until three, so itâs over half an hour away. Maybe we can make do with Gallo in the meantime. Where is he?â
âTheyâve got a couple of hired-in Portakabins set up this morning, round the back. Heâs using one of those, I think.â
âGood. Well, once weâve got the gear on, Kevin knows where to start, and we can get into a proper discussion with gorgeous George, eh?â
* * *
There was something about the official envelope that told him everything he needed to know, before he had even opened it. He had been caught; the cameras at the end of the M62 had clocked him. Shit.
All that time scrupulously watching his speed and keeping his head down. He was amazed that the clappedâout old van could even exceed the limit.
He fingered his small diamond ear stud as he wondered what to do. If he told the boss, heâd go ape-shit â better to just cough-up the sixty quid, take the points and forget it. Still, it was fucking annoying, particularly when he thought about how many times he had made the trip.
As he folded the summons back into the envelope, his mood lifted. At least the offence had occurred on home territory; it wasnât as if it had been near Walsall, which could have been tricky. No, he concluded, nothing to worry about and he would soon be able to afford the fine.
For a moment or two, he allowed his mind to drift back to the job. Everything had gone as well as he could have hoped; of course, it had been pretty simple â almost too straightforward for an expert like him.
Maybe the next job, wherever it might be, would call for a touch more âcreativityâ. He hoped so.
8
Walsall, May 2007
Gallo had established himself in a surprisingly spacious Portakabin building, which was pre-fitted with carpet tiles, desks, chairs and a couple of filing cabinets. It was warm and snug and the Greek already looked very much at home. He was talking on his mobile as McRae and Cairns cautiously opened the door. Seeing them, he covered the mouthpiece as he instructed them to pull up a couple of chairs.
After a few moments, the call was concluded and Gallo beamed across the desk. âWelcome to our new little home,â he said. âAlex is tied up for a while, so heâs asked me to help you as much as I can. If you need information about the stock, though, you really will have to talk to him, but I think I can cover everything else.â
âOkay, but I understand you have appointed Danny Wagner,â responded McRae. âIt would be usual for him to be involved in all our discussions from the start. Do you want to leave it until he is available?â
Gallo appeared un-phased, âNo, not at all, I am assuming that you only want general information at this stage? If you seriously expect claim details now â¦.â His voice tailed off and he shrugged expressively.
âOf course not, right now, all we want is to establish some basics⦠whether or not you are intending to reinstate the building or move, what steps you have in mind to keep your business going, whatâs the impact on your customers etc. In other words, we are looking to start the dialogue.â
âThatâs fine,â replied George. âI can certainly help you with all that.â
* * *
Just over one hour later, Grim felt they had made some real progress. George had seemed frank and cooperative in his responses and Grim, for his part, hadnât been conscious of any evasiveness at all. Despite his swarthy, tough-guy appearance, Gallo was clearly highly intelligent and a bit of a smooth operator. He was able to quickly provide what appeared to be accurate information concerning the plant and machinery, and he had an exceptional grasp of the structural repair issues. As a surveyor himself, Cairns was quickly satisfied that the Greek knew his stuff where buildings were concerned. Although the financial viability of reinstating the buildings in their existing form
âTheyâve got a couple of hired-in Portakabins set up this morning, round the back. Heâs using one of those, I think.â
âGood. Well, once weâve got the gear on, Kevin knows where to start, and we can get into a proper discussion with gorgeous George, eh?â
* * *
There was something about the official envelope that told him everything he needed to know, before he had even opened it. He had been caught; the cameras at the end of the M62 had clocked him. Shit.
All that time scrupulously watching his speed and keeping his head down. He was amazed that the clappedâout old van could even exceed the limit.
He fingered his small diamond ear stud as he wondered what to do. If he told the boss, heâd go ape-shit â better to just cough-up the sixty quid, take the points and forget it. Still, it was fucking annoying, particularly when he thought about how many times he had made the trip.
As he folded the summons back into the envelope, his mood lifted. At least the offence had occurred on home territory; it wasnât as if it had been near Walsall, which could have been tricky. No, he concluded, nothing to worry about and he would soon be able to afford the fine.
For a moment or two, he allowed his mind to drift back to the job. Everything had gone as well as he could have hoped; of course, it had been pretty simple â almost too straightforward for an expert like him.
Maybe the next job, wherever it might be, would call for a touch more âcreativityâ. He hoped so.
8
Walsall, May 2007
Gallo had established himself in a surprisingly spacious Portakabin building, which was pre-fitted with carpet tiles, desks, chairs and a couple of filing cabinets. It was warm and snug and the Greek already looked very much at home. He was talking on his mobile as McRae and Cairns cautiously opened the door. Seeing them, he covered the mouthpiece as he instructed them to pull up a couple of chairs.
After a few moments, the call was concluded and Gallo beamed across the desk. âWelcome to our new little home,â he said. âAlex is tied up for a while, so heâs asked me to help you as much as I can. If you need information about the stock, though, you really will have to talk to him, but I think I can cover everything else.â
âOkay, but I understand you have appointed Danny Wagner,â responded McRae. âIt would be usual for him to be involved in all our discussions from the start. Do you want to leave it until he is available?â
Gallo appeared un-phased, âNo, not at all, I am assuming that you only want general information at this stage? If you seriously expect claim details now â¦.â His voice tailed off and he shrugged expressively.
âOf course not, right now, all we want is to establish some basics⦠whether or not you are intending to reinstate the building or move, what steps you have in mind to keep your business going, whatâs the impact on your customers etc. In other words, we are looking to start the dialogue.â
âThatâs fine,â replied George. âI can certainly help you with all that.â
* * *
Just over one hour later, Grim felt they had made some real progress. George had seemed frank and cooperative in his responses and Grim, for his part, hadnât been conscious of any evasiveness at all. Despite his swarthy, tough-guy appearance, Gallo was clearly highly intelligent and a bit of a smooth operator. He was able to quickly provide what appeared to be accurate information concerning the plant and machinery, and he had an exceptional grasp of the structural repair issues. As a surveyor himself, Cairns was quickly satisfied that the Greek knew his stuff where buildings were concerned. Although the financial viability of reinstating the buildings in their existing form
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