by Derek Haines
Mr Sharp has a selection of women companions. He keeps their company singly, but more often in groups. He seems to have a fetish for sex with more than one woman. Mr David Holdsworth has been observed twice in the last twenty-eight days at Mr Sharp’s apartment. Both times in the company of Mr Sharp and four women. Mr Holdsworth spent both nights at Mr Sharp’s apartment.
On four occasions Sharp has left his office and proceeded directly to the Paragon café. He has stayed long enough for one coffee and returned directly to his office. The fact that this has occurred at exactly the same time and day each week makes it a suspicious occurrence. This warrants further monitoring.
No other reportable activity.’
Vince scanned the accompanying surveillance notes. Following the observation report was a computer print out of all transactions approved by Steven Sharp. The only item highlighted was entertainment expenses which were thirty per cent over budget. Vince made a handwritten note and attached it to the inside of the report cover.
‘This report is to be prepared and lodged now on a weekly basis. V.W.’
Vince knew Steve had been an asset since joining his company. He also knew he was a very ambitious young man with many talents. The report didn’t overly concern him. He knew Steve was a recreational drug user and had an over active and unusual sexual appetite. Nothing to worry about. The weekly visits to the Paragon Café could have been an innocent coincidence, or a small time drug drop, but it was worth keeping an eye on. Vince just wanted to make sure Steve wasn’t doing something stupid like passing information. To Vince, information was the most valuable commodity and asset in his business. When Vince had first hired Steve he recognised his varied talents. Steve’s potential was boundless as far as Vince was concerned. He was also well aware that he would take some controlling, for Steve was a diamond in the very rough.
It took Vince more than two hours to read the reports on his new staff and key managers. It was a weekly ritual, and one that had served him well. The only person in his organisation that was not under some form of observation was Vince himself. He had instituted the reporting process very early on in his business career. One of his early hirings, an office manager, had been passing information to a competitor. It was well over six months before Vince uncovered what had been happening. The damage was enormous. It took Vince three years to recover from the loss of business this one man had caused. Had it not been for Vince’s tenacity, his business may have collapsed at this early stage. This tenacity and determination was the catalyst then for his first foray into dealing in drugs. It was a quick way to make money. He had the idea from of all things, a bank investment prospectus. It had a graph of a range of investments and their returns compared to risk. At the lowest point on the graph were savings bank deposits. Lowest return, lowest risk. It listed real estate, bonds, shares, gambling and others, but at the top of the list was illicit drug dealing. Clearly the highest return, but also the highest risk. At the time, Vince saw it as a clear business decision. He needed to make money fast to save his business. This he achieved. It provided the extra earnings that he could use to support his car dealership until it became profitable again. Once he had his business back in profit, the lure of the extra profits from his drug investments were too lucrative to cease. He had continued, and was still active in the trade, but had always kept it as only a small part of his business. This is not to say it was not still highly profitable. Knowing the business as he did, from years of experience, he knew the necessity for secrecy and arm's length transactions. It was a long chain from him to the physical production of drugs. A far longer chain than he had created for his car parts trade.
Steve Sharp was privy to sensitive information in the car parts chain. He had no direct knowledge of Vince’s drug investments, but Vince was aware that Steve had a suspicion. This was the major reason for the added surveillance. In time to come, he would also upgrade surveillance of David Holdsworth, as he would be a key to Vince’s plan to increase the volume of business in both of his sensitive operations. To do this was going to be a risk, but Vince was experienced at managing risk. His believed strongly in his own ability to manage any business risk he decided to take. Vince Walsh did not ever perceive himself as anything other than a businessman. It had never even crossed his mind that he could be classed as a criminal. Simply, risk and return. Few had crossed Vince in the years since his first office manager had done so. The fact that the man disappeared a few months after the episode was never connected to Vince, but there were a few who were suspicious. Suspicious enough to spread the word that Vince may not be a man to cross lightly. Over the years a few disappearances had been linked to Vince by word of mouth rumours. They served to make Vince a powerful man. On three occasions, the police had taken an interest in Vince Walsh, but their investigations reached a dead end very quickly. There was not enough evidence, not even circumstantial, to raise any suspicions about Vince Walsh.
The passage of the next month was smooth. David was settling well into his new position. His attention to detail combined with his knowledge had him handling his responsibilities with ease. Vince had arranged a meeting with David. A formal business appointment in Vince’s office. It was David’s first visit to Vince Walsh’s office. David had arrived five minutes early as was his habit, and had met Vince’s secretary during his short wait. She was a portly lady in her fifties. She reminded David of a school mistress. Vince welcomed him into his office at the stroke of eleven o’clock. As he entered, he was surprised at the modest surroundings of such a powerful man’s working environment. It was in stark contrast to Vince’s extravagant house. Simple office furniture, a large melamine desk, with a return. A single telephone, a fax machine and a computer and printer. A four draw filing cabinet stood in one corner. In another corner a small round coffee table sat between two linen sofas. Vince invited David to sit in one of the sofas, and had his secretary arrange coffee.
‘I’ve heard nothing but good news about you since you joined us David. Tell me, how’re you finding it?’ Vince asked in a relaxed manner.
‘I’m enjoying the job thanks Vince. I know I may have trod on a few toes with a few of the changes I’ve made, but I’m sure that’s why you hired me. To make the changes. Most of the problems that you experienced before were mainly to do with the bank that was handling your transactions.’
‘Yes, I read in your report that you’d changed some banking procedures. What was the main problem?’
‘Perception Vince.’
‘Perception? Explain that for me.’
‘I know it sounds odd, but banks are just people. A Letter of Credit is negotiated by people. Now, when a person receives one from a bank they know, compared to one they don’t know they’ll react with that knowledge. Say for instance we have to send an L/C to the Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt. If we send an L/C raised by an Australian bank, it may be one of only a few they would’ve seen all year. They’d check it thoroughly before accepting it. They may even advise their client not to accept it, say if there was something like political or financial turmoil in Indonesia. But, if the L/C is raised by a Dutch, German or US merchant bank with whom they are familiar, they’ll more than likely accept it immediately,’ David explained.
‘Ahh, I see,’ Vince said. ‘And in reverse?’
‘Yes. If our bank receives an L/C from say the Bank of Libya as an extreme example, they’d certainly advise us to be cautious at the very least. Because international trade is so reliant upon third parties to the buyer and seller, it’s important to pander to their comfort zones. The same applies to insurance and terms of settlement. With all these elements covered it’s then possible to place more effort and emphasis on favourable terms, such as reducing or extending payment or receipt,’ David explained as clearly as he could.
‘So, we have these mechanisms in place now. Along with some internal changes I notice you’ve made. What else needs to be done in your opinion?’
‘Very little Vince. The volumes of busines
s at the moment are very low. The average at the moment seems to be only around four twenty foot containers of parts to Singapore per month. I could handle this volume myself in two days. With three assistants in my office I would hope you plan on far more business. If you’re planning on a volume of say thirty to forty shipments per month it may be worth considering a direct online computer link to our banks. That’s not difficult to arrange.’
‘So what you’re saying David, is that you can handle expansion easily. Right now.’
‘Yes.’
‘With a little more training say, could the people you have in your office handle these transactions if you weren’t there?’
‘Yes. There’s no reason why not,’ David answered, waiting for where this was leading.
‘Good. Now I can set you free of the office to build a business for me. I have all the contacts ready to expand. I just need someone to go and sell the product face to face. I also want someone to screw a good deal on my purchases. That someone is you David.’
‘Ok. Where’s the stating point Vince?’
‘Malaysia, Thailand, Burma and India to start. They’re all target markets for auto spares. The manufacturers of the accessories are in China and Taiwan. When can you start?’
‘Whenever you’re ready Vince.’
‘Ok David, within the next month. I’ll prepare a list of our contacts for you to pursue. I’ve been dealing with most of these personally, so I’ll write letters of introduction for you to all my contacts. From that base you make your own way.’
‘What levels of product can you supply Vince? So I’ve got a gauge.’
‘If you can sell forty containers a month, I can fill them,’ Vince said with confidence.
‘Looks like forty is the target then. And the imports of accessories?’ David asked.
‘I’ll prepare a sales plan for that part. Once I’ve done that I’ll forward you a full listing of what stock I’ll be looking to purchase, and in what volumes.’
‘Ok Vince. I’m looking forward to it.’
‘So am I David. If you can deliver success with this, I might look at the market for Italian ceramics and pottery. I’ve always had a love for it,’ Vince said with a smile.
‘I’ll do my best,’ was all David could think of to say.
‘That’s all I ask,’ Vince said. ‘Tell me, if it’s not a rude question. I know you and Tony Pilletto share accommodation. How are you both getting along with your marriage problems?’
‘Well, mine’s all but settled. Thanks to you in many respects. All I have to do is wait for my divorce and it’s over. Tony has a few more strings though, but he’s settling down I think. I know he’s enjoying his job. I believe he’s waiting to sell his house. Once that’s done he should be more secure in himself.’
‘And how do you two get on?’ Vince asked.
‘Just fine. With Tony away a lot, and I suppose I’ll be away often now, we see very little of each other. But we enjoy each other’s company, so it’s an arrangement that suits us both now that we are single again.’
‘Do you two see much of Steve?’ Vince asked looking to complete the information he was after.
‘Not as much as we used to Vince. When Tony and I were in the early stages of our separations, Steve had a few similar problems, so I guess we tended to band together a little. Steve’s a fair bit younger than Tony and myself, and a little more extroverted,’ David said with a knowing grin, ‘And he can be hard to keep up with. But we still see him from time to time.’
‘Well, I’m lucky to have the three of you in the business. I can say you’re all working out very well.’
‘Maybe we don’t have the distraction of wives,’ David joked.
Vince smiled broadly. ‘You may be right David.’
Later that same afternoon Vince met with Steve to discuss expanding As New Spares.
‘I want to increase the stock holding of parts Steve.’
‘How much by?’
‘By four,’ Vince said calmly.
‘Four times!’ Steve exclaimed.
‘Yes Steve. Is it a problem?’
‘How soon Vince?’
‘Within three months. There’s a huge demand,’ Vince stated.
‘There’ll be a lot to do. Recruitment, warehousing, transport and packaging. It might mean cutting the chain of transfer down to one or two. If we stay at four or five it’ll be difficult,’ Steve replied.
‘I know it’s a big task Steve, but you’ll succeed I know. But, the chain of transfer must stay. No changes. There can’t be less than three transfers of the parts before sale. You know that’d be far too risky. Make four the standard. Non negotiable.’
‘Ok. Ok. I get the message Vince.’
‘Right Steve, I’ll leave it to you to make the arrangements. Now, just one other thing before you go. Take it easy on the entertainment allowance ok? You’ve been way over budget every month for the last three,’ Vince said firmly.
‘Message received Boss.’ Steve said with a cheeky grin.
‘Right Steve, get to work. You have a lot to do.’
Steve returned to his office. On his way his mind was racing. ‘Four times the volume. The man’s insane,’ he thought to himself. ‘How the hell can I do that? Three months. It would take a year to find enough people. I could just arrange twenty trucks at a time into the supermarket car park on a Saturday morning and clean out the whole fucking car park.’ Back at his office, he sat down to figure out how he could increase the volumes. Four times was impossible. Just to double the volume would be difficult enough. ‘Well, I’ll start with trying to double it,’ he decided.
He started to call his web of contacts to pass the message down the line to increase the catch by fifty per cent, starting next week. Having more cars made available was simple. There was always another car thief to recruit. He could leave that to others. That was the easy part. It was the dismantling, transport, storage and packing that wasn’t so simple. ‘This requires outside help,’ he thought to himself. With that in mind, he scanned his small red address book, looking for a friend he had met in Fremantle Prison. He’d also moved to Sydney. Steve had met up with him on a few occasions. But it had been two years since he’d seen him. Mick Green did his stint for an assortment of drug and assault charges, but he’d owned a car wrecker's yard in Perth. Steve remembered Mick had said last time he saw him that he was back into his old business. He could be useful.
He found the number.
‘Hello,’ came the answer on the other end of the phone.
‘Is Mick there?’ Steve asked.
‘Who wants him?’ was the terse reply.
‘Steve Sharp.’
‘Well I’ll be fucked. Steve Sharp. How the bloody hell are you?’ Mick said in far brighter tone.
‘Not bad Mick. Not bad at all.’
‘So what’re you up to?’
‘Look Mick, I was wondering if we could meet for a drink. I might have some business that would interest you.’
‘Always interested in a bit of business.’
‘Are you still pulling cars to bits?’
‘Among other things Steve. You know. What’re you up to now?’
‘Cars among other things.’
‘Well, when do you want to have this chat Steve?’
‘Whenever suits you. In the next few days maybe.’
‘I’ve got a small café in the Cross. Would you like to meet there?’
‘Sure Mick. Where is it?’
‘It’s the Continental Café, down the end of Darlinghurst Road, just past the fountain.’
‘Oh, I know it Mick. How did you get hold by such a well known place? It’s got a colourful history.’
‘Just got lucky. Someone owed me,’ Mick said.
‘You can tell me the story when I find you Mick. So when?’
‘Tomorrow afternoon?’
‘Ok Mick, say about three?’
‘Fine. See you then.’
Steve wasn’t sure whether to co
nsult with Vince before meeting with Mick Green. He knew Vince didn’t like using outsiders, but if he wanted such a large and fast increase in car parts supply, there was no other way. Steve decided to meet with Mick first, and see what use he could be. He could then give Vince a clear picture of his plan.
The next afternoon, Steve drove into King’s Cross. At night, the Cross is alive with colourful neon lights, verbose spruikers, street musicians, girls, men with money and crowds of people. At three in the afternoon, it’s a pathetic sight of peeling paint, street bums, drug addicts looking for a hit, ugly hookers without their make up and long faced people going about their business of surviving the working day. He found a parking station, and had to walk the length of Darlinghurst Road to Mick’s café. On Darlinghurst Road business life hummed. Shops selling opals to Japanese tourists, small cafés, McDonald’s full of afternoon coffee drinkers, the railway station and adult bookshops plying their twenty-four hour trade. At each small intersection, Steve would glance down the small lane ways to see the dregs of this city, asleep, or maybe dead in the gutter. Rubbish bags, torn open by rats, spewing their contents across the narrow pavements. Used needles littered the roads. Ten paces away from Darlinghurst Road took you from heaven to hell.
Mick greeted Steve as if he was a long lost brother. They sat in a booth at the rear of the café and reminisced about their days in Fremantle. For Steve they were days he’d rather forget, but somehow Mick put a gloss on the memories. It was over a half an hour before Steve could bring Mick around to the subject he’d come to discuss.
‘So tell me about your auto business Mick,’ Steve asked trying to get the conversation on the right track.
‘Oh, it’s just a wrecking yard out in Penrith. Three acres of rust. You know how it goes?’
‘Making any money out of it?’
‘Only just covers costs Steve. I do far better out of this café.’
‘And not just the coffee I imagine,’ Steve said with a grin.