Crystal Ice

by Warren Miner-Williams

  “The Frango thing sounds good, as we have shrimp in the starter.”

  “Frango Ensopado for two?”

  “Yes, that would be good. What do you recommend to drink?”

  “Well, the Frango Ensopado has lime in the recipe so you could continue with that theme with Caipirinha, which has a generous shot of cachaça, a Brazilian sugarcane liquor, in it. It’s served with crushed ice, it’s delicious. You can have a pitcher if you wish, that’s about five glasses.”

  “Sounds great, thank you.”

  “A pleasure sir, I’ll get the drinks immediately.” As the waitress turned to leave, Alex touched her arm and asked:

  “Tell me is Tony Graham-Collins in tonight. He’s a friend of mine. I remember him telling me that he’s the manager here.”

  “I’m sorry sir, but Levorko Sutic is the manager, I don’t know of any other. I will ask Mr Sutic, one of the owners, perhaps he knows your friend.”

  “No, no please don’t bother him, my friend must have meant another restaurant.”

  “It’s no bother sir, I’ll be back with the drinks directly.”

  Five minutes later a tall, dark-haired gentleman approached their table, carrying a pitcher of Caipirinha.

  “Good evening to you both,” said Levorko Sutic, “I am so glad that Tony has persuaded you both to dine here. Please accept the Caipirinha as our gift to you both. Tony is our day manager,” lied Levorko Sutic, “he supervises our restaurant during the lunchtimes. We have so many businessmen here during the day that we need extra staff and two managers, myself and Tony; to see that everything runs smoothly you understand. I will undoubtedly see him tomorrow, so I will tell him that his friends came in to sample our cuisine. Who shall I say was asking about him?”

  “Oh, ah...Alan,” stuttered Alex. “Actually, I’ll call him this evening to tell him how much we enjoyed your hospitality. Ouch!”

  “A problem Sir?” enquired Levorko.

  “Just caught my ankle on the table leg, no problem.”

  “Enjoy your meal Alan and…?”

  “Leanne. And thank you for the Caipirinha,” interjected Leanne MacLean.

  As Levorko turned away, Leanne prodded Alex’s elbow with her knife.

  “What was that all about? she commanded.”

  “It’s a work thing, I was curious about a guy who purportedly works here, a chemist who has suddenly become a restaurant manager.”

  “And this Alan thing?”

  “Just a precaution, I don’t want him to know my real name, do I?”

  “So, Sherlock, how are you paying for this meal?”

  “With my credit card. Why? Oh bollocks, my name will be on the card.”

  Alex felt foolish.

  “Yes. And will these pirates come gangsters visit us in the middle of the night and put us to sleep?”

  “Don’t be so melodramatic, they won’t know where we live.”

  “You don’t think they could find that out?”

  “Ah…well, I don’t think they could do that too easily do you?” replied Alex, unconvincingly.

  ***

  In his office above the restaurant Levorko re-directed the security camera that was usually focused on the till across the restaurant floor to the table at which Alan and Leanne were seated. Luckily their faces were in full view. Pressing a button on the joystick that manoeuvred the camera, Levorko took a number of still photographs of the couple, so that he could confer with Dino and Tony Graham-Collins the following day. He anticipated that the man would pay for the meal by credit card, so he could put a name to the photographs later on. Levorko had no idea who the couple were or how they knew Tony. He normally wouldn’t have bothered about them except that Tony’s wife, Nadine, had caught them off-guard several months ago, when she had asked to speak to her husband following a family emergency.

  Levorko turned to the other man in the office.

  “Kenny, see that couple at table ten? I want you to follow them discretely and find out the registration number of their car. Or, if they use a taxi, where they are going to. Can you do that without being seen?”

  “Yes Mr Sutic, I can do that.”

  35. Just Fishing

  “The guy who called himself Alan paid by a credit card issued in the name of A. H. MacLean. Kenny then followed them to their car and noted the number. The registration number of his car gave us his name and address. His full name is Alex MacLean and the woman who was with him was his wife, Leanne. They live in an apartment on Eden Terrace. I understand from Bruce that MacLean is an intelligence analyst who works for the New Zealand Customs Service.”

  Bruce Cavanaugh was a senior sergeant with the Auckland Police. He was used to doing small favours for the Sutic brothers because Bruce had married Dino’s sister-in-law, Vesna, So Bruce was almost family. Dino turned to Tony Graham-Collins.

  “Do you know him, Tony?”

  “No, I’ve never seen him before, or his wife.”

  “Do we have a contact at Customs, Levorko?” asked Dino.

  “Not directly, but Bruce said he would put out some feelers to find out what this guy Alex is up to. He’s already searched the police database for any enquiries against Tony’s name through a copper called Doug Asher, the community policeman for Papakura. Bruce says he’ll try to find out why. He knows that Tony’s record is clean, so such an enquiry, he thinks, must have been a fishing exercise, something which is actually frowned upon. It’s a disciplinary offence if it is not for bono-fide reasons. He’ll let us know what he finds out, in the next day or two.”

  “Thanks, Levorko, as you say it is probably just some keener on a fishing trip. We know that your record is spotless Tony, just that incident with Carol way back when. I don’t think there’s any reason to panic, gentlemen. Let’s see what Bruce comes up with.”

  “Nothing, I hope,” said Tony. His voice not quite steady.

  ***

  “You did what?” exclaimed Robin Hickman, when he heard Alex had been to Terra Brasil, looking for Tony Graham-Collins.

  “Leanne and I went out for a meal on Friday night and found ourselves in Terra Brasil. I just happened to mention to the waitress that we were friends of the manager, Tony Graham-Collins. Apparently, he’s the…”

  Robin cut in.

  “You initiated an enquiry of your own?”

  “Well, sort of. We met Levorko Sutic, the owner. He’s a really nice guy and said Graham-Collins was their daytime manager. So, case closed, he’s legit.”

  “Look Alex you’ve fucked up, do you know that? All enquiries beyond the walls of this building are undertaken by the Investigations Group. If this guy is bad, you’ve just tipped their hand. And you and your wife could possibly have become a target.” Robin was glowering. “You should have come and told me what you were going to do, BEFORE you did it.”

  When Alex didn’t reply, Robin continued.

  “I know that you’re keen and I realise that you have a bug up your arse with this Graham-Collins guy, but you’ve overstepped the mark. You have also put me in an impossible situation. I’ve got to report this to my boss and it could rain shit down on you from as high up as the comptroller himself. I’m sorry Alex, but this is a disciplinary offence, I hope you understand that.”

  Alex’s shoulders sank as he realised the possible consequences of his actions. “Oh, fuck, I didn’t know that this was going to be such a big deal. Look I’m really sorry Robin, I just didn’t think.”

  “No, but you will from now on, won’t you? Collect your things, I am going to have to send you home till I know what the hierarchy want to do about this. You had better prepare yourself for suspension following an internal investigation at the least Alex. Off you go.’”

  ***

  Petera Mokaraka eased out the side stand and parked his Harley alongside the four others already outside the Papakura Tavern. Mikaere Henare, one of Sonny Rewaka’s most trusted soldiers, was guarding the bikes. Petera nodded to Miki as he left his bike and strode across the car pa
rk to the front entrance of the Tavern. He had Rewa Isaacs on his mind – he needed to find out if he was free to marry the woman he loved.

  Sonny and three of his bodyguards were already seated at a table near the jukebox. As was custom, Sonny greeted Petera, clasping his hand as if he were about to arm wrestle him, and also nose to nose in a traditional Māori hongi.

  “So, Brother, what has got you so riled up that you can’t talk to me over the phone?”

  “I was wondering about The Finches, about how long I will have to stay there?”

  “Why, what’s the problem? Has that chemist geezer pissed you off?”

  “No, not at all. The thing is, I’ve met someone I care about a lot. Someone I can’t have any normal relationship with while I’m at the farm.”

  “This is Rewa Isaacs, I presume. She’s got a boy too. Robbie, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. How do you know all this?”

  “Petera, I have to make it my business to know everything. And as to your “wondering” if you can leave the farm, I thought you might ask me that question one day. I’ve got to be straight with you, there aren’t many people who could take your place. There’s only one other person that could replace you, and I know he wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole. Besides, replacing you is not as simple as finding someone to take your place. The owner of the operation has to be convinced that production won’t be affected by a change of personnel. To be honest with you Bro’, I know he won’t agree to replace you until we have someone else as trustworthy, someone that Graham-Collins will work with, and is already trained up.” Sonny slapped his friend on the back and concluded, “Besides, what about Alice?”

  Petera ignored the comment about his pet pig and asked; “Who had you got in mind to replace me?”

  “Hohepa. But as I said, he won’t do it, not for a while anyway. You’re pretty indispensable my boy.”

  Petera paused. He had anticipated that Sonny would say no. But he didn’t anticipate how he would feel once it had been said, he was devastated.

  “Being indispensable doesn’t help me much though, does it? Perhaps if I have a word with Hohepa, try to convince him to take over?”

  “I’ve already asked. Besides he’s got an important role already, managing distribution. I think you’ll have to leave this with me for a while, till I’ve had a word with the Croats. Petera my friend, we are as good as brothers, we’ve known each other most of our lives. You were placed at the farm because you were my right-hand man, replacing you is a major problem not easily solved. You’ll have to trust me and have patience. I will get you out of there, but, not now.”

  Petera’s shoulders slumped, he had already figured out that he was asking the impossible. He knew that Rewa’s intransigence on the issue of drugs would be the death knell of their relationship, if she ever realised that he was involved in the manufacture of ‘P’. He was well and truly fucked.

  “Sorry Bro’, it’s a monster of a problem. Both Mary and I feel for you. She realised a while ago that your relationship with Rewa would come to this, but being forewarned hasn’t made the problem any easier to solve.”

  “Yeah, you’re right, I understand,” mumbled Petera disconsolately.

  “Have you popped the question to Rewa yet?”

  “No.”

  “Best not then, aye.”

  ***

  Dino Sutic answered his mobile phone seconds after it had started to ring.

  “Bloody hell that was quick, were you waiting with the phone in your hand?” The caller was Bruce Cavanaugh.

  “I was just about to make a call myself, actually Bruce. What can I do for you?”

  “It’s what I can do for you actually. That guy you wanted me to ask about. He’s new to the job, been with customs for about a year now. Keen as mustard, I understand. Apparently, he’s been enquiring about your restaurant manager because your guy used to be a chemist in the UK. He thought it unlikely that someone with his qualifications would emigrate to New Zealand and swap careers so dramatically. Anyway, he’s being hauled over the coals for visiting the restaurant and asking questions off-duty. Strict rules against that, so I don’t think he’ll be bothering you again soon.”

  “Thanks for that Bruce, good to confirm that the guy was just fishing. Why don’t you and Vesna come to the restaurant for dinner this week, my treat? It’d be good to see your ugly mug once more.”

  “Ugly? That’s going to cost you dearly my friend, at least a bottle of plonk.”

  “I’ll certainly shout you a bottle of wine, Bruce, we don’t have plonk here.”

  They both laughed at their usual exchange of minor insults. They had known each other for a long time, although Bruce had no idea about the Sutic brothers’ little manufacturing side-line. Though their relationship was mutually supportive, Bruce was not a corrupt copper. Dino got access to information that assisted his covert operations, Bruce got free meals. The Sutic family was close, and although Dino and his brother ensured that Vesna was never disadvantaged, no money ever went directly to Bruce or his family.

  ***

  “It looks as though the flu pandemic, if that’s what you would call it, has missed New Zealand completely. I think we were lucky, don’t you?” said Rewa, turning to page 2 of the New Zealand Herald.

  “Hmmm, yeah, I suppose so,” mumbled Petera absentmindedly.

  “It says here that Winston Peters and Helen Clarke have eloped to Fiji.”

  “Hmmm.”

  “You’re not listening to me, are you?”

  “What? Of course, I am, except that last bit about Helen Peters and Winston Clarke, what was it she said?”

  Rewa folded the business section of the paper and threw it at Petera’s head. “You utter toad, you haven’t listened to a single word I’ve said. What’s wrong with you? You haven’t been yourself all evening. Tell mama what’s wrong,” Rewa joked.

  “Would you ever marry again?”

  “Whoa, where did that come from?”

  “Oh, I was just thinking that’s all.”

  Rewa hadn’t really thought about remarrying. It came as a bit of a shock.

  “Well, it isn’t as simple as me saying yes or no. I have to consider Robbie. He’s still very loyal to his dad, and I suppose he might struggle with another man taking his father’s place. I know that you and he are great mates an all, but would he accept you as his father?”

  “I wouldn’t want to replace his father. I know that he still loves Carl very much and he misses him tremendously. I can’t be what he has lost, but I can be myself; someone who loves him and his mother very much. Someone who wants to spend every hour of every day with him and his mom.”

  Although she loved Petera, she wasn’t ready to marry again, not for a while yet.

  “You can do that now if you wish, we don’t have to get married for that aye?”

  “I know, but I want to be a bit more special than a lodger.”

  “You’re not just a lodger, you are very special, and Robbie knows that already. In any case, wouldn’t we all live at the farm? Robbie dreams about that constantly.”

  “Well, there is a problem there. The farm wasn’t left to me to own. It’s in trust, and if I marry then there is some clause in the trust agreement that means I have to pass the farm on to the next relative in line. Some stuff up like that, anyway.”

  Rewa thought this was a little odd. And Robbie would be devastated.

  “Really? I can’t believe that. Surely if you marry again, and have dependants, you’ll need the support of the farm and its income even more than you do now?”

  “Well, that was what I’ve been told. I understand that it is worded like that to ensure that the farm always remains the property of my uncle’s family.”

  “So, you can’t marry then, is that what you are saying?”

  “No, as far as I understand it, I can marry who I like, but if I do the farm ceases to be mine.”

  “Weird. So, who will get it next? Tio’s dead so which Reihana cousin
will inherit the place?”

  “I don’t have a clue. The family’s spread far and wide, I’d have to speak to the lawyer who manages the trust.”

  “You’ve never mentioned this before. Would you mind giving the farm back?”

  “No, not really, not if it was to marry you. I can turn myself to any job that pays good money. No, I’d give it up in a flash.”