Tudor wondered at this. There had been plenty of guns atJagoda.
‘What then?’
‘Good old fashioned protection. Started working the local area. Wasn’t a hard sell, around then the property market had just collapsed, negative equity, lots of people got their fingers burned, businesses were struggling and you know how it is, when times are tough, scruples, little details like what’s legal and what’s not… well they tend to get overlooked. And Mr B made it his business to know everyone else’s business.’
‘So, you’re saying he became, what, the Shepherd’s Bush mafia?’
‘Nothing so edgy, nor so profitable. More the Shepherd’s Bush shepherd. He kept the peace. Well, his men did. And they kept a warehouse in the Docklands area. Businesses could sail as close to the wind as they liked as long as they didn’t tread on each other’s toes.’
‘Can you tread on someone while you’re sailing?’
She frowned at him. ‘Do you want to hear this or not?’
He held up his hands in a gesture of submission.
Deborah went on.
‘So, they jogged along for years. He got married, had a few kids, they opened the restaurant…’
‘And then…?’
‘Well, that’s the weird part. And then… nothing. Look at the last documented charge, it’s for something small, can you find it?’
He flicked to the back of the file. ‘A fine for letting their liquor license lapse? Eight years ago. That’s it?’
‘Hardly a hanging offence, is it? Eat your pasta. It’s vile when it’s cold.’
He put down the document and ate, washing mouthfuls of the creamy food down with the bone dry red. After a while he asked, ‘So why, then, did you give me the name Begovich when I asked you if there was a new Mr Big in town?’
‘It was just by chance, really. One of my DS’s runs a snout in that area. Weasel of a man, but he’s been useful in the past, and he’s never given us duff information. My Sergeant was looking into something else, following a lead on people trafficking, and, well, the name Begovich came up.’
‘And that was the first time you’d heard about him?’
‘Yes and no.’
‘Sorry?’
‘It was the first time I’d heard the name, but it wasn’thim. Wasn’tAndreBegovich.’ She waited, enjoying having him so attentive, pausing for effect before giving him the remaining piece of news.
Tudor put down his fork and stole her thunder. ‘The name you were told was Dragana Begovich,’ he said.
DI Chowdhury looked astonished. ‘How the hell? I’m supposed to be telling you things you don’t know. How did you know about the daughter?’
‘Ah,’ he said carefully, avoiding her eye, taking a sudden interest in his pasta again.
Deborah leaned back in her chair.
‘I know that look,’ she said. ‘What have you done? Come on, Tudor, don’t yank my chain, just tell me.’
‘Well, I might have gone to the restaurant, to take a look.’
‘Might have?’
‘OK, I went there. It’s a low key place, more of a cafe really. But the clientele are, shall we say, enthusiasts. And the family definitely run their operations from there. I was with the old man when Dragana showed up.’
‘You spoke to him?’
‘Hardly at all. To be honest, I don’t think he’s much of a conversationalist any more.’
