Case Files
They were some miles from the port terminal, out on the open road, before Hanlon felt able to relax slightly. ‘Shit,’ he said. ‘I really thought they were on to us back there.’ He was a short wiry man, muscular, with the air of having drunk one too many strong coffees during the journey over.
At first he thought that Mo was asleep. But the older man opened one eye, peering at him from under his trademark trilby hat. ‘You worry too much, man.’
‘Jesus, Mo. We’ve got plenty to worry about.’
Mo opened both eyes and shrugged. ‘I’d say not, wouldn’t you? All gone smooth as clockwork.’ He eased himself back in the passenger seat and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. ‘Not even any noise from back there.’
Hanlon glanced back over his shoulder. The two women were asleep. Partly exhaustion. Mainly the sedatives Mo had fed them as they were leaving the port. Christ, how had he allowed himself to get mixed up in this? Apart from anything else, it seemed so half-fucking-baked. ‘This worth the hassle, then, you reckon?’
Mo’s eyes were half-closed again, the hat slid low across his forehead. ‘What’s that, man?’
‘You think it’s worth it? All this?’
‘Not ours to judge, man. Being paid for it, aren’t you?’
‘Not enough,’ Hanlon said. ‘Like I say, I thought they were on to us back there.’
‘That was nothing. I been through far worse with those bastards. They didn’t suspect a fucking thing. Even with you shaking like a bare-assed Eskimo.’ Mo tried to sound like he was on the sidewalks of Harlem, but his North Wales intonation kept breaking through.
He was right, though, Hanlon thought. The passports had been convincing enough. The Immigration Officers had waved them through with no more than a couple of questions and a glance into the back of the car. He’d been worried that the two women might make a fuss, either on the ferry or when they reached the border. After all, it was their one chance to get free. But they’d played the game, just as Mo had said they would. Maybe because they were scared of Mo. They had plenty of reason to be scared. But Hanlon thought they’d just lost the will to resist. They’d been through too much. There was no future for them other than this.
‘Feels like there should be a better way of doing it,’ Hanlon went on. He just wanted to keep the conversation going to calm his nerve, keep focused for the long drive. Mo looked like he wanted to sleep. ‘Something less risky.’
‘What you suggest, man? Parcel post? Rolling ’em up in a fucking carpet?’ Mo slid the hat fully across his face, a gesture indicating that the conversation was at an end.
He was right about that as well. As long as the women played ball, this was low risk and cheap. Two couples returning from a long weekend in Dublin. Apparently legitimate British passports. Even the ferry tickets had been bought at a discount.
Hanlon was new to this. He didn’t even know how often they carried out these kinds of transactions. Not very, he guessed. They’d have other means of getting the women into the country in the first place. Most probably they arrived legitimately, lured by the prospect of jobs and money. Then, before they knew it, they’d vanished off the grid, exploited by thugs like Mo and the people he worked for.
Christ, he thought again, how the hell had he allowed himself to get mixed up in this?
Money. That was the short answer. A way to make the quick buck he needed. Low risk, they’d said, though he hadn’t really believed that. Just help them move the merchandise about. That had been the word. Merchandise. One of the less unpleasant words.
Hanlon didn’t know the background and he didn’t want to. Some deal had been done across the Irish Sea, and now they were bringing these two women – hardly more than girls – to work in some brass-house in Manchester. For them, probably no different from doing the same thing in Dublin. Crap either way.
They’d had cheap tickets on the last ferry of the day, so it would be into the small hours before they reached Manchester. God, he felt tired. Mo was snoring gently now, hat flat across his face. The privilege of being the senior partner, Hanlon assumed. You got to snooze your way across North Wales, while the junior oppo kept his eyes on the road. As far as he knew, the car belonged to Mo, though Hanlon assumed the car was stolen or the plates pirated in some way. Presumably, like the faked passports, nothing would be traceable. He didn’t even know for certain who Mo worked for. He had his ideas, but better not to ask too many questions, as long as they paid what was owed.
It was the first and last time, though. They’d suckered him just like they’d suckered those poor cows in the back seat. The difference was that he had an exit route. If they paid him what they’d promised, he’d have enough to settle his debts and get things back on track. Maybe even make an attempt to patch things up with Cath, if it wasn’t too late for that. At least stop her playing silly buggers about giving access to Josh. Not that he had any rights in that department, after everything he’d done.
‘Shit.’ He’d been driving on autopilot, his mind full of his unmissed past and half-imagined future. For a minute or two, he hadn’t registered the flashing blue light in the rear view mirror. He glanced down at the speedometer. It would be fucking typical to be pulled over for speeding. But, no, that was okay.
He leaned over and nudged Mo. ‘Fucking pigs,’ he hissed. ‘Behind us.’
Mo sat up with an alacrity that suggested he perhaps hadn’t been sleeping after all. He looked over his shoulder and peered through the rear window. ‘Christ’s sake, man. Relax. They’re not after us. Probably just the end of their fucking shift. Keen to get back to their loved ones. Or even their wives.’ He snorted at his own wit and prepared to stretch himself back across the seat.
But the police car was already overtaking and slowing in front of them, in an unmistakable signal for them to pull over.
‘Jesus, Mo,’ Hanlon said. ‘What the fuck do we do now?’
Mo was sitting bolt upright, looking less relaxed. ‘Let me do the talking. Keep calm and keep it zipped.’ He looked across at Hanlon, his gaze unwavering. ‘Nothing to worry about, man. Long as you leave it to me.’
‘But the car–’
Mo shook his head. ‘We’re not fucking amateurs, man. Vehicle’s stolen, but it’s a ringer. Licence plates match the type and colour. Name of registered owner’s the same as the passport. It’s all sorted. There’s nothing to worry about.’
‘So
