Paying For It (28 page)

Col put down the glass, seemed to gather himself.

‘What do you want me to do?’

‘We need to get her away … do you still have Billy’s money?’

‘Of course. I wouldn’t touch it.’

‘Then give me some of it, now.’

I returned to Amy, flicked on the television to try and distract her. She sipped at her coffee, started to come around. She was tough, I knew that, but even still, she’d need some time to get over this. Time, however, was one thing we didn’t have.

Col appeared with Billy’s Nike holdall, handed it to me. He gave me a look I’d never seen before, imagined it to be the kind exchanged in the trenches of World War One, just before two buddies went over the top.

‘It’s done,’ said Hod. As he walked in the door my thoughts clicked into place.

I grabbed his arm. ‘Right, I need a word.’

I led him away to the bar, left Amy with Col, told him to keep the coffee flowing.

‘Hod, get her out of here,’ I said. I handed him a bunch of notes. ‘Get on a flight – Paris, Ayia Napa – bloody anywhere.’

He took the cash. ‘So that’s it then – it’s over, we just cave?’

‘There’s that word
we
again. It’s
me
that’s brought this on.’

‘And what about finding justice for Billy?’

‘Billy found his own justice.’

‘Meaning?’

‘He wasn’t exactly Mr Nice Guy. Go figure, Hod.’

Hod pulled his head in, tried another line of attack. ‘And what about Col then?’

‘He knows the score better than anyone.’

‘I think it’s wrong, Gus, to come this far.’

‘Drop it, would you?’

‘You’re letting them off, Gus. Billy’s killer is walking free and nothing’s changed, there’s still a racket feeding off the misery of those girls.’

‘Hod, I’m telling you – drop it.’

He stared me in the eye. I turned away. As he passed, I felt his shoulder cut into my own. I spun around, nearly knocked to the ground.

‘I’ll be telling Amy what she should really make of you,’ said Hod.

‘I wish you would.’

‘I thought I knew you better than this, Gus. Thought you’d never go down without a fight.’

If an answer waved in my mind, I missed it.

On the TV screen Zalinskas’ face flashed up. The case had concluded.

I ran through to the snug, stood under the television.

‘I don’t believe it,’ said Col. ‘He’s walked free.’

I knew all hell might break out at any minute. ‘Hod, get her the fuck out of here … now.’

I READIED MYSELF for the worst.

I told Col all I’d learned about Billy and the case. I filled him in on Nadja and Zalinskas, on Cardownie and the footage and anything else I’d missed out on previous reports. Throughout he sat quietly, listened. He seemed to be recording all I said, storing it away, but his eyes looked dead.

‘I’m sorry I couldn’t get all the answers.’

‘No matter,’ he said. ‘What does anything matter now?’

‘I wanted to give you some closure, you know that, Col.’

‘What else could you do? They’ve drawn in the wagons. You’ve done all you could, Gus. I’m thankful for that.’

I’d called a taxi, the driver blasted on the horn from outside the pub.

‘What will you do?’ said Col.

‘Get away for a while. I think I might be able to patch things up with Debs – just maybe.’

‘You deserve some happiness.’ He leaned forward, called me in, hugged me. I thought he felt cold. ‘Thank you, Gus Dury.’

I felt tears in my eyes, but I didn’t care.

‘This isn’t goodbye, Col.’

‘Och, I think it is.’

He took my hand and shook it. ‘I wish my son had been more like you, Gus.’

It felt like the greatest compliment of my life.

The taxi’s horn sounded again.

‘I have to go.’

‘Goodbye, then.’

We’d no time to linger on a lengthy farewell; for that, I felt grateful.

I told the cabbie to take me to my mother’s house. I planned to collect the urn and get out of town. The furthest ahead I thought was to return Milo’s ashes to his homeland. If I could persuade Debs to come with me, I’d take it from there.

A line of cars stretched bumper to bumper all the way down my mother’s street.

‘Can you wait?’ I asked the cabbie. ‘I’ll only be a minute.’

A huff. ‘I’ll have to keep the meter running.’

‘Well go on then.’

‘I’ll get turned. Can’t wait more than five minutes, though.’

I dashed inside. My mother sat in the living room with my sister.

‘Gus,’ said Cathy, ‘what is it?’

‘I can’t stop. How are you, Mam?’ She didn’t even look up, just stared at an indistinct spot on the wall.

‘She’s out of it. Doctor’s given her a scrip,’ said Cathy.

‘Is she going to be okay?’

Cathy turned around, walked me into the hall and closed the door behind us.

‘It would be nice to have you around a bit more, you know. She needs her family.’

‘Cathy, this isn’t a good time.’

‘You’re her son.’

The cabbie got impatient, another round of the horn sounded. ‘Maybe in a while. I have to get away for a bit.’

I turned from her, went to the hallstand and took down the ashes.

‘Suit yourself,’ said Cathy. She spun around, walked back to the living room, slammed the door.

I wanted to say something, but I knew time was against me. I took the Glock out of its hiding place beside the ashes and stuffed it in my waistband.

As I ran out the cabbie scolded, ‘I can’t sit about blocking streets all day you know. Lucky I never got a ticket round here.’

My mind buzzed. My hand brushed the handle of the Glock, and I felt tempted to put it on the cabbie, but gathered myself.

‘And where are we going now?’ he said. ‘Well?’

Where was I going? Had I any choices left? I knew if I took off, that was it. I’d be running for the rest of my days. Constantly looking over my shoulder. Worrying about strangers. Did I want that for Debs? Christ, did I want it for myself?

‘Well?’ repeated the cabbie.

I’d never see my mother again. I’d never see Col again either. And I might not be able to face Hod. I knew the solution was simple. ‘You selfish bastard, Dury,’ I told myself, ‘for ever out to save your own worthless hide – you coward.’

I thought about Billy. The girls. Those poor innocent Latvian girls who didn’t know what they had let themselves in for.

Then the footage of Cardownie started to play before my eyes once again.

‘Well?’ said the cabbie. ‘Where to? Tell me or get out!’

‘Turn it around again.’

‘
What
?’

‘Back that way, to the hills. I’ll give you instructions on the way.’

Cardownie had a mansion house somewhere in the foot of the Pentland Hills. A place for the city’s rich to gather, where backs got slapped and plans hatched to divide spoils. Seemed as good a place as any for me to start.

After a quarter of an hour on the road I got out and tipped the cabbie with a fifty. Immediately, his tone changed.

‘Thank you very much, sir. If I can ever help you out again, just holler.’

‘Actually, there is something. Have you a piece of paper?’

I scratched down a note to Debs. If I didn’t make it, at least Milo would be properly laid to rest. I passed through the carrier with the urn inside. ‘Take it to this address and give her the letter – that should explain everything.’

To sweeten the deal, I dropped another twenty. ‘And make it snappy, eh?’

THE HOUSE WAS Scots Baronial. Normally, I go near a building like this, it’s a museum or a hotel. To think someone lived here, with the choice of a hundred-plus rooms to rattle about in, made my spleen twitch.

A few generations back, the closest someone like me got to the landed gentry was to muck out their stables. Well, here I was now, ready to rake up some shit.

The pathway scree crunched underfoot, so I moved to the verge, and tried to shrink below the line of the windows. At the building’s gable end, I put my back to the sandstone. I saw Cardownie’s Range Rover parked beside a Seven Series BMW – the missus’s runabout?

At the kitchen window a woman in her bad fifties with bingo-wings, obviously the help, shelled peas. I limboed beneath her line of vision, tried the rest of the windows.

In a small book-lined study I found Cardownie. He sat with his back to me on a chesterfield. My heart raced, pumped fire in my veins. I ducked beneath the windowledge. I sat on my haunches, banged the back of my head on the wall and tried to collect myself.

‘What am I doing? How the hell has it come to this?’ I wondered. ‘Have I totally lost it?’

I felt sweat gather on my upper lip and brow, it dripped in my eyes as I reached for the Glock. I lifted myself to the window again to check he was still alone.

There appeared to be only one door. I figured if I dragged him back through the window, no one would be wise to me.

I took a handful of scree, lobbed it at the glass, ducked back down.

As if on cue, the latch slid open. Cardownie stuck out his head. My hands quivered as I cocked the gun.

‘From this range, I believe it would blow your head clean off. Do you feel lucky, punk?’

He looked down, a gasp.

‘Where’s the shit-stopping smirk now, Minister?’

‘I-I-I …’

‘Why don’t you save it? Out.’

The Beemer was good to go. I made him drive, heading for the city.

‘Where are you taking me?’ he asked.

‘Sorry, didn’t I mention? I’ll be asking the fucking questions.’

‘I have every right to know—’

I aimed the Glock at his crotch. ‘Maybe I didn’t make myself clear enough. This could put a serious damper on your whoring.’

Silence for the best part of the journey. I do believe I’d made myself clear. I’d put him in his place, just where I wanted him. ‘Pull over.’

At the side of the road, I ordered he take out his phone.

‘I want you to listen very carefully. You’re going to ring Nadja and tell her to meet you at Zalinskas’ casino.’

‘But—’

‘No buts.’ I cocked the Glock, put it to his head. ‘And, you better make it convincing. Your life depends on it, in case you hadn’t realised.’

He had the number on speed dial. The call went better than I’d imagined it would.

‘You’re a formidable liar, Minister. Don’t believe I could have done any better myself.’

‘I think I should warn you that this is a very costly mistake you’re making, Mr Dury.’

‘Oh, I think I’ll take the chance. Now drive.’

We put in on George Street, didn’t worry about feeding the meter. I took off my jacket, folded it over the gun, kept it close to Cardownie’s back. ‘One false move will be your last.’

I led him up a side street skirting the casino. A rotten wooden fence was all that came between us and Zalinskas’ lair. I put my foot to a weak stanchion, it split in two. Another kick and we were in, walking towards the fire escape.

The metal gates were, in contrast to most New Town premises, unlocked.

‘Good to see Mr Zalinskas is sticking to the fire-safety regulations,’ I said.

Cardownie frowned. ‘I’m warning you, you imbecile, if you go through with this—’

I put the Glock to his lips. ‘I don’t take threats kindly, Minister.
I’m
warning you now. Get up there, tap on Benny’s lovely french doors and when he opens up, I’ll be right behind you.’

The gun seemed to focus his thoughts. At the top of the fire escape, Cardownie rapped on the windowpane. It took Zalinskas a little time to answer.

‘What the hell are you doing here?’

I stepped in. ‘Allow me.’ The Glock did all my explaining.

As Zalinskas backed into his office, followed by Cardownie and myself, one of his goons showed and reached for a shooter. I dropped him with one shot to the kneecap. As he writhed around in agony, I lifted his gun from the floor.

The gunshot had set off the wolf, it clawed at the confines of the cage, then began to wail. The wolf’s cry put the shits up every one of us.

‘Now, so we know I’m not messing … that’s the last warning shot, the next time I fire this gun it’ll be pointing at someone’s head.’

I sat them on the couch. The pug rolled about in agony, clutching at his knee.

‘The wolf can smell blood,’ said Zalinskas.

‘He’s not the only one,’ I said.

I helped the goon onto the couch, barked at Cardownie. ‘Get your belt off, tie it round his thigh to stop the bleeding.’

As I kept a close eye on them, the buzzer went. On the monitors above Zalinskas’ desk, I saw Nadja arrive.

I ran to the door, stood in wait. As she walked through, I closed the door behind her.

‘Hello, Nadja.’

‘
You
?’

‘I bet you thought I didn’t have it in me.’

She looked round, first at Zalinskas, then at Cardownie and the pools of blood on the floor.

‘Welcome to the party,’ I said. ‘Why don’t you have a seat?’

As they lined up on the couch, I let them simmer. The wolf cries grew louder. I walked over to the cage, shook my head. ‘Poor animal. What kind of a sick fuck keeps such a beautiful beast caged?’

Nobody answered, then Nadja spoke, ‘Gus, surely we can talk about this?’

‘Oh, we’re past the pillow-talk stage, honey, or hadn’t you realised?’

I turned away from the wolf, strolled over to the group. ‘Quite a gathering. I’m sure you must be wondering why I brought you here.’

No one answered. The pug groaned, I put a kick in his back, yelled, ‘Shut the fuck up.’

The others flinched as I turned on them. I cocked the gun in their direction.

‘It’s all very simple. I’m going to ask one question, and I
will
get an answer.’

‘Mr Dury,’ Zalinskas stood up, ‘I’m sure you are a reasonable man.’

I brought the gun across his face, opened up a two-inch gash. He yelled, fell back. Blood streamed through the fingers he brought up to his cheek.

‘Whatever gave you that idea?’

I pulled up a chair, turned its back towards the group. As I sat down I kept moving the gun between their heads. ‘One question and I
will
have an answer. Do you understand?’

The three of them nodded. ‘Yes.’