Betrayed (Powell Book 4) (5 page)

Doug knew where Steve and Pete lived. He organised a raid on their property for early in the morning. A time when he knew they would be sleeping off the previous night’s excesses. He doubted they ever crawled out of their beds before midday.

A Sergeant broke down the front door with a battering ram and officers poured into the filthy flat, they called home. Doug followed them into the lounge just as the two men were being rousted from their beds. Looking dishevelled, the two suspects were dragged into the living room, noisily complaining about the intrusion.

“This is a violation of our human rights,” Pete complained.

Doug tried not to laugh. Where the hell had Pete learned that phrase? Nowadays, it seemed every petty crook and waster was going on about their human rights. “We have a warrant to search these premises,” he explained. “It’s all perfectly legal.”

“Don’t you lot make a mess,” Steve demanded.

Doug had no idea how they would ever notice the difference to the current state of the place. Doug had seen tidier squats. 

He went to the kitchen, took the small white bag of powder from his pocket and placed it in a jar on the side, which contained a few tea bags. He made a bad job of covering the powder with the tea bags and quickly returned to the lounge.

The two men were sitting on the sofa, fidgeting uncomfortably like they needed a fix.

“I’m not staying here,” Pete said and started to rise from the sofa.

One of the officers shoved him back down, none too gently.

“You can’t touch me,” Pete complained. “It’s against my human rights.”

“I’m Inspector Williams,” Doug interrupted. “As has already been explained to you, we have a warrant to search this property. Please sit quietly while we do our job. Otherwise, I will have you put in handcuffs and charged with assault.”

“I haven’t assaulted anyone!” Pete exclaimed.

“Then sit there and don’t move,” Doug ordered.

Pete did as he was told. He suddenly grinned and said, “You won’t find anything. We’re what you might call short at the moment.”

Short of a few brain cells, Doug thought.

The Sergeant instructed three officers where to start searching. One was despatched to the bedroom, one remained in the living room and the third went to the kitchen.

The suspects sat in silence until a shout from the kitchen alerted Doug and the Sergeant that something had been found.

Doug went to the kitchen and acted as a witness to the discovery of the cocaine stash, which had been in his pocket only ten minutes earlier.

Returning to the lounge, Doug left the Sergeant to read the suspects their rights.

“That isn’t ours,” Pete screamed. “You’re fitting us up. It’s against…”

“I know,” Doug interrupted. “It’s against your human rights. Give it a rest.”

They were handcuffed while screaming obscenities and accusations.

Doug knew he had left sufficient drugs so they couldn’t just claim it was for personal use. They would be prosecuted for dealing and were certain to receive a jail sentence.

The drugs would be deposited in the property room back at the police station, which was exactly where they had been until the previous evening. He’d signed them out and returned them an hour later, except what he returned was baking powder. The original case for which they were evidence had concluded and the drugs were shortly to have been incinerated.

Working for the regional organised crime unit, he had constant access to a supply of drugs and was finally making some real money by supplying Scott.

However, he couldn’t keep dipping into the property room and the doubling of Scott’s order would require him to find other routes to source his product. He was already working on a solution to the problem. He knew who supplied most of the dealers in Sussex. Doug was going to set up a meeting and offer his services in exchange for supplies at a good price.

Powell had an uneventful day. At lunch, Scott invited him to sit next to him and thanked him for helping Hattie, at the supermarket. Tommy looked irked at being pushed from his normal seat as he made room for Powell to sit down.

Scott asked Powell a variety of questions about his past. Powell recognised Scott was probing, trying to find out more about him but he was subtle and pleasant in his manner. Powell managed to ask a few questions of his own but Scott was very good at avoiding answering. They played a game of ping pong with their questions, neither of them learning anything really useful about the other.

At dinner, Powell returned to his seat in the middle of the table and quickly found Carol and Kirsty to each side.

“Hope you don’t mind us joining you?” Kirsty asked. “We saw you mixing with the elite end of the table at lunch.”

“And you want to know why I was sitting next to Scott?”

“Are we that obvious?” Carol asked. “Not much different happens around here from day to day. We girls need something to gossip about.”

“I’m sorry but this isn’t worth gossiping about. Scott thanked me for helping Hattie with the shopping yesterday and then just asked me how I was settling in. I told him everything was going well and I found you two especially helpful.”

“Now you’re taking the piss,” Carol replied.

Powell held his hands up in the air in mock surrender. “Okay. I didn’t specifically mention you but I said everyone was making me feel very welcome.”

“How are you getting on with solving the meaning of life?” Kirsty asked.

“Slow progress,” Powell admitted.

The conversation remained light throughout the rest of dinner. They carried their plates to the kitchen and Powell helped wash up as it was his designated turn.

On the way back to the lounge, he encountered Carol in the hallway, having an animated conversation with Tommy. Powell stood back for a moment, not wanting to interfere. He saw Tommy take her by the arm and it was evident Carol wasn’t happy.

“Hi guys,” Powell said cheerfully, as he approached. “What’s the plan for the rest of the evening?”

“Get lost,” Tommy replied.

“That’s not very friendly. And you look as if you’re hurting Carol. Please let go of her arm.”

“I told you to get lost,” Tommy replied, letting go of Carol’s arm and turning to face Powell. He puffed out his considerable chest and stared Powell in the eyes. “Is there something wrong with your hearing?”

“Carol, do you want to go play some table tennis?” Powell asked, completely ignoring Tommy.

“She’s going upstairs with me,” Tommy answered. “Now piss off before I forget you’re new.”

Carol took a step closer to Tommy and linked arms. “We’re wasting time here,” she said. A small nod in Powell’s direction was telling him not to interfere.

Tommy smiled at her, obviously pleased by her change of attitude. “Looks like you will have to find yourself a new ping pong partner.”

“You don’t have to go with him if you don’t want to,” Powell stressed.

“Of course she bloody wants to go with me,” Tommy answered. “Learn to mind your own business.”

Carol tugged on Tommy’s arm. “Let’s go.”

Powell moved out of the way as the two of them walked past and ignored Tommy’s smug grin. He was fairly sure Carol was only going with Tommy to avoid trouble. She probably thought she was saving Powell from being on the wrong end of Tommy’s fists.

Powell returned from his morning run and after his shower, went down to breakfast. He immediately looked for Carol and found her sitting alone in the dining room. Even at a distance, he could see the beginnings of a black eye. He was pleased there was no sign of Tommy.

“Can I get you some more coffee,” Powell asked, spotting her empty cup and deliberately avoiding the subject of her eye.

“Thanks,” Carol replied with a smile. “Black, please. Like my eye. Don’t pretend you didn’t notice it.”

Powell was surprised by her good humour. He poured two coffees and then sat beside her.

“Sorry about last night,” Carol apologised after tasting her coffee. “I shouldn’t have got you involved.”

“I got myself involved. What happened to your eye?”

“Walked into a cupboard. Careless of me.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“You need to be careful,” Carol warned. “Tommy can be a mean son of a bitch.”

“Then why did you leave with him last night?”

“I owed him.”

“What does that mean?”

“He gets me my supplies but unlike some of the people here, I have to pay for everything. I’m behind with my payments so Tommy told me it was time to pay up and as I don’t have any money right now…”

“He blackmailed you into having sex with him?”

“That sounds more dramatic than the reality. I’ve fucked him before so it wasn’t really a big deal.”

“I had the distinct impression if I hadn’t come along you would have refused to go with him.”

“That was a little too much weed giving me some false courage. You don’t want to say
No
to Tommy. Actually, I’m grateful you came along because it made me see sense. He would have hurt me far more if I hadn’t seen sense.”

“So the black eye is his doing?”

“Please stay out of this,” Carol implored. “I can handle Tommy.”

“Really? I’m not sure how him thumping you rates as handling him. How is the rest of your body. Have you any more cuts or bruises I can’t see?”

“Not really.”

“Not really? What does that mean? How did he hurt you?”

“Only the way some men like to when they have sex.”

Powell didn’t want to force Carol to answer any more of his questions. He’d learned enough. “Are you okay now?” he asked. “Do you need a doctor?”

“I’m fine and thanks for asking. Everyone else around here is scared to death of Tommy and runs a mile at the mere mention of his name.”

Powell knew it was only a matter of time before he and Tommy would come to blows. Powell couldn’t stand bullies but especially men who mistreated women.

“Does Scott know what Tommy is like?”

“Of course. Tommy doesn’t shit without Scott’s approval.”

“So why do you stay?”

“I’ve been anorexic, bulimic, done far too many drugs and even self-harmed when I was a teenager. I’ve had one very screwed up life but the funny thing is, I’ve done none of those things since living here. Well apart from smoking a joint whenever I want one but that doesn’t count as it’s almost medicinal. I’m well fed and if I wasn’t living here, I’d be working on a checkout at Asda and living in a crappy squat somewhere, probably doing heroin.”

“So how do you pay to live here?”

“At first Scott didn’t want any money. He just enjoyed my company and everything was great. Then Hattie came along and that all changed. Be careful of her, she’s not the sweet and innocent girl she portrays. She soon had her claws into Scott and I was history.”

“So how do you get by now?”

“I make deliveries for him and in return he gives me a little money and I get to stay.”

“What type of deliveries?”

“I don’t look inside the parcels.”

“That won’t be an adequate defence if you end up in Court.”

“Look Powell, I shouldn’t be telling you all this. You seem like a decent guy so if I was you, I’d get the hell out of here, first chance you get.”

“Thanks for the advice. I’m not planning to spend too long here. I just want to get my head straight. There’s been a lot happening in my life over the last couple of years.”

“Well be careful and stay clear of Tommy. He used to be in the army. He’s been to Afghanistan and when he’s drunk, he tells stories about how they used to amuse themselves cutting up the locals. After last night, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve made an enemy of him and Tommy is not someone you want as your enemy.”

Powell smiled reassuringly. “I’ve handled worse than Tommy.”

Carol raised her eyebrows in surprise. “I’d like to hear those stories sometime.”

“When do you make your deliveries?” Powell asked. “Is it a regular time and place?”

“Why do you want to know? Are you planning to rob me?” Carol looked genuinely concerned. “Tommy will kill me if I mess up one of his deliveries.”

“Don’t worry, I promise I’m not going to rob you. It’s just that’s the only time you leave the house. If I had something I needed delivering, would you do it for me? I’d pay you for your help.

“It depends where it is and what it is,” Carol asked suspiciously.

“It would be a message. Tell me where you go and I’ll arrange for my friend to collect the message. I’d be willing to pay you a couple of hundred pounds each time and I’ll give you two hundred now as an advance.”

“Two hundred pounds to deliver a message? Must be a very important message.”

“I may never need you but it’s good to know the option exists.”

“My regular trip is on a Wednesday afternoon. I take a parcel into Crawley.”

“What time approximately?”

“I have to be at the café in Tilgate Park at three in the afternoon. I sit and order a coffee and we exchange bags.”

Powell took two hundred pounds from his wallet. “Here you are. I don’t expect the money back, even if I never use your services.”

“Thanks,” Carol replied, quickly pushing the money into her jeans pocket.

“If I can help in any way, don’t hesitate to ask,” Powell offered. “Especially if Tommy bothers you again.”

“Thanks, Powell. And similarly, if I can ever do anything for you, be sure to ask.” She smiled and winked suggestively. Then added more seriously, “Even if you just need someone to talk to. It can get quite lonely here. If I didn’t have Kirsty, I’d go mad.”

“I might take you up on your offer… of a chat.” Powell smiled, knowing he had teased her for a second. 

“You do that. Now I need to get to work. I’m on potato peeling duty this morning.”