Family Business

Suved by the Bell

Thursday May 30th, Palmer Township, New Jersey 4.30am.

One thousand yards outside the Township the local Police and FBI went through the final plans. The search warrants were now in their possession. They broke into two teams, Team Alpha went to the Breakers Yard and Team Omega to Big jones Home.

Big Johns Breaker Yard, Palmer Township, New Jersey 4.45am.
Team Alpha slowed up on approach to the Breakers Yard, they waited for Team Omega to confirm they were outside Big Johns. Local FBI Special agent Scott Brewer leads team Alpha, his radio crackles into life "This is team Omega we are in position!".

"Lets roll" orders Brewer. They smash through the gates of the breakers yard in an armoured truck with ease. Within seconds the yard is stormed with agents and sniffer dogs. Within seconds they find the SUV.

4.45am Home of John Bullock 4th Avenue Palmer Township, New Jersey
John is deep in slumber dreaming he's in the final of the Townships pool tournament, when suddenly a dog starts barking, he turns around trying to figure it out and slowly wakes out figuring out it's Fido, their Golden Retriever.

"I think Fido needs to go John" states his wife Ria, half asleep leaving the responsibility to him. John groans, dressed in black boxers and a white string vest he gets out of bed he sighs "Coming Fido" He enters the hallway, Fido is halfway down the hall barking, not at the door. 'This doesn't seem right', John thinks to himself. He returns to the bedroom, "Did he go?" asks his wife now out of her slumber.

"I think it's something else!" He opens a drawer in an old oak drawer cabinet and removes a Colt Revolver and places it in his back pocket. Ria now sits up on the bed "Hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?" she asks
"Get the Rifle!" his only response.

He turns to exit when the front door smashes open, "FBI, FBI, FBI", Fido continues to bark, not sure what to do, both he and his wife stare at each other as he is knocked to the ground, with force "You've the right to remain silent, anything you say or do will be used against you!".

His wife screams "Let go of me, let go of me!" her cries useless as she is roughly rolled over on her back and handcuffed. Fido now cowering in a corner terrified.

John is lifted to his feet and rammed against the bedroom wall by lead agent Drew Spencer "Where is she?" demands Scott.

Johns feet tremble with fear "Who?"

Spencer rams him hard against the wall and sticks his face straight into Johns stubbly grey face "Don't play games, where the fuck is she!"

Johns heart races, he feels nauseous, his wife's screams adding to his anxiety "I don't -"

Spencer rams him again against the wall, "You have ten seconds to start talking or we will smash this whole house into pieces, where is Prudence Sternwood, START TALKING!". Spit spraying all over Johns face from the venom in his voice.

"I d dddd don't know who she is!". John is terrified. He is wondering if someone set him up. He done a stretch of twelve months and a fine of seven thousand dollars for trading in stolen parts, three years previous, and had gone reasonably clean.

His wife screams "We want our lawyer, we want our lawyer, it's our rights!"

Spencer can sense he is telling the truth, "Her SUV is in your Breakers Yard, so you better get talking!"

sweat pumps from John "I need to speak with my lawyer"

with annoyance Spencer flings him onto the bed and throws a phone at him "You have a choice!!, tell us the truth now everything you know about the whereabouts of Prudence Sternwood and how you have the SUV and we will overlook this time, but if it transpires your involved in any other way we will send you away for a long time". Spencer hates giving him the deal on offer but the case is time sensitive "Call your lawyer and the deal is off!"


John looks at his wife she is groaning as she lies on her belly, her wrists handcuffed behind her back. She looks uncomfortable, no doubt she is, she suffers with her back!"

"I don't know who she is, I've nothing to do with the SUV!"

Spencer laughs sarcastically, his patience wearing thin "BULLSHIT!, THE SUV HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH YOU, ITS IN YOUR YARD, NOW START TALKING OR THE DEAL IS OFF, MY PATIENCE IS WEARING THIN AND TIME IS RUNNING OUT!" His voice bellows across the room almost shaking the walls.

"I was asked to let it park in my yard overnight, some guys are coming at 6.30am to collect it, I have nothing to do with it, please!"

"YOUR BULLSHITTING ME JOHN!, I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR BULLSHIT!"

"Please tell me your not involved John" moans his wife.

"I'm not love, look, this guy he's known as Dicey Dave, he's some sort of wheeler Dealer, he asked that these guys are coming to value it for parts at about seven this morning and then take it away and whatever they pay, I can take ten percent and then give the rest to him!".

Spencer turns to an agent "Get that message across to team Alpha now they can expect company". He returns to John "So when are you giving Dicey Dave his money!".

John sighs, his anxiety levels high, he really needs to use the bathroom "Outside the Post Office is a pay phone. At 9.10am, he is going to call me on it and I assume give instructions!"

"Tell me what you know about these guys and leave nothing out?" demands Spencer.

Outside John looks out into the hallway. A heavily equipped team is waiting to tear his home apart. "Dicey Dave approached me a few weeks ago, as soon as I saw him I tried to brush him away, told him I didn't want anything to do with him or his schemes-"

"So you know him?" asks Spencer

John shakes his head with vigour "No, I know nothing about him, no one does, he works covertly and carefully. Before Prison I dealt with him a lot in different things but since prison not anymore!"

Spencer looks across at John's wife, now being interviewed by a female agent Bekki Newcombe. The female agent approach much gentler than Spencer's.

"Continue!" demands Spencer.

"So, he asked me if I would just hold a vehicle for a few hours maybe seven or eight hours, and collect the money for him and I could keep ten percent. I stupidly agreed".


Spencer smiles "Stupid and greedy, now tell me, about who is coming to collect it and describe this Dicey Dave to me".

"I don't know who is coming to collect it, honestly I don't"

Spencer calls a fellow agent over "Give a description of Dicey Dave to this gentleman here".

Big Johns Breaker Yard, Palmer Township, New Jersey 7:15am
John anxiously waited in his yards forecourt, he was heavily miked up underneath his blue boiler overalls. The FBI hidden; but watching. At 7:17am a battered twelve year old red International flatbed recovery truck trundles into the yard slowly. It has three occupants in the cab. The driver gets out a tall Caucasian slender man with bushy unbrushed hair and a equally bushy beard. John points to the SUV, "your late!". The driver ignores him he whistles and beckons for the two guys to get out of the truck. One guy of African American decent stands by the truck scanning the entrance and yard. The second, a short stocky Latino standing five foot four but built like a brick, makes his way towards the SUV. He glares at John checking him up and down. John freezes afraid he will spot the mikes. The man puts on a pair of blue latex gloves and begins examining it inside and out. "Ye guys come far", asks John trying to make conversation and gather information.

The driver ignores him. He turns to the guy examining the SUV, who was now examining the engine "Nice set of wheels". The guy glares at him for three seconds and continues his examination.

The Latino next checks the underbody nodding to himself in approval, he then turns to the driver "call boss!", then whistles to the African American guy who was now standing behind the entrance pier scanning the roadway. He whistles again, the guy nods and makes his way towards the truck and begins prepping it for transport. The driver hands the Latino the phone, he stares again at John places his hand over his mouth as he talks to the boss in a low tone.

After five minutes he he hands the phone back to the driver and makes a circular shape for him to to get the truck in to position. He walks towards the African American man, they talk in whispers as they stare at John. The African American motions at the driver to stop reversing while he opens the passenger door and takes out an A4 envelope which he hands to the Latino. The Latino stares intensively at John as he walks over towards him. From the envelope he takes out two bundles of fifty dollar bills and some fifty dollar bills "Eleven thousand!". There was no scope of negotiation. John placed the money in his right hand. He watched as the driver and the watcher loaded the SUV on the flatbed then cover it in a green tarpaulin.

The driver and the watcher complete one final check then, get into the truck and slowly drive out. John breathes a sigh of relieve, he jumps as he feels a hand clutch into his left shoulder "Your not finished yet!" warns the agent.

Thursday May 30th Lake Mohawk, Sparta, New Jersey, 7.50am
Prudence's back and buttocks ached from the hard uncomfortable chair. She didn't sleep much, how could she, she dare not sleep the mattress, she feared with her back she would not be able to get out of it. She hears footsteps outside and the key twist on the door, her stomach knots. The door opens aggressively as Gretchen marches in She buries a sheet of paper inside Prudence's suit jacket. Prudence screams as Gretchen places a hand on each cheek and begins to twist them, Prudence screeches, she tries to fight off Gretchen's tight grip but is unable to "Don't fight me Roly-poly because I am only going to twist harder and harder and harder"

"You won't get away with this!" warns Prudence, unsure if she believes her one words "You better learn off what's on that sheet of paper word for word otherwise I am going to flatten you like a burst balloon". She lets goes of Prudence's face, smiling sadistically at the redness she left them in "by the way you stink, get a shower".

Prudence adjusts her glasses on her nose with her trembling left hand and takes out the sheet of paper with her right hand "Of course I smell, you transport me like an animal, you have me in this musty hellhole, I smell and it's your fault. You will pay for this treatment in the courts".

Gretchen pulls at a section of her hair and points to the en-suite " In the courts, you're such a weakling, by the way there's a shower in there".

Prudence places her plump hands on her head failing to remove Gretchen's tight grip. She breathes deeply "the pen is mightier than the sword!".

Prudence squeals as the grip on her hair tightens sending a sharper pain through the crown of her head the grip forces her to move her head upwards towards Gretchen, whose facial expression displayed complete menace "the pen isn't too mighty now is it Roly-Poly"

Prudence releases a few heavy gasps unable to fight the strength of Gretchen, the poor state of her physical stamina now catching up on her "Your hurting me!"

The door opens again, Florence enters carrying some towels and shampoo "Gretchen!"she shouts "Let go of her, we have another video to make!".

Gretchen lowers her head and whispers into Prudence's ear "I'll be back, I'm going to torment you so much you will imagine I am behind you even when I am not there". She lets go of her hair Prudence lets out a deep shallow breath and walks out.

Florence places the towels and shampoo on the bed and opens the wardrobe "lets get you some clean clothes, oh this will be nice". She pulls out a two piece red business suit and rests it on the bed "oh Prudence, this will be idea" the takes out a white string bow blouse with the strings hanging loosely waiting to be tied.

Prudence groans as she struggles to remove her shoes "let me help you!" Florence gets down on her knees and begins to remove the shoes. Prudence watches 'is this my chance she asks herself, can I grab her and hold her hostage, I have no weapon, what will I do when the others come in?' She bites her lower lip in realisation that such action would be hopeless, instead she turns to the only form of defense that might work "Florence!" she whispers "In my house in the safe is one hundred and fifty thousand dollars in cash. If you get me out of here, it's yours".

Florence ignores the offer, her conscience nagged her, last thing she needed was this. Prudence was not sure what response to expect she continues "If you go and run call for help I will say you were kidnapped with me, I'll get you off, I will get you a job with the business, you can work minimal hours, I will pay you seventy thousand dollars a year, you won't get away with this".

Florence pushes the shoes aside and stops while she listens to Prudence. A voice was telling her to take it, but the other one, the other voice, was telling her no, this woman has way more. This voice she listened to "Shut Up!" she demands as she stands up.

Prudence extends out her arms "Florence, you are not going to get away with this, this is the best outcome for you!".

"Shut up!!" repeats Florence "I will be up shortly with your breakfast, I hope you like pancakes!"

Prudence continues "take the money I am offering and the job offer this -"
She didn't see Florence's right palm as it swung and hit her squarely on her chubby left cheek". Prudence stopped and stared at her in shock as the pain vibrated through the side of her face.

Florence was immediately overcome with regret "you made me do that! that's your fault" she storms out locking the door behind her.