Cherub Series: Class A Part 5

Keith began training as a boxer at the JT Martin Youth Centre. JT Martin was a retired boxer and armed robber who controlled the underworld in Bedfordshire from the early 1960s until 1985. JT used his boxing club as a recruiting ground for young criminals.

1980.

Keith was spotted in police surveillance photographs of JT Martin. In the pictures, Keith is a slightly built sixteen-year-old who looks out of place amongst JT's crew of boxers and nightclub bouncers.

1981.

Keith became JT Martin's chauffeur when a previous driver was banned for speeding. Moving around with JT gave the seventeen-year-old an insight into all aspects of the drug business.

1983.

After eleven amateur fights, with a record of one win, two draws and eight defeats, Keith retired from boxing. Shortly afterwards, he married Julie Robertson, a girl he had known since infant school.

1985.

Police captured JT Martin and a number of a.s.sociates selling drugs. JT was sentenced to twelve years in prison. Keith Moore had been JT's driver for four years, but the rest of JT's crew regarded him as a wimpish hanger-on.

1986.

With JT in prison, a power struggle erupted amongst his former employees. Keith kept away from the violent struggles and developed an interest in JT's cocaine business. Cocaine was a tiny proportion of the criminal empire, which made most of its money selling heroin and cannabis. JT also owned nightclubs, pubs and casinos, as well as dozens of small businesses such as laundrettes and hairdressing salons.

1987.

The price of cocaine kept falling and supply was growing. Keith Moore was one of the first people in Britain torealise that the cocaine business was about to explode.

While his colleagues battled over heroin and nightclub profits, Keith travelled to South America and met with members of a powerful Peruvian drug cartel known as Lambayeke. He agreed to buy regular bulk shipments of cocaine at a discounted price. To sell this increased supply of cocaine, Keith launched a telephone delivery service, based on similar services that were thriving in the United States. It took advantage of two new technologies: mobile telephones and message pagers. Instead of having to go searching for a drug dealer, rich clients dialled a number and Keith had someone deliver drugs to their doorstep, usually within an hour.

1988.

The cocaine business was earning Keith over 10,000 per week. This cash enabled him at just 23 years of age to take effective control of JT Martin's criminal empire. Keith avoided violence whenever possible. He manipulated jealous rivals, setting them against one another. When manipulation failed, he bought rivals off by handing them parts of the business that did not interest him.

Keith's next ambition was to build his profitable cocaine business into the biggest in the country. The only part of JT's empire Keith held on to was the youth centre/boxing club in the neighbourhood where he grew up.

1989.

Keith's first son, Ringo, was born (now aged 15).

1990.

Keith's business grew tenfold in three years. Cocaine delivery expanded into Hertfordshire and London. He also began selling wholesale quant.i.ties of cocaine to other dealers all over Britain and mainland Europe.

1992.

Julie Moore gave birth to twins, April and Keith Jr (now aged 12).

1993.

Keith's youngest child, Erin, was born (now aged 11).

1998.

Drug dealing is often a short career. Anyone who is successful attracts attention from police and customs. They usually end up behind bars.

After investigations failed to gather enough evidence, police tried to get undercover officers into Keith's inner circle. Dozens of people working for KMG have been prosecuted. Even when they have agreed to cooperate, police have never been able to produce clear evidence linking Keith Moore with his drug business. At the core of KMG, an expensive legal team and fiercely loyal deputies have so far succeeded in keeping Keith Moore out of prison.

2000.

As the cocaine business continued to thrive, Keith Moore's personal fortune was estimated at 25 million. After being arrested for non-payment of tax, he pleaded guilty to a minor charge and paid a 50,000 fine.

2001.

Julie Moore left Keith after eighteen years of marriage. Keith kept custody of the children and the family home. Julie moved into a house across the street and remains on good terms with her ex-husband.

2003.

Police launched Operation Snort, the largest taskforce of drugs officers ever a.s.sembled in Britain. The official aim was to stop the cocaine business. Unofficially, everyone knew Operation Snort was gunning for Keith Moore and KMG.

The operation descended into chaos when it uncovered corruption within police forces all over the country. Forty officers were found to have taken bribes from KMG. Eight of these were working on Operation Snort and included the Chief Superintendent who was in command of the whole operation.

Although Operation Snort is still running, its effectiveness has been blunted by infighting over the bribery allegations.

One national newspaper reporting on Operation Snort said, 'If all the corruption allegations are true, it would appear that Keith Moore has more police officers protecting him than the Queen and the Prime Minister combined.'

2004.

(Present Day) Despite a personal fortune now estimated at between 35 and 50 million, Keith Moore has shunned the trappings of the super rich. He lives with his four children in a large detached house less than twenty minutes' drive from the housing estate where he was born. His four children attend the local comprehensive school. He works from an office at home and socialises with family members and friends he has known since boyhood. His only extravagances are a collection of Porsche sports cars and a beachfront house in Miami, Florida.

MISSION REQUEST.

In early 2004, frustrated by the lack of success in bringing down KMG and outraged by police corruption, the government asked the intelligence service to find a way of infiltrating KMG at the highest level. MI5, the adult branch of British Intelligence, could see no reason why it would have any more success at this than the police. CHERUB was suggested as a method of last resort.

Keith Moore is close to his four children. Appropriately placed CHERUB agents may be able to befriend them and gather vital information.

MISSION PLAN.

Husband and wife mission controllers, Ewart and Zara Asker, will move into a house on the Thornton housing estate with their baby son and four CHERUB agents. For the purposes of the mission, the agents will be adopted children of Zara and Ewart. The family surname will be Beckett. To minimise confusion, everyone will use their normal first names.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:.

Each agent has been selected to befriend one of Keith's children, as follows: James Adams Junior Moore (Keith Junior) Kyle Blueman Ringo Moore Kerry Chang Erin Moore Nicole Eddison April Moore If the cherubs succeed in making friends, they must attempt to socialise out of school and try to get inside Keith's home, gathering information wherever possible. Each cherub will be placed in the same tutor group as the child they are supposed to befriend.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE:.

Many children on the Thornton estate run errands and deliver drugs for KMG a.s.sociates. Each cherub should identify children who are working for KMG and try to get involved themselves. Children usually work for small-time dealers, delivering drugs to individual clients using mobile phones and pushbikes.

Evidence suggests that children who attend Keith Moore's boxing club and make reliable couriers are promoted rapidly and given responsibility for moving wholesale quant.i.ties of drugs. If these children can be identified and befriended, they may provide information that will enable police to prosecute senior figures inside KMG.

NOTE: ON THE 13TH DAY OF AUGUST 2004 THIS MISSION PLAN WAS Pa.s.sED BY THE CHERUB ETHICS COMMITTEE BY A 2:1 VOTE, ON CONDITION THAT ALL AGENTS UNDERSTAND THE FOLLOWING:.

This mission has been cla.s.sified HIGH RISK. All agents are reminded of their right to refuse to undertake this mission and to withdraw from it at any time. Agents will be at risk of violence and exposure to illegal drugs. Agents are reminded that they will be excluded from CHERUB immediately if they willingly use cocaine or any other cla.s.s A drug.

It was breaking all sorts of rules, but Zara Asker let them take the mission briefings outside and read them in the sun. She'd made a picnic, spreading a tablecloth over the gra.s.s and covering it with sandwiches and snacks. It was a chance for baby Joshua to get used to Kyle, Kerry, Nicole and James. The eight-month-old sat under a sunshade, wearing nothing but a nappy. Kerry and Nicole leaned over him with giant grins.

'Look at his tiny fingers, James,' Kerry beamed. 'He's so cute you could gobble him up.'

James lay back in the gra.s.s with sungla.s.ses on, thinking he looked cool and wondering how Kyle had managed to get Nicole on the mission.

'It's a baby, Kerry,' he said, 'I've seen one before, they all look exactly the same.'

Kerry tickled Joshua's belly.

'That's James,' she said. 'Isn't he Mr Grumpy today?'

'Ooogy woogy woo,' Nicole added.

Ewart was striding across the gra.s.s towards them, carrying an icebox and some bottles of soft drinks. He was a big muscular guy, with bleached hair and half a dozen earrings. He wore a Carhartt T-shirt and old jeans with the legs ripped off.

Zara was older than her husband. She looked like a typical hara.s.sed mum, with scraggy hair and puked-up milk on her T-shirt. Like most CHERUB staff, she was a former pupil. She'd gone to university and worked for the United Nations before returning to CHERUB as a mission controller. Kyle had worked with Zara a couple of times before. He said she was one of the best mission controllers to get. Everyone agreed Ewart was the toughest.

'Hey, Nicole,' Kyle said, swatting a fly away from his paper plate. 'You should have seen how happy James was when he found out you got on this mission.'

James sat up, surprised by Kyle's outburst. Nicole turned away from the baby.

'Was he?' she said, breaking into a smile. 'Is that right, James?'

James was fl.u.s.tered. Kerry would kill him if she found out he'd paid Kyle to get Nicole on the mission.

'That's right,' James spluttered. 'I've never got a chance to know you, but the few times I've spoken to you, you've always seemed ... nice.'

'Thank you, James,' Nicole smiled. 'I was worried I'd be the odd one out because you three are already close.'

Kyle grinned. 'And James fancies you.'

'p.i.s.s off, Kyle,' James said.

Kyle was one of James' best mates, but he was always trying to con you or wind you up. Sometimes it got annoying. Zara cuffed Kyle around the back of the head.

'I'm only telling the truth,' Kyle said.

'Kyle, behave,' Zara said sharply. 'And James, you watch your language in front of the baby.'

James could feel his face burning with a mix of anger and embarra.s.sment.

'I know James doesn't fancy me,' Nicole said. 'Everyone knows James and Kerry have a thing going.'

'Says who?' Kerry gasped.

'Yeah,' James said defensively. 'Me and Kerry did basic training together and we're good mates. It doesn't mean we fancy each other.'

Kyle laughed. 'If you say so, lovebirds.'

'At least I've had a girlfriend,' James said, looking at Kyle. 'You're nearly fifteen and I've never seen you anywhere near a girl.'

Kyle looked offended. 'I've had girlfriends.'

James grinned, sensing he'd put Kyle on the back foot.

'Girls in dreams don't count, d.i.c.khead.'

A second later, James found himself dangling in the air with Ewart eyeballing him.

'Fifty laps,' Ewart barked.

'What?' James gasped.