Cat O'Nine Tales and Other Stories - Jeffrey Archer [57]
Someone else was continuing to keep a close eye on the Haslett Haulage Company, and Doug in particular. Regular as clockwork, Doug could be seen driving his lorry through the Dover terminal, with a full load of sprouts and peas, destined for Marseilles. But Mark Cainen, now an anti-smuggling officer working as part of the Law Enforcement Unit, never once saw Doug make the return journey. This worried him.
The officer checked his records, to find that Haslett Haulage was now running nine lorries a week to different parts of Europe. Their chairman, Sally Haslett, had a spotless reputation—not unlike her vehicles—with everyone she dealt with, from customs to customers. But Mr. Cainen was still curious to find out why Doug was no longer driving back through his port. He took it personally.
A few discreet inquiries revealed that Doug could still be seen in Marseilles unloading his sprouts and peas, and later loading up with crates of bananas. However, there was one slight variation. He was now driving back via Newhaven, which Cainen estimated must have added at least a couple of hours to Doug’s journey.
All customs officers have the option of serving one month a year at another port of entry, to further their promotion prospects. The previous year Mr. Cainen had selected Heathrow airport; that year he opted for a month in Newhaven.
Officer Cainen waited patiently for Doug’s lorry to appear on the dockside, but it wasn’t until the end of his second week that he spotted his old adversary waiting in line to disembark from an Olsen’s ferry. The moment Doug’s lorry drove onto the dock, Mr. Cainen disappeared upstairs into the staffroom and poured himself a cup of coffee. He walked across to the window and watched Doug’s vehicle come to a halt at the front of the line. He was waved quickly through by the two officers on duty. Mr. Cainen made no attempt to intervene as Doug drove out onto the road to continue his journey back to Sleaford. He had to wait another ten days before Doug’s lorry reappeared, and this time he noted that only one thing hadn’t changed. Mr. Cainen didn’t think it was a coincidence.
When Doug returned via Newhaven five days later, the same two officers gave his vehicle no more than a cursory glance, before waving him through. The officer now knew that it wasn’t a coincidence. Mr. Cainen reported his observations to his boss in New-haven and, as his month was up, made his way back to Dover.
Doug completed three more journeys from Marseilles via New-haven before the two customs officers were arrested. When Doug saw five officers heading toward his truck, he knew that his new impossible-to-be-caught system had been sussed.
Doug didn’t waste the court’s time pleading not guilty, because one of the customs officers with whom he had been splitting the take had made a deal to have his sentence reduced if he named names. He named Douglas Arthur Haslett.
The judge sent Doug down for eight years, with no remission for good behavior, unless he agreed to pay a fine of £750,000. Doug didn’t have £750,000 and begged Sally to help out, as he couldn’t face the thought of another eight years behind bars. Sally had to sell everything, including the cottage, the carpark, nine lorries and even her engagement ring, so that her husband could comply with the court order.
After serving a year at Wayland Category C prison in Norfolk, Doug was transferred back to North Sea Camp. Once again, he was appointed as librarian, which was where I first met him.
I was impressed that Sally and his two—now grown-up—daughters came to visit Doug every weekend. He told me that they didn’t discuss business, even though he’d sworn on his mother’s grave never, ever again.
“Don’t even think about it,” Sally had warned him. “I’ve already sent your lorry to the scrapyard.”
“Can’t blame the woman, after all I’ve put her through,” said Doug when I next visited the library. “But if they