DARK TRADE a gripping crime thriller full of twists

by Helen H. Durrant

  “Someone new?” Leah was puzzled.

  “According to Rouse, Costello is gravely ill, and out of the picture.”

  “So who is orchestrating this?” asked Grace. “And while we’re at it, we might ask ourselves how big an operation is this? Was Farid the first, for example? If not, how many other poor buggers have fallen victim to illegal surgery?”

  Greco had been thinking the same, and he had a bad feeling about it. Jamal Ali had had tests, and possibly the other lad that had been killed. There could have been dozens before them.

  Speedy looked around at them. “That man, Hamid Khan, the one with the kidney problems. He was having treatment at the clinic. What we didn’t understand was why. He could get all the dialysis he needed at the local NHS hospital. There aren’t any drugs or procedures that would sort him. He’d reached the stage where his only chance was a transplant.”

  Greco stared at him for a few moments.

  “So they promised him one.”

  The team were silent as the implications of this hit home. “For all we know, that clinic could be doing it on a grand scale. Bringing the lads in, testing them, hiving off the likely suspects and feeding the rest to the backstreet sweatshops.”

  Speedy frowned. “It’s a nightmare scenario, sir. Wonder what they charge?”

  “For a kidney? Who knows? Hamid Khan’s wife did say they’d paid a lot of money.”

  Suddenly Speedy did one of his loud whistles. “There could be an entire black market out there! With the Rashid Clinic at the centre of it. Bring the lads in and take their organs. The poor buggers are being used for spare parts.”

  “We need to know more about tissue matching. These lads are all from a particular ethnic background. We need to know if that restricts which ethnic groups the organs can be used for.” Greco looked at Gareth Dobbs. “Do some urgent research and let me know what you find.”

  Chapter 25

  Day 8

  The team were silent as Greco briefed them early the following morning. “We gather evidence and then we strike. We need a solid case, or anyone we bring in will walk. Grace and I will speak to the lad, Farid, again. This time I will show him the photos of that lot.” He nodded at the board. “If he recognises any of them, particularly Horton or Rashid, then we are good to go. I will get a warrant and we’ll go through that clinic with a fine toothcomb.”

  The team were listening intently. They all knew that this had to be done right. “We do have a warrant to search the factory, Hussain’s Textiles. Leah, you and Speedy go and clear the place. An officer from immigration will go with you, plus uniformed officers. I want that man Hussain arrested and put in the cells. He must know something about all this. Not only does he get the rejected boys as part of his workforce, but he gets them back after the operation too.”

  “What about Todoran?” asked Speedy.

  “We are still looking for him. Anything from the Duggan?” Greco looked around.

  Speedy checked the nearest computer and shook his head.

  “The blood found in the mill, we need to know if it is Todoran’s. We also need confirmation about the knife found on Mickey Dent.” Greco looked at Speedy. “Did you speak to his sister, Michelle? Did she have anything helpful to say?”

  “No, sir, nothing she’d admit to.” He looked sheepish. “She’s been staying with me. She won’t say, but I think Michelle was feeding her brother information. She had access to my notebook. She could have told him anything.”

  “Where’s she staying now?”

  “She’s gone back to her own place, sir. I tackled her about it. I’m afraid it hasn’t done much for the relationship.” He shrugged.

  “I did that research you asked for, sir,” Gareth Dobbs told Greco. “It seems that people from ethnic minorities wait longer on average for a transplant. Organs are in short supply.”

  “A ready market — providing the patients can come up with the money.”

  Leah’s mobile rang. Greco waited while she dealt with the call. It was Joel Hough. “Rouse spent the night at his apartment in Spinningfields. But he’s on the move again this morning. He has gone to the Grapes pub, sir. He knows my informant. If he’s looking for him, then Rouse is after information.”

  “Is he likely to get it?”

  Leah finished the call. “It depends on how much money Rouse is prepared to pay. My man’s info is reliable, but there is no loyalty. He’ll sell what he knows to the highest bidder.”

  “Ring Joel back. Tell him he must not lose Rouse.”

  * * *

  Farid was a little better. He was sitting up in bed when Greco and Grace arrived on the ward.

  “He’s eaten and been quite talkative,” Molly Crompton told them. “He also rang a member of his family who is currently in Turkey. He seems happier.”

  “The infection?”

  “We are treating that with some serious drugs. We’ll see.”

  Greco greeted the boy with a smile. “We are the detectives who were here yesterday. We had a little chat.”

  The boy nodded.

  “We want to find the people who did this to you,” Greco told him. “Have you remembered anything? Any little detail will help.”

  Farid shook his head. “Each time I was moved it was at night and they covered my head.”

  “You might not know any names or remember the places, but you might recognise some of these faces.”

  Grace handed Farid the photos one by one. First Mickey Dent. The lad shook his head. Next Slicer Shaw. Nothing there either. The third photo was that of Faisal Rashid. Farid stared at it for several seconds before looking up at Greco. “I think I might have seen him.”

  “What about this man?” Greco handed him the image of Jason Horton. Farid gave a little scream, and let the photo fall to the floor.

  “He is the devil! It was him who did this,” he said, putting his hand to his side.

  “Are you sure it was him? Did anyone you were with use his name?”

  “No, but I remember his face. He was very handsome but full of wickedness. He spoke to me as if I was nothing. He gave me drugs, operated on me against my will.”

  “Was this in a hospital?”

  “Yes, but I was taken there at night so I didn’t see much. When I got there, he spoke to me and then I was drugged.”

  That was all Greco needed. “He will be caught and punished for what he has done. You are quite safe now.”

  Molly Crompton stopped them on their way out. “Helpful?”

  Greco smiled back. “We are getting somewhere at last.” As they walked back to the car, he made the phone call to arrange the warrant.

  * * *

  Speedy, Leah and an immigration officer called Margaret Brown pulled up behind a van full of uniformed officers in front of the main entrance to Hussain’s Textiles. The uniforms split up, some going off to the rear of the building. Two more vans pulled up beside them to take the illegal workers away to be processed.

  Speedy banged on the main doors, while Leah waited impatiently beside him.

  “No one is going to answer,” she decided. She nodded to a uniform who launched a battering ram at the door. Seconds later they were in.

  The reception area was as messy as Grace had described it, littered with boxes and rubbish. Speedy led the way down the corridor to the rooms at the back. They could hear raised voices, and a man shouting. The uniformed officers who’d tackled the rear of the building were already inside. Suddenly Speedy heard a gunshot.

  “We need bulletproof vests,” Leah hissed to the uniform behind her. He scuttled off back to the van.

  Speedy dropped to his knees. “Get down!” They heard another shot and a man screamed.

  “I hope that’s not one of ours.” Speedy craned his neck to see what was going on. “It’s one bloke,” he whispered to Leah. “He has his back to us, about halfway down the corridor and he’s blocking the door into the workroom. I could rush him, send him flying.”

  Leah grabbed his arm.
“Not worth the risk, Speedy. If he turns and fires, you’re dead.”

  “Uniform are in there,” he hissed back. “For all we know, one of our own could be injured, or worse.”

  “We do this by the book. We get an armed response unit. We get the vests on, and then we’ll see.”

  But Speedy wasn’t prepared to wait. He gave Leah a backward glance then made a dash for it. He charged towards the man who was holding the gun. His luck held. Speedy dived forward and made a wild grab for the man’s legs, and he fell forward heavily. Speedy heard the gun rattle across the concrete floor. Uniform were on him straight away.

  Leah ran forward and stood beside Speedy. “Bloody fool! You took a huge risk there.”

  “Worked though, didn’t it?” He grinned.

  “Anyone injured?”

  Speedy nodded at one of the uniforms. “He hit Alan over there with the butt of his gun. Apart from him, no. He fired into the ceiling.” Speedy pointed to a large hole, spilling plaster. He looked around. The room they were in, and the two adjoining ones, were full of sewing machines. At least two dozen young men were cowering beneath the tables.

  “Round them up,” Leah told the nearest uniform. “Margaret Brown, the immigration officer, is in the van outside. She’ll tell you where to take them.”

  Speedy held up a hand. “Not all of them. We want him and the bloke hiding in the office over there. This bloke is the one we saw the other day, and I reckon that’s Hussain himself.”

  Leah found Greco’s mobile number and told him what had happened. “We’ve secured the factory and got the workers in custody. They’ll be processed by immigration. This place is being searched now. I’ll get the people from the Duggan down. See what they turn up.”

  Greco sounded pleased. “We’ve had a positive outcome from Farid too. Grace and I are on our way to the Rashid Clinic.”

  * * *

  “I need money.” Cezar Todoran stared at Jason Horton, his expression venomous. “You owe me. Refuse to pay and you will suffer. I am not a man you want as your enemy.”

  “You can’t stay here. This is my place of work. Go. I’ll ring you. Arrange something for later.”

  “Shaw is dead. He was my contact. The kid who shot him is also dead. I am a man of little patience.” Todoran grabbed Horton by the lapels of his suit jacket. “I repeat — I need that money now!”

  Horton was shaking with terror. He felt the villain reach into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and remove his wallet. He watched as Todoran flicked through the contents, finally removing several notes.

  “This is peanuts. I am owed thousands. Get my money from your boss. Fail to do that and I will be back. I will not waste time talking. I will simply shoot you dead!”

  The Romanian slipped out of the rear entrance and drove away. Horton watched until he was out of sight. The man was a very real threat. He had meant every word. Everything was spiralling out of control. Time to wind the operation up.

  Horton was walking towards his office when he heard the sirens. A number of police cars, followed by DCI Greco, were speeding into the car park. For one brief moment Horton considered running, then he changed his mind. If he did that, he’d be on his own.

  Greco stalked into the clinic, waving a document at Horton. “We have a warrant. We will go through this place brick by brick if we have to.”

  “Tell me what you’re looking for. Perhaps I can help.” Horton was as smooth as ever.

  “A boy called Farid had his kidney removed here, illegally. He is a minor, smuggled into this country from Calais.”

  Horton looked unruffled. “Nonsense. Who has been feeding you this rubbish?”

  “The boy himself told us. We have also cleared the factory in Openshaw this morning. I’ll be interested to hear what Mr Hussain has to say for himself.”

  Horton’s face was murderous. He was about to respond when Faisal Rashid appeared.

  “Tell them, Jason. Whatever you have been doing, just admit it.”

  Horton turned on his partner. “Shut up, Faisal. You know nothing!”

  “I know you owed that low-life Shaw a small fortune! What did he demand as payment, Jason?”

  Greco looked at the doctor. “Is that true? Were you aware of what your partner was up to?”

  “I had an inkling. I was suspicious when Hamid Khan told me that Jason had promised him a new kidney. I knew there was no family donor.”

  “Didn’t you say anything?” Greco asked.

  He shook his head. “No, I was weak. I knew Jason was in financial trouble with that man, Shaw. It was affecting the clinic. I just wanted things put right. I did not want any trouble for the clinic.”

  “Well, you’re going to get a shedload of trouble now,” Grace assured him. “We don’t think the boy we’re looking after was the only one.”

  Faisal Rashid looked terrified.

  “Tell us what you know, Doctor Rashid.”

  “I have seen things, heard things, usually late at night. Boys brought here. The theatres being used. Outside staff being called in when we’ve plenty of our own.”

  “And you turned a blind eye.” Greco could barely believe what he was hearing. He turned to Horton.

  “How many? How many young men have you butchered in this way?”

  “Surgery, please, not butchery.” Horton seemed almost proud of what he’d done. “There have been more than I can remember. I owed Shaw, which is not advisable. The man was an animal. It is a lucrative trade, and I could easily pay him off that way. We supply other private hospitals, in this country but more often abroad. A healthy kidney is worth its weight in gold.”

  “You keep records?”

  “Of course. Each boy signs a consent form.”

  Greco shook his head. More than I can remember . . . “They are in the country illegally and under age. Your forms will not stand up, Doctor Horton. Who brought the boys in?”

  “That was Shaw’s job. He had the contacts, the drivers. He arranged to supply the factories, restaurants and any other business that required cheap labour. Not only in Manchester, but across the country.”

  “On his own?” Greco doubted this. From what he’d read and understood, Shaw had been very much a local villain, Vinny Costello’s man in this area. If Vinny was no longer up to it, then Horton would know who had the real power.

  “There may have been an organisation behind Shaw, I don’t know. We never talked about it.”

  He was lying. Horton knew very well who was behind it. “I think you do. We know that Vinny Costello is ill. There have been changes. Who runs things now?”

  “I’m a surgeon, not a hoodlum. I leave such details to others.”

  More lies. “How did the operation work?”

  “It was beautifully simple. The boys are brought to me. I run tests. If the boys are suitable, they are brought here later for surgery. In the main they are none the worse for it. A few weeks’ recuperation and they are as good as new. The benefit to others in need is immeasurable. People are given a second chance at life.” He paused. “I don’t regret what I’ve done. I made money, yes, but that was not the prime motive. I’m a doctor. I am here to save lives.”

  A uniformed officer was fastening the cuffs.

  Grace nudged Greco. “He’s bloody mad!” she whispered. “He thinks he can rationalise it away. Wait until he comes up against a jury!”

  “Were you involved in bringing the boys into the country?”

  “No, that was down to others.”

  “Who, Doctor Horton?”

  “Like I’ve already told you, I never knew the details.” He smiled.

  Horton and Rashid were both taken away. Greco believed that Rashid hadn’t take part in it, but he had admitted that he suspected what was happening. It was up to the CPS now.

  They watched them leave, and Grace turned to Greco. “So, apart from the surgery, what part did Horton play in it all? Did he order the boys killed when they escaped? Or was that Shaw taking matters into his own hands? A
nd where does Todoran fit in? I can see how Horton would need someone like him, but to go out there and find him,” she shook her head, “He doesn’t move in those circles.”

  “But he does,” Greco reminded her. “Sadie Costello — remember?”

  Chapter 26

  Once the operation at the factory was over, Leah dropped Speedy back at the station and made for the Grapes pub. She needed to know what Rouse wanted from Roman.

  She was in no mood to play games. She’d had a quick phone conversation with Greco which made her think. The DCI didn’t think Horton was behind bringing the lads into the country. Neither did he think Horton had given the order to kill Jamal and the other young man. So who had? Now that Horton and Rashid were under lock and key, there was no one left. No one that they knew about.

  Leah strode into the Grapes. Ignoring the whistles and comments, she sat down by the window. Within minutes, Roman appeared from an adjoining room.

  He smiled at her. “Back again, doll. What is it now?”

  “Tony Rouse came to see you. Why? What did he want?”

  He sat down beside her. “My conversations with the other people I feed information to are confidential. If I tell you, and you act on it, Rouse will know it was me.”

  “Cut the crap, Roman. We are close to the end of this now, but there are still bits of the puzzle missing. We know about the boys, and the slave labour. Immigration are on the job and they will put a stop to it. We know about the doctor and what he was up to.” She looked straight at him. “But that’s not enough. We have to find out who is at the back of this.”

  He gave her a big smile. “The good doctor. Stands to reason. He had the most to gain.”

  “He is interested in making money and saving lives. Greco thinks he’s close to losing his mind. So no, Roman, it isn’t him. He doesn’t have the clout.”

  “In that case, you have a problem, doll. Have you considered Slicer for the role of top dog?”