Dragos is in on the plan. He doesn’t care as long as he gets some time with the girls before all this happens. Kronid knows nothing about all of this but that’s not going to be a problem.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Harry Richardson enjoys his life. Over the past twenty-four years, he has built up a large property empire.
He grew up on a local council estate. A tall boy and well built. It got him into a lot of fights for which he had a reputation of coming off best. He left school at fourteen to go into the building trade, starting as an apprentice bricklayer.
Six years later he was involved in an accident on a building site and received £7,000 in compensation. The money bought a run-down property and he used his skills to make improvements.
He almost doubled his money and that got him hooked. From there he built up a portfolio of houses and commercial property.
Although his education at school was cut short, he taught himself about money and when the building trade went into recession and many of his competitors were forced to sell at rock bottom prices, Harry had been clever and was in a strong position to take advantage.
He won several lucrative contracts with the local council. There were rumours he paid backhanders to several members of the planning committee but nothing has ever been proven.
Anyone who gets in his way finds out he is not a man to be crossed. One person who tried found himself hanging upside down over the edge of a six-storey building only held up by Harry’s hand around his ankle.
Whispers around the trade said the man got off lightly. There was talk of people who crossed him and were never heard from again.
And over the years it seems one or two local planning council members have retired to luxury villas in Spain and Portugal well above their pay grade, telling everyone they had been left money by a rich elderly relative.
When Harry received the call from his old friend Albert Mitten who was desperate to get his hands on £700,000 in cash within twenty-four hours, it seemed like a prayer had been answered.
He has been pestering Albert to sell him the site on Tennis Court Road for years.
Harry already owns the site next door and is anxious to buy the old car workshop for a number of reasons.
In his younger days when he was an angry young man, he made a few enemies. One of the people on the planning committee was being questioned by the police who were looking into council corruption charges.
A police officer was asking questions and starting to find answers. So Harry followed the detective and found out the identity of the person talking to the police. They met in the disused building. Harry waited until the detective had gone. The surprise and fear on the informants face as Harry throttled him, was a memory that brings a smile to his face whenever he reflects.
Unfortunately, the police officer returned to retrieve the pair of gloves he had left behind. An iron bar made sure he never finished his investigation and eventually the matter was closed.
Harry went back later that evening with a man he knew he could trust, Kevin O’Connor. Together they buried the bodies six feet deep.
That was more than eight years ago and after a period of reflection; Harry decided his best plan would be to buy the site from Albert Mitten. But until now Albert had always refused to sell.
So tomorrow Harry will give Albert £700,000 on the promise he will finally sell.
From the outside, Harry looks like a completely respectable forty-eight-year-old successful businessman who wouldn’t hurt a fly.
But Albert is aware Harry Richardson is not a man you want to cross.
Chapter Fifty
Daniel doesn’t have to work on Sundays so he’s spent the entire day at the old telephone exchange watching with his powerful binoculars and listening to everything, thanks to the device he stuck to the outside of the window.
The two men holding the twins are arguing again. Dragos has come back drunk and Kronid is trying to calm him down because he wants to, as he puts it, try his luck with the girls.
Daniel can see trouble is brewing.
“The boss doesn’t want us to touch the girls. If anything happens to them he might not pay us.”
“Then I’ll kill him and take all the money.”
Kronid opens the door leading to the rear yard.
“Go and sober up, Dragos, before you cause real trouble.”
As Dragos walks towards the door, he swings his fist at Kronid who steps back outside the factory.
He staggers and starts to come at Kronid, but Kronid is faster and lands a punch right on his drunk opponent’s nose and he falls backwards, only saved from going down by the passenger door of the white Mercedes. He wipes the back of his hand across his nose and brushes away the blood.
“You bastard. I’ll get you.”
It seems Dragos hasn’t learnt anything and swings his fist again. Kronid easily side-steps the attempt and in return lands a blow to the left side of his opponent’s head sending him sideways and sprawled across the bonnet of the Merc.
Suddenly the gateway to the side opens and the man who calls himself ‘Mr Gee’ walks in.
“What the fuck’s going on here?”
Kronid steps back. “Dragos wants to ‘entertain’ the girls. He thinks they will succumb to his charms. I told him many times you did not want them to be touched but he won’t listen.”
“Okay, you two. Listen carefully. I’ve come to tell you we are getting the money tomorrow.”
“We’ll meet here at five o’clock
