Paavo turns, pulls his arm back and hurls the phone into the shallow margins of a small lake. The whole area is dotted with them. It lands with a plop and disappears. So much for it being potentially useful.
‘Fuck him up,’ Paavo says.
Great, now he thinks he is John McClane.
The old mill is only another mile and a half or so further along the road, off a side turning. Paavo gets back in and we set off again. If we ever get out of this mess alive I’m going to get myself one of those iPhones. It looked pretty cool.
At that thought, another pops into my head. ‘Jason, you’d better tell us what you found out about Junior. ’
* * *
It seems that Junior has a checkered history that wasn’t difficult to put together given his various appearances in newspaper archives and court records. He grew up in Dorchester, Boston. Fell out of school when he was seventeen and fell in with the wrong crowd. Got busted for dealing, then a short time later for mugging an elderly man, and did two years in a juvenile correctional facility.
Two years after being released he was sent down again for what Jason says was fourth degree murder. I’ve never heard of it before, but he swears blind it exists. Basically, Junior was an accomplice in a burglary that went wrong. His partner attacked the unarmed owner of the house with a chisel and they both fled. The man bled out. If either of them had stayed and helped him, he would have probably survived. Junior served five years in MCI-Norfolk, having pled guilty to the crime and twenty other offences.
When he left prison he got involved in youth projects and seemingly turned his back on a life of crime. At some point, he married Barry White’s sister, Denise.
He was by no means a saint, but it doesn’t sound like he deserved to be shot by his brother-in-law for telling him where to put his insults.
Jesus, Barry White. The thought of him driving around looking for us makes my stomach turn. I decide it’s time to check in with Annabelle.
The phone keeps ringing. The longer it goes on, the sicker I feel. I knew leaving her on her own was a mistake.
‘Hello?’
About time! What’s she trying to do, give me a stroke?
‘Anna?’
‘Tadhg! Where the hell are you?’ She snaps.
‘ We’re just arriving at Malachy’s Mill.’
‘I’ve been worried sick about you. You said you were going to let me know how you were getting on.’
‘ I’m talking to you, aren’t I? Jason and Paavo insisted on stopping for breakfast. How’s Redneck?’
I don’t see the point in sharing the journey’s escapades with her. She ’s probably already scared half-witless babysitting our Memphis captive. I know I would be. Two people have died in that house in the past few hours.
‘He’s still out for the count.’
I don’t like the sound of that. Admittedly, Anna had tried to hit his head into next week, but I would have thought he’d have come round by now. How long do head trauma victims normally remain unconscious? In the movies you just chuck a bucket of water over them and they revive almost straightaway. I suspect the movies might be a crock of crap. As long as we don’t end up with a third body. This one we would have killed. Whether the body was found in my house or Malachy’s Mill, we’d still be guilty.
‘If anyone come s to the house just leave, okay,’ I tell her. ‘I mean, straight away. Don’t try and confront them. Don’t try and take Redneck with you. Just get the hell out of there and go to Jason’s basement. You need to play it safe, not sorry.’
‘ For God’s sake, Tadhg, I’m a big girl and you’re not my older brother. Just relax will you. I’m more than capable of looking after myself. Just get back here as soon as you can. I need to get to work.’
It’s nice to hear that someone has their priorities straight. Work? We need to negotiate with Redneck about Kate’s
‘Fuck him up,’ Paavo says.
Great, now he thinks he is John McClane.
The old mill is only another mile and a half or so further along the road, off a side turning. Paavo gets back in and we set off again. If we ever get out of this mess alive I’m going to get myself one of those iPhones. It looked pretty cool.
At that thought, another pops into my head. ‘Jason, you’d better tell us what you found out about Junior. ’
* * *
It seems that Junior has a checkered history that wasn’t difficult to put together given his various appearances in newspaper archives and court records. He grew up in Dorchester, Boston. Fell out of school when he was seventeen and fell in with the wrong crowd. Got busted for dealing, then a short time later for mugging an elderly man, and did two years in a juvenile correctional facility.
Two years after being released he was sent down again for what Jason says was fourth degree murder. I’ve never heard of it before, but he swears blind it exists. Basically, Junior was an accomplice in a burglary that went wrong. His partner attacked the unarmed owner of the house with a chisel and they both fled. The man bled out. If either of them had stayed and helped him, he would have probably survived. Junior served five years in MCI-Norfolk, having pled guilty to the crime and twenty other offences.
When he left prison he got involved in youth projects and seemingly turned his back on a life of crime. At some point, he married Barry White’s sister, Denise.
He was by no means a saint, but it doesn’t sound like he deserved to be shot by his brother-in-law for telling him where to put his insults.
Jesus, Barry White. The thought of him driving around looking for us makes my stomach turn. I decide it’s time to check in with Annabelle.
The phone keeps ringing. The longer it goes on, the sicker I feel. I knew leaving her on her own was a mistake.
‘Hello?’
About time! What’s she trying to do, give me a stroke?
‘Anna?’
‘Tadhg! Where the hell are you?’ She snaps.
‘ We’re just arriving at Malachy’s Mill.’
‘I’ve been worried sick about you. You said you were going to let me know how you were getting on.’
‘ I’m talking to you, aren’t I? Jason and Paavo insisted on stopping for breakfast. How’s Redneck?’
I don’t see the point in sharing the journey’s escapades with her. She ’s probably already scared half-witless babysitting our Memphis captive. I know I would be. Two people have died in that house in the past few hours.
‘He’s still out for the count.’
I don’t like the sound of that. Admittedly, Anna had tried to hit his head into next week, but I would have thought he’d have come round by now. How long do head trauma victims normally remain unconscious? In the movies you just chuck a bucket of water over them and they revive almost straightaway. I suspect the movies might be a crock of crap. As long as we don’t end up with a third body. This one we would have killed. Whether the body was found in my house or Malachy’s Mill, we’d still be guilty.
‘If anyone come s to the house just leave, okay,’ I tell her. ‘I mean, straight away. Don’t try and confront them. Don’t try and take Redneck with you. Just get the hell out of there and go to Jason’s basement. You need to play it safe, not sorry.’
‘ For God’s sake, Tadhg, I’m a big girl and you’re not my older brother. Just relax will you. I’m more than capable of looking after myself. Just get back here as soon as you can. I need to get to work.’
It’s nice to hear that someone has their priorities straight. Work? We need to negotiate with Redneck about Kate’s
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