Chasing Aquila

by James Hume

  Sam smiled at Eddie. ‘Yeah, sure.’

  ‘Right, what’s your name and address?’

  Sam gave him the information.

  ‘Fine. Your code number is GB06. We use the code number all the time for reference. The agreement would be for Glasgow. Your target sales would be around a thousand tablets a month for that area. Once you hit this target, you get further financial incentives.

  ‘Some people join us with very little experience of this type of business, so we offer to train them in where and how to sell, and how to look after your security. You can have a lot of cash at times, which can attract the wrong attention.

  ‘We set prices that give you a good return. Ten pounds for a pack of five tablets. We recommend a discount structure for volume sales, which sets a minimum price, but you don’t have to follow it. Most people do, but some don’t.

  ‘You need to call me every Monday with your sales figures for the previous week. That gives us a cross check on your sales and allows us to plan the business more effectively. At the moment, you order and collect new supplies from our Central Distribution in Amsterdam, but we plan to offer a similar service from London by February, fingers crossed.

  ‘We also recommend you buy one of our GT suitcases, which has secret compartments that you can use to take cash out and bring the tablets back. We’re a cash only business. We also recommend you buy a GT writing bureau, which has a secret compartment to store tablets at your home. The suitcase costs ten pounds and the bureau twenty pounds delivered.

  ‘We offer starter packs from here now. We have three levels – two hundred tablets for a hundred and twenty pounds – five hundred tablets for two hundred and fifty pounds – and a thousand tablets for four hundred pounds. So, you generate cash very quickly, and can get between three and five times your money back. In your case, if you went for option three, it might last you through to February, and you wouldn’t then have to go to Amsterdam. I think I’ve covered everything. You happy with that?’

  ‘Yeah, it’s fine.’

  ‘Good. So, when do you want to start?’

  ‘As soon as possible, really’

  ‘Okay. Could you come down on Thursday? If you catch an early train, you’d be here by afternoon. That would give us Thursday afternoon and Friday morning if we need it.’

  ‘Yeah, sounds fine, Andrew. Thanks very much.’

  ‘Oh, you’re welcome. Take the Bakerloo Line to West Hampstead station, and give me a call. I’m only a short walk from there.’

  ‘Okay. Look forward to seeing you then.’

  They hung up. Eddie smiled at Sam. ‘Happy with that?’

  ‘Delighted.’

  Ron walked over to them. ‘Congratulations. Welcome on board.’

  Sam shook his hand. ‘Thanks for all your help.’ He put an arm round Ron’s shoulders. ‘Shall we go tell Fergus the good news?’

  Ron laughed. ‘Yeah, let’s do that.’ They left the room.

  Outside, in the hall, Sam stopped and held Ron’s arm. ‘Can I ask you something?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘Do you have any of these tablets on you?’

  ‘Sure.’ Ron went into his inside pocket. ‘What do you want? I’ve got a pack of five for a tenner, or you can have two packs for fifteen quid.’

  ‘I’ll take two packs.’ Sam counted out three fivers from his wallet, and put the packs in his pocket. He smiled with relief. He now had a stock of tablets, and could arrange another sensational session with Tracey. Bloody great.

  ***

  They found Andrew’s house without problem on Thursday afternoon. A nice big detached house with big gardens. ‘This guy’s doing okay,’ Sam murmured.

  Andrew welcomed them and showed them through to his office at the back of the house. Well-built, in his late thirties, he had short hair and glasses, and had his shirt sleeves partly rolled up. Looked as though he could take care of himself, thought Sam.

  They exchanged pleasantries, then Andrew said, ‘We’ll spend a couple of hours today, and clear the formalities, then talk about the business and security aspects. Then a couple of hours tomorrow morning to go through sales techniques, maybe do a bit of role playing so you get used to saying the words. You’ll be clear by lunchtime, and that gets you back to Glasgow early evening. Okay?’

  Sam nodded. ‘Yeah. Sounds fine.’

  ‘Trains get busy on a Friday, so if you want to book seats on a particular train, let us know, and my secretary can do that for you.’

  Eddie said. ‘Good idea. How about we book a train around one o’clock?’

  ‘Okay, Wendy will organise that for you.’ Andrew took a note on his pad. He then passed two copies of a document to Sam. ‘Here’s the contract, Sam. Would you read it through, and if you’re happy with it, sign both copies?’

  Sam read it and passed a copy to Eddie. ‘What’s this about a free sample?’ Sam asked.

  ‘Oh, just to remind you not to give away too many free samples. Most give a free sample to a potential new customer as a taster. But some don’t. It’s up to you.’

  ‘Well, I don’t think people value anything given for free. I’d probably charge half price for a taster, maybe even full price.’ Sam looked at Eddie, who nodded. Sam signed both copies and passed them back to Andrew.

  He signed both copies as well, and gave one to Sam. ‘Welcome aboard.’

  Sam laughed, and they all shook hands.

  ‘Right,’ Andrew said. ‘Let’s go through some aspects of the business. Now, at the moment, it’s not illegal to distribute and sell these pills in this country, but we’ve already heard negative noises from some MPs. As usual, they believe they have a right to interfere with people’s personal choice. They’re a total pain in the arse. So, they may move to change the legal status of these pills, but it’ll take a couple of years at best to get it through.

  ‘Having said that, we recommend you run the business as though the pills are illegal to distribute and sell. In other words, be careful who you talk to, keep things hidden, and think about your personal protection. Let’s talk details. First, our special GT Pharma suitcase.’ He lifted a suitcase onto his desk and opened it.

  ‘Looks like a normal suitcase?’

  Sam and Eddie both nodded.

  ‘Let me show you its secrets.’ He took off the lining, eased off the leather discs, rotated the slots half a turn, and pulled out the inside layer of the case top and bottom to expose the hidden spaces. ‘You can use these spaces to carry cash or pills, or whatever you want. And no one would know. I’m told the body’s a leather sandwich enclosing s very fine aluminium mesh. We’ve tested it on one of these X-ray machines you see in some shoe shops and nothing showed up. So, we recommend you buy one – it costs ten pounds, so it’s quite expensive – but now you see why.’

  Sam glanced at Eddie. ‘That’s clever. We’ll definitely have one of those.’

  ‘Good. We also recommend you buy a GT Pharma writing bureau, which also has a secret compartment. Let me show you how this works over here.’

  They walked across to the bureau against the wall on the other side of the room. Sure want to see this, Sam thought.

  Andrew walked Sam through the procedure for revealing the secret compartment.

  Sam gasped. ‘Jesus. We’ll have one of these as well.’ He’d never have figured that out.

  ‘Okay, we’ll organise one for you. Should arrive in about a week. Let’s move on to the next subject – to make sure you’re not followed. We recommend you use a technique called ‘last on – last off’ everywhere you go. Do you know what that means?’

  Sam nodded. ‘I think so. But tell me anyway.’

  ‘It means every time you get on or off public transport, you’re always the last to go. That way you see immediately if someone follows you. Buses and trams are great because you can jump on and off them when they move. We recommend you practise it so it becomes second nature to you.’

  ‘Right.’ Sam now understood why Eddie had found i
t difficult to follow the lad Davy.

  ‘Okay. We also think it’s good practice to track your purchases and sales. It’s up to you how you do it, but you could use this.’ He pulled his pad over and demonstrated how he used the first two figures for the month, the next two figures for the date, the next figures for the number of tablets bought or sold, and the last two figures the price per tablet in shillings. ‘It’s an easy way to keep track.’

  Sam nodded. ‘So, the buying price per tablet comes down as the volume goes up?’

  ‘Yeah. We also recommend you get to know the names of your customers. Use a simple code to keep them hidden. So, if I wrote this,’ he wrote FFGMJ on his pad, ‘who’s that?’

  Sam looked at the code. ‘No idea. Wouldn’t even know where to start.’

  Eddie leaned over and shook his head. ‘Don’t know.’

  ‘Well, it’s actually dead easy.’ He explained how each letter moved up the alphabet by its position in the word. ‘So, that code is therefore EDDIE.’

  Sam smiled at Eddie. ‘Simple, huh?’

  Andrew nodded. ‘Yeah, like everything else, it’s dead simple once you know the secret, but we’ve tested them over and over, and very very few people can detect them. So, does all this make sense?’

  ‘Yeah. It sure does,’ Sam said.

  ‘Great. So, why don’t we leave it at that for today, and pick it up again tomorrow morning. Come out here about nine. Get your case and your tablets, and get started.’

  ‘Right, we’ll do that.’

  They gathered their things and left. On the tube into London, Eddie turned to Sam. ‘What did you think, then?’

  ‘The guy’s a bit . . . what’s the word . . . pedantic, don’t you think?’

  ‘Yeah, you’re right, Sam. But maybe he has to deal with people that have never run a business before. Not like us. We know the ropes. But you’ve got to admit, he’s got some bloody clever ideas. That case seal, for example. You turn these discs half a turn and they unlock, another half turn and they lock. But nothing clicked. How the hell does that work?’

  ‘Yeah, and that bureau. Christ, I examined the bureau in Thomson’s flat every way up and totally missed that lever. Like the man said, it’s easy when you know how.’ Sam paused. ‘If he’s got people in every major city in the country, he’s got some bloody business, eh?’

  ‘Yeah, for sure.’

  Sam sat silent for a minute. ‘Can I ask you something?’

  ‘Yeah, of course, Sam.’

  ‘Do you mind if we just do our own thing tonight?’

  ‘No. Not at all.’

  ‘I’ll just have something in my room. Get to bed early.’

  Eddie laughed. ‘Something extra juicy, I suppose.’

  Sam smiled. ‘Yeah. Maybe.’

  ‘No problem. I’ll see you in the morning. Leave the hotel about half eight?’

  ‘Yeah. See you then.’

  ***

  Sam met Eddie in the hotel lobby in the morning. ‘Good night?’ Eddie asked.

  Sam nodded. ‘Yeah, very good.’

  ‘I saw you show her out. Looked very tasty. Did you get much sleep?’

  ‘Nah. But I’m okay. Get some on the train later.’

  They made their way out to West Hampstead, and Andrew showed them into his office again. ‘Any questions from yesterday?’ he asked.

  They shook their heads.

  ‘Good. So, let’s talk about the sales process. First, we recommend you use a false name – just to keep things hidden, as we said yesterday. If you send me the name, address, and date and place of birth of someone you know won’t travel abroad, I can arrange a full ID set with a passport, for fifty quid. And don’t forget your photo.’

  Sam nodded. So, that’s how Thomson did it.

  ‘We also recommend you target up-market pubs and bars. These tablets sell best to men over thirty, with a bit of disposable income. We suggest you contact the bar manager and ask him to reserve a table for you at the same time every week. Offer him four pounds an hour cash up front, and let him negotiate you up to five. Most of them can never resist, and it’s well worth it to get the right location at the right time, usually Thursday evenings, and Friday and Saturday lunchtime and evenings. That gives you five sessions of about three hours, and I’d expect you to sell between ten and twenty packs of five per session. So, you could reach the thousand a month target very quickly.’

  Sam thought Thomson must have followed the recommendations to the letter as he developed his business.

  ‘Generally, the pills sell themselves. Once someone’s tried them, he’ll want to use them again. Hence the free sample. But, from what you said yesterday, it’s up to you.

  ‘Like everything else, word of mouth’s your best endorsement. We find in this business, that can happen very quickly. Hence why we suggest you go back to the same place at the same time every week.

  ‘But, you always get objections from some punters. They’ll say, for example, they don’t need these pills. Or they’re too expensive. Or they just want information. Or how can they trust what you say? Do you want to try some role plays, just to get the words right? We find it really helps with your credibility. I’ll be the customer. You’re selling.’

  Sam smiled at Eddie. ‘Okay. Let’s try it.’

  Andrew started to ask aggressive questions about the tablets, and Sam did his best to answer. If Andrew didn’t like the answer, he suggested words Sam should use, and asked the question again. They did this several times until Andrew gave the thumbs up.

  Sam stood up and indicated to Eddie he should try it as well.

  ‘Well done,’ said Andrew. ‘I’ll go get your case and tablets. How many do you want?’

  Sam pursed his lips. ‘We’ll go for the thousand.’

  ‘Good. So that’s four hundred and thirty pounds in total.’

  Sam counted out the money. Andrew left the room and came back moments later with a case wrapped in plastic and two bags of tablets. ‘I’ve also added in two hundred small plastic bags that each hold five tablets. The red strip reseals the pack. You’ve probably seen these before.’ He unwrapped the case. ‘Do you want to load these yourself?’

  ‘Yeah, sure.’

  Andrew guided Sam and Eddie on how to open the secret compartments and lock them again. ‘You’re all set to go. I’ll get you a taxi. It avoids a change of tube line in London.’

  In the taxi to the station, Eddie turned and smiled. ‘Happy with that?’

  Sam nodded. ‘Delighted. Can’t believe I’ve got this business for next to nothing. I think the guy’s a bit naïve. I mean, he’s thinking tuppence ha’penny. I’m thinking pound notes.’

  ‘How do you mean?’

  Sam leaned over and whispered, ‘He offers a two thousand pack with an eighty-five percent margin – six shillings for a tablet that sells for two pounds. Allow say twenty percent for our team, the discounts and the bung for the bar, and you’re still left with a sixty-five percent profit. That’s more than we make on cocaine, for Chrissake.

  ‘He’s built a business model on someone that operates on his own – like Thomson. We’ll put a team in, ramp up the volumes and make some real money. We’ll talk on the train.’

  Eddie pursed his lips. ‘Right, let’s do that.’

  At Euston, they walked down the ramp towards the platforms and came to the large board that announced ‘Welcome to the Coronation Scot by LMS, the world’s greatest transport organisation’. They showed their tickets.

  ‘First class this end, sir. You’re on the second coach about half way along.’

  They made their way along the platform, past couples saying goodbye and porters with luggage, and found their seats. They had the two window seats in the compartment. There were also tickets on the two corridor seats. Sam’s brain raced. He felt so clear-headed. That pill from last night still worked. He wanted to talk details with Eddie.

  Ten minutes into the journey, Sam heard someone shout, ‘First call for lunch’. When the w
hite-jacketed attendant opened his door, Sam indicated, ‘Two here.’

  ‘Two, sir? Here we go.’ He gave Sam two tickets. ‘Next car forward, sir.’

  Sam and Eddie excused themselves to the other two men in the compartment, and made their way along to the restaurant car. Sam gingerly carried his special GT Pharma suitcase. They found a table for two on the right-hand side.

  Lunch comprised some carrot soup, a vegetable pie, and a kind of fruit compote. Basic, but tasty enough with a glass of wine.

  Sam leaned forward. ‘I’ve got a proposition I’d like you to think about, Eddie.’

  ‘What’s that?’

  ‘How would you like to run this business for me? I reckon you could make two to eight times your present pay on top.’

  Eddie looked surprised. ‘How do you work that out?’

  ‘Think about it. We’ve got nineteen pubs and three nightclubs. Not all our pubs are suitable, but we’ll have about a dozen say, plus other pubs we don’t own, like the Horseshoe or the bars in big hotels. So, we can see up to twenty outlets.

  ‘Now to me, you have to concentrate on Friday and Saturday nights, and Saturday lunchtime in the pubs. That’s the time people have money in their pockets. Andrew said he expected to sell between ten and twenty packs in a session. You said yourself Thomson saw ten people when you watched him, right?’

  Eddie nodded. ‘Yeah, at least ten.’

  ‘And he worked on his own. I think we put a three-man team into each outlet – one at the table with the packs – one heavy three or four feet away for protection – and one that circulates and drums up business. I think you could easily get twenty sales per session. Pay them seven and a half percent off the top, which leaves headroom for an incentive.

  ‘If you put it all together, you get between ten and twenty outlets, each selling ten to twenty packs per session, with three sessions per week, and each pack has five tablets. That gives us between fifteen hundred and six thousand tablets per week at two pounds a pop, which gives a total income of between three thousand and twelve thousand pounds a week. And if you run this business for me, I’ll give you one percent off the top. That’s between thirty and a hundred and twenty pounds a week, which gives you more than two to eight times your present pay. What do you say?’