by Carl Hancock
With a lot on his mind, he enjoyed the alone time to assess his next projects; it was midday with no-one due in for at least three hours. The door swung closed behind him, he was at the bottom of the stairs before he realized it had taken longer than usual for the lock to engage. Spinning around he set eyes on a damaged Martin Locke standing before him, alone and relying on a pair of stability aids in order to stand. ‘What the hell happened to you?’
Locke rested on the crutches under his arms, unable to manoeuvre without them, ‘Someone I wish I’d never met.’
‘For fucks sake,’ Matt exclaimed and glanced around. ‘Are you alone?’
‘Of course, what you think I come here mobbed up?’
‘Make sure the doors locked and follow me into the office,’ Matt nodded in the direction of the door; he turned his back and continued on his way. Whatever the problem Locke had, he felt it was no concern of his, yet to appease him he decided to allow him five minutes. He dropped his case on the desk and placed his hand under it, listening carefully he took the gun strapped under it out of its holster. He checked it was still loaded and placed it back, moments later Locke limply caught up. Matt took his jacket off and hung it up, staying within easy reach of the firearm. Cocked and ready to go. He stood motionless while his unannounced visitor steadied himself between the door frame.
Matt was a cautious man who looked toward and planned his retirement years, the picture he had did not include an early departure or years served. Risk assessments had been carried out at his bequest, the time of day that it now was and the lack of material witnesses spelt an ideal time to execute him and strip his dealings apart. Even at the hands of a low level fuck up like Martin Locke. ‘Take a seat,’ he offered gesturing to the sofa.
‘I’d rather stand; it’s been two weeks since I last stood up. I’ve been in hospital since it happened.’
Matt had no idea what he was referring to, not yet at least but he knew the story would soon follow. He did know though, that a better line of fire could be achieved from where Locke remained stood, he had to keep his guard up. He wondered if Locke was testing him, playing coy whilst suspecting he had something to do with his injuries. Moving around the desk he sought defensive cover, he sat in the chair inches away from the gun. If his worst suspicions were correct and Locke drew a weapon, he would be under the desk and returning fire before he managed to get a round off. ‘It looks bad, what was it? A bit of business gone wrong?’
‘Two weeks laid up, yeah you could say it’s far from great,’ Locke immediately responded. ‘It wasn’t business to start with, but it sure as hell’s going to affect it now!’
Matt rested his arms on the desk; he placed his fingers and palms together. ‘So who was it and why are you bothering me? I’m a busy man you know?’
Locke moved a few inches forward, hobbled toward the desk and Matt’s sanctuary whilst not losing eye contact. ‘I didn’t know who it was at first. But I’ve got a pretty good idea now,’ he stopped feet away the desk, his composure less threatening up close.
Looking him up and down Matt noted the injuries looked real, not just a cunning ploy to catch him off guard. ‘You still haven’t told me what it’s got to do with me.’
‘It was down to that favour I did for you the other month, it came back to bite my arse off. I got jumped up West by this geezer who kept mentioning some bloke called Cyrus, the guy I beat for you. He was ruthless, like a wild dog. I now know exactly who he is and what you were trying to achieve.’
Matt remained calm despite the insinuation that he was in some way to blame, he considered it the lesser of two evils as it didn’t sound like Locke thought he actually had a hand in it. ‘Carry on then.’ He wanted to hear more. Locke looked like he had much more to say on the matter and he didn’t want to be bluffed, he wasn’t going to mention Billy’s name directly.
‘Billy Drake. I don’t know how he knew where to find me but it wasn’t just the beating he gave, he took something from me. Money, a fuck load of money, it’s all I had apart from what’s out on the street and if I don’t get it back then I’m out of the game for good, at a huge loss.’ He wobbled on the crutches as his body moved with the words, intent on expressing the importance of his loss.
Matt shook his head, ‘I don’t know why you’re bringing it to me. It’s not my business, what he does is down to him and him alone. If you’ve now got a beef with him, then take it up with him, I’m not going to stand in your way.’
‘But it was because I did you a favour!’ Locke insisted.
Matt stood up, he felt confident he wouldn’t require the services that the weapon provided on this occasion. If Locke was carrying with intent and reached for it he would almost certainly lose balance and fall over as he did so. ‘Look, I sort of sympathize with your situation Ok. When you do a favour you don’t expect repercussions, but, should they occur then you take it in your stride and deal with it. If you can’t cope with that then you should have refused the favour from the get go. Now I’m guessing that if you know who he is then you know I’m marrying his daughter which is a problem enough for me without getting involved with external grievances.’ He gestured toward the door, five minutes grace was up.
‘He stole £300 k from me that night!’ Locke confessed catching Matt’s attention. ‘And now I hear he’s in partnership with Candice Williams, running the show for a share of the profits.’
Matt had been informed by Cyrus about the role Billy was fulfilling but it was the first he knew about a share of the profits. ‘Why would she divvy up the profits? He’s only hired as muscle.’
‘He was only muscle at first, but I have it on good authority that he invested a large amount of cash in the business. My cash, for some new massage parlours and whore houses, the old girls taken a back seat and put him in charge.’ His voice was now nervous and jittery, the talk of so much money like a knife wound in his chest. He was beginning to feel hopeful of receiving the help he had come to request.
It was news to Matt, as was the thing with the ex copper. Either Cyrus was working both sides or he was a crap spy, which ever the case Matt wasn’t getting the entire information he was paying for, he ran his hand over his head. ‘How the hell did you get that sort of money anyway? I know your rates are extortionate but I didn’t know you had that much going through your hands.’
‘That’s the other thing; it was a one off big loan that was supposed to be paid back within one month. I had to get an investor who’s expecting £300k back for his £200k. He isn’t going to be happy when he finds out. Every day I dread the call to tell me he knows the loan never went through. He’s going to think I ran off with the money myself.’ He shifted about on his feet to face Matt directly. ‘That’s why I need your help, I’m a dead man if I don’t get it back, and even if I do I’ll still be out of pocket with my share going to the investor.’
Although grateful for the information and it had answered a few questions that had been bothering him, Matt had no reason to intervene. The business was a dirty and hard occupation; it didn’t bode well to pick fights for no reason. ‘You’ve always been able to take care of yourself, so sort it yourself. It’s got nothing to do with me,’ he stood up and again gestured toward the door.
Locke took the hint and with the aid of his crutches he slowly made his way out of the office.
Matt followed behind determined to get some peace to work, he wanted to ensure the door was secured. Locke continued trying to convince him to intervene but he remained firm and stood by his decision. He held the door open.
Locke paused once outside, a last ditch attempt. ‘If my investor finds out who’s got his money then it affects us all, not just me and not just Billy. His family won’t be safe.’
Matt sighed a deep breath, the subject was getting tiresome for him now, the repetitive talk was boring him, ‘What are you talking about now; it doesn’t involve anyone but Billy?’
Stood on the pavement with one raised foot Locke explained. ‘The investor w
on’t look at it like that; I’m surprised you haven’t asked me who he is!’
‘Go on then!’ Matt prompted as the door slowly closed, halfway through the motion he wondered if he heard correctly.
‘O’Donnell is the investor.’
The chill of the night air bit hard, white breath escaping from his mouth with every short gasp for air. The window was wound down and the engine switched off, the sounds of small insects in the bushes several feet away hummed tunes repeatedly. It had been a long day and an even longer night. Fortunately for him Suzy understood, she knew what his work demanded of him. His frequent late nights with no explanation offered would surely send any other woman packing. He was lucky, he knew that. Being accepted for who and what he was, was the most important element in his relationship. The ability to be upfront with her and not to hide or skulk about behind her back was what he loved most about being with her. Suzy knew him like no other had ever known him, she knew what drove him onwards to bigger and better success’s. She knew his business yet asked no questions about it, she had no moral bridges to cross.
It was dark outside, the radio was on low playing in the background, on the seat next to him was a package and it was the reason he was there.
In the distance a set of headlights bore down, the bumps on the unmade road giving the impression that its headlamps were flashing. He was astute, he knew it wasn’t the case but was certain they were what he had been waiting for. It wasn’t a tourist hotspot after all.
Matt kept his eyes on the car slowly driving down toward him; he flashed his lights as they drew closer. In the dead of night sat in the shadows his car was disguised. He could tell by their indecisive movements that they were not aware he was already there. They now saw him, the car changed direction, and it lurched left, its lights shining straight onto his co-ordinates.
Matt could see two figures in the front of the car, two were necessary for the whole thing to work without error. The round trip needed to be completed overnight so not to arouse any suspicion to link them to the act.
Matt climbed out of his car in preparation to greet the strangers here at his request. Although he did not know them personally, their identities unknown to him, they worked for someone who owed him big time. Today he had called a part of that debt in, a call to Jimmy Frazer in Glasgow had led to this meet right now. He reached into the car and took the package off the passenger seat; he placed it on the bonnet then rubbed his hands together to keep warm.
The driver pulled on the handbrake and dimmed the lights, his colleague got out before him. He walked round the front and exchanged greetings with Matt. Matt gave him the package. ‘Expenses.’
He took the offering hesitantly. ‘Didn’t Jimmy tell yer it wasn’t necessary?’
‘Take it, no reason for you to be out of pocket,’ Matt insisted, he took a slip of folded paper from his pocket and handed it over. ‘I need it clean, no evidence at all.’
The driver unfolded the paper and read the writing before putting it away. ‘What’s she done?’
‘You don’t need to know that, I was told you’d be discreet,’ he looked around, still the area was clear with no intrusive ears to hear their secrets and retell them.
‘I just wondered if you want the wee lass to feel anything, we can make it painful if that’s what you want?’
Matt shook his head; she had done nothing to deserve an end like that, although some may disagree. Reputation was important in her line of illegal business, more so than most others. Many that had felt her wrath over the years would welcome the thought of her suffering a slow agonizing death. But not him, he held no ill will toward her; he had never even met her. ‘No, make it quick. And don’t butcher her up; I need her to be found Ok?’
The talker nodded as did the silent partner when Matt looked from one another for confirmation that they understood his orders.
Matt waved them off, and if all went well, by 7am the two men would be back in Glasgow with their alibis secure and undisputable.
Chapter Eight
The main bar of the club was steadily filling up with members thirsty for an after work tipple, one of the few pleasures many of them had left to enjoy.
Business was looking good; the daily closures of other watering holes drove more punters toward his establishment. Anything that bought more cash through the door should have been seen as a good thing.
Much to Matt’s annoyance Billy had deemed to make the club his local. On the one hand it was easier to keep tabs on him, but on the other it created another problem that required addressing before it escalated.
Tony, the timid barman had confessed to an error of judgment that morning. On top of the problem with O’Donnell it meant Matt had to stay behind to resolve the issues tonight.
Billy was sat with a bunch of cronies, hired muscle handed down to him from the Whore hound that sat around feigning laughs at his attempts at humour.
If ever proof was needed that Billy was two faced when it benefited him, it was sat around the table with him now.
Six burly men of Eastern European descent were crammed into the rounded seat, Cyrus sitting uncomfortably between them. His small frame over towered by the men with unmistakable accents.
Billy paused from his jester act and looked up as he saw Matt approaching, for a second a smile looked like it was forming but it quickly turned into an arrogant sneer.
‘Celebrating something are you Billy?’ Matt glanced at all the empties sitting uncollected on the table. Each occupant had in front of him a full drink, with evidence to suggest that it had been in plentiful supply until then.
Billy remained seated. ‘Actually I am…’ he paused and took a sip of his drink. ‘Got a problem with that?’ He placed his glass down and swung his legs out from under the table, his body frame followed as he repositioned himself to face his inquisitor.
Matt placed his hands on the table leaning down to Billy as he addressed him.
‘Considering there are eight of you, yes I do have a problem with it. Either pay your tab and cash upfront for your drinks from now on or clear your slate and fuck off.’ It was purposely loud so all could hear; this was the minor of the two matters that he had to discuss with him so he wasn’t going to waste time playing mind games. The added obscenity was to create effect and lay the ground work for the next subject. He didn’t usually swear, he hoped it would throw Billy off guard.
Billy glared in the direction of the bar, toward Tony who wisely had his back turned while refilling the optics. ‘In my day we didn’t have to pay in a family place,’ he growled meeting Matt’s undeterred stare.
‘Well you’re no family of mine, not now and not ever!’
For a few seconds neither man backed down, silence around the table dominated the air as they squared up to one another like a pair of dogs about to kick off and tear a lump out of each other. Their eyes transfixed as if studying the others soul.
Billy grinned and nodded toward Tony. ‘I was only winding the kid up. Of course I was gonna pay, I was just seeing how long it would take him to ask.’ He spun his head around to rally support mocking the situation to save face as his companions nervously indulged him.
Matt, the victor stood up straight. ‘I need to discuss something else now Billy and it’s a delicate matter,’ he nodded towards the others.
‘Sure,’ he replied. ‘Drink up you lot and fuck off, I’ll see you tomorrow.’
The cheap labour did as ordered; their drinks disappeared with great speed almost as if they had been waiting to be dismissed deriving no pleasure from his company at all. They slid out one by one and dispersed leaving Cyrus grateful of the space as he sat back down under Matt’s watchful eye.
‘You as well Cyrus, now clear off.’
‘What!’ he looked at Matt and knew there was no point in arguing. ‘I’ll be at the bar Billy!’ he declared grabbing his drink.
Billy nodded his head as Matt took the weight off his feet and seated himself opposite his opponent.
> ‘Oh Cyrus,’ Billy called.
Cyrus paused and turned to face him. ‘Yeah Billy?’
‘Pay the bill will you? I’ll square you up tomorrow Ok.’
‘Sure, why the hell not,’ he muttered under his breath certain he would never see it again.
‘Well now my celebrations over, what do you want?’
Matt had got his undivided attention now, one problem resolved and now for the other.
‘I had a visit yesterday, from someone called Martin Locke. Do you know the name?’ He kept a close eye on Billy’s facial expressions, studying them closely.
‘Oh yeah, course I do,’ Billy laughed.
Matt was startled, he had expected to have to coerce the admission from him. ‘You do?’
‘Yeah, why so fuckin surprised? He was the one that you set upon Cyrus just to see if I’d react isn’t he?’ He calmly supped his drink.
The tables were turned on him; Locke had lied to his face about withholding his part in the tussle. He pushed that matter to the back of his mind; retribution would be claimed at a later date.
Billy spoke again before Matt had an opportunity to speak. ‘It doesn’t bother me, it’s Ok. I mean of course it did at first but…. I’ve had time to let it sink in.’ He exhaled, ‘I mean, you setting me up hoping to get me to step up for Cyrus and get sent back down would have been a long shot. A half cocked amateur attempt and from what I’ve heard about you that’s not your style.’
A compliment of sorts in order to win his confidence, Matt had seen it all before and wouldn’t let himself fall prey to it. ‘Just an experiment really, to see if you were still as volatile as the reputation that precedes you. I wanted to be sure that Suzy was safe in your company or if the prison environment had left you scarred, more inclined to hit first think later.’
Billy rubbed his chin, gently nodding his head. ‘That’s what I thought; you did it for my girl. At least it proves that you love her.’
