Chapter Seventeen

 

Gaskell Burke and the other members of his syndicate were awaiting the arrival of Brad Elliot and Jack Marriot.

They were therefore surprised to see Dickson Lunan.

“What the hell are you doing here, Dickson?” Burke asked.

Dickson saw that both Burke and Ken Stone had drawn their guns.

“It seems that you had a hot reception awaiting my two friends.”

“Nothing like that. It’s just that we are surprised to see you here. What happened to Brad and Jack?” Burke asked.

“I’m surprised that you haven’t asked me how I knew where to find you guys,” Dickson told them.

“You still haven’t told us about Brad and Jack,” Ken stated.

“I’ve partnered with them. I was driving behind them when the police stopped their car. The last I saw was that they were in handcuffs. It means that the they arrested them, but I don’t know the reason.”

“It could be for what happened on Old Hope Road,” Ken stated.

“Well, King escaped, but I heard that they held him at the airport,” Dickson told them.

“So you’ve come to join us, Dickson. I think they are going to hold those two guys for murder. We can’t wait for them.”

“So tell me about your plans, Burke,” the man requested.

“We’re bringing down two top notch fighters from the States on a three week contract. These two men are war veterans, they’ve fought all over the world.”

 

 

 

“They’re going to train the recruits. We’re paying each of them twenty five thousand dollars. It’s a lot of money, but when I read their resume, I feel they’re worth it,” Burke further explained.

Dickson shook his head.

“That’s a lot of money, I hope they’re worth it. Are you sure you can make enough money off this deal to pay yourselves and them too?”

“Those men don’t work for small money. You have to pay them if you want them to work for you. They were charging fifty thousand dollars, but I managed to get them to cut it down,” Ken replied.

He looked at Burke, who nodded in agreement and looked at his watch before surveying the room.

“I heard that Ruddy got shot and is in hospital,” Burke said.

“It’s McCreed’s gunmen, who shot him, it appears as if G.C is also in hospital too. He was shot and thrown out of a car. Lucky for him a passing motorist saw what happened and rushed him to hospital,” Dickson told them.

His listeners soaked up the information he was providing them.

“Ken did a good job and he has more contacts than Ruddy. I want you all to know that we’re sharing equally. This means that every man will get an equal cut out of the cake. Anybody, who has any objections, can raise them now,” Burke declared.

“I still feel that Brad and Jack should split half between them, Burke. You just remember that the weed belongs to them,” Dickson stated.

“What’ll they be doing to deserve so much out of this deal?” Wally asked.

“That’s what they agreed to. If it wasn’t for them, none of you would be here. Are you trying to double cross them, Burke and steal their weed?”

“Are you calling me a double crosser and a thief, Dickson? I might have told them so at first, but now things have changed. These men will be doing most of the work so I don’t see why you’re objecting if I say I’m going to cut them in. As for the weed, if it wasn’t for us they would have lost it,” Burke replied.

“I hope you accept what Burke just said. I think you are unreasonable to just want Brad and Jack to sit back and each pick up a quarter of the money while we get a half of that,” Benny stated.

“Those men have no idea what we’re up against, operating in the States. They don’t have that kind of problem out here,” Ken put in.

“I don’t care what you say, but you just can’t come in and take over like that. It was they who set up everything so they should get something for that,”Dickson opined.

The gun that appeared in Burke’s hand took them completely by surprise.

Dickson hands shot up in the air.

“You’re the boss, Burke. I will go ahead with what you’ve said. Remember, I’m just a messenger. I’ll pass your message to Brad and Jack.”

Running footsteps, shouting and knocking on the door could be heard.

“What’s going on Mister Burke? We heard loud talking,” Churchill shouted as Burke let him and three other men into the room.

“I had to draw my gun on this guy, but everything is okay now.”

“Okay, boss, we are around, if you need us, just shout,” Churchill said as he and the others marched out of the room.

“Anybody else who has anything to say might as well say it now.”

When no one volunteered, he continued.

“I’m going to the warehouse. You guys have to come with me.”

“I’m going as Brad and Jack’s representative,” Dickson told them.

“Why does Brad and Jack need a representative?” Ken asked.

Dickson chuckled.

“Listen, Burke, you little guys are nothing to the type of guys I used to run with when I operated out here.”

“But Danny King said that you betrayed him,” Burke told him.

“I pulled out because he was no match for Mc Creed. I see you have some of his best men.”

“He shot at me twice down there. Lucky for me he missed, I even challenged him to a gunfight.”

“Why did you return to Jamaica, Dickson?” Burke asked.

“What the hell do you want to know that for?”

“Okay, I came back because Jack and Brad invited me.”

“Were you going to revive your syndicate?”

“I was just going to help them streamline operations. They thought that King wasn’t moving fast enough.”

Burke doubted what Dickson told him, he nodded.

“Are you joining us?” he asked.

“I’m only protecting Jack and Brad’s interest.”

Burke pointed the gun at him again.

Dickson laughed.

“Listen, Burke, I’m not that simple. Brad and Jack were fools to give you a copy of the keys to their warehouse. I don’t know why they thought they could trust you. You should know my brother, Weston Garth. He knows that I’m here.”

Ken looked at Burke as did Wally and Benny.

Burke lowered his gun. Weston Garth operated out of Waltham Park Road and he was head of the Practical Crew. They controlled most of the area and surrounding communities.

***

Gus McCreed sat at the head of the table in the boardroom at the Factory where he often held meetings with his lieutenants. Around the table sat Grosset, Premba, Ardez and Rattigan. Mc Creed had just doused his cigarette into the ashtray. The atmosphere was tense. The time was seven o’clock in the evening.

“Two simple guys like Brad Elliot and Jack Marriot could never do something like that. It must have been somebody else.”

“I still believe that it’s only Brad and Jack, who are left though,” Ardez opined.

“Those two must be out in the country somewhere. Seems to me that the stuff was moved before Premba and the others got there,” Rattigan remarked.

“Our fighters walked into a trap, but what’s done is done. We have to recruit some more men to replace the man who was killed and the men who were wounded.”

“I heard that some men have escaped from the Remand Center. Men like Mallards, Decker and Troja,” Premba stated.

“I know those three, they’re real bad men, we have to get them to join us,” Ardez told them.

“You let them know that we pay good money. As I said we don’t want any idiots, its pure wicked men we want.”

“We’re going to post guards up at my house. Anybody who has taken over from King will be trying different tactics. We have to be ready for anything. We have to warn the men out in the country about what’s going on. They have got to be on the lookout for them.”

“It’s a pity those guys never followed instructions. It looks as if they’ve left their hiding places, but we’ll find them,” Ardez assured the gathering.

“And they got away with all that weed. If they manage to ship it, they’ll be rich for the rest of their lives. On the other hand, maybe they haven’t sold it yet, but what’s money to dead men anyway,” Mc Creed remarked.

“When we catch up with those two men and anybody else, who’s working with them, they’re going to wish that they were never born,” Ardez warned as he moved to join Mc Creed and the rest as they moved out of the room.

End of part one, readers can go on to read part two. Please visit my blog at : stredwick.blogspot.com