Kent woke from a deep and recharging sleep. He got a whiff from fresh coffee mixed with the crisp scent that followed Joseph Chandler around everywhere and let himself drop back into the pillows with a sigh. Emerson you´ll get your heart not only broken but grinded and fed to the fish in the Thames, he thought. If you stay close like this, how long do you suppose you can control yourself. He pulled the covers over his head to muffle a frustrated groan.
In the dining room he found a neatly arranged small breakfast and Joseph Chandler standing outside on the balcony, holding a cup and gazing into the morning. „Good morning, Sir" the figure turned „oh good morning, I didn´t expect you to be up so early." „What time is it?" „Half past eight. I thought we go to the station about noon, since we got in really late yesterday. Please excuse my appearance I thought you´d sleep longer." „I always get up at seven thirty, sir. No matter what day or when I got to bed." „Me too." the two looked at each other for a while and shortly before the pause became awkward Chandler said „please, Kent, sit down and have breakfast. Do you need some clothes to change?" „Thank you, but I thought I´ll be going home and change there." „Good, I´ll get ready then." Chandler said and left the room.
While Emerson ate his delicious breakfast he heard his DI fulfill his morning procedure, which he imagined to be like a ritual, surely consisting of the most random activities like few squats and showering, but carefully put in a sequence almost religiously followed to be in that exact same order every single day. When Emerson had finished he cleaned everything so he wouldn´t be an imposition and strolled through the apartment. He was a detective after all and that comes along with a certain amount of curiosity. When he past the bathroom, he couldn´t help but recognize that Chandler had left the door a crack open, and Kent was seduced to at least catch a glimpse of the man who caused that burning desire within him.
Chandler was shampooing his blond head, had his eyes closed to protect them from the soap. He turned blindly to the valve and while elevating his arms to wash out the shampoo the blades of his shoulders created a hollow in which Emerson would have loved to bury his face in. He forcefully made himself turn away right that second and walked into the living room. Heavily breathing from that excitement trying to steady himself. You´ll get yourself in so much trouble.
Chandler´s living room held numerous shelves filled with all sorts of books, mostly literature but also many about history and cricket as well as a vast record collection. A grand piano made the center of the room with a modern leather couch facing towards it. On the coffee table he found the book that Chandler seemed to be reading right now. Robert Musil - the man without qualities. There was no TV but a fairly expensive stereo and the only decoration was a huge expressionistic painting covering two thirds of a wall. Kent went closer to the shelves to examine the book collection when he found a little picture showing three young men in their early twenties on what appeared to be a sailing boat. One of them Chandler of course with the his wheat coloured hair and a broad wide smile having his arms around the shoulders of two other men. The one on his right, looking right at the camera as well, was none else then DS Thomas and to his left, a bit smaller then the other two was a pale, pretty young man who´s face was covered in freckles and who´s emerald green eyes where caught in that moment when he threw an admiring glance at the young Joseph Chandler.
„You´re ready?" - Kent almost jumped, he was so absorbed in looking at the picture that he didn´t notice the DI coming into the living room. „sorry. I didn´t mean to pry. You knew DS Thomas before?" „It´s okay. Yes we´ve been friends since college. His wife took that picture actually." „Who is the third man in the photo." Suddenly Chandlers facial expression completely shut down. „That´s Dennis. Let´s go." Turned and left the room.
On the way to Kents place, they remained in silence. Emerson made his boss a cup of green tea, and thanked god for his flatmate Ron hadn´t been home the last couple days. He was able to create shambles out of an orderly room within few seconds. On an embarrassment scale, the DI coming into a Ron-treated apartment ranked very close to being caught watching him take a shower. Kent got ready quickly and the two detectives drove to work.
„Now, thanks to the outstanding work of DC Kent, we were" wolf whistles interrupted DS Thomas, along with some clapping „we were able to confirm that Jason had left the Mercury with a person named Steve." he continued. „My guys over in Camden haven´t been lazy and checked few of the hustlers if one of them knows a client fitting the personal description. And of course on of them did. Steve Lonington, 57 years old, no priors, is a business lawyer with Fredricksen and Company down in Westminster. The hustler describes him as good natured, never goes for the real young ones. Sometimes he let´s the hustlers stay longer. We check him out tonight.
Meanwhile the ballistic results from the O´Hare killing weapon are in. Same weapon that killed Obatego and our first victim Timothy Fock. O´Hare and Fock look like the job was done professionally." „But what pro would be as stupid as to let a potential witness survive?" DS Miles interrupted. „Good point. That´s also what my gut is telling me detective. This does not add up. Baker testified that the killer was suddenly in and out. He did hardly speak to Obatego just told him to kneel down and executed him. He didn´t ring the bell nor were there any signs of forced entry. He was so silent, Jason said, that he didn´t even know whether the man was gone or not. That´s why we found him 5 hours later in the bathroom." „Strange" „Tell us again" Riley demanded „the Albanians and the Russians want to split up the North of London and kick out the Arabian mob. Why kill three low level distributors?" „To run their finances down before kicking them out of business entirely. O´Hare and Fock had connections with the Irish. The Irish purchase their opiates from the Arabians in exchange for American weapons. Obatego was always a distributor for the Arabians. If you cut out the middlemen you break the connection between supply and customer creating a vacuum." „How many more middlemen are there?" Chandler asked. „Seven that we know of."
„Ed, can you dig into this? Any cases that are connected to one group taking over the turf from another. Anything you can find." „Of course Joe." „Meanwhile we have to find a way single out the middle men the Albanians and Russians want to get rid of. Someone needs to go undercover on the customer side to find out who´s taking up the victims´ quota." DS Thomas look straight at Kent „Me?" the youngest pointed his index finger in disbelieve to himself.
„No, Ian, wait a minute here." the DI stepped in „this is way to dangerous." „With all due respect Joe" Miles interfered „who else? I´m too old, to be a junkie. Mansell is to chubby so is Riley" „Thanks" „sorry, and you couldn´t pretent to be a hustler for a minute without - literally - fucking up your cover by counting and sorting the condoms. There is no list of possible candidates here." Kent swallowed „I have to be a hustler?" „That would be the easiest." DS Thomas answered. In this moment nobody wanted to switch places with DC Kent, even Mansell stopped himself to make fun of him as he looked like a forsaken puppy.
„I´ve never been undercover before." „What about yesterday night" Riley asked „that was undercover" „Yes - but not like becoming a different person and not that you´re life depends on how good you play your role." „Oh goober, you´ll be fine. Talk to Miles he has been undercover a couple times" „Had a natural talent as son of a pickpocket. Look son, the easiest way to lie is to tell a partial truth. Where you from?" „Bexley." „Nah that doesn´t work, where did your grandparents live." „Swanage." „That will do. And you know Swanage a bit?" „There is not much to know." „Great, you had a nickname as a kid or teen, or a second name?" „Pip." „There you go. You´re Pip from Swanage. All new in London. Don´t make it too difficult, if there is a question you didn´t expect answer close enough to the truth." „DC Kent, would you come to my office please?" And as Emerson scuffed through the incident room Miles added: „We´ll all be looking out for you, lad, don´t you worry."
„Please sit down." Chandler referred to the seats in the back of his office. „Have you ever been undercover before?" DS Thomas asked him. He shook his head „well, you first of all need a good story, practise it. Don´t make it to big at first and let your character develop as you go, but you must know the cornerstones by heart. If I woke you at 3:30 in the morning you must be able to slip into that role." He nodded „We have a little flat for you on Chalton Street, you will live in during that time. You´ll take over Jason Baker´s spot on the game. Miles, Mansell, Chandler and I do the punter´s part. Your aim is to get to know one or two of the boys to get inside. Here, I picked something up for you." Thomas threw a paper bag at Kent „I think it should be the right size."
Two hours later Kent slammed the back door of Chandler´s car behind him and he toddled off towards a shabby apartment building. „I´m still not convinced that this is a good idea. I mean look at him." „Joe, if you have a better suggestion, tell me. He´s perfect and you should give him more credit." „I give him credit, he´s just fragile and inexperienced, that´s all." „Fragile?!" Thomas lifted an eyebrow and Miles jerked his head bewildered at this remark. „Steve, you have a fatherly relationship towards Kent. Explain to DS Thomas what I´m talking about." „Yes I do, but you don´t. Emerson Kent adores you in an almost unhealthy way. Calling your relationship fatherly is bending the truth to the breaking point." Unnerved Joe Chandler turned the car key „Fine, have it your way. We go to talk to Lonington now." And after some driving „I just don´t want him to get hurt again."
„Yes, Jason and I left the Mercury together at, I think, two o´clock. I´m really fond of him he´s a good kid." „Really" Miles said wryly. „Well, not in a common reception of things. But he struggled from early childhood on and still isn´t a sly bastard like most of them are." „What do you mean?" „Well most of them you can´t leave by themselves. They´d even steal the toilet brush. Jason has a good sense of trust and would not betray trust when it was given to him. He is not educated but smart and witty. If he´d had better luck with his parents he might have become an active part of society." „When did Jason leave?" „Oh didn´t even come with me here." „He didn´t?" „No - we went to Carnaby Burger first. I always take Jason for a meal, I know what I pay him for the job goes right into drugs and most of the times he has not eaten for days. So I let him pick the place and buy him some food. When I came back from the bathroom there, Jason told me he had changed his mind." „Does that happen often?" „No, but once in a while. When something better comes around for example." „And was that the case?" „I don´t think so. There were just us and two teenage girls grabbing a late night bite."
„When something better comes around, he just leaves you there. It must be very frustrating to be rejected like that." Miles asked. „Well we have a business relation. Sometimes Jason wants something out of it to. If he can get the same money from a more attractive guy, he will do it." „But what about your money." „I don´t pay Jason up front. We have a business relation based on trust, we stay together for some time and depending how many jobs he did I pay him before he leaves."
„Sounds quite unusual." „It is. It works because Jason and me we like each other." This was answered with quizzical expressions on all three detectives faces „No, not like that. As persons. Yes we have a sexual relationship where I pay him, but I still appreciate him for his personality. And I am under the impression that´s vice versa."
„So he said he had changed his mind. What happend then?" Chandler wondered. „I payed for his food and left to go home. At 2:45 I was here." „Can somebody verify that?" „Yes, I took a cab from there. Give me a moment I have the receipt somewhere." „Well that´s foresighted" Miles hissed between his teeth. He didn´t give himself the appearance that he liked Lonington a single bit.
Lonington was offended by that comment. „Excuse me, sir. What are you implying?" „Nothing I simply stated that having a taxi receipt handy for an alibi is very proactive." „Steve" Chandler tried to appease. „Detective Sergent Miles, I tend to be an absentminded person. I have been my entire live. And after many lost properties of mine I decided that asking the driver for a receipt is cheaper than buying the most random objects over and over again. I can present you a receipt for every cab ride I took in the last 2 months."
He handed them the small piece of paper and said „Please, leave now." When the door shut behind them the DI asked his Sergent a little piqued „ I thought you weren´t a homophob?" „I´m not. I just don´t like an ugly old prick like me being a sexual predator to the young and depending. I don´t care whether those are girls or boys. I think he get´s more out of it then he should. Screw the samaritan act. He comes out on top."