Read Online The Writing on the Wall by Gunnar Staalesen - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Gunnar Staalesen
Ads: Link
there was already coming out from behind it. ‘Hey, Kalle! We’ve got a snooper here!’
An infernal din was coming from the machine beside me. I looked down at the screen. A colossal giant filled the end of the back street, where he was peppered with machine gun fire from my brave combatant, until his whole silhouette flashed before finally collapsing into a pulsating figure on the tarmac: 1000, 1000, 1000!
The man she had called Kalle stopped in front of me. He looked even bigger now that he was standing up, and his breath stank of onions and cigarettes. ‘What’s the idea?’
‘Better ask the young lady, hadn’t you? I’ve come here to play the machines.’
The lad beside me looked up. ‘He’s with me! It’s my uncle, innit!’
Kalle glanced suspiciously from the lad to Astrid Nikolaisen.
‘He was at our place a few hours ago – said he was looking for Torild!’
‘Tor …’
‘Just ask Kenneth!’
He turned to face me again. ‘That true?’
‘Why shouldn’t it be?’
‘He’s my uncle!’ said the lad. Now he’d come into a massive warehouse and let loose a no-nonsense burst of machine gun fire at one of the gangster bosses.
‘Don’t talk bollocks, Ronny!’ snapped Astrid Nikolaisen. ‘You haven’t got no bloody uncle!’
‘Who says I haven’t?’ – Rattatattataaaat! – Four or five gangsters hit the deck in a hail of bullets.
Kalle scowled at me, head slightly on one side. ‘So which is it, law or social worker?’
‘I’m qualified as the latter.’
‘So what Astrid says is straight-up, then?’
‘Yes, it’s true that I called at her place and asked her a few questions about a friend of hers in the same class. One of the places that came up in our conversation was this one here.’
He looked crossly at Astrid.
‘Yeah? So what’s wrong with that?’
Ronny was over the moon. The final picture on the screen showed the bank director’s daughter in a clinch with her saviour, as the message BONUS 10,000, BONUS 10,000, BONUS 10,000!!! flashed across the screen.
Kalle pointed a podgy finger at him. ‘As for you – don’t you ever show your ugly mug in here again!’
‘Don’t talk to my nephew like that!’ I said.
‘Come again? You really mean …? I’ll say what I like – don’t give a bugger who it is!’
‘What are you getting your knickers in a twist for?’ I asked quietly. ‘Paid for the game, didn’t I? Got something to hide, have we?’ Hamming it up for all I was worth, I cast a searching look round the room.
A few of the youths had gathered round us now, most of them just nosey parkers, but a couple of them looking as though they were dying for a chance to pitch in if he threw me out.
‘Got an eyeful now?’
‘It was Astrid who mentioned the name of this friend of hers. Torild. Know her, do you?’
‘I don’t know the name of every bugger who comes here!’
‘Oh no?’ I turned to Astrid. ‘Maybe you could explain who she is to him?’
She looked at me hesitating. ‘Torild … That girl who … One of the girls I usually knock about with.’
He coughed disgustingly. ‘Doesn’t make any odds, I’ve nothing to tell you about her. If she’s done a runner, then …’ He shrugged his shoulders.
‘Did I say she’d done a runner?’
He looked sideways. ‘Oh? Wasn’t that why you …?’
Astrid looked at him vacantly. Neither of them was much good at lying.
Bonny tugged at my coat sleeve. ‘Fancy another game, uncle?’
I shook my head. ‘Not now, Bonny. Another day.’
‘Is that a deal?’
‘Yes.’
‘See you, then!’ A touch uneasily he shuffled back to the pals
he’d come in with.
Just then the phone rang behind the counter. Kalle looked at me and nodded towards the exit. ‘There’s the door.’
I didn’t budge. ‘I can see that.’
For a moment we stood there glowering at each other, and I could see his biceps tighten. Suddenly he turned to the counter. ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, keep your hair on!’
I
An infernal din was coming from the machine beside me. I looked down at the screen. A colossal giant filled the end of the back street, where he was peppered with machine gun fire from my brave combatant, until his whole silhouette flashed before finally collapsing into a pulsating figure on the tarmac: 1000, 1000, 1000!
The man she had called Kalle stopped in front of me. He looked even bigger now that he was standing up, and his breath stank of onions and cigarettes. ‘What’s the idea?’
‘Better ask the young lady, hadn’t you? I’ve come here to play the machines.’
The lad beside me looked up. ‘He’s with me! It’s my uncle, innit!’
Kalle glanced suspiciously from the lad to Astrid Nikolaisen.
‘He was at our place a few hours ago – said he was looking for Torild!’
‘Tor …’
‘Just ask Kenneth!’
He turned to face me again. ‘That true?’
‘Why shouldn’t it be?’
‘He’s my uncle!’ said the lad. Now he’d come into a massive warehouse and let loose a no-nonsense burst of machine gun fire at one of the gangster bosses.
‘Don’t talk bollocks, Ronny!’ snapped Astrid Nikolaisen. ‘You haven’t got no bloody uncle!’
‘Who says I haven’t?’ – Rattatattataaaat! – Four or five gangsters hit the deck in a hail of bullets.
Kalle scowled at me, head slightly on one side. ‘So which is it, law or social worker?’
‘I’m qualified as the latter.’
‘So what Astrid says is straight-up, then?’
‘Yes, it’s true that I called at her place and asked her a few questions about a friend of hers in the same class. One of the places that came up in our conversation was this one here.’
He looked crossly at Astrid.
‘Yeah? So what’s wrong with that?’
Ronny was over the moon. The final picture on the screen showed the bank director’s daughter in a clinch with her saviour, as the message BONUS 10,000, BONUS 10,000, BONUS 10,000!!! flashed across the screen.
Kalle pointed a podgy finger at him. ‘As for you – don’t you ever show your ugly mug in here again!’
‘Don’t talk to my nephew like that!’ I said.
‘Come again? You really mean …? I’ll say what I like – don’t give a bugger who it is!’
‘What are you getting your knickers in a twist for?’ I asked quietly. ‘Paid for the game, didn’t I? Got something to hide, have we?’ Hamming it up for all I was worth, I cast a searching look round the room.
A few of the youths had gathered round us now, most of them just nosey parkers, but a couple of them looking as though they were dying for a chance to pitch in if he threw me out.
‘Got an eyeful now?’
‘It was Astrid who mentioned the name of this friend of hers. Torild. Know her, do you?’
‘I don’t know the name of every bugger who comes here!’
‘Oh no?’ I turned to Astrid. ‘Maybe you could explain who she is to him?’
She looked at me hesitating. ‘Torild … That girl who … One of the girls I usually knock about with.’
He coughed disgustingly. ‘Doesn’t make any odds, I’ve nothing to tell you about her. If she’s done a runner, then …’ He shrugged his shoulders.
‘Did I say she’d done a runner?’
He looked sideways. ‘Oh? Wasn’t that why you …?’
Astrid looked at him vacantly. Neither of them was much good at lying.
Bonny tugged at my coat sleeve. ‘Fancy another game, uncle?’
I shook my head. ‘Not now, Bonny. Another day.’
‘Is that a deal?’
‘Yes.’
‘See you, then!’ A touch uneasily he shuffled back to the pals
he’d come in with.
Just then the phone rang behind the counter. Kalle looked at me and nodded towards the exit. ‘There’s the door.’
I didn’t budge. ‘I can see that.’
For a moment we stood there glowering at each other, and I could see his biceps tighten. Suddenly he turned to the counter. ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, keep your hair on!’
I
Similar Books
