until—’
In the hallway of the house, a woman appeared. She was wearing a thick white dressing gown. Her arms folded across her chest, dyed blonde hair, a smug expression on her thin face. Liam Delaney didn’t recognise her.
‘Shit,’ Vincent Naylor said.
Albert Bannerman looked behind him and said, ‘Get the fuck inside.’ The woman stood there, chewing gum. Bannerman turned back to Vincent and said, ‘I didn’t know.’
Vincent turned and crossed the road to Liam Delaney. He handed Liam the revolver and said, ‘Wait for me in the car.’
‘You sure?’
‘It’s OK.’
As Liam turned away, Bannerman was leading Vincent into the house.
‘She’s been with me about six weeks, now,’ Albert Bannerman said. ‘I’d no idea – not that I would have done anything different. I mean, you meet a woman, these things happen, and people get over it. They broke up – how long since?’
They were standing alone in Bannerman’s kitchen.
‘What happened tonight?’
‘We were at a wedding, this afternoon, Lorraine and me. Friend of mine got hitched, down in Kildare. Ended up, on the way home – we dropped into Cisco’s. You know it?’
‘Noel hangs out there.’
‘I didn’t know that.’
‘She did.’
‘It wasn’t—’
‘Whose idea was it? To drop in there?’
‘That’s not the point.’
‘That bitch.’
‘Take it easy.’
‘She likes games, always did.’
They said nothing for a while. Then Vincent said, ‘I’ll go talk to Noel.’ Bannerman opened the back door and Vincent went out.
The garden was lit by a bright security light. Two of Bannerman’s people were standing on the patio. The garden shed was off to one side, about twenty feet from the back door. It had a small barred window on the side, the glass broken. One of Bannerman’s people nodded as Vincent passed him, approaching the shed.
‘Noel, it’s me.’
Vincent hunkered down beside the door. The wood was old, weather-beaten, the door held fast by a strong hasp and padlock.
‘Vincent—’ Noel’s voice was slurred – ‘this is none of your business.’
‘You’re my business, brother. You OK in there – you OK to come out?’
‘This is my fight, Vincent.’
‘There’s no fight, Noel.’
‘He’s a dead man. No way he’s not.’
‘You need to stop talking like that. You need to come out here. You and me, we leave here together – Liam Delaney’s down the road, he’s got a car, we go home, we talk it out.’
There was a long silence, then Noel said, ‘Just let them get on with it, you mean?’
‘Coming here with a knife, brother – that’s not the brightest thing you’ve done all day.’
More silence. Vincent Naylor moved closer, until his cheek was touching the rough wood of the shed. He put his lips close to the door and when he spoke his voice was too soft for anyone but Noel to hear. ‘Don’t let’s screw things up now, brother – we’ve things to do.’
Silence.
‘You hear me? You’ve put too much work into this job to throw it away over something like this.’
He waited, and when there was no reply he said, ‘We talk this out, you and me – and if you can’t live with that, then I stand back and you do what you’ve got to do.’
This time the silence went on for a couple of minutes.
‘Noel?’
‘Give me a minute.’
Vincent stood up and walked over to Bannerman’s men. ‘Tell Albert to keep that bitch upstairs – and it’s best if he stays up there, too.’ The taller one nodded to the other, and the second man went into the house.
Behind Vincent, there was a double knock from inside the shed. Noel’s voice sounded like nothing unusual had happened. ‘OK, Vincent, let me out of here.’
Bannerman’s man took his hand out of his pocket and gave Vincent a key.
13
The judge said there were things he’d like to say about both parties in this case. ‘However, charity suggests I adopt the course recommended by my sainted grandmother – and hold my
In the hallway of the house, a woman appeared. She was wearing a thick white dressing gown. Her arms folded across her chest, dyed blonde hair, a smug expression on her thin face. Liam Delaney didn’t recognise her.
‘Shit,’ Vincent Naylor said.
Albert Bannerman looked behind him and said, ‘Get the fuck inside.’ The woman stood there, chewing gum. Bannerman turned back to Vincent and said, ‘I didn’t know.’
Vincent turned and crossed the road to Liam Delaney. He handed Liam the revolver and said, ‘Wait for me in the car.’
‘You sure?’
‘It’s OK.’
As Liam turned away, Bannerman was leading Vincent into the house.
‘She’s been with me about six weeks, now,’ Albert Bannerman said. ‘I’d no idea – not that I would have done anything different. I mean, you meet a woman, these things happen, and people get over it. They broke up – how long since?’
They were standing alone in Bannerman’s kitchen.
‘What happened tonight?’
‘We were at a wedding, this afternoon, Lorraine and me. Friend of mine got hitched, down in Kildare. Ended up, on the way home – we dropped into Cisco’s. You know it?’
‘Noel hangs out there.’
‘I didn’t know that.’
‘She did.’
‘It wasn’t—’
‘Whose idea was it? To drop in there?’
‘That’s not the point.’
‘That bitch.’
‘Take it easy.’
‘She likes games, always did.’
They said nothing for a while. Then Vincent said, ‘I’ll go talk to Noel.’ Bannerman opened the back door and Vincent went out.
The garden was lit by a bright security light. Two of Bannerman’s people were standing on the patio. The garden shed was off to one side, about twenty feet from the back door. It had a small barred window on the side, the glass broken. One of Bannerman’s people nodded as Vincent passed him, approaching the shed.
‘Noel, it’s me.’
Vincent hunkered down beside the door. The wood was old, weather-beaten, the door held fast by a strong hasp and padlock.
‘Vincent—’ Noel’s voice was slurred – ‘this is none of your business.’
‘You’re my business, brother. You OK in there – you OK to come out?’
‘This is my fight, Vincent.’
‘There’s no fight, Noel.’
‘He’s a dead man. No way he’s not.’
‘You need to stop talking like that. You need to come out here. You and me, we leave here together – Liam Delaney’s down the road, he’s got a car, we go home, we talk it out.’
There was a long silence, then Noel said, ‘Just let them get on with it, you mean?’
‘Coming here with a knife, brother – that’s not the brightest thing you’ve done all day.’
More silence. Vincent Naylor moved closer, until his cheek was touching the rough wood of the shed. He put his lips close to the door and when he spoke his voice was too soft for anyone but Noel to hear. ‘Don’t let’s screw things up now, brother – we’ve things to do.’
Silence.
‘You hear me? You’ve put too much work into this job to throw it away over something like this.’
He waited, and when there was no reply he said, ‘We talk this out, you and me – and if you can’t live with that, then I stand back and you do what you’ve got to do.’
This time the silence went on for a couple of minutes.
‘Noel?’
‘Give me a minute.’
Vincent stood up and walked over to Bannerman’s men. ‘Tell Albert to keep that bitch upstairs – and it’s best if he stays up there, too.’ The taller one nodded to the other, and the second man went into the house.
Behind Vincent, there was a double knock from inside the shed. Noel’s voice sounded like nothing unusual had happened. ‘OK, Vincent, let me out of here.’
Bannerman’s man took his hand out of his pocket and gave Vincent a key.
13
The judge said there were things he’d like to say about both parties in this case. ‘However, charity suggests I adopt the course recommended by my sainted grandmother – and hold my
Similar Books
