Chapter 8: I Thought You Might

‘I walked back down the front,’ Reg told him, ‘The shop is called, ‘The Used Furniture Exchange.’

This time Russel had headed home. As they set off back themselves, his red spot was still showing on their monitor. By the time they had reached the station, Russell was back at home. Most of the other red spots were also back at their proper addresses and those that weren’t hadn’t crossed over into Merseyside.

Back at the station, whilst Reg wrote up a report of all the day’s events for Aiden. Peter went online and collected all the information he could find about the shop they had discovered. When he had finished his report, Reg added both the shops to the map. Then they decided they had done enough for the day.

They returned to the hotel to eat, taking the portable monitor with them. Over their meal, Reg and Peter chatted about their past lives before they joined the police.

Reg discovered that Peter was single and lived alone in a flat. ‘Me too,’ Reg told him, ‘It’s handy for bringing the girls back to, isn’t it?’ he said jokingly. Peter went very red and looked embarrassed. Seeing it, Reg told him, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you.’

‘It’s ok,’ Peter said, ‘I’m used to it, I used to get teased all the time.’ ‘About what?’ Reg asked. ‘When I first arrived at the station, I was put with several different partners before I was put with Jack Clancy permanently.’ Peter told him.

‘In conversation with one of them, I must have let slip that I’d never had a girlfriend. It went round the station like wildfire. I was teased mercilessly afterwards. Then when I was paired with Jack, he heard someone passing comment. He was very popular, and he made it very clear that he thought they were being cruel and immature. Within a week the word had got round, and I never heard it mentioned again.’

‘I’m sorry to bring it up again.’ Reg said. ‘It must make it difficult for you to trust anyone now.’ ‘I feel on edge whenever I’m with someone new,’ Peter told him. ‘It takes me ages to stop checking what I say first.’

‘I’ll understand if I ask you anything and there’s a delay then,’ Reg told him with a grin. ‘I’ll wait patiently for the wheels to turn.’ Peter laughed, ‘I’m ok with you,’ he said, ‘I can’t imagine you doing anything to deliberately cause distress to anyone.’

‘Tell me to mind my own business if you want to,’ Reg said, ‘But are you single because you want to be?’ ‘No.’ Peter replied sadly, feeling safe to do so with Reg.

‘Have you heard of Danny or Lewis the young lads credited with getting a number of arrests for various bobbies?’ Reg asked. ‘I’ve heard of them, but I didn’t know their names.’ Peter said, feeling confused at the change of subject.

‘Well, their success is because they are both excellent counsellors who have solved a lot of people’s problems.’ Reg told him. ‘They keep everything they’re told confidential, and they have an excellent reputation. Danny is away at university now, but Lewis is still around.’

Reg wrote on the back of one of his own cards, ‘LEWIS and his phone number.’ ‘Give him a text and arrange to go and see him when you can,’ Reg told him. ‘Whatever the problem is, he’ll sort it for you, and no one will ever know that you’ve seen him.’

‘What makes you think there’s a problem?’ Peter asked. ‘If you’re still single and you don’t want to be, then there is clearly a problem.’ Reg said. ‘It doesn’t matter what the problem is, it will spoil your life if you don’t get it sorted. Whether you know what the problem is or not, go and see him.’

‘And no one would ever know I’d been?’ Peter asked. ‘No, no one.’ Reg said. ‘Oh, except I might suspect it.’ he said making Peter look concerned. ‘If you were to announce that you were getting married in the next few months.’ he said laughing. Peter smiled.

‘Actually, from what I’ve heard about Lewis,’ Reg told him, ‘That’s not as unlikely as it might seem.’ They finished their meal and went to their rooms. Reg took the monitor with him. Peter got into his bed and took a while to get to sleep. He was dreaming that Lewis had somehow sorted him out and he eventually went to sleep dreaming that he was sharing his bed at last.

Russel didn’t move that night, so Reg and Peter managed to get a good night’s sleep. The following morning, they went online and dug up all they could about Perfect Transport Ltd. It was owned by a Martin Lewis who lived in a large, detached house on the outskirts of the Cheshire town of Northwich. He had bought it cash nearly ten years previously.

A check on the electoral register showed he lived with his wife and two young teenage children. He drove a brand-new green Vauxhall Mokka. His wife drove a one-year-old black Astra. A check on vehicles showed that the firm owned three cab units.

Ferry and Eurotunnel records showed that one cab unit plus trailer crossed the channel once every month with a delivery of second-hand cars to Italy and brought a load of new cars back to the UK two days later.

A deeper dig into records showed that although a full trailer of ten vehicles crossed each way, only nine were ever delivered to the garage in Italy. Likewise, only nine were delivered to the garage in Manchester on its return.

That gave Reg an idea, but he decided to await Aidens return and discus it with him before saying anything. Mid-morning, Russell was on the move again. This time he went to a location in Newton-le-Willows. Reg and Peter were half a mile behind tracking him on their mobile monitor.

Once he had been stationary for five minutes, they noted the spot and headed in the general direction. Spotting the car outside a large, detached house, they drove past and noted it’s address.

Russell’s red dot was soon on the move again, this time returning home. Reg and Peter returned to the station and added the address to the map board. Going online, they discovered the house belonged to a Tony Cameron who lived there with his wife and a nineteen-year-old daughter.

All three had cars less than two years old and the house had been bought cash seven years earlier. His employment was listed as a self-employed business advisor. His tax returns showed barely enough income to cover the running costs of house and car, even with his wife’s part time income.

Not long after, Aiden and Glenda arrived back. He studied the updates on the map and white board, then read Reg’s report. ‘You’ve been busy,’ he said, ‘Well done.’ ‘There’s one other thing,’ Reg told him, ‘This ramp at the yard.’ He showed Aiden the video he had taken as they drove past.

‘I could be way off the mark, but I wondered if it was so that the vehicle over the cab on the transporter could be unloaded separately. If there is a similar option in Italy, then that vehicle could carry the cash out and the drugs in.’

‘What we need,’ he continued, ‘Is to be alerted next time they are going to Italy. Then if customs can hold them long enough to fit a trace to the trailer and to the top front car, someone could follow it into Europe and check on where the car goes. Then we would know the source of the drugs.’

‘I’ve got a list of the three cab units owned by Perfect Transport. If we fed them into the automatic numberplate recognition system on the M6 being their most likely route, there would be time to fly over, hire a car and see where they go.’

‘Ok,’ Aiden said, ‘Feed them into the ANPR now. I’ll contact Brian and see about organising something for the other end.’ Just then the monitor alarm went off to say Russel was on the move. Aiden told Glenda and Peter to take his car and follow him.

Shortly afterwards Aiden came off the phone to Brian. Reg had completed adding the numbers into the ANPR system, so they watched the screen. Russell was heading into Hale Barns, an area of Greater Manchester. He stopped outside a large, detached house. Following their instructions, Glenda and Peter hung back to make sure he had stopped, then drove past to check the address, carrying on past and out of sight.

Russell left the house a few minutes later and headed off to Perfect Trailers. After a brief call there, he went on to stop by the Used Furniture Exchange. Five minutes there then he headed for home.

When Peter and Glenda returned with the exact address, records showed that the house was owned by a Glynn Jones, who lived there with his wife. They had two adult children who lived away. Mrs Jones and both children had expensive cars. The house had been bought eight years previously with cash. He was listed as being a company director. His tax returns showed a very low income.