Read Online Heroin Annie by Peter Corris - Free Book Online Page A

‘you should pick your enemies better.’ I kicked the .45 away into the shadows and put the .38 into the rubbish bin. ‘Get up.’
    He was good; he came up fast and threw the package at me but I was ready for that, and he missed anyway. I put a straight left on his nose and felt it give. He roared and swung wildly; I let him miss twice and then I stepped up and hooked a hard right into his mouth. The flesh split and a couple of his big, beautiful white teeth collapsed and I hit him there again. His hands went up to his face and he stepped back, then he lowered his head and charged; I stepped away and he went hard into the post which held the bin. I ripped him twice under the heart and he went down and lay still.
    I was breathing hard and both hands were hurting, but it was my turn to gather guns and money. I collected the lot and picked up the plastic packet of corn flour from the roadway. Annie got out of the car and walked over to Hendrick couchant .
    â€˜You should've killed him’, she said.
    â€˜No, he should have killed me.’
    The whole thing only took a couple of minutes and if any cars had passed during the action their drivers must have decided it wasn't their scene. A car cruised up now with a genuine citizen aboard; he wound down the window and put his big, bald head out.
    â€˜Trouble?’ he said.
    I'd taken Hendrick's ID card out of his wallet: it carried the name Hendrick Hasselt and a photograph. I put my thumb over the photo and flashed the card.
    â€˜No trouble. Making an arrest. Good of you to stop.’ I tried to look as if I always went about with three guns and thirty grand mad money on me. He didn't like the effect but he wasn't a fool; he nodded and drove on.
    Hasselt was wearing a rather nice line in paisley ties; it looked better around his wrists and he looked better on the back seat of the car, bleeding gently over his upholstery. Sam sat in the back with him and Annie drove us to Palm Beach. We had a quiet talk on the way; as she told it, she was right in the middle between Doc and Hasselt and his colleagues. It all rang true and when I asked her how she felt about a loan and a little trip abroad she gave me the first real smile I'd seen her use.
    â€˜Can you do that?’
    â€˜I think so. I'll do it for Ma mostly. You, I'm not sure about. It depends how you feel about the junk.’
    â€˜Never again’, she said. ‘Believe me.’
    I didn't say anything—what can you say? They opened the door to Annie and we all trooped in. I used the .45 to impress Doc and Dean, but after dumping Hasselt in a chair they didn't need much impressing. Paul was stretched out asleep on the sofa and the little packet of heroin was nowhere to be seen.
    Dean looked at Hasselt and breathed out slowly. ‘What happened to him?’
    â€˜He got careless and he wasn't quite as good as he thought he was. Now you just be quiet and you'll get your gun back.’ I walked over to Doc and pushed him down into a chair, then I tickled his knee cap with the gun. ‘Tell Sam where the shit is, or you'll never walk again.’ He told her and she brought it out.
    Hasselt looked bad but he was taking an interest; one side of his face was darkening fast and he was working at a loose tooth with his tongue, maybe several teeth. I took out the plastic bag and showed it to him.
    â€˜Can you cook?’
    He shook his head.
    â€˜Pity’, I said and dumped the cornflour in his lap, the dust flew up and he sneezed, and that caused him pain and he swore. I poured myself a small splash of Bacardi and sipped it, I could see why they drowned it with Coke.
    â€˜Now’, I said, ‘let's all go to the bathroom.’ I finished my drink and we all trooped into a bathroom that had white and red tiles and good-looking plumbing. I tossed the plastic belt to Doc.
    â€˜Open it up, Doc, and pour it all into the toilet bowl.’
    â€˜No’, he screamed. ‘That's a