Alex put on Maggie’s rubber gloves as the letter came out of the printer and picked it up, folded it and put it in a self-sealing envelope. Alex grinned as he caught Dante watching him. ‘No fingerprints son, means no DNA.’
Alex waited until opening time, when the pub was full of its usual lunchtime regulars. Just as he’d anticipated, Percy soon entered.
‘He must save a fortune on heating bills,’ scoffed Pauline as she went to serve him.
Stopping her and picking up a bar towel, Alex stepped forward. ‘I’ll serve him Pauline, I know you hate the smell of him.’ Alex nodded to Percy to meet him at the end of the bar. Still holding the bar towel, he took the envelope out of his pocket. ‘Someone left me this to give to you.’ Alex saw Percy look around the pub, scanning the faces of everyone to see if anyone was watching, but they weren’t.
‘Who sent you this, Alex? And how do we contact them?’
‘Honestly Percy, I don’t know. This was left on the mat this morning after I spoke to you. I haven’t opened it, but I can see the postman hasn’t brought it as there’s no stamp, so I presume whoever it is, will be watching you and may make themselves known to you. I don’t want to know Percy. I like a quiet life.’
Nodding and shoving the letter in his pocket, Percy left.
‘Crikey Alex, I’ve never known him leave so quickly before. Whatever you said, I must remember it,’ laughed Pauline.
Alex’s heart was pounding, but he knew the first part of his plan had been put into action. Tonight he was supposed to be picking up some cars for Mark. If all went to plan, he would drive to Luke’s, pick up the plants and put them in one of those cars.
He went down to the cellar. Looking around, Alex felt as though it was becoming his workshop. He’d even brought some tools down here without arousing suspicion. Over the last couple of days he had gone down there a lot. When Maggie had mentioned it, he had laughed and told her it was to get some peace and quiet, a place to read his paper. But Alex wasn’t just sitting on his arse – he had plans and the cellar was the perfect place to get things done privately.
Alex had wondered whether Gold Teeth would take the option of buying back his plants or whether he would try to steal them back. With this in mind, Alex had spent his time in the cellar making a bomb to make the car explode. He’d already wired up the bomb with a remote control and a timer, so he wouldn’t be anywhere near it when it went off, but he needed to put it in a safe spot in the supermarket car park, away from as many shoppers as possible. The only victims he wanted from this were Gold Teeth and his mob. Weighing things up in his mind, he decided not to tell Luke about his ‘Plan B’. That was best left as a surprise. Chuckling to himself, Alex wondered how many stoned shoppers there would be if the car went up in flames with all of that cannabis inside!
‘For God’s sake Alex, you’re like a cat on hot bricks,’ Maggie laughed a little while later. ‘What is so interesting outside that you’re staring out of the windows?’
‘Just watching Mark and Olivia pack up the camper van. It’s comical really,’ laughed Alex. ‘I think I’ll just pop and see if he needs a hand. Oh, by the way, he’s asked me to pick up a car for him later, as he’s going to be away. You don’t mind, do you, love?’
‘Of course I don’t mind, so you go when you like. We’re fully staffed here anyway.’
‘Well, it will be this evening,’ Alex explained, ‘because apparently the people don’t finish work till later on, so I am at your disposal all day, for you to do whatever you want to me.’ He grinned and winked at her.
Folding her arms, she cocked her head to one side and grinned back. ‘Is that an indecent proposal, Mr Silva? I do hope so.’
‘You’re damned right it is! What else have I got to think about all day?’ Reaching forward, he tweaked her nipple. ‘That’s just a taster,’ he laughed, seeing the glint in her eye.
‘Go away Alex. You’re too much of a distraction. Go and get some air and cool down, before my customers think you’ve grown a third leg overnight.’ Pushing him away and shaking her head while laughing, Maggie went about her business.
Knowing that he had the green light from Maggie to do as he pleased, he could put the rest of his plan into action. Only how to pass on his next message? Suddenly a flash of inspiration crossed his mind. He typed out another note, putting today’s date and the time of his drop-off and put it in a self-sealing envelope.
Once outside, Alex walked in the opposite direction of the pub. He saw a young man delivering leaflets – takeaway menus, supermarket deals, the usual rubbish that went straight in the bin. Alex stopped him. ‘Do you want to earn twenty quid, mate?’
‘Doing what?’ asked the sullen young man, who obviously hated his job.
‘By putting this envelope inside one of your leaflets and posting it through that letterbox. I’ll be watching, so don’t bother dumping it. Oh, and if anyone asks, you never got it from me.’
Puzzled, the young man looked at the letter in his right hand. ‘What is it?’
‘Do you want the money or not?’
Snatching the money out of his hand, the young man shrugged. Digging out one of the leaflets in his bag containing pictures of supermarket deals, he put the envelope inside. ‘That house there,’ Alex said, nodding towards Percy’s.
The young man walked away, posted a few leaflets through the doors of the houses running up to Percy’s and then put the leaflet through Percy’s door. Looking up the street, the young man turned to see if Alex was watching and nodded. Walking away, he carried on posting his leaflets down the street. Alex hoped he had put the leaflet containing the envelope through the right door. But at least no one had seen Alex delivering it. Taking off his gloves, he smiled to himself. The only fingerprints on that envelope would be the delivery boy’s, Alex thought to himself.
15 LUKE’S PRIZE
After lots of waving and goodbyes Mark, Olivia and a very disgruntled George set off in the camper van. A thought crossed Alex’s mind that the only fly in the ointment would be if the camper van never reached the top of the road.
As darkness fell, Alex made his excuses and walked to Mark’s house. The van was parked right down the driveway and getting inside, Alex immediately donned Mark’s long waterproof coat, but this time he had brought a balaclava so no one could see he didn’t have a beard. The weather was still bad, and it was drizzling with rain, so he knew he wouldn’t look suspicious.
His first port of call was Luke’s house, and Alex hoped he would be home. Thankfully when he drove up, he saw the lights were on. He decided to knock on the door and if Luke didn’t answer he would claim the wrong address and leave.
Luke answered the door. ‘Yeah, what do you want mate?’ Looking past Alex, he saw the mechanic van with its headlights on parked out front. ‘We don’t need a mechanic – piss off.’
Alex pulled up his balaclava. ‘You’re not the only one that can dress up Luke.’
‘Alex mate, come in. What’s with the disguise?’ Luke laughed.
‘Do you still have those plants?’ Luke nodded and opened the door wider for Alex to come in. Surprisingly, the house was a little old fashioned, but clean and tidy.
‘It’s only one of my mates, Mum! I’ll bring you a cup of tea in a minute,’ Luke shouted to one of the rooms, then cocked his head to Alex to follow him.
The huge house had a basement and going down the steps towards it, Alex held his arm up to shield his eyes from the light. ‘Bloody hell, it’s like Blackpool illuminations down here.’
‘There they are Alex, in all their glory and they are growing. Even the seedlings are growing great.’ Luke beamed.
‘We need thirty of them tonight. Don’t ask questions, I’ll tell you later, but help me put them in the back of the van.’
Luke knew better than to ask questions, so he walked forward to the plants. ‘Let’s take a mixture of the large plants and the seedlings – mix and match. Where are you taking them?’
‘Chatham. There is an Asda there, but I have to make a stop first and time is of the essence.’
‘Chatham? That’s a bloody warzone Alex. Shit, I’m coming with you. Let me take the old lady a cup of tea and then we will fill your van. Five minutes.’
‘I’ll start bringing some of these upstairs, then, while you go and make the tea.’ Alex was sweating; the whole basement was like a sauna and wearing a large heavy coat and woolly balaclava didn’t help.
Alex started loading up and Luke returned swiftly to help him. Between them they put thirty plants of mixed sizes into the back of the van. Luke got in and pulled up his hoodie. ‘Where to first?’
‘To start with, we’re on a mechanic job, picking up a car to take it to a garage, then we are going to put these plants in the car.’
‘I didn’t know you were a mechanic. I thought you were a publican?’
‘I’m not and I’m not. My wife is the publican and my neighbour’s the mechanic, although I probably know more about cars than he does,’ Alex laughed.
‘So, who are we taking the plants to?’ Luke smiled and lit two cigarettes.
‘We’re selling them back to the people we stole them off. The very people who wanted you dead.’
Luke paled. ‘What the fuck for? They can’t see me or I’m dead meat.’
‘Nobody is going to see anybody Luke. Do you think I want to be seen?’
