Eight One Five - Phan

The First Confession

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Diego’s crew was made up mostly of small time criminals. The largest operation Dan overheard being discussed in the dingy basement was a money laundering scheme in Dorset. The men teamed up for the bigger jobs or when they needed extra muscle, but mostly the gang was for protection. While this group was fairly pleasant, the clients and rival gangs they mixed with were not. They weren’t sitting around a table discussing evil plans, they were playing pool and drinking cheap beers from the pair of fridges. It was a social gathering more than anything else, but as Dan subtly observed each of the men he couldn’t help shake the feeling that there was something else going on.  The group he’d identified at the beginning, the really hard ones, seemed uninterested in the small talk and banter being flung about by the youngest members. A couple were clock watching, and Dan guessed that there would be a point where serious business was organized, and it wouldn’t be with him or Bullet in the room.

Dan was introduced to the mismatched collection of men gathered in the basement room by Diego himself. He knew the novelty of the Spanish routes would wear off soon enough, and he would have to earn the tall man’s respect.

“This is Zebra,” Diego said, punching the youth affectionately in the arm. “He’s been in and out of the bin so many times he might as well start wearing stripes to save time. Never been in more than a couple of months though, no one quite knows how he does it.”

Zebra grinned widely, exposing several missing teeth. Despite the rough appearance, he had a twinkle in his eye and a gangling awkwardness that was anything but intimidating. A crop of rusty brown hair stuck out at odd angles atop his head, and Dan guessed he was about 25. He had a sallow, hollow look about him, the sign of someone forced to live off prison food for far too long, and he was very skinny.

“Alright?” The wiry man grasped Dan’s hand.

“So Zee, how’s about you take this chiquito out for a ride? You got anything lined up for tonight?”

Zebra nodded enthusiastically. “Nothing in particular, boss, but I was gonna cruise about a bit and pick something up – Dan can come, he can teach me some of those moves too. I could use some of that, surprise the boys next time I end up in the nick.”

Diego let out a bellowing laugh. “Alright, go easy on him though. He looks very clean. Needs breaking in a bit. And maybe you can get rid of his fringe when he’s not looking.”

~

Dan left the gym flushed with success. He’d arranged to meet Zebra at 11pm on a street corner, but until he could find a definite link between Diego’s crew and Michael Lester he’d decided that it probably wasn’t a good idea to tell Janet. Bullet too was in high spirits, and they walked home side by side, all enmity forgotten.

“I should have told him you were Spanish right from the start, he’s always the same…”

“Actually, I’m not technically-”

“Of course, I wasn’t ever really worried. You had the right vibe about you. Knew you’d be perfect, it’s just a bit hit and miss with Diego, you know? He has a short fuse. He’s great don’t get me wrong, fiercely protective over his own and always looking out for us. You run into trouble? Just give him a call and he’ll have your back within minutes. But you don’t want to cross him. He can go from cupcake baking to dismembering in less than three seconds.”

Dan laughed, but he had an awful feeling that this might have been an anecdote rather than an analogy.

“He’s smart as hell, too,” Bullet continued. “He organises all the other business. He’s the only one who actually knows everything, and he likes people to know as little as possible. What you don’t know can’t be tortured out of you.”