To understand the gangland execution of a man named Mr. Big, you need first to grasp his place in the Industrial Revolution, and in sports hooliganism, and in the Manchester music scene. And you need to appreciate a certain code.
At 7:23 p.m. on July 26, 2015, Paul Massey parked his silver BMW 5 Series at a Bargain Booze on the outskirts of Manchester, England. Inside, he asked for his usual: a bottle of Bacardi and two liters of Coke. He tipped the cashier with the change and was gone within a minute.
Seventeen seconds behind him, a stranger followed.