The Dealer

by Robert Muchamore

  “Calm down, you idiot,” James said. “The money’s still gonna be there in a couple of hours. Why don’t you go in the kitchen, get some toast and say hello to Zara and the others.”

  “Whatever,” Lauren said. “But let’s go early. The shops get really busy on Saturday.”

  • • •

  Zara dropped the kids at the Reeve Center. James hoped none of the security guards remembered him.

  “Why are you wearing those sunglasses?” Lauren asked.

  James shrugged. “Am I? I forgot to take them off.”

  “You look a right twit,” Kerry said.

  “It doesn’t have anything to do with the five PlayStation games you’ve got stuffed under your bed, does it?” Kyle asked.

  “What were you doing spying under my bed?” James asked indignantly.

  “Remember Monday, before school?” Kyle asked.

  “No.”

  Kyle mocked James’s voice: “I can’t find my PE shirt, Kyle. Will you help us look for it?”

  “Oh yeah,” James said, “that.”

  “So let me guess,” Kyle said. “You don’t want to go anywhere too near Gameworld either.”

  “But if he stole them as part of a mission, he’s allowed, isn’t he?” Lauren asked.

  “He’s supposed to give the proceeds of any crime to charity,” Kerry explained.

  “Well he should give them to charity then,” Lauren said. “You’re not on this mission to make a profit, James.”

  “Does that include the birthday money in your pocket?” James asked.

  “Oh,” Lauren gasped.

  “Yeah,” James giggled. “That shut you up, didn’t it?”

  Normally, going around the girly shops would have driven James mad, but being the big brother treating his sister felt good. Lauren, who wouldn’t be seen dead in a skirt, got two hooded sweatshirts in the Gap, a pair of faded jeans, and some silver stud earrings. She treated everyone to lunch in the food court and even got James a pair of novelty socks as a thank-you. He was never going to wear the ghastly things, but it was a nice moment when she gave them to him.

  After lunch, Kerry went off to meet Dinesh. She told James to give Zara a message that she wouldn’t be back until after dinner. Kerry being with Dinesh pissed James off, but he didn’t want to spoil Lauren’s birthday, so he tried not to think about it.

  When they got home, Zara had ordered a fancy cake. The icing was camouflage green and there was a miniature assault course built out of marzipan, with a climbing tower, a water jump, and toy soldiers running around. The iced message around the edge said HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAUREN & GOOD LUCK IN TRAINING.

  Joshua thought the cake was a toy and kept lunging out of Ewart’s lap towards it. After Lauren had blown out her candles, everyone sat around the table, cracking up at the huge mess Joshua made with his tiny piece of cake.

  • • •

  Lauren was tired out by half-nine and James decided to go up to bed with her. She started off with a sleeping bag on the floor, but she decided it was uncomfortable and climbed in with James. She’d always gotten into his bed when they were little, but they’d grown since those days.

  “This is ridiculous,” James said, wriggling up to the wall so she had more room.

  “I’m still scared about training,” Lauren said quietly. “I don’t even see the point of it.”

  “You’ll understand after you’ve done it,” James said. “Training’s horrible, so when something tough happens on a mission, instead of being scared, you remember that you’ve been through worse and you can handle it.”

  “Sometimes,” Lauren said, “just thinking about it make me feel like puking.”

  “The fear is worse before training starts,” James said. “Once you’re there, you’re too worn out to think.”

  There was a knock on the door.

  “Yeah,” James shouted. “We’re awake.”

  Zara pushed the door open and stuck her head in.

  “James, when Kerry left you earlier, did she say if she was going anywhere after she left Dinesh’s?”

  “No,” James said.

  “I rang their house,” Zara said. “Dinesh said Kerry left before eight. She ought to be home by now.”

  “Did you try her mobile?” James asked.

  “That’s the first thing I did. I even sent a text.”

  “Maybe we should go out looking,” Lauren said.

  “I wouldn’t panic yet,” Zara said. “She’ll probably turn up. You two get some sleep and try not to worry.”

  • • •

  A mobile woke James up. He’d forgotten Lauren was asleep next to him and bumped into her as he sat up.

  “That’s your tasteless ring tone,” he said, giving her a kick. “I bet it’s that idiot Bethany.”

  Lauren got out of bed, flicked on the light and found her phone inside her jacket. James looked at his clock. It was gone midnight.

  “Hello?” Lauren answered. “Kerry, wow. Everyone’s looking for you. . . . Hang on, yeah, James is here.”

  James snatched the Nokia off Lauren.

  “Kerry?”

  “Oh, thank God,” Kerry said. “Why did you switch your phone off?”

  “It’s probably gone flat,” James said.

  “I couldn’t get an answer from Kyle, or Nicole either. I tried Lauren as a last resort.”

  “Where the hell are you?” James asked. “Zara’s going frantic. She’s sitting downstairs waiting for you to get in.”

  “I’m outside Thunderfoods. I need a huge favor.”

  “What’s Thunderfoods?” James asked.

  “Dinesh’s dad’s company,” Kerry explained. “I think I’m on to something, but I need you and one of the others to ride out here and give me a hand breaking in.”

  “Why don’t you explain everything to Ewart or Zara?” James said. “They’ll know what to do.”

  “Because if I’m wrong, I’ll look like an idiot and they’ll boot me back to campus.”

  James couldn’t refuse. After all, he spent half his life telling Kerry to be more relaxed about rules.

  “OK,” he said. “What is it you want?”

  “I’d like Nicole or Kyle to come as well,” Kerry said.

  “Nicole’s at her sleepover. Kyle’s out partying.”

  “But I’m here,” Lauren said, sounding excited.

  James looked at his sister. “No way, you’re not trained.”

  “It’s better if there’s three of us to search,” Kerry said. “But two is OK. I need you to bring some stuff: torches, your lock gun, your digital camera, and some beer.”

  “Where the hell can I get beer at this time of night? Even if there was some somewhere, I’m too young to buy it.”

  “There’s a few cans in the bottom of our fridge,” Kerry said. “Sneak one out.”

  “What do you need beer for, anyway?” James asked.

  “James,” Kerry snapped, “I don’t have time for two hundred questions. Get the stuff, get on a bike and ride your butt out here.”

  James took down directions and ended the call.

  “What’s happening?” Lauren asked.

  “God knows why,” James said, “but Kerry wants to break into some food factory. She doesn’t want Ewart or Zara to know what she’s doing in case she’s wrong about whatever it is she thinks is going on.”

  He stepped into some tracksuit bottoms and trainers.

  “I’ll go get the beer for you,” Lauren said.

  “Thanks.”

  Lauren crept down to the kitchen, while James churned through the mess under his bed and got his lock gun and camera. He grabbed Kyle’s camera in case they needed two and took Lauren’s phone because his was flat.

  Lauren came back with the cold beer.

  “Thanks,” James said. “It’s gonna be well hard, sneaking my bike out of the garage without Ewart or Zara noticing.”

  Lauren started putting on clothes.

  “What do you think you’re doing?�
� James asked. “You’re not coming. No way.”

  “Kerry asked for a third person.”

  “You’re not trained.”

  “I’ll ride along,” Lauren said. “If Kerry doesn’t want me, I’ll look after the bikes.”

  James knew how stubborn Lauren could be. He didn’t have the time or energy to argue.

  “Fine,” he said. “But don’t think I’m taking the rap for you if we get in trouble.”

  “I’m ten years old,” Lauren said proudly. “I can make my own decisions.”

  Chapter 14

  CURRY

  There wasn’t much traffic, but what there was drove dangerously fast. It took twenty minutes to ride across to the industrial park. Thunderfoods had a full car park and lights on everywhere. The factory worked 24/7, sending out truckloads of chilled pastas and curries to supermarkets.

  Kerry led them to an alleyway between two warehouses.

  “Are you sure you want to do this, Lauren?” she asked. “We could get in serious trouble if we’re caught.”

  “If you want me to help, I’m up for it,” Lauren said.

  “So what’s this about?” James asked.

  “I got more information from Dinesh,” Kerry explained. “It’s amazing what you can wheedle out of a boy if he think you’re up for a snog.”

  “Did you snog him?” Lauren asked.

  Kerry laughed. “No chance.”

  James was relieved. It was worth being dragged out of bed at midnight just to hear that.

  “Anyway,” Kerry said, “Dinesh doesn’t get on with his dad. He reckons Mr. Singh is a hypocrite when he tells him to behave and do his homework, when he’s a crook himself. So I go: ‘How is your dad a crook?’ And Dinesh started explaining how his dad nearly went bankrupt and KMG bailed him out. I said I didn’t believe him. Dinesh tells me there’s a storage building at the back of Thunderfoods’ production plant. He says he’s been inside and seen bags of cocaine. Security seems pretty lax: I’ve already sneaked right up to the warehouse door, but I can’t get inside without my lock gun.”

  “What if there’s a security system?” James asked.

  “There is,” Kerry said smugly. “You need a swipe card.”

  She pulled a plastic card out of her shorts. “I nicked this one off Mr. Singh.”

  “And what about the beer?” Lauren asked.

  “We need a cover story,” Kerry explained. “If we get caught, we act like kids who got drunk and decided to cause some mischief.”

  Kerry took the beer off Lauren. She pulled the tab and swallowed a few mouthfuls, then dribbled some down her T-shirt.

  “It’s more believable if we’ve got the smell of drink on our clothes and breath.”

  James took the can off Kerry and did the same. Lauren hated the taste and spat hers in the gravel. “I don’t want to get beer on my new top,” she said.

  “Give us,” James said.

  He snatched the can off Lauren, poured most of it on the floor and splashed the dregs over her hair.

  “OK,” Kerry said. “Don’t forget to act drunk.”

  They staggered through the Thunderfoods car park, keeping behind the cars. Then it was over a stretch of lawn to the side door of the warehouse. James handed Kerry his lock gun.

  “You’re quicker than me,” he said.

  Kerry fiddled with the lock, while James and Lauren sat in the grass yawning. It was an eight-lever deadbolt, one of the trickiest kinds to pick.

  “You want me to try?” James asked.

  Kerry sounded edge. “You won’t do it. It needs a different attachment.”

  She unscrewed the back of James’s lock gun. There were nine different-shaped picks inside and it was tough to tell them apart in the dark.

  “This one or bust,” Kerry said, clicking a different pick on to the gun.

  She rattled about for another half minute.

  “Finally,” she sighed, pushing the door open.

  The alarm pipped until she swiped the security card. They couldn’t turn the light on in case someone saw it through the windows. It felt spooky, shining their torch beams around the cavernous black space. The racks of metal shelving were filled with sacks and tins of ingredients for the factory next door.

  “Maybe that’s how they get the cocaine into the country,” James whispered. “Disguised as curry powder or something.”

  “No,” Kerry said. “Dinesh described clear bags filled with white powder. And he said KMG people came and did something with it upstairs.”

  “Kerry,” James said, “I hate to say this, but maybe your little boyfriend is just trying to impress you. This building doesn’t even have an upstairs.”

  “We should split up,” Kerry said, deliberately ignoring James. “There’s a lot of shelving to cover.”

  They each took a row of shelves and started working along, searching for the white powder. The shelves went up ten meters. You’d need a forklift to access the higher bays.

  Lauren whispered to Kerry between the rows of shelves. “Come look at this.”

  Kerry dashed over. Lauren’s torch shone on a few clear polythene sacks filled with white powder.

  “Borax,” Lauren said. “It’s what you mix with pure cocaine to make the weaker stuff they sell on the street.”

  “How do you know that, Miss Smarty-Pants?” James asked.

  “I read your mission briefing,” Lauren said casually.

  James tutted. “Lauren, do you know how much trouble you could have got in if you’d been caught reading someone else’s mission briefing?”

  Lauren laughed. “Less than the amount you’d have been in for leaving a secret briefing lying on your bathroom floor.”

  “James,” Kerry gasped, “you’re not even supposed to take briefings out of the mission preparation rooms.”

  “I know,” James said, shrugging. “But I usually smuggle a few bits to read while I’m on the toilet.”

  Kerry took photos of the borax.

  “So, Keith Moore stores his borax here,” James said. “There’s nothing illegal about borax. Mr. Singh will just say they use it as disinfectant.”

  “There must be more to it,” Kerry said. “Keith wouldn’t bail out a company this size in return for shelf space. Dinesh said about upstairs.”

  “I hate to keep saying it,” James said, “but there is no upstairs.”

  “Yes, there is,” Lauren said. “This building has a pointed roof, but the ceiling in here is flat.”

  “Good thinking, Lauren,” Kerry said. “You obviously got all the brains in your family. There must a loft up there.”

  The three of them pointed their torches at the ceiling. The beams got dim over such a distance, but they eventually spotted a hatch that had to lead into the loft.

  “How can we get up there?” Kerry asked.

  “Easy,” James said. “It’s like a computer game. If you look, the shelves in some bays are closer together. You can use them like a ladder.”

  “And we thought all those hours on the PlayStation were wasted,” Kerry said, smiling. “Lauren, you stay down here and keep lookout. Me and James will climb up.”

  Lauren nodded. James doubted she’d have been so agreeable if he’d been giving the orders. They clambered up the closely spaced shelves, feeling their way with their hands. They walked along the shelves, stepping over sacks and tins until they came to the next easy-to-climb section. Lauren shone her torch on them, lighting their path as best she could.

  The top level was fifteen meters above ground, but the shelves were three meters deep, so if felt safe. There was a wooden pole with a hook on the end for undoing the loft hatch. Kerry pulled it open. James shone his torch into the hole while she pulled out the ladder. It clattered down, banging against the metal sheet on which they stood. The hundreds of fluorescent tubes in the ceiling a few centimeters from their heads started plinking to life. James and Kerry stared down and shielded their faces while their eyes adjusted to the light.

  “What the h
ell did that?” James whispered.

  “Someone must have come in,” Kerry said. “They’ll never see us up here, but where’s Lauren?”

  They crawled to the edge of the shelves on their bellies. James leaned over one side, Kerry over the other.

  “I can’t see her,” Kerry said. “It looks like she’s had the sense to get out of sight.”

  There were two sets of footsteps, accompanied by women’s voices. James caught a glance of them. They were both fat, wearing hairnets and dark blue overalls.

  “Bay forty-six,” one woman said.

  They walked slowly, reading the numbers printed on the shelves.

  “Potassium carbonate,” the woman said, leaning into the bay. “This is it, in the blue drums.”

  Something whumped against the floor, echoing around the warehouse. James peeked over the side. A sack of orange powder had exploded on the ground, almost directly below them. Lauren must have knocked it off a shelf.

  The two women started walking towards the spill.

  “I better see if Lauren’s OK,” James said.

  Kerry nodded. “Be careful. Keep out of sight.”

  But when he turned around, Lauren was crawling along the metal towards them.

  “Why didn’t you hide behind something?” James whispered angrily.

  “Sorry,” Lauren said, looking ashamed of herself. “I wanted to be with you guys.”

  Even though it was tense, James couldn’t help smiling. “Now you know why you need training: so you don’t get scared so easily.”

  “I wasn’t scared,” Lauren said defensively. “Just . . .”

  Kerry anxiously shushed the pair of them. “You’re making too much noise.”

  Down at ground level, the two women were standing by the burst sack, hands on hips, staring up at the ceiling.

  “We must have a ghost,” one woman grinned.

  The other one laughed. “I’m not sticking around to see if he chucks another one at us and it’s not gonna be muggins here who cleans that mess up, either.”

  The women picked up their boxes and switched out the lights as they left. The three kids kept still, making sure the women were gone and letting their eyes readjust to blackness. Kerry lit her torch and shone it up the metal ladder.