Undercover

by Joe Carter

  As we were talking about this lethal weapon, we both found ourselves a little too focused on a butcher who was walking towards us. When he was about five feet away from us, I said to Ray that I recognised him. I called out to him and said, ‘We’ve both been looking at you and we know you from somewhere.’

  He looked at us and said, ‘Do you watch Come Dine with Me?’ At that moment, both Ray and I remembered him from the TV series – he was a posh butcher who lived in a thatched house. It seemed remarkable that there we were, casually chatting about buying a weapon designed for only one reason: to kill people. Yet at the same time we were talking about a daytime TV programme that normal folk watched in the comfort of their homes.

  We finished discussing the rainmacs and I told Ray to let Mario know that if he could definitely get hold of one I’d be interested, but that I didn’t want to mess about meeting different people. If Mario had it in his lap, then I would take it off his hands. I told him I wouldn’t hold my breath, however, as over the years I’d been promised lots of boxed, unused guns by baddies, but they rarely seemed to materialise.

  Ray went on to explain that there was more gear available from Dazza, over in Essex. Dazza was keen to step it up with us, and there was a kilo of coke on offer if we wanted it. I told him that I’d take half a K, but that I wasn’t 100 per cent sure about Dazza.

  Ray said that he’d make some calls and try to sort a trade out for the Thursday of that week. I was always aware that Ray had an ulterior motive; he was always feathering his nest on the back of one of my trades. I was yet to find out what his angle was on this trade.

  We finished our coffees, and Ray said that he was waiting for a call back on the price for a half-kilo. Ray then changed the subject and told me that Chloe really fancied our house when Emma and I found somewhere to buy ourselves. He said that she’d been badgering him to help Emma in her search for a house. He had a mate who was a developer, and this bloke had a number of executive houses that were due for release soon, but he would let us have first choice on them before they were released on general sale. Ray said that he had booked a couple of viewings for Saturday, and he thought he would be able to have a chat with his mate about prices. He gave me some literature on the viewings, and said that he would go with Emma on Saturday and introduce her to his pal. I thanked him and said that Emma would love that.

  We parted company, and Ray said that he’d ring me later when he had a price for the half, and he’d have a chat with Mario about the rainmacs.

  I went home and had supper with Emma. She cooked her famous sausage pasta, and it was ram-packed with flavour as usual. She had also made a perfect Victoria sponge and gave me a huge slice. What talents Emma lacked in delivering a main course, she certainly made up for with her desserts. She was a dab hand at making delicious cakes and wouldn’t have been amiss on The Great British Bake Off. If I took the mickey out of her cooking, I reversed this with the amount of compliments I bestowed on her for her baking.

  Ray rang whilst I had a mouthful of sponge, but I listened enough to agree to meet him for a quick chat down the office. Emma said she didn’t mind and offered to drop me off, but I said that I wanted the car as an excuse not to drink. I had a quick brush of my railings, and grabbed my jacket before jumping in the car.

  Ray was already sat at our corner table, and he had two of our favourite drinks in front of him. I thanked him as we toasted being millionaires this time next year. He said that Mario was all over the rainmacs, but I just raised my eyebrows in disbelief. He told me that the half-K was on for Thursday. He said Dazza wanted £17,500 for the half and that we would have to go over to their manor to get the gear.

  I said I was going to take Freddie with me on this trade because I was a little bit windy about Dazza. Ray replied that he was coming with us, as he needed a chat with Dazza about something else. We agreed that we would take two motors up on Thursday. Freddie could bring the gear away so that Ray and I had nothing in the car.

  I told Ray he wouldn’t see me tomorrow, as I would have to get the paperwork together. We agreed that I’d ring him when I’d sorted the paperwork and I’d pick him up on Thursday at 1 p.m. I finished my drink, and much to the disgust of Ray told him I was going home. I could sense he fancied a proper drink, but I bailed out before it could get underway.

  The following day I met up with Freddie, who had been making great inroads into a number of dealers in the area. I asked him if he’d come to Essex with me and Ray the following day to buy a half-kilo of coke. His little face lit up and he joked that he better come along otherwise I’d only fuck it up, and I’d probably get scared without him. I laughed and told him that’s exactly why I’d asked him, so that he could keep an eye on me.

  I then explained what I wanted to happen. He’d be travelling in his motor alone, and I’d have the money in my car with Ray. I wanted him to check the gear was OK before I brought the paperwork in and we did the exchange. I stressed he was only to call me in once he was happy with the gear. I told him my reservations about Dazza, explaining that I couldn’t put my finger on what it was, but I had a feeling that he was a messer. Freddie was a good pair of hands, and I was glad that we were working together. And I knew that his relationship with Ray had been on a different level since he had chauffeured him to East London to safely return the four and half ounces of brown.

  I met up with Dave the following morning and listened to him moaning about the hard work and paperwork that he’d had to complete to get my money. I empathised with him and acknowledged that he had the difficult job of keeping the bosses happy and ensuring all the protocols were being followed. I counted the money out with Dave and joked that it was a thousand pounds short; he didn’t see the funny side. He made sure that I signed to the fact that the money was now my responsibility and he wished me good luck. I told him that I hoped to see him later with half a kilo of cocaine.

  I knew what was worrying Dave. This was the first time I’d returned to the Essex coast since that long Friday the thirteenth when he didn’t think I was coming back.

  I secreted the money carefully in the car and went to pick Ray up. He was his normal chirpy and bouncy self, and he asked me if Emma had looked at the properties he’d given me the details of. I told him that she really liked a particular one, but of course it just happened to be the most expensive.

  I then told him that Emma had seen me in the garden late last night. Ray was aware that I had an ‘emergency fund’ I kept hidden in the back garden, in case I had to disappear on the hurry-up. I explained that I had been five grand short on the paperwork and that I’d had to make it up from my stash. I said that luckily she hadn’t seen me digging, but I’d had to tell her that I thought I’d seen a fox with a puppy in its mouth. He laughed at me, and I said it was the first thing that had come into my head – I knew she didn’t like foxes and loved puppies. I said I’d seemed to pull it off and I got the money.

  We had arranged for Freddie to meet us nearby so he could follow us. The journey took about an hour and a half, and Ray made and received a number of calls. The plan was to meet Dazza – and a new fella that Ray didn’t know – in a pub to have a quick chat. Then the gear would be brought to a gaff they had and we could do the trade there.

  At the pub, I told them that I was going nowhere near the gear but I’d brought someone with me to take it away. Dazza seemed more than happy with that and said my fella could leave the money with his people at the gaff when he took the half-kilo away – that way Dazza didn’t have to get his hands dirty. The other guy with him was a classic steroid-head; he was juiced up and spent the entire time staring at me with his bulging eyes. Apart from grunting occasionally, he added nothing to the conversation. If he was there to scare me, it certainly hadn’t worked.

  Freddie waited outside, as I wanted to keep him away from these men. Dazza took a phone call and gave me an address to send my fella to, which was a five-minute drive away. Dazza told Ray to give him a ring when everything was done and we w
ere driving away.

  We left Dazza and his ridiculously huge orange friend in the pub. I walked over to Freddie’s car and told him what was happening. I gave him the address and told him to ring me if he was happy with the gear, and I’d bring the money in. I said I’d have a look at where the place was and I’d only be a minute away. Freddie was fine with everything and I knew he was more than capable. He did look like he needed a decent meal inside him, but he was happy with the situation.

  Ray and I watched him walk up to a door that looked like it was the entrance to a flat above a shop, with a ‘To Let’ sign outside. I was happy I knew where he was and I saw him disappear inside. I could see that there was a lamp that lit up the first-floor window above the shop, but the grubby net curtains prevented me seeing inside. Ray said he was starving.

  I didn’t want to look like a couple of detectives on a stakeout, so we drove to a café two minutes from the flat. I grabbed a cup of tea whilst Ray ordered pie and chips. After about fifteen minutes, Freddie texted me to say that the ‘thing’ was on its way and that he’d ring me in a bit. Ray polished off the last of his chips, then wiped the remaining ketchup off his plate with a triangle of badly buttered white bread and squashed it into his mouth. My phone rang and it was Freddie. All he said was: ‘You know where I am, you better come over.’

  I could tell from his voice that something wasn’t right. I paid for the food and we quickly jumped in the motor and drove round the corner. I told Ray that Freddie wanted me to pop in and see him. He asked if everything was OK, and I said I’d tell him in five minutes. I left the car running and asked Ray to wait for me to get back.

  The door was on its latch, and as I pushed it open as far as possible I could see a long corridor that was completely covered in letters, newspapers, and anything else that had been posted through the letterbox. It was clear that this place hadn’t been lived in for many years.

  The front door only just opened wide enough for me to squeeze through. As I climbed up the carpetless stairs, I could hear voices above me. I pushed open the door upstairs to find two large men and Freddie crowded into a tiny room. I looked around and took in the mess that must have taken years to create. There were piles and piles of newspapers stacked up, and the only light was from a battered standard lamp that flickered in the corner of the room. The smell of damp and cat urine hung in the air. Freddie was sitting on the only surface that was devoid of plastic bags or newspapers, which appeared to be a quarter of a square oak dining table. I could see that he had his Nike drawstring bag on the table in front of him.

  I looked at one of the men, who was hovering at the adjoining kitchen door, and I could see that two of the rings on the filthy gas stove were lit to provide heat. I looked at the second man, who was propped up on top of a pile of newspapers in the corner of the room. He held his hand out to shake but I ignored it. ‘Nice place, boys,’ was all I said.

  I tapped Freddie on the shoulder and asked him what was happening. He looked at me and said that the parcel was two ounces light and that we were waiting for the remaining gear to arrive. The one who was sat down called over and said that he didn’t know how it had happened but that it was on its way. I looked at him and said, ‘Which one of you two is in charge here?’ There was a short debate between the two before I interrupted: ‘One of you better get on the blower now and tell whoever is bringing the gear that if they ain’t here in fifteen minutes, we’re gone.’ I looked at Freddie and told him either to walk out in fifteen minutes or to ring me when he was happy that the gear was right. I rubbed the top of his head and told him that however much I’d like to stay and chat, I’d be waiting for his call.

  I went back to the car and told Ray what had happened. I knew that someone was trying to rip us off. They hadn’t banked on Freddie doing his job properly and had hoped that we wouldn’t find out that it was light until we got home. Ray got straight on the phone to Dazza and told him that he had better sort the problem out or it would be the last bit of business he ever did with us. It was clear from Dazza’s reaction that he knew of the problem and had chanced his luck at trying to have us over with a light parcel. If we hadn’t discovered it at the time, he would have denied all knowledge and blamed the two muppets in the flat or Freddie.

  I could hear him apologising to Ray, and he said that the gear should be with us any minute. About ten minutes later, Freddie rang me and said that he now had the half-kilo. I couldn’t face going back into the flat and told him to walk out with the gear with Dumb and Dumber, and I’d give them the money by Freddie’s motor. After a few minutes, Freddie and both of the men came out the door and walked to his car. I got the money from the boot and joined them, and as Freddie got into the driver’s seat I threw the bag to the bigger of the two men. I told them that, unlike them, I’d made sure every penny was in the bag. I wasn’t going to wait around for them to count it.

  I leant into the car and thanked Freddie, and I told him that I’d see him later as I was going to take Ray back. Freddie drove off as the two men disappeared back into the flat, carrying the bag of money. I knew in my mind that Dazza had tried to pull my pants down and have me over, but thanks to Freddie he hadn’t.

  On the drive back, I told Ray that I didn’t like dealing with people like Dazza and I wouldn’t do another trade with him. Ray agreed with me and said he actually knew the fella who controlled the gear, the man at the top. He said that they had been in prison together in the past. It was awkward because Dazza knew that Ray knew the man, but Dazza would lose money if Ray dealt directly with this fella.

  Ray said that he knew roughly where the guy lived and the exact car that he drove. If he could bump into the guy, all our problems could be solved as he was a top fella. Ray suggested that when we had a spare afternoon, we should go to the area and find the guy, his car or his house, and take it from there.

  Dazza rang just as the two of us hatched this plan and he apologised profusely to Ray. He wanted to speak to me, but I told Ray that I had nothing to say to him. Dazza knew that he taken a gamble, but today it hadn’t paid off.

  Thirty-nine

  As my relationship with Ray grew stronger and Emma and I spent more and more time in his and Chloe’s company, we became very close. He was still taking more cocaine than he should have and it was at those times that he made the wrong decisions in respect to his unfaithfulness. But he loved Chloe very much, and his devotion to his family and in particular his young son was unquestionable.

  I’m sure he considered me a close friend and I really enjoyed his company. The four of us would socialise regularly and it all seemed so natural. One evening when we were out to dinner, I watched his face light up like a schoolboy and he started kicking me under the table. Emma was explaining to Chloe that she had caught me in the middle of the night out in the garden. Emma said she’d thought it strange at first, but it turned out to be sweet as I’d been trying to rescue a puppy from the jaws of a fox.

  Emma was doing everything right in the subtle way she fed things into conversations. She had confided in Chloe that she was pleased with the way I was behaving now that I was away from all the bad influences in London. She said that it felt like I was on the straight and narrow and that I wanted to settle down with her. Emma had been with Ray to view houses, and had even taken a tape measure to a second viewing to see if ‘our’ furniture fitted.

  All these things added to the idea that the two of us were staying in the area, and helped put the doubt that Ray had once had about me to the back of his mind. I knew that Ray was completely comfortable with me. I’d bought guns, cocaine, heroin and MDMA with him. I turned down offers of skunk and amphetamines and had refused to meet many other criminals that he’d tried to introduce me to. I’d discussed money laundering, weapons supply, and every possible type of criminality you could imagine. I’d helped him back multiple kilos of base amphetamine. I knew that he trusted me implicitly.

  Ray had implied on many occasions that it was only a matter of time before I
would meet his mate Frank, the ex-copper, but I had done my best to put him off this idea as it made me uncomfortable. However, Ray thought that the fact I’d not been happy with Dazza opened the door for Frank and me to meet. He explained that Frank could get hold of good-quality gear and that he trusted him, and also he was right on our doorstep and we didn’t need to travel. I told Ray I would think about it, and I was only doing that because Ray trusted him.

  I had many meetings with Dave and the team about Frank, and what was the best way forwards. There were many things to consider. It could be the case that Frank would try and test me, or even set me up. We knew that he still had contacts in the police, and you could never be 100 per cent sure that there had not been a leak, innocent or otherwise. It was of the utmost importance that we should try our best to assess what threat – if any – he was, and whether he was actually involved in any criminality. At present, all I had was what Ray was telling me.

  I came up with a plan that I would tell Ray that I was four and half ounces short on a parcel that I had promised someone else, and I needed to find that amount before I traded with them at the weekend. I thought it was a good starting amount – not over the top – and the story made sense. I knew the timing was right, and I kept my fingers crossed that Ray would suggest Frank. I laid this out for Ray in a very matter of fact way as we were having a coffee at the Spanish café. He jumped all over it, and the first thing that came out of his mouth was Frank’s name. He said that he’d go and speak with him face to face and then let me know. I didn’t show any enthusiasm, I just asked that he let me know by lunchtime, otherwise I’d sort it out in town myself.

  After speaking with him, Ray told me that Frank was willing to trade with me but, like me, was apprehensive about meeting. The first trade was agreed for the four and half ounces of cocaine. The agreement was that Ray would travel with me to a retail park. Frank would park in a separate part of the car park to us, and Ray would take my money to Frank’s car and exchange the money for drugs. He would then return to my car. It’s fair to say that I was very laid-back about this trade as I thought we should do it on Frank’s terms. I thought that if it went well and we all walked away, it would be the first of many transactions and, if necessary, I could be more vociferous in my demands on future trades.