‘Anything more on Blaydon?’ he asked Gerry.
‘DI MacDonald did a thorough job of covering what we’ve got on him, guv,’ said Gerry. ‘And so far, he’s managed to avoid arrest or even questioning for anything. It’s all circumstantial, all guilt by association. And some of the people he associates with are known criminals, like Leka Gashi, who we know has strong connections with the Albanian Mafia. Quite clearly there are deals going on. The drugs squad are aware that the Albanians are taking over the drugs trade, especially in cocaine and heroin. I talked to a DS Norcliffe at County HQ, and he said it’s a worrying development. They’ve forged alliances with the Colombian cartels and pay a pretty low price at wholesale for the stuff, which they bring in through gang-controlled European ports like Rotterdam and Antwerp. And they pass that saving on right down the line. Top quality merchandise, too. They’re intent on taking over the county lines, and God help anyone who gets in their way.’
‘Is Blaydon a user?’ Banks asked.
‘Not known to be, but word has it he’s not averse to a snort now and then, and he usually keeps a few bowls of happy powder around the place to impress his important friends. Likes to fancy himself a bit of a playboy. More than likely he’s working with the Albanians on financial deals behind the scenes, money laundering through his property developments and so forth, sex trafficking through the pop-up brothels. All at several removes. Of course, he’ll probably be doing them favours here and there. That’s how they work, how they draw people in until they’re so deep they can’t get out.’
‘How’s Blaydon’s business doing?’
‘That’s interesting,’ said Gerry. ‘I’d been wondering myself why someone like him — successful legitimate businessman, multi-millionaire and so on — would get involved in risky criminal enterprises.’
‘DI MacDonald said it’s probably because he’s an adventurer type,’ said Banks. ‘A gambler by nature. Maybe thinks he’s above the law? Perhaps a psychopathic personality? I must say, I thought I could pick up on a few of those traits when Annie and I talked to him. It was a perfect performance. He didn’t miss a beat.’
Gerry nodded. ‘Yes, I read that bit. The gambling part is certainly true. Apparently, he’s a high roller, known to a number of casinos and more than a few bookies. On a bit of a losing streak, too, these days, so word on the street has it. As an aside, he also has a bit of a reputation for holding sex parties at his mansion. There may be a few underage girls and boys present on occasion, and perhaps some trafficked girls. That could be how he formed his first links with traffickers and the pop-up brothel scene. Like I said, he’s a bit of a playboy. Craves attention. Likes to be photographed with celebs. Throws lavish parties for visiting pop stars and dignitaries.’
‘Worth bearing in mind,’ said Banks.
‘But his reasons for criminal activity might even be a bit more mundane than DI MacDonald’s speculations would lead one to believe,’ Gerry went on. ‘Practical rather than deeply psychological.’
‘Oh? Do explain.’
‘His business. Unicorn Investments International. It’s in trouble. I’m sure you know as well as I do that the property business in general has been undergoing a bit of a depression for some time — house prices down, market poor, that sort of thing. Brexit hasn’t helped much. Perhaps the only thing it has done is re-energise the trafficking business. They’re seeking out new ways, new routes, new documentation, new tricks for dodging inspections. Anyway, if the slump in the housing and property markets are bad news for Blaydon and his ilk, the big downturn in retail is even worse. Retail property values are down. Nobody wants shopping centres any more. They want online mail order. Just look at all the big department stores closing or in trouble lately — House of Fraser, Poundland, HMV, Debenhams, Marks & Spencer. And half the shops in the big shopping centres are empty. That affects retail income streams, and in some cases Unicorn Investments are taking in less in rent than they’re paying out in maintenance and general running costs.’
‘Blaydon’s losing money?’
‘Big time.’
‘And the proposed Elmet Centre?’
‘Not hotly tipped to be a huge success.’
‘The Albanians won’t like it if they lose their stake.’
‘Not much they can do, as we suspect it’s all laundered money to start with. But you’re right, guv. They’ll be after someone to blame before long, and Blaydon’s right in the firing line. Still, it hasn’t come to that yet, and maybe Blaydon’s thinking he can pull his chestnuts out of the fire by being useful to them in other ways. Markets go up and down, and most businesses weather the storms, especially if they don’t need to pull out the cash right away. But Unicorn has cash flow problems, and I’m sure Blaydon knows that two things you can always rely on to make money are sex and drugs.’
‘So it’s financial?’
‘Yes, guv,’ said Gerry. ‘I think so. At least partly. Maybe wholly. I’m not saying Blaydon isn’t a shit of the first order, in psychological terms, but in reality, he’s also going bust.’
‘Excellent work, Gerry.’
‘I can’t take credit, guv. Most of it’s there in DI MacDonald’s files. I just tried to put it together as succinctly as I could, in a way that makes sense of recent events.’
‘And you succeeded admirably. Anything more on Howard Stokes?’
‘I’ve just come from the mortuary,’ said Annie. ‘Dr Galway says it’s a straightforward heroin overdose. Not a trace of criminal wrongdoing. Vic Manson’s fingerprint analysis bears that out. And the prints and the angle of the needle all bear it out. It happens all too frequently. There’ll be tox screens and so on, but she’s pretty sure it was an o.d.’
‘How do we know someone didn’t sell him a hot shot?’
‘We don’t. Dr Galway wouldn’t speculate on that. There’s just no evidence that anyone did. I mean, if you want to kill a drug addict, an overdose is a pretty foolproof method.’ Annie paused. ‘There were a couple of interesting points that came up, though.’
‘Yes?’
‘Dr Galway also discovered during the post-mortem that Stokes was a diabetic. He didn’t take very good care of himself, as we know, and there’s a good chance he might have lost a foot or a leg before long if he’d carried on the way he was doing.’
‘You might also be interested to know,’ said Gerry, ‘that I checked with the local GPs and dispensing chemists, and Stokes hasn’t received any prescriptions for methadone — or anything other than insulin — for at least six months.’
‘So he’s been getting the real thing from someone?’
‘Looks that way, guv.’
‘And there’s one more thing,’ Annie said. ‘According to Dr Galway, Stokes had cancer. Pancreatic. One of the worst. It had already spread to the liver and lungs.’
‘How long—’
‘Not very long at all. She wouldn’t say exactly, but I got the impression it was weeks rather than months.’
‘So there’s even a chance he killed himself?’ said Banks.
Annie nodded. ‘I’d say so. If you have the means at hand, and you know how bad what’s coming is likely to be... Anyway, I think we can pretty much rule out foul play in Stokes’s case.’
‘Did the drugs squad have anything to say about Blaydon?’ Banks asked.
‘Pretty much the same as DI MacDonald told you, guv,’ said Gerry. ‘They clearly share information with Criminal Intelligence. They suspect that Blaydon is acting as a bagman for the Albanians, especially this bloke Leka Gashi, who’s the front man for the northern drugs operations, helping them take over the local county lines and so on. Apparently, Blaydon and Gashi first met up in Sarandë about ten years ago.’