by Alan Cooke
Dan smiled at the detective, he enjoyed seeing the professionals at work. ‘That sounds good to me Sir.’
There was no money in the safe so Dan left the Detectives to do their work. It did hold a number of files each carefully annotated and numbered. There was also a bundle of credit cards in a rubber band, two old mobile phones and a passport in the name of Simon Colbourne.
He called to Dan O’Brien. ‘We’ll take the paperwork just in case. Don’t worry I’ll give you a signature for anything we remove.’ The safe was locked and the envelope with the combination handed back to Dan O’Brien.
‘The coffee’s ready, would you like it in the study or here in the drawing room?’ Bridget had set a tray with two cups, she would not think of intruding.
‘We’ll take it in the study please. We have a bit of work still to do. Have you come across anything unusual around the house?’
‘Nothing is out of place at all, it’s just as it was after I cleaned up when Mr. Simon left.’ She had been thorough, checking the bedside drawers, bathroom cabinet and other places where she might spot something.
‘Thank you anyway, and thanks for the coffee. I think we should be finished in about ten minutes.’ He turned to Carol, ‘Would you ring the chief and let him know Sergeant, you know what he’s like. And would you give Mr. O’Brien a receipt for the files we’re taking.’ He had no intention of leaving a receipt, but it sounded convincing.
‘I thought you might need this.’ Bridget O’Brien handed Steve a plastic bag. ‘There does seem there will be things you need to take. It’s going to keep you busy I think, but if you can find Mr. Simon we’ll be so glad. With his parents away, we can’t get in touch with them. If they knew, they would be worried sick.’
The files were stacked in the bin liner which Steve lifted carefully to make sure things didn’t get mixed up. Simon Colbourne would have been impressed.
‘Thank you both for your cooperation. I’ll give you my number in case anything turns up that you think could help.’ Steve passed a piece of paper and pen to Dan who wrote down the number. It was nonexistent so couldn’t be traced, and with luck neither could he.
Once they were back in the car and heading for the lay-by, he let out a cry of delight. ‘We’ve done it, I can’t believe it. Wait until the girls see this lot.’ He could hardly keep still in his seat, a quick drive back was needed so they could start work.
Carol was the first out of the car, running over to Diane she said, ‘You’re a genius, nothing less. Your brilliant idea worked perfectly, you should see what we’ve got, it will make your mouth water. That friend of yours was a smooth operator as you will see.’
‘Ex- friend please. Remember he never did come back to me with another offer. Let’s get on our way and sort out your goody bag. I can hardly wait. By the way, I think it’s safe to take those gloves off now, you will look awfully suspicious if someone spots you gloved up.’ The laughter that followed helped to release the tension Steve and Carol had been under during their acting roles.
When Steve emptied the safe he had noticed files for both himself and Carol, but the one which caused him to catch his breath was for his old enemy Corporal Jennings. Justice would be done for Arif and his family. He didn’t know how or when, but the answer would lie somewhere with the papers in the bin liner.
The traffic was not too heavy and even traffic lights had been in their favour giving them a thirty-five minute journey back to Diane’s flat.
The bin liner was carefully emptied, the files from the safe put on one side to begin with. Setting up the hard drive would be done later. It all had to make sense and Diane with Carol’s help soon had a system working. There were a few legitimate businesses like Carol’s, the main one was a property Company with a long list of property holdings. These were overseen by an accountant and recognised by the authorities. Then there were the others, including drug teams, strip clubs, massage parlours and people trafficking.
Diane put her hand on her head and scratched it once or twice. ‘Do you realise these legit Companies can continue. Apart from the tax man, who knows about them other than the accountant? We do, so why can’t they carry on with a new board of directors.’ Her eyes were shining, lying on the floor in front of them was a fortune, even if there were a few loose ends to be tied up.
‘There’s something I haven’t told you.’ Steve shuffled through the pile. ‘There’s yours Carol. Here’s mine and...’ he paused, lifted up a third file and smacked it down on the floor. ‘There’s Corporal Bloody Jennings. Would you believe it? There’s no doubt in my mind now who was responsible for the deaths, that bastard. Excuse my language but you can’t know how much hate I have inside me for that man.’
Anthea put her arm around him. ‘I think we do know Steve and we’re behind you no matter what.’ Her eyes were filling with tears again as she thought about how much pain he had suffered because of Jennings.
‘That’s how Colbourne got to know about me. Would you believe it? Here in my file is my application to join R.L.G., I tore it up and put into a bin, now here it is sellotaped together as neat as you like. What do you think of that?’ She didn’t wait for a reply but continued, ‘Can we have a brief check on the other files before we break for something to eat, you never know what or who will turn up in them.’ Steve passed a file to each of the girls and took one for himself. The room was quiet as sheets of information were read and digested.
‘Here’s one that’s interesting Steve. Another Army man, the bomb maker himself, and he was paid five thousand pounds to dispose of you. If ever there was poetic justice the end result was it.’ As Anthea read it her brain was working overtime. There was something she must discuss with Steve but the others must be kept out of it.
‘Right, leave everything, we’re going to eat. It’s been a long but very successful day and there’s more to do, but we need clear heads and full stomachs. I’m now wearing my Company Directors hat so we’ll all go into the kitchen for another team effort to try and make sense of my fridge and store cupboard. With luck a meal might emerge.’
After the meal, they worked until midnight on a plan to wind up the illegal businesses and to take over the remainder. The file on the Accountant had been illuminating, he too thought he was working for a large organisation but knew what questions he shouldn’t ask. Using him for his last few weeks with the Company should see a new board elected. Then there was Jennings.
‘Look, forget about Jennings, Steve and I will look into his affairs and see if we can come up with anything.’ The plan, with Steve’s approval and a bit of fine tuning would work.
‘Right folks, that’s it. You’re all staying here for the night. Tomorrow’s another day and after breakfast at eight, we’ll start again. If we rush things now mistakes could easily be made. You have suffered too much to let this opportunity slip away, and anyway, I’m enjoying it too much.’ Diane was indeed enjoying herself and had already a plan in her mind for the following morning, unless someone could better it.
Sleep didn’t come easily for Steve and Anthea, they were still on a high following the discoveries. She wanted to tell him her plan but this wasn’t the time or the place. It could wait until tomorrow. Tonight she wanted him to hold her close.
After breakfast Diane revealed her plan, making sure it was received as a suggestion. ‘All of these people are in contact with a central point, which is, or was Simon Colbourne’s phone but they were also in contact with a dropping off point for their takings which was Arif’s place. They need to be contacted by a new senior manager with a new phone,’ he pointed to one of the phones Steve had collected from the safe, ‘so it appears the business is having a shake up. There should also be a new drop off point. This would be only temporary as the illegals will be phased out. How does that sound?’
‘I hope you don’t mind me saying Diane,’ Steve looked at her with a strained expression on his face, ‘but it’s...’ he paused still facing her, ‘bloody brilliant.’ He broke into a ro
ar of laughter. ‘What would we have done without you? I do have one special request, can we somehow pass as much of Colbourne’s ill gotten gains to help the starving in some of the African countries. That has been one of my aims for some time, I was thinking of hundreds from my own limited resources, but now,’ he spread his hands out, ‘we could really help. What do you think?’ The idea was good but it would take some careful thinking so the source was not identified.
‘Great idea Steve, once this mess is cleared up we will have a ball passing on his money.’ Diane assumed correctly that everyone was in favour. By midday duties had been apportioned, each person taking on a share of the tasks to be completed. There were no gaps in the plan. The Company was entering into a new phase. All Simon Colbourne’s key people would soon be listening to the Company changes. The voice they would hear would be a woman’s, who would introduce herself as the new Head of Operations. Carol was impressed with her title, it carried authority and that authority she would be using to close down the illegal operations. The Company accountant would be taking charge of the sale of properties and contents. A clear warning would be given to all criminal employees of the Company that their services would no longer be required, any attempt to counter this order would be dealt with in a most severe manner. Carol had practiced her threatening mode to perfection.
‘Just one request Carol.’ Steve leaned across to look at her list of proposed contacts. ‘Do you mind if I contact Mr. Blaney, after all he is ex-Army?’ He didn’t want further discussion, he had his reasons which were very personal.
Carol put a cross next to the name. ‘O.K. Steve, he’s all yours.’
Diane had discovered from the documents that all the Directors of the legitimate Companies were dead, and had been before they had been appointed. These were Simon’s ‘resurrected’. A word he had written beside each one of them. Introducing new Directors and deleting the dead would be easy, her friends would have their hands full with such a portfolio of Companies. Her work was almost finished, the team had left her with all the recovered documentation and things were as she wanted them. The exception was, the threat still existed for Carol and Steve, and she was stuck for an answer to that. Checking over the files she noticed two were missing from the list they had made.
CHAPTER FORTY ONE
‘Good evening Mr. Jennings, I am calling on behalf of the Operations Director who advised you already of the Company changes. She has asked me to check if the following information is correct. You are still a serving soldier, and you might be available with at least one week’s notice.’
The accent was unmistakeable, the manner abrupt as Jennings confirmed Anthea’s statements. He wasn’t used to dealing with women, particularly those giving orders. In his book there were two places for women, the kitchen and the bedroom and not necessarily in that order.
‘And do you still drive a red BMW with this registration number?’ She read the information from her prepared notes. Thinking about the man on the other end of the telephone caused a chill to envelop her whole body. He was the worst of everything, she was lost for adjectives to describe him but now had to tell him how highly he was thought of within the Company. His responsibility was to be increased as were the rewards he would receive.
‘Do you understand the trust being given to you Mr. Jennings? The M.D. asked me to stress this point with you. You must not let her down. The people at the top have changed but the penalties for misdemeanours remain the same.’ She paused to let the message sink into Jennings’ warped brain.
‘No problems love. When do I get to meet this Director, we might just get on fine together. Particularly if she stays overnight.’ His coarse laugh made Anthea feel sick.
Ignoring his comments, Anthea continued with her script. ‘The Director wants her new structure in place as soon as possible, are you off duty on Saturday morning?’ She held her breath hoping he would say ‘yes.’
‘Saturday and Sunday if necessary. What’s the score?’ He was interested, it was the thought of more power and greater rewards which had him move from his stretched out position on Denise’s bed to sitting upright.
‘You are to drive to a supermarket car park outside Manchester, I will give you all the details in a minute. If you see a space between two cars, any two it doesn’t matter, park there. Walk over to the supermarket and buy a morning paper at precisely eight o’clock. When you come out wave it towards the car park. Just one wave, discreetly if you know what I mean?’
She heard him laugh. ‘This isn’t funny Jennings.’ Her voice was cold and hard. It had the required effect.
‘Sorry, I know what the Company’s like on security.’ He knew better than to mess with them. He had once reported the theft of merchandise by one of his team and read reports in the paper when the unfortunate thief’s body had been found. Humour was not on their agenda. ‘Will I have something to collect?’ His voice was now more agreeable.
‘I’m not supposed to know, but I think there will be something for you. For goodness sake don’t ever let anyone know I said that will you?’ Her attempt at feigning fear worked. He was anxious to reassure her.
‘You can trust me love, I’ve been with the Company long enough to know how they work and what is expected. Thanks for the tip, it might just pay for a little holiday.’ His record with the Company was good, he’d brought money in and apart from the one loss, and there had been no complaints. He hadn’t saved any of his income, it had gone on women, drink and gambling. In his little world, this was as it should be.
‘Don’t ask me how far it will take you because I don’t know. Now tell me what you have to do?’ She waited for Jennings to check back with her instructions.
‘It’s unlikely you will ever hear from me again Mr. Jennings. The final word is always with the one at the top. Goodbye.’ In her book, God was at the top, and she was confident that Jennings’ ticket wouldn’t take him to heaven.
He turned off the phone and called to Denise. ‘Come here sexy, how would you like a nice holiday in the sun. Some stupid bitch has just told me I’m going to get a surprise.’ He rubbed his hands together. ‘Let’s start celebrating now, come on back to bed.’
Anthea put the phone down and snuggled up to Steve on the sofa. ‘How did that go then?’ She knew the answer, Jennings would be at the appointed spot on Sunday to collect his reward. His heart was beating against her breast and she could hear his steady breathing as he reached to pick up the phone. The final phase was close.
‘I hope I do half as well, Anthea that was brilliant. Here goes.’ He pressed the keys and got an immediate response.
‘Good morning Mr. Blaney. I have to advise you that there have been some changes at the top of the Organisation. From now on I will be your contact. For business purposes call me Mark. We have a job for you similar to the last one for which you are to be complimented. The Chairman himself said it was an excellent piece of work. These are your instructions.’
When he put the phone down he held Anthea close. ‘That’s for Sumi, Arif, the kids and the other poor woman. On Monday our real life begins and Mr. Blaney goes into retirement.
EPILOGUE
Manchester Evening News Friday July 9th 2009.
Police found evidence at the scene of yesterday’s explosion near a city supermarket car park identifying the victim as Corporal Darren Jennings who originated from Liverpool. It was thought that the crime may be drug related and linked to the murder of an unknown man in the same area three weeks earlier. Police inquiries are continuing and witnesses are asked to contact their local Police Station. A source close to the investigation told our reporter that it was possible that a major criminal gang was involved.
Evening Standard Saturday 30th September 2010.
A double wedding took place today in London when Mr. Steven Henderson, a Company Director married Miss Anthea Shawcross, daughter of car entrepreneur Jeffrey Shawcross, while his mother Emily, married electrical contractor, Damian Forrest. They will be taking separate hon
eymoons our correspondent was advised.
Manchester Evening News Saturday 6th August 2012.
Former England rugby player Greg Simpson, now a C.I.D. officer, married Miss Sue French who recently qualified as a solicitor. Both will continue to work in Manchester championing the cause for law and order.
Financial Times Monday 11th June 2011.
Carol Barcroft, the managing director of ‘In Town Resources’ opened her third human resource agency which has helped a number of top flight companies to achieve and in some cases, exceed their targets. Known as the human dynamo, Carol has also been appointed to the Board of the fast growing property company, Chance Holdings. Other high fliers on the Board include furniture mogul Diane Adams and husband and wife team Steve and Anthea Henderson.
Mr. P was delighted to be made redundant to the company’s needs and the supply of drugs to his factory ceased. His daughter is now at university reading Medicine.
Friends Marie and Denise. Denise gave birth to red headed twins and moved into a council flat, sharing with Marie. Denise was questioned by Police about a quantity of drugs found in her flat but told them that they belonged to Darren Jennings. Under further questioning, she admitted to other offences including lying about drugs found on Steven Henderson. Army authorities were informed.
Steven Henderson was invited to the Ministry of Defence where he met his former commanding officer together with other senior officers. He accepted the apology offered but rejected the suggestion that he should claim compensation. He did however accept the opportunity to join the Territorial Army as an officer cadet. After a short course at Sandhurst, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. Anthea Henderson had initially disapproved of his decision to return to Army life even on a part time basis, but soon realised it was something he had to do. He would work it out of his system.
