Milton opened the glovebox and took out the screwdrivers that Ziggy had purchased from a home improvement store when he was making the arrangements for crossing the border into the UK. He swivelled in his seat so that he could get to the console that sat between him and the passenger seat, and then loosened the screws that secured the cupholder. The unit came out as one, revealing an empty space below. Milton lowered the brick into the empty space, replaced the cupholder and then tightened the screws.

He started the engine and pulled out.

“I’ll call you when I get to the ferry,” he said.

12

Milton drove south. Ziggy called after thirty minutes to say that the two men who had delivered the cocaine had proceeded to a warehouse in the Westport district of the city. Chase was on his way there now and would conduct a careful reconnaissance of the site.

Milton was pleased. The plan had worked as well as he could have hoped. He had established a relationship with López, had collected a sample of the cartel’s product, and had most likely found where the European operation kept its stash. None of that had been easy, or without risk, and he knew that every next step along the way would be even more difficult and dangerous. They had made an excellent start, but there was a long way to go.

He followed the A4 to The Hague and then, after turning onto the A13, to Rotterdam. He had purchased a ticket on the 0658 ferry to Hull, and he arrived with an hour to spare. He found the dock and joined the queue to board the ferry. A member of staff arrived to check him in and gave him a coloured card to hang from his rear-view mirror to confirm that he was cleared to travel.

Milton leaned back in his seat and waited. Crossing the border with the cocaine held risk, and there was no reason why that risk should be faced by more than one of them. Since all that was required was to drive the car onto and off the ferry, Milton had decided that he would do it alone and had instructed the others to fly. Hicks would arrive first and would find a place to set up. Ziggy would be next. The two of them would locate Anthony Jackson and put him under surveillance. Chase would be the third to arrive, and Milton, facing eight hours on the crossing and then a long drive at the other end, would be last.

A man in a high-visibility jacket waved the queue onto the ferry. Milton followed the line to the edge of the dock and bumped up and over the ramp and into the cavernous deck beyond. He was guided to an empty space and noted the red staircase that was closest to him.