Promise to Doreen

Recovering from a heart attack, Larry is being overprotected by his colleagues, which in itself is providing more stress than he needs, so he decides to take some time out with a visit to Gregory’s café.

A conversation overheard in the café attracts Larry’s attention, and becomes more intriguing when a day later he witnesses the murder of the principle speaker. On the spur of the moment as he kneels beside the dying girl he makes a promise. He promises to find the murderer, whatever it costs. It is a promise that he will find has a much higher price than he would willingly pay.

An imposter in MI6, murder, embezzlement, and terrorism, are just four of the hazards that he has to face, as he struggles with the bizarre, in the form of an almost identical twin to himself.

Several attempts on Larry’s life, when his ‘twin’ is in the vicinity raises the question of whether those attempts are really meant for him, or are they actually meant for the ‘twin’?

When Margaret, Larry’s adopted daughter, fails to return from assignment, Larry fears the worst, and thus begins a race against time to ensure that those fears are not realised.

Almost Enough

A phone call in the middle of the night alerted Larry Dexxman to the death of his wife Penny’s friend Stella. It seemed to be a simple mugging, but what should have been a straight forward investigation turns major when the bodies start to pile up.

Initial enquiries reveal that Stella’s past, and her present, were shrouded in mystery, and when the frequent trips that she took before her death lead to the Department of Work and Pensions whose office in London is unaccountably destroyed in an explosion, the puzzle deepens.

The investigation moves to Stella’s last employer, Bytesize Systems Ltd, who were contracted to develop an AI solution for the DWP, but before any progress can be made, the owner is brutally murdered in a hit and run.

Larry, despairing that he will ever get a handle on the puzzle is not as surprised as he should have been when the whole thing is brought to a head by his home being invaded by armed intruders.

A Note From the Author

This is the sixth book in the Dexxman series, so there are numerous places where references to people or events from the other five exist. To explain every time who the person is, or what the event was, would take up so much space that it would probably put people off. Therefore, in the print version I have included footnotes with the referenced book title. For Ebooks the reference will be in the body of the text. Should anything intrigue you sufficiently, then you can see where it comes from and read the appropriate book.

Chapter One

Several months had passed since the invasion of our offices by Eve Bowen and her thugs¹, and apart from some minor work in the form of a few divorce cases, nothing of note had come through our doors during that time. The fame that I had garnered during several high profile cases seemed to have evaporated and along with it, so had work. I have to say that I am getting bored, so much so that I am seriously thinking of chucking the whole thing in, and the only thing that stops me, is the sense of responsibility that I have toward my two adopted kids. I’m pretty sure that they would support any decision that I made, but that really isn’t the point. It’s how I would feel that really matters.

1-Almost Enough

Both Harry and Margaret chose me and Penny to be their parents and the reason for that still eludes me, but let me introduce myself. My name is Larry Dexxman. Well to be completely truthful, it is Sir Lawrence Dexxman, and I am a seventy-six year old private detective. I am married to Penny, who, at 50 odd years younger than me, had to force herself on me before I could see the wood for the trees, and agree to marry her. The girl has to be cracked as a loon, but what the hell, I know a good thing when I see it.

Harry was the son of Malcolm and Natalie Firth, and after asking us to find his mother², had ended up orphaned, and eventually persuaded Social Services to let us adopt him.

2-The Disappearance of Natalie Firth

Margaret on the other hand, had been the girlfriend of the previous Home Secretary’s son, who had been murdered³ Her mother had fallen foul of the authorities through her philandering, and as a consequence, and on the verge of being taken into care, Margaret had asked whether we would adopt her as well.

3-Dexxman

It was Saturday, and Harry, not being at school, was watching some cartoon movie on the fifty-five inch plasma screen that adorned one wall of the office. He was a considerate young man, and so as not to disturb us too much, he was catching the soundtrack through a set of headphones. It wasn’t all that successful, as the brightly coloured images kept drawing our eyes to the screen. Sally, who so far this morning had ignored me, was curled up at his feet.

I must have done something seriously wrong, because under normal circumstances she would not leave my side. She was a tiny, well small rather than tiny, Shih-Tsu/Yorkshire terrier cross, and my constant companion. I have to admit though, that since I had adopted the two kids, she did try very hard to keep us together, but failing that, made a real effort to split herself between the three of us. Her eyes still followed my every move, and I’m sure that if I made any attempt to go out, she would be at the door before me. Me getting my stick from the stand, was her usual indicator of my intention.

I was sniggering to myself at a particularly engaging piece of slapstick that I could see on the TV, when a soft tap, tap, tap, sounded on the outside door. I looked toward the monitor, could see no-one, and a sense of déjà vu washed over me. It was then that I remembered. It had been just like that when Harry had arrived to ask us to find his mother. I got up from my seat, walked to the door, and opened it to discover a pretty little blonde girl of five years or so staring up at me.

I want to report a kidnapping, Mr Dustpan. she said. seriously.

It’s actually Dexxman, with two ‘x’s’. I replied, But never mind that, who has been kidnapped young lady?

"I prefer Mr Dustpan," muttered a voice from the room.

Oh sorry Mr Dexxman, she said, and tears were starting to well up in her eyes, someone has kidnapped Mr Choo.

Come on in Miss, and take a seat. I said.

She followed me in, and climbed up to sit alertly on our sofa.

Is Mr Choo your daddy? I asked naively when she was settled.

Oh no! she said, quite indignantly I thought. Mr Choo is not a person. He’s my Panda.

Chapter Two

Someone in the room giggled, and I glared around, but all that met my glare were innocent stares.

"If you were five, and it was your Panda, you wouldn’t think it so funny." I snapped.

I smell altruism. said Penny, getting up from her desk and walking across the room to plant herself on the sofa next to the little girl. Harry meanwhile, being not only considerate, but polite, turned off the TV, and sat down on the floor next to Sally.

My name is Penny, she said, what is yours young lady?

Oh sorry, said the