Chapter 54

Bert was moving up the ranks of the criminal gang. He had gone from human mule to administration. He had closely watched how the goods were stolen and then moved from the docks. There was a better way to achieve the transfer and he had put his ideas to the boss. His suggestions had been well received.

So far, the gang had managed to avoid detection. They bribed a few people to look the other way and they had the van. Someone would notice that something was amiss eventually. They needed to make it as difficult as possible to be detected. This is where Bert's plan was proving itself to be useful.

He had implemented a rota. Each day the people stealing and loading changed. The place where the goods would be picked up varied too. He used a simple colour coding to let people know what they were doing and where they should be. Red, green, blue meant that the red team were robbing, the green team were moving the goods and they were being collected from the blue zone.

If he issued the code orange it meant that the operations for the day were cancelled. This happened when there was a large police presence at the docks. Today the words white, red and grey had been whispered and the appropriate teams had gone to work. The system was working very well.

He had never really minded physical work, but now that he was in a warm dry office, Bert knew what he preferred. He was too clever to be doing the grunt work. He was using his brain again and that felt good. There was much more that he could do of course. This was hardly stretching him. He was smarter than anyone he knew. He was smarter than his boss.

The better position brought him greater rewards. Bert was living in a small bedsit type apartment. He had been sharing with others, but had yearned for his own space. As much as he wanted to accumulate money, he also wanted a bit of comfort. Sharing a bathroom with three or four other guys was not fun.

His date with Phoebe had gone well. She worked as a secretary for one of the offices which managed imports and exports so was always near to the docks. Bert had spun her a yarn about his journey to America. He had been part of a ship's crew and had been scarred during a terrible storm. He had rushed across a heaving deck to assist a fellow sailor and had been injured in the process. She had lapped up his tale.

After he had broken his leg, he had chosen to give up the sea and had remained in New Norfolk. He was working as a supervisor in the transport division based on the docks. This was part of the story which he told to Phoebe and his other women. He had given up the jeans worn by the stevedores and had invested in a suit. He was now projecting the image of someone in the leadership class.

Phoebe was a bit dull and not very bright. She was enthusiastic when it came to sex though, so he kept her around. He asked her about the goods coming into the port and she happily told him when and where things would be delivered, which was very useful. Bert found her annoying at times and when she got on his nerves, he would give her a slap. He made the requisite apology later and she would forgive him.

There were times when just the sight of her was enough to make him mad. She didn't have to say anything. She reminded him of Serena because of the colour of her hair. There was nothing else about her which could compare to his former girlfriend and that was the problem.

Phoebe was very thin. She didn't have Serena's soft curves. If Bert said he liked something she would immediately echo his words. Could she not think for herself? The shade of her hair was too light. She bit her nails. In the morning when he kicked her out of his bed, she made a lot of noise.

"I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you, but you give me no choice. How many times do I have to tell you to be quiet in the mornings?"

"I'm okay. I'm sorry for making you angry. Next time I will be like a little mouse I promise."

Small, skittery and stupid. That was about right. Bert turned away at her childish words lest he strike her again.

Now, so many miles away and when he had treated her so badly, he realised that he loved Serena. He convinced himself that he loved her. It could have been because she was the one who got away. Her feisty attitude and good looks had made her special. When he went back to England, he would win her back.

He was working and becoming a face in the town. If he had wanted, he could make a good life in America. It would have been easy to get side tracked from his goal of getting back home. To spur himself on he would think of Serena. Getting back to her was important but that would then lead to other things.

The OWG were in charge in America too. Although he was subverting the laws of the government by working in the black market he was still technically under their rule. The same divisions between labour and leader were in place. Everything was managed in exactly the same way as in England. He still didn't like it.

Returning home would reunite him with Serena and bring him close to District 31. He would be near to the base of the OWG. That might give him the opportunity to do something about the ministers who imposed their will on the people of the world. He would start thinking about how he would deal with them when he was on his voyage back to England.

His girlfriend Phoebe passed lots of information to Bert. He knew what products were arriving on what ships thanks to her. He asked for the details, so that he could better organise the transport he said. The stupid girl never suspected that she was aiding and abetting a criminal enterprise.

Whatever they stole could be sold on the black market. Cheap goods obviously brought cheap prices. Bert had made the operation more targeted. If he knew that a shipment of quality gear was arriving then that would be the focus of the thieves. Profit margins were going up and Bert was being paid more as a result.

He had been invited to dinner at his boss's house and was now a valued and trusted employee. Bert had changed his look to reflect his higher status. He was wearing a fine three piece suit with a white shirt and a tie. When he walked along the dock people thought that he was an important OWG man.

Bert had things that he needed to buy. The most important of which was a set of identity papers. So far, he hadn't been challenged or he had managed to talk his way out of trouble, but eventually it would become a problem. He had to have very good forgeries if he was going to travel back home using them.

He was concentrating on amassing as much money as he could. He had his wages from the gang he worked with, but that was not enough. He arranged the rotas, chose the goods and also handled the cash. He had started skimming some of the funds as soon as he was entrusted with the job.

Bert was clever and could cover his tracks. Nothing was written down in a ledger. As long as a decent amount of money reached the boss and the others were paid, no one would complain. The trick was not to be too greedy. Mostly he stuck to that one simple rule. These people were so gullible though, that it was difficult to not rip them off.

He did not flaunt his wealth. It would be noticed if he had better clothes or possessions than his boss. He had invested in a couple of nice things to ensure that he projected the right image. The rest of the money was kept hidden away ready to finance his journey home. He did have to buy the odd trinket for Phoebe.

He looked at her red hair and that made him remember. The constant thoughts of Serena inspired his efforts every day. Occasionally the fact that Phoebe was the wrong red head became too much. He never hit her in the face. A punch on the arm or a kick were delivered and it made him feel better.

There would have to be an apology. Phoebe took the physical abuse, but it was the jibes and cruel words that seemed to hurt her more. That was when Bert had to mollify her with gifts. Nothing that he gave her cost very much. He did give a bit of thought to the presents because they were an investment. Keep her happy and she would keep giving him the information that he needed.

Tonight, he was going back to his place with a small box. Inside of the box was a brooch in the shape of a cat. Phoebe was crazy about cats. The animal's eyes were tiny emeralds. He would give her the gift and she would be overwhelmed with happiness. The words he had said would be forgotten and they would be back to their brand of normal.

Phoebe had tears of joy in her eyes when she saw what Bert had bought for her. She could not however forget his words. The problem was that he had said those particular words, or ones like them, far too many times. She was a pale imitation of Serena. She was not as clever as Serena. She was not as pretty as Serena.

He had only been in America for a few months. Serena was back in England. Phoebe thought that she just had to weather the storm and then he would realise that he loved her. His memories of the other red haired girl would fade. He must care for her because he bought such thoughtful presents. A cat brooch with real emeralds.

The brooch had been handed over and Phoebe was telling him what was being delivered in the next few days. There were a few things that Bert was interested in and he was nice to her for the rest of the evening as a result. Phoebe was sure that they were turning a corner at last. He would love her as much as she loved him.