Monkey Wrench (28 page)

‘Hey, Eva!' The Enemy shouted. But I kept walking. And while I walked I laughed. Just for once in my life I got more out of The Enemy than she got out of me. So who's got the brains now, I ask you. Me. That's who.

The polizei was wrong as per usual.

Crystal was wrong.

The Enemy, Anna-know-it-all-Lee, actually knew as much as a fly on a tiger turd knows about a tiger.

The only one who
really
knew was me.

I knew it was Carl, see. But I'd gone and said his name to The Enemy. And she wouldn't forget. Which meant I couldn't just go out and squash Carl without her putting two and two together. I had to wait. Which was a pity. When I get an idea I want to act straight away. But that Enemy's a door slammed in my face. Always in the way. Always saying, ‘don't.'

So I went to Hanif's instead. I hadn't had any shuteye. And I'd eaten all the food in the Static. Whatever happened, I had to get my rest and keep me strength up.

But when I was in Hanif's, schlepping up and down the shelves, looking at the price of stuff, I remembered I didn't have nothing to keep me strength up for. I remembered I was finished in the ring. I remembered I'd been fined my fight money, and there was no more where that came from.

I was back on scrag rations. But it's sod's law – as soon as you know you're back in Hunger-town, you want an enormous blow out. I wanted steak and fries. I wanted chicken pie and mash. I wanted six gallons of ice cream and tinned peaches. I didn't want to watch the pennies.

I was going to have to scratch around for more scratch if I wanted to live high like I had been doing. I almost went back to talk to The Enemy. I almost went back to tell her all about Stoat and Carl. Maybe she'd take me in as a partner and give me an office of me own with my name on the door – Eva Wylie, Security Expert. And I'd have my own secretary-bird to bring me tea at teatime. And regular wages. But I never went back. I don't care how hard it is – I don't gob to the polizei.

I bought a loaf of bread and a bit of bacon. That's all. And a tin of spaghetti hoops to wash it down. And some chocolate to keep my blood sugar from dropping off the scale. The
bare necessities. Then I went back home. Scratch-city, here I come.

But did I get there? Did I – cobblers! Did anything – even walking home with a bit of bacon – turn out how it ought?

I just about made it to my gate when a motor pulled up alongside – a silly little green Renault with woolly dice, skeletons and furry rabbits dangling from the windscreen. And I was just asking meself who'd have a prat motor like that, when Bella leaned out and yelled, ‘Hop in, Eva.'

‘Hop in and hop off yerself,' I said. I never did like Bella.

‘Please yerself,' Bella said. ‘I might've known you'd turn your back.'

And then a little kid leaned over the back seat and said, ‘Please, please, please. Mum's doing her nut.'

‘Who's this?' I said.

‘My Elton,' Bella said. ‘He's a fan of yours, but he's normal otherwise.'

‘Are you really the London Lassassin?' Elton said.

I nearly said I wasn't, no more. But you don't like to disappoint the kiddies, do you? So I got in and sat with my knees under my chin. Trust Bella to pick a car that didn't fit me.

‘We're going to the hospital.' She jammed the car in gear and lurched away from the kerb. It didn't surprise me she was a crappy driver. I got whiplash, and little Elton got thrown in a heap on the back seat.

Bella said, ‘We got to hurry. The hospital's letting that bastard out today.'

‘Who? Stoat?'

‘The one who, you know, with Stef.' Bella glanced in her mirror to see if Elton was listening, which of course he was.

‘So what?'

‘Shut up and listen. Me and Elton went round to Justin's, didn't we, Elton? We was going to have a look at the puppies. Isn't that right, Elton?'

‘Bang, bang,' said Elton. He was playing with a Terminator toy, pretending he wasn't all ears.

‘Justin's out,' I said. ‘I was looking for Crystal earlier.'

‘They are now,' Bella said. ‘We caught them both on their way out.' She was grinding along at forty miles an hour in second gear.

‘Listen, Eva,' she said. ‘I know you don't give a toss, but this is serious. Crys and Justin's gone to meet Stoat. Crys thinks Stoat killed Dawnie.'

‘She's a pillock,' I said. ‘Carl killed Dawn. You and me both know that.'

Bella stalled the car. She turned to look at me and she took her foot off the pedal to do it. Bad drivers are like that.

‘You're insane, Eva,' she said. Cars piled up behind us hooting.

‘Shit!' said Bella, and started off again, lurching and grinding.

‘I thought Crystal was bonkers,' she said. ‘But you're ten times worse. How could it be Carl? If Carl had come in the pub and gone out with Dawnie don't you think someone would've noticed? Carl's outstanding. All the girls would've seen him. If Dawnie'd scored a hunk like Carl it would've been big news.'

‘It was him,' I said. ‘I saw it in his eyes. He could of killed you. He could of killed
me
!'

‘Who could've killed you, Mum?' little Elton said.

‘Shut up, Elton,' Bella said. ‘Could of! Could of!'
'Course
he could of.'

‘There, then!'

‘But he didn't, did he? And he didn't cut Stef. And he didn't kill Dawn. So don't be stupid?'

‘Who you calling stupid?'

‘You!' Bella said. ‘Okay, so Carl's a total freak and he hates us. So what? So do thousands. Millions. I said the same to Crys. I said, “The bastard knifed Stef. He wants our business. So what? Does that make him different? He's not worth ruining your life over,” I said. But she won't have it. No. The bastard who knifed Stef killed Dawn, she says. “Why?” I said. “There's bastards all over the streets who want to hurt us or take our money. Why pick him?”'

‘The polizei nicked another one last night,' I said. ‘They say
he
killed Dawn.'

‘There you are, then,' Bella said. ‘I'm surprised they haven't nicked twenty. But try telling Crys that!
She
says that Stoat bastard killed her Dawnie, and he's going to pay. Pay! She's the one who'll pay. Her and Justin. They'll pay and pay and pay. They could spend the rest of their lives paying.'

There was this big black hole under my ribs and my heart went dum-dum-dum, all by itself in there. I said, ‘What's she going to do, Bella? What's that stupid little monkey wrench going to do?' Because I knew Crystal wouldn't give up. She's like that – take it from one who knows – if she gets her teeth into someone, she never lets go. Never. Not till she's had satisfaction.

‘Something,' Bella said. ‘I don't fucking know. They had two boxes. Crys had one, Justin had the other.'

‘What was in the boxes?'

‘Puppies,' said little Elton. ‘There was puppies in the boxes. But they wouldn't let me see.'

‘Shut up, Elton,' said Bella.

‘Why did you bring him along?' I asked.

‘No one to leave him with,' she said. ‘Granpa went to church.'

And we bumped and ground all the way to St Thomas's hospital with Bella swearing at the traffic, and everyone else swearing at Bella.

She swung in where it said, ‘No Entry', without using her indicator, and whizzed round the side of the hospital in second gear – always in second – and then she stalled.

‘Where are we?' she said.

‘Just get the fuck on with it,' I said. What with her driving and all I was feeling an up-chuck coming on.

‘Over there!' shouted little Elton. ‘They're over there with the puppies.' He was kneeling on the back seat pointing with his Terminator toy.

‘Shut up, Elton,' said Bella. She was twisting the car key and squinting over her shoulder at the same time.

But Elton was right. On the other side of a little wall, where the sane people had parked their cars properly, was Justin and Crystal.

I flung my door open. Bella twisted the key. But she hadn't put the motor in neutral so the car bucked forward and stalled again. The open door crashed against the wall. I tangled my foot in my plastic shopping bag and I fell out the car on my arse.

‘Hurry,' Bella squealed. ‘Stop them.'

‘Stop what?' I said. I jumped to my feet. I climbed on the little wall. I looked.

And from up on the wall I saw Crystal and Justin with two cardboard boxes resting on the bonnet of a car.

I saw Crystal pointing and Justin turning to look.

I saw Stoat walking slowly down the entry ramp, half his face hidden in white bandage.

I saw Crystal reach in one of the boxes. She pulled out a bottle. An ordinary glass milk bottle. It was full of liquid. The neck was stuffed with rag.

I jumped off the wall.

‘Stop!' I yelled. But the wind from the river whipped the word out of my mouth and blew it the wrong way.

I started to run. I dodged between parked cars. I whacked into wing mirrors.

I saw Crystal hand the bottle to Justin. She took a cigarette lighter from her pocket. She cupped her hand round it. She struck the flint.

‘Don't!' I bellowed, and the wind blew it back down my throat.

The little flame flared. Crystal touched it to the rag in the neck of the bottle.

I couldn't run fast enough. The cars were parked too close together.

Justin shielded the flame with one hand. He turned and started to trot towards Stoat. All unawares, Stoat walked slowly towards him.

I was close. But I wasn't close enough.

‘Justin!' I howled. ‘Don't!'

Crystal turned to me. Her little face was all bare and waxy. ‘Eva,' she said. ‘You came.'

Stoat saw Justin. He saw the flaming bottle. He threw up his hands to protect his face.

Justin chucked the bottle.

I stopped. There was nothing I could do anymore.

The bottle flew in an arc. The flaming rag fluttered. Over and over, it spun. It landed at Stoat's feet. Stoat watched it coming. He watched it somersaulting over and over till it fell at his feet.

The glass splintered. Crack.

Two ladies with flowers in their hands started to scream.

The bottle shattered. For a split second nothing happened. And then whoosh! Justin ducked. Crystal ducked. I ducked. The ladies with the flowers flung themselves down on the ground.

The flames went ker-flump whoosh. They shot up Stoat's legs. They bloomed on his clothes like red and orange roses.

Justin picked himself up and legged it to Crystal. He grabbed her hand. She tried to grab the second box, but it fell.

They ran. They raced away to the Embankment. They looked like two kids playing. They ran hand-in-hand as fast as their legs would take them.

I could smell burnt meat.

Everyone was screaming. People poured out of the hospital entrance.

I closed my eyes. I couldn't stand to look. I sank down on my haunches between the parked cars.

‘You wasn't quick enough,' Bella said from behind. ‘You just wasn't quick enough.'

‘Oh yeah?' I snarled. ‘And where was you?'

‘Oh look,' said little Elton. ‘Puppies!'

‘Fucking shut
up,'
Bella screeched. ‘Shut up and get back in the car. Who said you could follow me?'

‘No,
look,'
said Elton. He ran away from us to the car where Crystal had waited for Stoat. He was right. The box which fell had fallen on its side. And tipped out, near it, was two small grey balls of fluff.

‘He's fucking right – the little tyke's right,' I said. I scrambled to my feet. I turned my back on Stoat and the screams and the smell. Bella didn't want to watch either.

She said, ‘Let's get out of here, Eva, before someone starts taking names and asking questions.'

‘We never saw nothing,' I said.

‘'Course not,' she said. ‘But let's go before anyone asks.'

‘We better take the pups,' I said.

‘Fuck the pups,' she said. But she went to where Elton was bending over the two balls of fluff.

‘What's wrong with this one?' Elton asked. He picked up one pup, and its head lolled out of his hand like it was hanging on a thread.

‘Oh shit!' Bella said. ‘Put it down, Elton. It's sleeping, isn't it, Eva?'

Stupid cow. She brought little Elton to a cremation, but she couldn't admit to him that one of Queenie's pups had died.

The burnt meat smell on the air was Stoat, but Bella wouldn't tell her kid a pup was dead.

‘Come away!' she shouted at Elton. ‘Do as you're told.' She snatched his hand and yanked him away from the puppies, dragging him back to her car. He started yelling and kicking her ankles.

That was the last I saw of them. Her squawking, him wailing. They didn't wait for me.

I didn't want them to. I'd had enough of Bella to fill a dumpster.

I squatted down and picked up the puppies. The littlest one was stone dead. It never even got its eyes open. There was nothing to be done. I put it back in the box.

But the bigger one was alive. Just.

It looked like a blind fluffy maggot. Queenie's pup. It shivered in the wind. I smoothed the grey fluff with one finger, and the little maggot turned its nose towards my finger.

‘Oh shit,' I said. I stuffed the little thing under my sweat shirt next to my skin, and I tucked my sweat shirt into my jeans.

It was what Justin should of done. I told him to keep the pups warm. But did he listen? Oh no. He'd rather listen to Crystal and throw petrol on bastards she didn't like. He brought
Queenie's pups out in the cold with only a cardboard box for shelter.

‘Oy, you!' someone said.

I got up and saw a dirty great uniform coming straight for me. It wasn't polizei. It was a hospital security guard.