The Retribution

by Shankar Kashyap

  The two dark suited guys walked out of the door as he walked into Philip’s office. They looked at him and nodded their heads without so much of an eye contact. ‘No wonder they are always so shifty’ thought Sean. ‘Buggers go around digging dirt on everyone. I don’t know how they sleep at night. Bastards!’

  “You took your bloody time, Sean.” Philip was still in a foul mood. “The Internals are sitting on my neck. They think there is something fishy about the drug heist last week, which hit the headlines. I am not too impressed either.”

  “I have everything here chief. It was a straight forward hit. We got the tip off from our usual guy.” Sean said throwing the sheaf of papers on Philip’s desk. “We got all of the guys in the house. I don’t know what they are griping about. You can never please the buggers.”

  “And that is another thing. You have become a tad too friendly with this informant of yours.” Philip looked up staring at Sean’s eyes. “That has got a few tongues wagging. Is there something you want to tell me Sean?”

  “No chief. There is nothing, I tell you.” He loosened his collar and a bead of sweat started to appear on his forehead. “It is just rumours. Some people just don’t like me, that’s all.”

  “How come no one has seen this guy or girl then?”

  “He is too shy chief. You know how it is.” Sean was getting more uncomfortable. “You must have come across these kind of guys during your time in the field?”

  That was a dig at Philip and he knew it. It was big chip on a few people’s shoulders as Philip had not come up the ranks. He was a college boy who had made it big without ever being on the streets. He tried to use swear words in almost every sentence as if to say he was one of the boys. And it did not sound right coming from his mouth. An Oxford white shirt and dark blue tie, looking immaculate as ever in a dark suit – well it did not somehow go with swear words. Philip stared at him as if to say ‘Watch it, you are on thin ice here.’

  “That is beside the point.” Philip continued. “But the internals want him or her identified and recorded. Otherwise the supplies will stop.”

  He was talking about the doses of crack and sometimes junk too, Sean was using as a bait to get information from his contact. There was suspicion that not all of the supply reached the contact.

  “Don’t do that. I am so close to getting at the big fish, the supplier himself.” Sean said with some alarm. “Just give me a few more days Philip. I don’t want to scare him off after all this hard work.”

  “End of the week, Sean. That is it. No more time.” Philip went back to the sheaf of papers Sean had thrown on the desk as a sign of dismissal. “And then the internals will throw the book at you. Now get out, I have work to do.”

  Sean went back to his desk deep in thought. He tried to make some phone calls from his desk to trace the guy with no luck. He knew the contact would not pick up the phone if he did not recognise the number. ‘I better get outside and use my mobile to get him,’ he thought. As he was walking out of the office, he could hear the sniggers and snide remarks.

  “Had enough of the office, Sean.” “Been working hard, Sean.” “Don’t work too hard Sean.”

  “Love you too, stuff the lot of you.” He had shouted as he slammed the office door. A roar of laughter was not really muffled by the door as he walked down the long corridor towards the stairs. He needed the fresh air outside to clear his head a bit before speaking to the contact. The contact he knew only as Johnny was about to spill the beans about the big drug dealer who was supplying the Leicester market if he played his cards right. He had indicated a big drop off soon and the main guy was expected to be with the consignment. It would be the biggest catch of his career and probably the biggest catch of the department if he could pull it off. He did not want it to be jeopardised by the loony internal bastards. Not when he was so close to the bust. He went to the back of the building where the smokers hid. Johnny answered after the third call.

  “What do you want?” The voice was gruff on the phone. “I told you not to call me.”

  “Take it easy Johnny.” Sean tried to sound light. “You have not called me for weeks.”

  “That was a nasty stunt you pulled last week.” Johnny sounded annoyed. “You didn’t tell me the coppers would beat up my mates? One of them has bruises all over.”

  “Part of the trade that Johnny. You know the game. You knew that might happen.” Sean tried not to sound too contrived. “But we have a couple of young guys who are bit over enthusiastic. It won’t happen again, I promise you.”

  “It is not going to happen again, because you are not going to get anymore shit out of me, no more.”

  “Come on Johnny. Don’t be like that. Where will you get the premium cuts if you don’t? I get you the best there is.”

  “I can do without your premium bloody cuts.” Johnny was nearly shouting on the phone. “You are going to get me killed.”

  It took all of Sean’s persuasive powers to calm him down.

  “Look I have two shots of the specials with me right now. I will let you have it for old time sake.”

  “Why would you do that?” Johnny sounded suspicious. “You are not going to get no more info from me. I don’t want to be killed.”

  “Nothing is going to happen, I promise you.” Sean insisted. “Come and get the specials tonight. You won’t regret it.”

  It took a lot of persuasion to get Johnny to meet him that night. Sean was not sure if someone was following him as he left the apartment. Heavy clouds with a drizzle made it darker than usual and the visibility was poor. It suited Sean just right. He thought he saw the same set of car lights behind him a few times. By the time he reached The Swan, his favourite pub since moving into Leicester, he was certain that he was being followed. He stopped the car in the pub car park and switched the engine off. He sat there for a few minutes ostensibly looking for something on the floor of the car. The drizzle had turned into a steady rain and it was difficult to see.

  After a few minutes a black car drove into the car park and parked at the far end of it. Two guys in dark suits got out and entered the pub. Sean could just make out a third guy sitting in the back seat only because of the cigarette he was smoking inside the car. Guys in dark suits are not the normal clientele in that pub. He started to sweat under the collar. Who were these guys? Internals? Or a rival gang? He has to ditch them somehow or Johnny would flip and that would be the end of his chance and the end of any chance of promotion.

  He got out of the car, pulled the collar of his jacket around his neck and sauntered into the pub. It was quite dark inside and was already quite full. Dark oak panelling stained darker by countless years of smokers and dull lighting with musty coloured glass shades did very little to brighten the place. That suited the clientele as well as the landlord. No one looked at him as he entered the pub. He went straight to the bar and sat on the stool. He knew the landlady quite well as he was one of the regulars.

  “What will you have sweetheart? I had not seen you here for a while.” She came around to him with a smile on her face.

  “You know how it is Daisy. Work keeps me busy.” He said adjusting himself on the bar stool. “Can I have a pint of bitter please?”

  “Don’t tell me you started to go to that dump, Duck and Deer?” Daisy said as she pulled the pint.

  “No Daisy. That is not my style.”

  He had been frequenting the pub since he moved into Leicester from Belfast all those years ago. It was the closest he could find to an Irish pub, which was the only thing he missed from leaving Belfast. He was seconded from Ulster constabulary to help bust a drug gang, which was operating out of Belfast and had spread its operations to several cities including Leicester. He was told that it would be for six months. That was nearly twelve years ago and he never went back to Belfast. He liked the quieter pace of Leicester with no bombs going off at regular intervals. He had got on extremely well with Philip Warraker, his liaison officer at Leicester. Philip was impressed with the w
ay Sean dealt with the issues and had recommended the transfer to his unit.

  As she got busy with another client, he picked up the pint and looked in the huge expanse of glass on the wall, which formed the back of the bar with bottles of assortment of drinks. He could see almost the entire pub in that glass. It was like watching through a frosted glass with poor lighting. The two suits were sitting near the window by the side of the door. They did not appear to be interested in him by the looks of it. Daisy wiped a non-existent spot on the bar top and placed a bowl of nuts in front of him and said,

  “Don’t turn around. Do you know those suits sitting near the window?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “They have been around a couple of times asking about you.”

  “What did they want to know?” Sean started to feel hot under the collar again.

  “When was the last time you were here? Who did you meet and such like.” Daisy replied without looking at him as she pulled a pint for another customer. “Who are they? I didn’t tell them nothing. They look creepy, especially the short weedy one.”

  “I have no idea who they are Daisy. But I would rather not talk to them right now.” His Irish accent became more pronounced when he was stressed. He was beginning to look uncomfortable. ‘It must be the Internal bastards,’ he thought. “Is there a back door I can get out of?”

  “Finish your drink. I will go unlock the back door. It is down the corridor on the left side after the men’s.” She said picking up the pint and wiping the bar with cloth. “Don’t leave till you see me coming back.”

  She moved to the other end of the bar and gave the drink to a giggling blonde who obviously already had one too many. She turned to the other bartender and said,

  “Be back in a sec. Just going to the ladies.”

  Sean kept staring at the reflection of the two guys in the glass. One of them had turned around to look in Sean’s direction. The second guy said something to him and there appeared to be a hushed discussion with heads bent. Sean noticed Daisy coming back into the bar in the corner of his eyes. He gulped his drink down and casually stood up and wandered towards door leading to the toilets. The two suits stopped their talk and but did not turn around. He could still see them through the stained mirror on the back wall. Sean went out of the side door and quickly walked past the men’s into the dark corridor. He could not hear any footsteps following him. The back door was open as Daisy had said. Luckily it did not make any noise as he walked out. He found himself in the alleyway leading to the main street away from the car park. He started to walk towards the road and looked on either side as he reached the corner. There was not soul in sight as he walked towards the derelict warehouse where he was supposed to meet Johnny.

  He kept looking over his shoulder as he deliberately took the long way round to the warehouse. He was sweating under the jacket despite being wet and cold by the time he reached the warehouse. Nobody followed him as he entered the warehouse compound through a broken gate. It was pitch black, but he knew his way around quite well by now. He walked round to the back of the warehouse where he knew the door was missing. As he entered the warehouse he could not see or hear anything. He stood there at the door for a couple of minutes to get his bearings before moving inside. He knew whoever was inside could see his silhouette in the door from the light outside. He walked towards the far right corner where the old glass fronted office was. Johnny would be there if he was going to come. He went inside the office peering in to see if he could make out anything. Nothing. He waited for what he thought was an hour. ‘The bugger is not coming.’ He swore under his breath and turned around to leave, when he heard a match strike.

  “Are you leaving Sean?”

  Sean recognised Johnny’s voice and turned around. He could see Johnny lighting a cigarette in the corner.

  “You gave me a fright Johnny. What are you playing at?” Sean sounded annoyed. “I have been standing here for an hour.”

  “No, you haven’t. I saw you coming in.” Johnny replied. “I just wanted to make sure you were not being followed. Now, where is the stuff you promised?”

  He took the little packet Sean gave and felt for the contents.

  “It better be the specials!”

  “It is the best there is Johnny. I am taking a huge risk bringing it to you. The Internal bastards are after my skin and if they catch me with it, it is curtains for me.”

  “That is your headache mister. Not mine.” And he walked towards the door. Sean put his hand out to stop him and said,

  “Come on Johnny. Don’t leave me empty handed. I have been good to you, haven’t I? I got you the best, straight from the stores.”

  Johnny slipped a piece of paper into Sean’s hands saying, “This is the last time you will see me. Don’t call me again.”

  “Don’t give me that nonsense Johnny. You know I can pull you in and let the boys work on you.

  Sean could see Johnny’s stained teeth in the darkness as he smiled.

  “You wouldn’t do that, would you Sean. You are in this as much as I am. You know it would be curtains for you too if you did that. I am not a fool Sean. You know that.”

  “You will get your reward once we catch the gang leaders.”

  Johnny laughed out loud before answering.

  “Best of luck with that Sean. It needs bigger guns than your pitiful police force. You have no idea what you are dealing with here.”

  “We will see about that when time comes. Anyway, what is this you have given me?”

  “It is a phone number and if you play your cards right, he might take you to the guy running the operation here.”

  “What do you mean? Is this racket run from outside?”

  “You will find out from the guy if he wants to talk to you.” Johnny could not hide his irritation. “I can’t do any better than that. He might talk to you or he might break your neck.”

  Before Sean could reply he was walking out of the office. Sean could hear his muffled footsteps down the empty warehouse and briefly see his silhouette as he walked out through the missing door.

  Sean lit a cigarette and finished his smoke before walking out of the warehouse. When he reached the pub car park, the three suits were near his car peering into it and one of them was on his mobile speaking to someone. He stood behind the wall of the car park and watched to see what they would do. The guys were shining a torch inside the car and one of them even tried the door to see if it was locked. The conversations was obviously not going very well as the only thing he was saying was,

  “I am sorry boss. It won’t happen again” Repeatedly. He switched the phone off as soon as he saw Sean walk into the car park. He nudged the other guy who had his nose to the car window.

  “Can I help you guys?” Sean said as he walked up to the car. “What are you doing with my car?”

  The three of them stood up straight and tried to look officious. Sean recognised two of them from the morning, coming out of Philip’s office. The thin weedy guy came forward and said,

  “You Sean O’Connor?”

  “Who wants to know?”

  “I am Matt Henderson of Internal Audit.” He replied flashing his badge in his wallet. “This is Andrew Kirby and Ed Miller. We would like to have a word with you.”

  “What about? And what are you doing with my car?” Sean sounded irritated.

  “We just want to talk to you about a few things.” Matt replied. “Can we go someplace quiet?”

  “Why? Can I see some ID first?”

  The three of them fished out their ID badges from their pockets and flashed them in front of Sean. A cursory glance showed them to be from the Internal Audit of Leicester police.

  “Have you been following me? Does Philip know what you guys are up to?”

  “We have been worried about some of your reports and recent strikes. We just want to clarify a few things.”

  “Like what? I have nothing to hide. If you have read the reports, you will know there is nothing wrong
in them.” Sean was really annoyed now.

  “I think it is better if we sit down someplace and you answer some simple questions.”

  “You can come around to the office tomorrow and we can have a chat in front of Philip then.” Sean said opening his car. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have had a busy day. I want to go home.”

  He slammed the door shut before they could say anything and gunned the car. Luckily for him the clapped out car started at the first turn of the key. There was nothing the three suits could do as they saw Sean drive out of the car park with his heart pounding. Sean could see them staring at the back of his car in his mirror. He had to fight an impulse to press on the accelerator. He was sweating profusely by the time he turned the corner and into the slip road up on to the dual carriageway. He could not relax until he was couple of miles down the dual carriageway and was sure no one was following him. He parked his car outside his flats and took the piece of paper that Johnny had given him. He could make out a mobile number with no name. He pulled out his mobile and called the number. It was picked up at the first ring.

  “Yeah.”

  A gruff voice said. Too short to make out an accent.

  “Johnny gave me your number. I am Sean O’Connor. Can we meet up somewhere?”

  “No. You can’t meet me.”

  “I can be very useful to you and I can be very discrete,”

  There was laughter at the other end.

  “No, you can’t. Don’t kid yourself. The guys you are looking for eat kids like you for breakfast.”

  It had been a long time since anyone had called him a kid. Definitely not English, Sean thought. It is the way he said ‘kid.’ Maybe one of the European, either French or Italian. It had a soft end to the K.

  “That would be my problem, wouldn’t it?” Sean replied not to be outdone. “Are you going to help me or not? Johnny said you would.”

  “Jonny should learn to keep his mouth shut if he knows what is good for him.”

  Sean did not reply for a minute.