Chapter 7: Was It All Worth It

As he fell with his head and shoulders into the van, he felt a sharp prick in the back of his shoulder, then everything went black.

The two workmen heaved him up into the van and closed the doors. As they picked up the cones and tools they had dotted around, they carefully checked that no one had seen their actions. Once they were sure, they drove off and returned to deposit their body in the garage.

Once he was strapped to the bench they left and sent their message, ‘Item in Stock.’ Brian got the message an hour later. He had already had a report from his ‘workmen,’ so he was enroute to the garage as he received it.

Letting himself in, he found Brendan still unconscious, so he cut his trousers open. He inserted a canula and as there was no sign that Brendan had been a user, he prepared two syringes of five and fifty-times doses. By the time he had finished, Brendan was stirring.

As soon as he was sure he was awake enough, Brian stood at the side of the bench. ‘Brendan Jones,’ he told him, ‘You have been caught for the umpteenth time supplying enough drugs to cause untold misery to hundreds of families and no doubt death to some. I see from your groin that you have not been using them yourself, so tonight you are going to get the experience you have inflicted on so many.’

He showed him a syringe. ‘This is some of the heroin you were peddling. Except that this syringe has five times the amount of your victim’s doses. Whilst you were unconscious, I put a canula into your groin so enjoy your experience.’ As he spoke Brian injected it.

Jones looked terrified then his eyes rolled up as he started twitching and his mouth started frothing. He went into spasm for nearly ten minutes before passing out once more. Another ten minutes passed before he came round.

‘Because you have inflicted what you have just experienced on so many people and are likely to continue doing so, a jury of twelve just men have sentenced you to death. Your execution will be in one hour’s time.’ He showed him the big syringe. This is a fifty times dose he told him. You will die in agony, but in a much shorter time than all your victims.’ As he spoke Brian turned the cannulas tap on.

‘I will be back in an hour to carry out the sentence,’ he told him as he left. Jones was one of the lower-level dealers but just as guilty. He would anticipate a terrible end but would actually die without pain as his body drained of blood.

Two hours later Brian returned, put him in a body bag, the can of blood in his boot and went home after sending the message, ‘Item Ready for Collection,’

The next two were more erratic with their signing on times. So, using a burner phone, Brian rang both of them midday. He explained that he was a barrister who had found a loophole in the law which could get them off the dealing charge completely.

He told them it would only work for two people, so they had first choice. He gave them a shop address for them to meet him that day at two o’clock. ‘If you don’t turn up,’ he said, ‘I’ll offer it to one of the others. Don’t worry about costs, my fees will be paid by legal aid. But once you’re acquitted and you start up dealing again. I’ll expect you to supply me with a small quantity of heroin occasionally, just for my own use.’

‘Oh, one other thing, there is some building work going on outside my office at present, so if you ask one of the workmen, they’ll guide you into the shop.’

At two o’clock they both turned up together. They laughed with each other at the thought that they would get off, whilst the others were sent down. They were also planning how much more money they would make if they turned out to be the only two dealers still free.

The address they had been given was in a side street and was blocked off with screens so most of the shop couldn’t be seen. There were a couple of workmen around, so they asked them what was happening. ‘Are you customers of the Law Firm,’ they asked? Getting an affirmative, one of them said, ‘There’s been a structural problem, hence the screens, but there is access to the shop. Follow me.’

He led the way to the end of the screen and pulled it apart, going ahead of them. There was another cloth screen between them and the shop fronts with a light showing at the far end. They assumed that was the shop they were going to.

As the workman was going ahead of them, they suspected nothing. Once the screen had dropped behind them, the workman leading the way stopped and looked back to ask if they were ok. As they all stopped, two hypodermics came through gaps in the inner screen and into their arms.

They both collapsed onto the floor unconscious. The workman gave a short blast on his whistle. Alongside the two bodies the outer screen was drawn aside to reveal the open side doors of the van. Two men jumped out and loaded the bodies into the van, then it drove off towards the garages.

As soon as it pulled away, all the screens were dismantled and put into a builder’s truck. The battery powered lights were switched off and loaded up. As the truck drove away, the row of three empty shops the screens had been in front of saw the light of day once more.

When the van reached the garage, one body was taken in and strapped to the table. The second one was tied onto the trolley, had two pads put over it ears, a crepe bandage wrapped round its head to hold them in place then wheeled under the table. The ear pads would ensure he heard nothing.

Immediately after the van had pulled away, Brian arrived. He went in and prepared the body on the table which he compared with the photos he had on his phone. This one was Idris Harrison who was thirty-six. He had a long string of dealing convictions going back to his late teens. When Brian uncovered his groin he found a big black hole halfway along, the sign of many, many, injections. Putting the canula in his other groin, Brian then prepared a ten times dose.

Ten minutes later Harrison came round. ‘Idris Harrison,’ Brian told him, ‘You have been supplying drugs for many years. You have ruined many lives doing so and would no doubt continue if you had been allowed to.’

‘As you have taken no notice of the courts, a jury of twelve good men have sentenced you to death so you will never do it again. But first I have a special gift for you. As you have used heroin for years, I’m going to give you a shot that is ten times the normal dose. Enjoy he said as he injected it.’

Apart from the terror in his eyes, Harrison showed no sign of anything for a few seconds, then his body went rigid and started shaking as much as his straps would allow. His mouth had froth oozing out from around his gag. After a few minutes, he started making a gasping noise whilst his rib cage was heaving.

Then he went silent, his body relaxed, and the froth came to a stop. Brian was puzzled at first, then when he checked, he found Harrison was dead. Because of the gag he had choked to death on his own vomit.

Brian released all the straps, rolled him into a body bag, then using the pulley he lifted the body off the bench up as near to the roof as he could. Then pulling the trolley out from under the bench, he could see the next body, Nathan Cotton, was awake. Brian gave him a half dose of the knock-out injection then moved the trolley alongside the now empty bench. Undoing all the ropes and bandage, Brian slid him across onto the bench before strapping him up.

Next, he lowered Harrisons body down on top of Cotton, untied the pulley ropes and rolled Harrison still in his body bag, onto the trolley. That then went back under the bench. Brian exposed Cottons groin to find no sign that he had used his own products. He put a canula in and prepared a syringe of heroin just five times the usual dose.

He sat down exhausted by now and waited for Cotton to come to. He was twenty-nine, also with a long list of dealing convictions. After ten minutes rest Cotton started to stir. Brian stayed where he was for a further five minutes, then stood up and checked he was fully awake.

‘Nathan Cotton,’ he told him, ‘You have a long list of drugs dealing offences. Today that will end. A jury of twelve good men have sentenced you to death. Before you go, as you have not used your own products, you are going to experience what you have inflicted on others.’ He showed him the syringe. ‘This is a dose of your own heroin, but five times the usual quantity.’ Brian inserted it into the canula and pressed the plunger.