Scrap 95

SCRAP 95
Harry Tobin waits in the darkness for sign of the two small vessels slipping silently between the end of his jetty where the tugboats are moored and the harbour wall. Prince is shut away indoors and the yard is quiet as he treads softly to the jetty and shines a small light to show the way.
Four men emerge and hurriedly unload heavy crates onto the small dock before pushing off without a sound to disappear into the blackness of a moonless night.
Danny backs the truck alongside and his two henchmen load up the crates without a word. He hands over a paper bag stuffed with notes and drives away, only turning on his lights when he is far away along the main road. Tobin guesses that the consignment is drug-related but he doesn’t care as long as he doesn’t get caught. He is confident that nobody has seen this transaction and stuffs the money inside his donkey jacket, strides back to the house, steps inside and locks the door shut.
Once the £2,500 in five pound notes has been counted he deposits it in the wall safe, replaces the heavy sideboard in front of it and pours himself a tumbler full of whisky. His wife Carol knows better than to ask question and is tucked up in bed, the dog at her feet, pretending to be asleep. She is not so sure that it is drugs which Danny is smuggling in to the country.
Jason is watching from his bedroom window as the truck turns down the lane, its lights off and travelling slowly and carefully along the rutted track. He watches as the men unload the cargo, transferring it to the boot of their Mark 10 Jaguar, causing its springs to go down so far the wheel arches almost touch the tyres.
Danny waves them off, shutting and padlocking the yard gates as quietly as he can manage. Jason watches as his enemy skips up the outside stairs to the office, turns on the light and sits at his desk. He picks up the telephone, pours himself a large whiskey and sits talking for several minutes before draining his glass and going back to the house.
Rosa and Danny exchange a few words then the house falls silent once more. Jason knows exactly what is in the consignment and would dearly love to do something about it but he is just as trapped as Rosa so he keeps his concerns to himself even though he feels guilty knowing what terrible outrage the goods will be used for. If only he could get in touch with Frank; he would know what to do, but he hasn’t been near for months and Danny has been watching Jason’s every move, knowing how much the boy detests him.
Orla is either in complete ignorance of what is going on under her nose or she condones it because Danny, it seems, can do no wrong in her eyes. He has invested heavily in the business and the money is rolling in mostly due to the car crusher. He has been talking of building a nice little bungalow for her to retire to on land near enough so she can see her daughter every day but far enough so she can’t interfere with his business dealings. If he has any plans for his young brother-in-law then he has yet to make them known.