“Thank you.”

“It’s not on our patch, mind, so we don’t get the benefit.”

He wasn’t quite sure what to say to this. Apart from anything else, he’d given the five grand to Vic. Surely it was Vic who benefited?

“Ah, now, you see,” said Harry, “that was the cost to the other guy, the guy whose patch it is, of getting Vic involved. You need to get the boss in, he charges you. Is it true you called the guy an ambulance afterwards?”

“That’s true.”

Harry’s downcast face dissolved into a rare laugh.

“Brilliant! That’s brilliant. That’s the kind of thing a copper does, you know that? Get you on the floor, beat you to a pulp, then call the ambulance and declare they’ve got a prisoner who’s been injured resisting arrest.” The sudden shrewd look skewered him. “You sure you wouldn’t rather be a copper?”

The question caught him off-guard.

“I thought about it,” he admitted.

“Ah. I thought so.” Harry nodded. “You still thinking about it?”

“No.”

“Why not? What changed your mind?”

That moment of choice in the cells. Why had he chosen this path and not the other?

“Not enough money,” said Donald.

“Not enough money.” Harry laughed again. “You’ll last a long time, you will.” He glanced gloomily into his mug. “This tea’s disgusting, I don’t know why we still come here. Let’s go.”

His first time in the office that would one day become Harry’s. Charles, like Vic, looked harassed and tired. Donald deduced that business was not proceeding smoothly. It was a difficult situation – Albert gone but only for a few years, and with parole coming up, everyone was unsettled. Of course what Vic wanted was to take over permanently. But would Albert allow that? (Of course he wouldn’t.) And would the men below support Vic or Albert? (Difficult to answer, hence the harassed expressions.) And while this jockeying for position went on, would any of their rivals see the opportunity to muscle in?

Charles gave Donald a brief welcome speech, reminding him of the rules. Keep your head down, but be available at all times. Work hard, but don’t get spotted. Take orders from Harry, but use your loaf. Don’t invest unless you have to, but when you have to, don’t hesitate. Nothing big without direct orders from me – but I don’t like to talk about that stuff, so you’ll have to read between the lines. The rules were all contradictory, but there was no other way they could be. He kept his mouth shut and nodded in the right places and then it was over and he was following Harry out onto the street for a tour of the area.

Several years of tough effort, getting to know his customers, building connections. Albert’s parole was denied. Vic dug in tighter and consolidated his power base. A small skirmish on a neighbouring patch; Harry lent Donald out and he found himself making his first truly major investment. Afterwards he wondered if he should feel more about it, but there wasn’t time to wonder for long. One day there’d be time to play about as well as to work, but right now his job demanded long hours and hard graft. The Albert/Vic situation would resolve soon, so vacancies would open up and promotions would be made. He was determined to be ready when the opportunity came. (‘Keep your bloody head down,’ Harry advised. ‘We’re junior enough to get away without taking sides. Might as well make the most of it.’)