The Mattress: The Glasgow Chronicles 4 (30 page)

  “So, it’s o’er tae yersel, Tony, boy.  Ah don’t know how ye’re gonnae dae it, bit if Ah wis you, Ah’d get ma hauns oan Harper Harris, as soon as.  He’s the man tae tell ye how tae target somewan like Tam Simpson, so he is.  If anywan knows the movements ae Tam Simpson, he’s yer boy.  Noo, if it’s okay wae yersel, that Abbot and Costello pair ur jist aboot tae come oan the telly...so unless there’s anything else?”

  “Ma two hunner quid?”

  “The Goat will gie ye that oan the way oot.  Keep me posted, and remember, Ah’ll be heiding aff later in the week, so ye better get yer skates oan.  Wance Ah’m gone, Tam Simpson is oot ae bounds tae aw and sundry till Ah get back,” The Big Man reminded him, looking across at Tony and Wan-bob tae make sure they’d baith goat the message.

  “Bit...”

  “And remember, Tony, Ah’ll still need ma forty eight hours notice, so Ah will.”

  Efter Gucci disappeared wae The Goat and Wan-bob, The Big Man looked at the ring.  It wis stunning.  He could see why The Echo called it ‘The Princess’s Ring.’  Any Princess wid be glad tae hiv that slipped oan her slim finger.  It wis well worth the four hunner quid reward that the paper wis putting up tae get it back.  He’d need tae talk tae The Rat, in order tae set the wheels in motion fur opening up the negotiating channels.  Two and a hauf grand wid be a good starting price, he thought tae himsel, as he leaned o’er and switched oan the telly.

Chapter Thirty Eight

Tony looked at the three ae them.  He’d nipped roond tae Simon’s earlier, efter being drapped aff oan Auchentoshan Terrace by Wan-bob and The Goat.  He’d telt Simon tae get Snappy and Pat roond tae Petershill Road.  Snappy and Simon looked happy enough, bit Pat obviously wisnae convinced.

  “Ah think it’s too dodgy.  Whit if he isnae in the hoose?” Pat asked.

  “So, there’s nae herm done then.  We’ll jist look aboot and if we come across anything worth a few bob, we’ll take that as payment fur oor time,” Snappy replied, shrugging they shoulders ae his.

  “It’s aw right fur youse wans.  Ah’m mair comfortable hitting shoaps.  Breaking intae a hoose isnae whit Ah’m comfortable wae.”

  “Aw, fur fuck’s sake, Pat.  Ye don’t hiv tae go in.  Masel and Simon will dae that, won’t we, Simon?”

  Tony let them ramble.  He knew they hid tae go through the motions.  He awready knew who wis daeing whit.

  “Right, well, if ye’re no prepared tae go in then, it’ll jist be ten percent runner’s fees fur ye, if we come oot wae any goodies.  Why the fuck should we hiv tae dae aw the work, eh?”

  “Well, in that case, there’s nae point in me gaun then, is there?  If ye want a runner, get Peter tae go wae youse,” Pat growled at Snappy.

  “Look, shut the fuck up, Pat.  Ye’re gaun and that’s that,” Tony growled.

  “No fur ten per cent, Ah’m no.”

  “Wid youse stupid pricks get serious and wise up?  We need tae work oot whit the hell we’re daeing here.  How ur we gonnae get intae that hoose withoot Harper daeing a runner oot ae the back door and o’er that fence beside the railway line?”

  “Well, Ah’m yer man fur gaun in and dragging the bampot oot,” Snappy declared.

  “So Am Ah,” Simon said.

  “Snappy, you’ll be oot the back.  Pat, ye’re in the car at the front.”

  “Aw, fuck aff, Tony.  Whit’s wrang wae Simple Simon?” Snappy whined.

  “Look, Ah need ye oot the back, okay?  If he dis a runner, Ah want somewan oot the back that’ll be able tae stoap him wae wan hit.”

  “Ah’d manage wan hit, so Ah wid,” Simon declared, in case there wis any confusion oan his ability tae stoap somewan in their tracks wae wan jab.

  “So, Ah kin go in then, in that case?” Snappy asked.

  “Naw, ye cannae.  It’s masel and Simon.  You and Pat ur ootside.  Ah’ve thought this through and it’s settled.  Right, Simon, whit’s the score wae the hoose then?” Tony asked, before any mair arguments started up.

  “Well, Ah only hid a quick look.  Ah parked the car in Milton Drive, the wee street in between Colston Road and Coltpark Avenue, and sauntered doon towards the hoose, bit turned back hauf way.  Ah didnae want tae get too close.  The street’s quite quiet, particularly doon the far end, where he’s supposed tae be.  And another thing, it’s no a cul-de-sac either.  There’s a wee street hauf way doon oan the right called Stuart Drive that takes ye roond and back oan tae the Kirkintilloch road.  Aw the hooses ur quite close tae wan another as well, so it wid definitely need tae be done in the dark.  Anywan clocked wandering aboot the place wid staun oot a mile, so they wid, including somewan like Fast Track Dave.  It widnae surprise me if he hisnae gied the game away.  Aw the living rooms in the street ur facing oot oan tae the pavements.  Ah think we’d get away wae parking a car doon at the bottom, facing the fence.  The hooses doon there, including the wan that Harper’s supposed tae be in, ur big detached basturts, wae hedges in front ae them.  Unless somewan wis looking oot the tap flair windaes, Ah don’t think we’d draw too much attention.  If Pat’s daeing the driving, we could lie in the back seat or, even better, the boot and then crawl oot ae it wance we’re parked.  The only problem Ah kin see is, if we hiv tae bodily carry him oot ae the hoose and he’s struggling and screaming.”

  “Is that it?” Snappy asked.

  “Well, unless ye’ve goat a better idea.  Spit it oot, professor.”

  “Ah think we come in fae the railway side.  We nip up and o’er the fence intae the back garden and then intae the hoose.  That’s obviously the way Harper dis it.  We could leave the car parked in Milton Drive oot ae the way”

  “So, why wis he walking doon intae the street fae the Kirkintilloch road end then?” Simon asked.

  “Because, as Tony said, ye widnae be climbing o’er the fence during the day, bit at night, it wid be different.”

  “And ye think trying tae get him o’er a big fence, if he wis struggling like a madman, nae tae mention him screaming like a banshee, wid be a piece ae piss?”

  “Believe you me, Ah’ll gie him such a dig, he’ll no know whether it’s Christmas or Halloween, so he wullnae.  Whit dae ye think, Tony?”

  “We’ll stick tae the car in the street, doon by the fence, as Simon said.  If Ah kin get intae the hoose and talk tae him, Ah’ll maybe be able tae convince him that he’ll be safe wae us.  Keep in mind, Ah’ve still goat a hunner quid tae gie him,” Tony reminded them.

  “Suit yersels, bit don’t say Ah never warned youse if it aw goes tae pot,” Snappy retorted.

  “Don’t worry, Snappy.  Ah’m sure that ye’ll no let us furget aboot yer brilliant alternative plan fur the next year, if it aw goes pear-shaped,” Simon said, as everywan burst oot laughing, as Snappy gied them a two fingered salute wae baith hauns.

  “Right, Pat, pick me up at two in the morning.  Don’t bother coming up the stairs...Ah’ll see ye doon oan Auchentoshan Terrace.
 
Snappy, we’ll pick you and Simon up fae yer closemooths at five past two.  Noo, remember, we need tae dae this wae the minimum ae force.  Ah widnae expect Harper tae put up a fight, so let’s no try and scare the shit oot ae him.  If he panics, we’ll aw end up in the jail.”

  “Right, it’s jist aboot dark.  Ah’ll nip up and leave a jemmy and the shooters behind the fence beside the hoose.  That way if we get stoapped by the bizzies oan route, they won’t find anything incriminating in the car,” Simon volunteered.

  “Ah’ll see if Ah kin blag a car fae the car park, belonging tae wan ae the nightshift workers, at the Sighthill freight terminal oan Springburn Road.  If everything goes awright, we kin hiv it back there, withoot anywan knowing it’s been gone,” Pat volunteered.

  “Make sure ye’ve goat gloves tae leave wae the jemmy and the shooters, Simon,” Tony said, as they goat up and heided fur the door.

Chapter Thirty Nine

  Harper hid been unsettled aw day.  He kept gaun back tae the wee incident wae Fast Track Dave’s Roller oan Colston Road the day before.  He wis sure that he hidnae been recognised.  He’d only hid a couple ae dealings wae Fast Track o’er the years through his brother-in-law, Hawkeye Campbell.  It wis coming up fur two years since Hawkeye hid returned tae the toon, efter hivving fucked aff, leaving a trail ae bad debt behind him.  It hidnae been any auld debts either.  His first mistake hid been in approaching Tam Simpson fur a loan ae a hunner smackers.  His second mistake hid been in no being able tae pay aff his weekly payments oan time, including interest.  When he couldnae keep up wae the payments, the interest hid spiralled oot ae control and before Hawkeye’d known whit wis happening, he hidnae been a skid mark aff ae owing the basturt three hunner quid.  The third mistake hid been in approaching Pat Molloy, the gangster fae the Toonheid, who owned The Carlton Club, a casino doon by George’s Square.  Harper wisnae too sure whit the set up hid been there, bit The Big Man hid haunded o’er a van load ae Benson and Hedges fags fur Hawkeye tae sell and get a cut fae, tae pay aff his debt tae The Simpsons.  Hawkeye hid never been good wae money, him being a waster and aw that.  Harper wisnae too sure whit he’d been oan at the time, bit whitever it wis, it hid certainly frizzled that brain ae his.  The stupid basturt hid never haunded o’er The Big Man’s cut fae the fag deal, bit insteid, hid shot the craw fur a few months.  Then, even mair stupidly, Hawkeye hid re-appeared oan the scene.  Owing The Simpsons money wis wan thing, bit owing an even bigger, meaner basturt money, and then daeing a runner, wis jist asking fur trouble.  Harper and his sister, Jean, hid only seen Hawkeye fur aboot hauf an hour, efter he’d goat back, before he’d disappeared fur good.  Hawkeye hid telt him that he’d come up wae a cunning plan tae calm everything doon.  He wis gonnae try and arrange a meeting wae Danny Murphy, wan ae the brothers who wis high up in The Big Man’s team, bit he’d never goat the chance.  A couple ae days efter arriving back in the toon, Hawkeye’d been found deid, full ae stab holes, minus his toe and fingernails and wae fag burns aw o’er his chest.  His nipples hid been ripped aff wae pliers and his face hid been smashed tae a pulp.  He’d also been nailed tae a door jist like Jesus F Christ.  Harper hid heard that they’d hid tae use his dental records tae identify him because some basturt hid took an acetylene
torch tae the tips ae his fingers efter ripping aff his nails.  They’d found the poor basturt, still attached tae the door, up near Possil Loch.  Some guy hid been oot, walking his wee Jack Russell dug, when it hid goat aw excited at whit wis under the door.  When the guy hid looked under it, he’d noticed the spread-eagled, bare feet ae poor Hawkeye nailed tae the underside ae it.  Aw the papers hid hid a field day aboot it.  Harper hid even read that it couldnae hiv been wan ae the Catholic gangs in the city because ae the way Hawkeye hid been crucified.  The Glesga Echo hid stated that any Catholics worth their salt wid’ve known that the feet wur nailed thegither when somewan goat crucified in biblical times.  That meant that it couldnae hiv been The Big Man’s crew or the ‘Well-known Toonheid Villains’ as that wummin reporter said in The Echo.  The fact that maist ae The Simpsons gang, apart fae Tam and Toby themsels, wur well-known Proddies and seeing as the body hid been found jist up the road fae them oan Possil Loch, meant that everywan and their dug, apart fae the bizzies, knew it hid been the work ae The Simpsons.  Nowan hid ever been charged wae it.  Jean hid ended up being crucified in a different way.  She’d been carted aff tae the nut-hoose and they weans ae hers hid been taken intae care by the Possil social workers.  It hid taken her nearly two years tae get them back, wance she’d goat oot ae the funny farm.  Hawkeye hid owed Fast Track Dave forty quid.  The unfortunate fact fur Harper wis that he’d been wae Hawkeye when he’d put oan and lost the forty quid at the dugs, which meant that The Big Man’s heavies hid come tae him as guarantor, tae square up the debt.  He’d been allowed two weeks’ respite tae get the money thegither, including a hunner and fifty percent interest, before he’d haunded it o’er tae wan ae The Big Man’s gorillas called Wan-bob.  Wid Fast Track Dave hiv remembered him fae nearly two years ago?  That wis the question that hid kept Harper tossing and turning aw night.  The other reason fur the sleepless night hid been how tae get doon intae Springburn tae retrieve his hunner quid fae Tony Gucci?  He regretted haunin the ring o’er.  The best thing wid’ve been tae try and negotiate wae The Echo direct, bit the basturts hid never said how much the reward wis.  Aw they’d said in the paper wis that it wid be substantial.  His arse hid flapped when his sister hid telt him aboot everywan that wis trying tae track him doon.  He wisnae too distressed aboot the bizzies or The Simpsons.  He’d come tae terms wae that.  Simon Epstein confronting his sister oan the street hid been a surprise tae him though, and hid gied him a wee bit ae hope.  Tony Gucci still owed him a hunner smackeroos since he hidnae turned up at The Scotia Bar tae collect it fae him.  Crazy though it seemed, he wondered if Tony hid been trying tae track him doon tae haun it o’er.  Gucci didnae strike Harper as being the Santa Claus type, bit ye never knew…maybe he wis wan ae the few shitehooses he’d come across that hid a conscience.  However, he knew fine well that the real reason he wis worried and no sleeping well, wis the other guy that hid turned up, oot ae nowhere.  Jean hid said that he’d been a wee, scurrying, ratty type in an auld dirty raincoat who she widnae hiv trusted wae an empty milk bottle.  Who the fuck wis he then?  Whit wis he efter and who wis pulling his strings? 

  Harper knew he couldnae stay where he wis indefinitely, even though he’d a good wee set-up there.  Sitting oot ae sight ae herms way in the basement meant he could hiv a light oan withoot anywan knowing he wis there.  He also wisnae sure when the family wid be coming back fae wherever they wur.  He’d put thegither a couple ae holdalls full ae loot that he’d be able tae shift quickly and hid left them oot ae sight, beside the back door.  The following day wis Monday which meant the buses wid be running.  Mair importantly fur Harper, aw the pawn shoaps wid be open.  If he goat up and oot the door when it wis still dark, he could nip up oan tae the Kirkintilloch Road, at the tap ae the street, and get a bus that wid take him across tae the south side ae the city.  He’d pawn a few things up oan Alison Street, which wid get him enough tae take a train south.  Wance he wis in London or Leeds, he could pawn the rest ae the swag.  He’d hing back oan the jewellery that he’d rifled fae the master bedroom and get the lay ae the land first, before trying tae punt it roond the pubs in wherever he ended up.  Fuck the hunner quid that Gucci owed him...it wid be better tae be safe than sorry.  The quicker he goat oot ae Glesga, the better he wid feel.  Noo that he’d made up his mind, he felt better.  By this time the following day, he’d be doon south, living it up.  He might even be able tae join in oan aw the Christmas shite gaun oan roond aboot him.  He’d need tae remember tae take wan ae the chocolate selection boxes that he knew wur lying underneath the discarded wrapping paper beside the Christmas Tree, which he’d left lying, efter he’d opened the pressies, looking fur goodies.  He looked across at the TV screen.  ‘Joy at Christmas’ wis jist starting.  It wid be good tae hiv his hauns free fae wearing gloves aw the time, he thought tae himsel, as he stretched his erm doon and lifted oot a Milky Bar fae the hauf empty selection box that wis lying at his feet, before settling back in his seat.