Intoxifresh

Chapter Ten

Heathrow Airport

London

Passengers casually stepped off the plane and were welcomed by London's bright morning sunshine. Within the crowd, as he neared the security desk, a man towered above everyone else, a man who possessed much hairier features than the average male.

The security desk staff were dressed in dark blue suits and wore various items around their belts to aid the detainment of troublesome passengers. They spotted the man only a short distance away, most taking a short intake of breath as they looked up in unison. Jack laid his documents on to the highly polished surface of the desk and pushed them forward to the sweaty man whom he was looking down upon. The security officer's eyes darted down to peruse the papers and, after checking the information, handed them back with a nervous smile. 'Enjoy your stay in London, Mr Fox,' he said. Jack picked up his papers and headed towards the large rotating doors to exit the building.

Inside the plush apartment on Manor Green Road Simon was not only tired from waking up early, he was also tired of his job, his debts and the fact that he didn't seem to get on with people as well as others did, he just didn't 'click' when it came to making friends. He decided to do something he'd never done before, drink alcohol before work. He knew it would be a good idea to test one of the pills himself to double check they worked effectively before applying for the patent.

His morning toast had already popped up inside the toaster as he laid down the lid of a vodka bottle on the shiny granite work surface, pouring himself a very generous amount into a glass.

It was the last working day of the week and Simon knew it would be his last day at work. His plan was to simply keep a low profile and leave with the pills. Staring at his reflection in the lounge mirror, vodka in hand, he smiled wickedly to himself as he thought of the freedom he'd soon have in his grasp. His dreams would be fulfilled once he'd sold the recipe. Simon looked up and glanced at the gold star shaped clock, he had plenty of time for more drinks before getting the tube to work. He poured another and caught his reflection once again. 'This is going to be so easy, Simon,' he said, nodding to himself in affirmation. 'Just act as sober as you can and take a pill as soon as you get to your desk.' He smiled again, believing that nothing could go wrong.

He poured another drink as the toast remained inside the toaster, uneaten.

Simon had planned to leave for work earlier than usual to walk the brief distance to the tube station. He couldn't drive so would be leaving his beloved car at home for the day. After a few more drinks and, beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol, Simon closed his door and walked, rather drunkenly, to the tube station.

Karim pressed the play button and reggae music blared throughout the inside of the postal van. He cheerily sang along to the music as he looked forward to the day ahead of him. It seemed that nothing could make him unhappy but deep down he was worried that he'd find nothing for his friend, George. He had no idea where to start. His hands rhythmically tapped the steering wheel and his head bounced from side to side before winding down the window to let some cool air inside and to share Bob Marley's greatest hits. It was another bright morning.

After arriving at work Karim hoped he'd hear something while attending to his delivery duties that may help uncover the culprit. The envelopes in his trolley acted like guides as they sent him all around the building. He knew that he'd be heading in the direction of the lab recently occupied by George and his team of assistants in around an hour's time and, a couple of hours after that with any new envelopes or small packages.

Jack Fox hailed a taxi and read out the address Marco had given him and, once inside the black car, the cabbie informed his passenger that the journey south would be about half an hour. Jack took in the English scenery for almost 26 minutes before the taxi began to slow down on Manor Green Road. After paying the fare he only had a small amount of English currency left. As the taxi drove away he looked up at the solid rectangular building. All he needed to do was to find Mr Sampson's apartment and to see if the pills were there, a quick and clean operation to obtain what was needed before ending Simon's life and returning home.