goods. He was suspected of running a protection racket amongst local shopkeepers for a number of years. More recently he has become involved in a violent turf war with a nearby community of travellers.’
But by the end of 2004 Tarasov’s luck had changed for the better. He’d caught up with payments on all his loans, purchased a new car and snapped up the lease on a pub at the north end of the Palm Hill estate. He spent a significant sum refurbishing this second pub, before renaming it the Queen Of Russia.
Over the past year, the joke around Palm Hill has been that Tarasov has either won the lottery or robbed a bank. Having established that Leon did not win the lottery, the police are anxious to find the real source of Tarasov’s newfound wealth.
THE CHERUB MISSION
Leon Tarasov has succeeded in avoiding anything other than a modest court fine in more than thirty years of dubious activity. He keeps his affairs close to his chest and all attempts at using police informants (grasses) and undercover operations have failed.
The thousands of hours wasted on trying to catch Leon Tarasov have made the Palm Hill police increasingly reluctant to put any more effort into nailing him. Millie Kentner has become frustrated with her colleagues’ lack of enthusiasm and has asked if her old friends at CHERUB would be able to help out.
Two experienced CHERUB agents will move into a vacant flat on the same landing as the Tarasov family. The younger agent – James Adams, thirteen – will target Max and Liza. The older agent – Dave Moss, seventeen – will target Sonya and Pete.
Dave will pose as Dave Holmes, a young man who has recently been released from foster care. James will pose as his younger brother, who is still in care but who has been allowed to move in with him. Senior Mission Controller Zara Asker will organise the mission, while Millie Kentner will run the operation on a day-to-day basis.
MISSION OBJECTIVES
(1)?To infiltrate the Tarasov family unit and try to obtain as much evidence as possible about criminal activity.
(2)?To infiltrate Leon Tarasov’s business, in particular his car dealership which is believed to be the hub of his criminal activities.
(3)?The main goal is to try and uncover the source of Leon Tarasov’s recent financial good fortune.
THE CHERUB ETHICS COMMITTEE ACCEPTED THIS MISSION BRIEFING WITHOUT RESERVATION.
This mission has been classified LOW RISK. Experienced agents will be allowed to operate without close supervision from a mission controller.
14. HOME
James and Dave drove to Palm Hill in a battered Ford Mondeo. It was a Saturday morning, the rear seats were folded down and the back of the car was packed up to the roof with stuff. The air conditioning was busted, so they fought the heat by hurtling along the motorway with the windows down and a jet of air turning their hairstyles crazy.
This was James’ second mission with Dave. The seventeen-year-old sat at the wheel, with longish blond hair, big blue eyes and a handsome face that seemed a year or two younger than the muscular body attached to it. James was heavier set, with a flatter nose, but it didn’t take any stretch of the imagination to believe that the two lads were brothers.
Dave was into old-school rock, and the journey passed with a mix of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and The Who. James preferred more recent stuff, but by the time the CD was on its third spin, he was playing air guitar in the passenger seat.
It was early afternoon when they arrived at Palm Hill, pulling into a courtyard filled with a mix of shabby family saloons and more exotic fare, including BMWs and Audis belonging to the trendy young professionals who had begun purchasing flats on the better parts of the estate. The three-storey housing blocks surrounding the courtyard on all sides had recently been refurbished: brickwork cleaned, windows repainted and secure doors installed at the bottom of every stairwell.
As James stepped out of the car and walked off the stiffness from a three-hour car journey, he glanced through the gap between two blocks and spotted the crates of empties stacked at the rear of the King Of Russia pub.
James and Dave grabbed a bag each from the back of the car and headed towards the stairs. As they walked up, James felt the mix of excitement and anxiety that you get at the start of every mission, but this time he was also glad to get away from campus.