Abacus

actions as he derived no money or benefit from the drug. The drug supply just became a means to an end for his targets.
    W hile waiting for the bait to arrive, he turned on the car fan heater and held the wet DL briefing sheet up to a vent to dry. He looked at the photo of the target as it jiggled and danced in the warm breeze. The criminal depicted was now alive, his heart was beating, blood circulated through his veins and he was breathing. Soon, however, that would all change. His organs would shut down, one by one, he would take his last gasp and he would cease to exist. He followed the photo with his eyes as the passenger’s side door handle engaged. The drenched bait rushed in. She was soaked, her clothes were dripping and her hair was matted. He looked at her sympathetically. “Some rain, eh?” he said, trying to make light of her plight. He reached over to the backseat and pulled a towel from his gym bag. “Here you go, it might be a little sweaty but it’s sort of dry.”
    “T hanks for that,” she said, drying her hair. “It wasn’t raining when I left, so I didn’t bring an umbrella or anything.” She dabbed her face and neck dry.
    “Anyway , I won’t keep you long. But before we talk I just need to pat you down,” he said awkwardly. In the past it had always been a male, which was fine, but now the whole patting down thing made him feel like a bit of a pervert. After quickly frisking her clothing, he checked the contents of her handbag.
    Now satisfied she was clean , he spoke. “Tracey, here is the target’s details and here is his photo.” He passed her the sheet with the photo attached. She reached across with her slender hands and picked up the document. It was dark in the car, so Randall turned on the interior light to make reading easier.
    “He looks pretty mean .”
    “Look carefully at it,” he instructed. “He’s got one of those stupid round earrings in each ear that leaves a hole about the size of a ten cent piece. He’s also got that long scar down his left cheek. See that? You need to remember this, as I cannot give you the photo. You also need to make your own notes. Here is a pen and paper.” Randall offered her a pen and notepad. “Tear off the top page for yourself,” he instructed, making sure he did not to leave his own fingerprints on the page. “These notes are to be destroyed as soon as you locate him. Understand?”
    Trac ey nodded as she read the background document. “Kevin Flannery,” she murmured softly. She peeled off the top page of the pad and took the pen from Randall, then carefully wrote the details onto the page. Her hand shook as she wrote, she was obviously scared. “Finished,” she announced, handing the pen and paperwork back. Randall opened up the console between the seats.
    “The gear is in the envelope, take it and leave the envelope,” he instructed. She nodded, picked up the sachet and looked at the light brown powder inside. “This is strong enough to kill half a dozen regular users. Understand?”
    “Yes, got it.”
    “This is what you are selling. He will have a taste. He will die. You will need to make sure you get out of there. Ask to use the toilet, anything, but don’t hang around.” Tracey nodded. “Have you got any questions?” Tracey shook her head. “It looks like the rain has eased, so off you go then, and I will contact you in a few days, okay?” On her way out of the car Randall grabbed her arm firmly. “Tracey, don’t take this stuff yourself… I mean it… it will kill you stone-dead, believe me.”
    She looked at him nervously. “I understand , Detective, I understand.”
    Randall sat in the car and watched her disappear into the darkness. He remained there for a further ten minutes. He had a terribly bad feeling about this bait and this assignment.
    * * *
    Randall sat anxiously in his office. It had now been two days since he had sent the new female bait out on assignment. He was tempted to ring her and find out how she was going, but he knew it was a little early to try and contact her. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a figure walking towards his office.
    He looked up and saw Leanne was at the doorway. “Boss, can I have a chat for a minute?”
    “Su re, Leanne, come in, take a seat,” he said, rolling from behind his computer to give her his full attention. She sat opposite him and appeared a little uncomfortable, which was a little out of the ordinary for such a confident young