Read Online Dark Times in the City by Gene Kerrigan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Gene Kerrigan
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hour.
‘Why didn’t you hang around the Blue Parrot, wait for the police to arrive? Why didn’t you come forward?’
‘Mostly, I try to avoid you people – and I’d nothing to say that someone else couldn’t tell you.’
They took him through the incident and Callaghan avoided any detailed description of the gunmen. He didn’t need to be caught up in witness statements, identity parades or anything else that would draw him further into something that was none of his business. By the time the cops left, they’d probably accepted that he had nothing to do with whatever Walter Bennett was involved with.
The policemen’s car turned off the slip road and settled into the creeping traffic. It was unlikely that Callaghan would get back to sleep now, but if he lay down he might get an hour or so. He was about to turn away from the window when he saw the blue Ford van.
Shit
.
In a parking bay just across from the apartment block, thirty yards down to the left.
It’s the same van
.
Hurrying to open the door before the guy from 257 Solutions spilled his guts in the car. Callaghan stepping back to avoid being creamed by the passing blue van, something white written along the side.
It’s just a blue van – how many of them are there in this city?
From up here he couldn’t read the white writing along the side. The misty rain on the window didn’t help. The angle of the windscreen made it impossible to tell if there was anyone in the van.
No one’s going to park down there at dawn, sitting around, watching an apartment block. It’s someone’s work van. Someone who lives around here, maybe someone visiting
. He was letting the cops rattle him. It was what they’d intended.
‘Stupid thing to do, sticking your nose in?’
‘I was hyped up – the guy crossed in front of me, I reacted.’
There was a tiny smile around Sergeant Wyndham’s lips. He leaned forward and spoke quietly. ‘Maybe you were hyped up because when you saw them coming in you thought they were coming for you? Big Brendan’s family?’
‘No.’
‘The way I read it, after the trial Frank Tucker made it clear he was going to have you. Blood for blood – that was the phrase, am I right? You killed his cousin, you’ll die screaming, that’s what he said. Frank is more than a big mouth.’
‘If that was going to happen he could have had it done in prison.’
‘Maybe he wanted you to have the pleasure of slopping out for eight years before he finished you off.’
‘I’ve been out for months – nothing’s happened.’
‘Could be Frank decided to let you stew.’
Callaghan said nothing. It was as if Wyndham had been reading his mind.
Now Callaghan stared down at the blue van.
The radiators had started to take the chill out of the air. When Callaghan looked at his watch he saw that twenty minutes had passed since the cops had left and he was still standing at the window. No sign of life from the blue van.
Two days, two blue vans
.
Who knows how many blue vans there are?
Hundreds
.
With white writing along the side?
Why not?
He made a cup of coffee and when he came back to the window the blue van was gone.
Chapter 10
‘Mr Mackendrick?’
‘Walter, thanks for calling back.’
‘What’s the story, Mr Mackendrick? Why did those bastards—’
‘It was a mistake, Walter, a bloody awful mistake. And it’s my fault.’
Mackendrick put some remorse in his voice. A touch of guilt.
‘I’m sorry, Walter – all I can do is hold my hands up and apologise. And I’ve made damn certain nothing like that will ever –
ever
– happen again.’
Walter said, ‘What happened?’
‘I spent three hours last night, after you called – half the night – getting hold of those gobshites, finding out what went wrong.’
‘What went wrong?’
Keep it simple
.
‘My big mouth. A few days ago – this had nothing to do with you – a few of us were talking about something, about a problem – I’d rather not go into it
‘Why didn’t you hang around the Blue Parrot, wait for the police to arrive? Why didn’t you come forward?’
‘Mostly, I try to avoid you people – and I’d nothing to say that someone else couldn’t tell you.’
They took him through the incident and Callaghan avoided any detailed description of the gunmen. He didn’t need to be caught up in witness statements, identity parades or anything else that would draw him further into something that was none of his business. By the time the cops left, they’d probably accepted that he had nothing to do with whatever Walter Bennett was involved with.
The policemen’s car turned off the slip road and settled into the creeping traffic. It was unlikely that Callaghan would get back to sleep now, but if he lay down he might get an hour or so. He was about to turn away from the window when he saw the blue Ford van.
Shit
.
In a parking bay just across from the apartment block, thirty yards down to the left.
It’s the same van
.
Hurrying to open the door before the guy from 257 Solutions spilled his guts in the car. Callaghan stepping back to avoid being creamed by the passing blue van, something white written along the side.
It’s just a blue van – how many of them are there in this city?
From up here he couldn’t read the white writing along the side. The misty rain on the window didn’t help. The angle of the windscreen made it impossible to tell if there was anyone in the van.
No one’s going to park down there at dawn, sitting around, watching an apartment block. It’s someone’s work van. Someone who lives around here, maybe someone visiting
. He was letting the cops rattle him. It was what they’d intended.
‘Stupid thing to do, sticking your nose in?’
‘I was hyped up – the guy crossed in front of me, I reacted.’
There was a tiny smile around Sergeant Wyndham’s lips. He leaned forward and spoke quietly. ‘Maybe you were hyped up because when you saw them coming in you thought they were coming for you? Big Brendan’s family?’
‘No.’
‘The way I read it, after the trial Frank Tucker made it clear he was going to have you. Blood for blood – that was the phrase, am I right? You killed his cousin, you’ll die screaming, that’s what he said. Frank is more than a big mouth.’
‘If that was going to happen he could have had it done in prison.’
‘Maybe he wanted you to have the pleasure of slopping out for eight years before he finished you off.’
‘I’ve been out for months – nothing’s happened.’
‘Could be Frank decided to let you stew.’
Callaghan said nothing. It was as if Wyndham had been reading his mind.
Now Callaghan stared down at the blue van.
The radiators had started to take the chill out of the air. When Callaghan looked at his watch he saw that twenty minutes had passed since the cops had left and he was still standing at the window. No sign of life from the blue van.
Two days, two blue vans
.
Who knows how many blue vans there are?
Hundreds
.
With white writing along the side?
Why not?
He made a cup of coffee and when he came back to the window the blue van was gone.
Chapter 10
‘Mr Mackendrick?’
‘Walter, thanks for calling back.’
‘What’s the story, Mr Mackendrick? Why did those bastards—’
‘It was a mistake, Walter, a bloody awful mistake. And it’s my fault.’
Mackendrick put some remorse in his voice. A touch of guilt.
‘I’m sorry, Walter – all I can do is hold my hands up and apologise. And I’ve made damn certain nothing like that will ever –
ever
– happen again.’
Walter said, ‘What happened?’
‘I spent three hours last night, after you called – half the night – getting hold of those gobshites, finding out what went wrong.’
‘What went wrong?’
Keep it simple
.
‘My big mouth. A few days ago – this had nothing to do with you – a few of us were talking about something, about a problem – I’d rather not go into it
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