Author Topic: A Spicy Business Deal  (Read 1653 times)

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Offline Altona

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A Spicy Business Deal
« on: April 26, 2022, 09:44:16 PM »
Rebekka Dreher stood on the door step and looked along Shillingstrasse. It was one of the best known shopping streets in Altona, a vast three mile long collection of shops ranging from the upmarket boutiques that a Lodjain lady of leisure would find her hearts desire to the overly hyped tech stores selling the latest gadgets from the likes of Abstergo. For large parts of the length of the street market stalls were permitted and there little local companies would bring such hidden gems as freshly bubbling vats of curried goat from a Paracambian restaurant. It was a street that was becoming highly diverse and fashionable as the gaggle of school children strolling home from school with their noses pressed against an Aostan Ice-Cream shop testified. Rebekka had deemed it the perfect spot for her enterprise and as she strained her eyes northwards she could spot the second of her latest investments, although this one was registered in her brother Phillipe's name. The Spice Emporium and its rival on the same street, the Spice Shack, rival companies on paper but in truth that was all that mattered the paper. Rebekka had no interest in whether the shops even made money. The huge barrels of exotic spices from places as wide ranging as Kermah and Lijiang gave the shop a wonderful aroma and that for her was another great reason to have the shops. It was a business that got the odd person wandering in but they offered nothing the large super-markets couldn't provide and they were much more expensive. Today the staff in the shop were doing there best to look busy as the big boss was in, but in truth most days by the time the young shop girl had opened up, given everywhere a quick sweep around and dusted the shelves there wasn't much else to do and had Rebekka not been here the young girl would likely have sat behind the cash register reading her book for University. The odd person would come in, enjoy the smell, look around and shake their head at some of the prices before leaving, every now and again some upmarket hipster would come in with a recipe that required some bits and pieces but that was maybe one or two people a day, the shop girl wondered how they even made enough to pay her wages. Up the road at the Spice Shak it was identical but on paper both businesses were thriving.

Rebekka saw a man moving through the crowded street and headed towards the cash desk just before the man walked in. "Good Afternoon Sir , Welcome to the Spice Emporium" the shop girl said cheerly with a genuine smile. "Can I help you find anything in particular?" She asked keen to engage with a customer while the boss was watching.

"I've come to put in a catering order if I can?" The man asked his eyes more on Rebekka than the girl doing her best to help him.

"Oh" the girl was puzzled, she'd never had one of these she just assumed that anyone working in catering would go to a wholesaler or buy directly from the source but then again she was studying Literature not the restaurant industry so she really didn't have any idea how these things worked. She was more concerned about losing a potential big order with the boss lurking. "If you give me a minute I'll see what I can done." She figured she'd better write down what he wanted and then take it from there and was actually relieved when Rebekka stepped in.

"It's ok Maria" Rebekka approached, "I can handle this one." She introduced herself to the man who told her his name was Thomas, but she already knew that. "Thomas if you'd like to step into my office we can work out what you need and take it from there." The pair headed up the stairs that lead to the small office upstairs that was always locked unless management were on the premisis.

"She has no idea does she?" Thomas asked.

"Of course not. I make sure I employ students, each does just a few hours a week around their studies. They see the huge sales done at other times and just assume their quiet. Last year we made $5,000,000 here, the Spice Shak up the road something similar." Rebekka and Thomas took a seat at a desk and Rebekka pulled out an order book and began to write down a series of numbers. "What you got for me." The man reached into his jacket and placed a series of envelopes on the desk.

"This is the money from the dealers down in the old city." He placed it before Rebekka and she leaned under the desk and pulled out one of those electronic note counting machines. Empyting the contents of the envelope into it she nodded approvingly as it hit $12,000. "This is from the Konigplatz bar scene." A second envelope appeared and once more Rebekka whizzed it through the machine, $10,000.

"That's down a bit this week." She looked at Thomas for an answer.

"Yes, we had some trouble with one of the clubs, they had a new security company doing the doors and they were pretty good at their job so we had to go and make them an offer. Its sorted now so should be back to normal next week. One issue though is that the bookies at the race track report that they'd had some suspicions about those fake notes they'd been distributing, their going to go straight for a few weeks until the heat dies down. It'll put us back a little bit but I'm sure it'll come good."

While they'd been talking Thomas had handed over various other envelopes all collected from various little rings of drug dealers for Rebekka's family. The Dreher family had run several little criminal enterprises for a while in Altona and branched out into a wide range of retail businesses all for the reason of channelling lots of illegally acquired cash into legitimate use. Rebekka had been running the accounts for the last five or six years now and this latest spice venture had been her idea after the barbers industry had gone quiet well. To the tax office it looked like the Spice Business, the barber shops and the cheap tacky jewellery stores were making a killing, but it was hard to see how. No one ever really spent money there beyond a few dumb customers and with clever use of part time workers from the University sector overheads hardly ate into the real reason, money laundering. Rebekka placed the money into a banks paying in bag. She'd take it at the end of the day and she printed out a whole range of receipts for the order books. To anyone coming in doing an audit things would look like this Tuesday had been a particularly busy day for the company. She had put a stack of money to one side as she'd done her admin. "Thomas, as always its been a pleasure. Next week its the Hafenplatz Barber shop please."

Thomas didn't bother to count the cash, Rebekka always looked after those couriers who handled the collections and deliveries of cash. There would be plenty in the envelope to make him loyal and some for him to spread to those he needed to keep sweet on the streets for his own little private enterprises that the Dreher's let him get away with as long as he kept out of their fields. Thomas had a few little hussles selling counterfeit clothing and shoes and the Dreher's had no issue with that so long as he got their work done. "Thanks" He stood up and followed by Rebekka headed downstairs. They were both used to charades like this.

"Thank you for the order." Rebekka said as they rentered the shop where Maria was explaining the difference between two types of chilli flakes to an old woman. "We'll drop you off on Wednesday."

"That'll be great" Thomas stayed in character and shook Rebekka's hand. "I hope this is the first of many." He winked slightly as he turned and headed off into the street always relieved he'd dropped the money off with no incident. Rebekka meanwhile headed back upstairs, gathered up the bank bag, removed a gun from the second, hidden, safe and then donned her jacket. While Thomas might take the odd risk she wouldn't. She made a phone call and headed back down the stairs, by which time Maria's old lady had left predictably not having made a purchase. Rebekka informed her she'd see her later that week and she'd be dropping off the takings at the bank and headed to the back door.

"Bank Miss?" A man sat in a black SUV with the engine running asked as Rebekka stepped into the small back street.

"Yes please Samuel" she climbed in and Samuel a middle aged man started them on their journey. When they arrived at the bank it was not Rebekka who went inside but Edwin, the second of Rebekka's guards who had been sat in the front passenger seat. He was gone less than five minutes before returning and handing Rebekka a slip of paper, the receipt.

"Where to Miss" Samuel asked as Edwin put his seat back on.

"Home please. I think we're done for the day. Once back you two head off, isn't there a football match on tonight?"

"Yes there is" Edwin said excitedly. "Cup Semi-Final."

Rebekka had no interest in football but it was a big deal here in Altona. "Its at the Stadion Park isn't it." Confirmation came that indeed it was. "If you want the families box isn't being used. Tell them I've said you can have it if you want."

"Brilliant" Edwin punched the air. "I mean, thank you Miss." Rebekka may be quiet young for someone with her gravitas but she did rather have a reputation for preferring the formalities and Edwin knew that if you kept in her good books free football suites were only the beginning.

"I'm glad you're excited" Rebekka half smiled pleased that Edwin had corrected his tone. They'd arrived at her walled home and once inside she left them and the pair drove off no doubt excited for that evenings football.