“No worries, I want something more basic. If the logistics were right Bridie, I’d crucify the three of them. Right on Clapham Common... now wouldn’t that be a sight to see.”
Bridie thought of the gun sitting in her fridge and marveled at how easily the lie had come.
Robbie laid out his kit. A small gold-plated box with a mirror, straw, two full vials and an old fashioned razor blade. The coke was already prepared and lay in five lines. A glass of water was next to his daboddle of dreams like a plain reminder of reality.
He snorted the lines and then dipped his fingers in the water. With a groan he allowed the drops to enter his nostrils... he muttered, “Fuckin’ nirvana on a good day.”
The intercom beeped and put the heat crossways in him. It was very new. He’d gotten it the day before at a boot sale. Just the touch he felt to signal his new found status. The Korean was in, he’d given a verbal agreement by phone and in two days the papers would be signed and the cheque handed over.
“A very big, very fat cheque,” he said.
He flipped the switch on the intercom.
“Yes Mrs. D.”
“It’s Mr. Naylor, he won’t wait any longer, he says he’s coming through... he’s the bailiff.”
As the coke soared, Robbie felt a brotherhood of man feeling.
“By all means Mrs. D, ask him to do so... and have the afternoon off eh... go shopping.”
“With what... I might remind you of my wages...”
He flipped her off and swept his kit into a drawer.
As Naylor entered, Robbie rose to greet him. He was feeling positively saintly and reckoned he might even send a cheque to Mother Theresa. A glow he felt emanated from him.
To Naylor he looked indeed all lit up. Two sheets to the wind. He asked,
“Bit early for it is it Mr. Colbert?”
“Never too early for cordiality my friend. We’ve met before.”
“Too right by halves, you know why I’m here.”
“I do indeedy and let me say on a personal level, you’re very adept. Might I drop a note of commendation to your superiors.”
“You might drop me a note of payment.”
“All in good time my impatient friend. Some beverage perhaps.”
“Let’s get on with it Mr Colbert eh, I don’t have all day.”
“Are you a family man Naylor; are there a brood of junior sheriffs at home, waiting to repossess you?”
Robbie’s high began to crumble. The very power of the drug was enhanced by it’s brevity. He said in a high voice.
“Two days... that’s it and I’m home free.”
“I’m afraid the time is up”... and he slapped a form on the desk.
“For God’s sake Naylor, gimme a break. You want something, a show of good faith is that it? Well here, (he began to unstrap his watch) take this, it’s a Phillip Patek. Bet you’ve never had one of those. What do you use, a Timex... or a Swatch... yea, one of those functional jobs. So live a little. Show it to the little woman, get her juices flowing. There’s more where that came from. JUST GIVE ME TWO LOUSY DAYS.
Naylor began to feel uneasy and thought he might need back-up. The man looked positively deranged. Naylor began to move towards the door.
“Mr. Colbert these premises are no longer your property.”
Robbie flung the watch and Nayor beat a rapid retreat. He didn’t notice the woman sitting quietly in the outer room.
Robbie let loose a string of obscenities and began rummaging in his desk for something to ingest. The woman came quietly in, picked up the watch and waited. He looked up,
“Who the hell are you?”
“Are you Robert Colbert?”
“No, I’m the fucking Aga Khan, who the hell do you think I am, what do you WANT?”
“I believe you may be able to help me. I have a special dilemma.”
“Don’t we all honey, well spit it out.”
“I have a child that needs to be sexually abused. I hear you’re just the man for the job. That it’s a specialty of yours.”
Robbie froze. What colour there was in his face drained away. He sat down slowly and asked quietly.
“What is this, who put you up to it?”
“I’m the little girl’s aunt.”
It took him a few moments to put it together and when he did, he gave a bitter smile.
“The convict’s sister, the crazy bitch. Yea, I heard about you. Didn’t they have you in some madhouse. Get early release did you... lemme tell you sister, you pull many more stunts, you’ll be back on the funny farm.”
“You have a filthy manner, but what else could I expect from a child molester. A pervert.”
He stood up.
“That’s it, you’re outta here. I don’t need this garbage today.”
As he moved towards her, she reached in her bag and pulled out a gun. He thought it must be a toy, it looked so plastic.
“You’re kidding. I’m supposed to buy that’s real, gimme a break.”
She squeezed the trigger and the intercom leapt from the desk. He looked round in disbelief.
“Yah bad bitch, I only bought that yesterday.”
And she squeezed again.
It felt like a sledgehammer to his right knee and he sunk to the floor.
Now he was truly afraid.
“For pity’s sake, I never touched that little girl.”
And squeeze.
His middle fingers disappeared.
Squeeze.
Squeeze.
Squeezed.
Tom was planning his next job when the phone rang.
“Hello.”
“Daddy?”
“Kendra, hello darling’”
His heart pounded in his chest and the phone felt sticky in his hand.
“How did you know it’s me Daddy?”
“I’d recognise you anywhere honey.”
“Mummy is going to be away all day and she said you could bring me out... will you Daddy?”
“What time is it now darlin’?”
“Am... eleven I think.”
“Start counting, at 12 o’clock, I’ll be giving you the biggest hug you ever had. Are you counting?”
“One
Two...”
He dressed fast, rang a mini-cab and was on his way. Five minutes after he left, a police car pulled up to his door. Kendra was waiting at the window.
Seven years old now, she was her mother in tiny exact detail. He felt his breath hold in his chest as he saw her. She was wearing a bright blue tracksuit with “Eurodisney” on the front, and came racing into his arms.
As he held her he thought, “if I could hold her thus forever.”
And already she was pulling away, laughing.
“Your beard tickled me Daddy.”
They went to:
Kew Gardens
The Zoo
McDonalds
And
Burger King.
Tom couldn’t believe one little girl could put away so much
Ice cream
Chips
And soft drinks.
As a thief, he had to admire the glossy wholesale thievery of those outfits. The day was drawing to a close and a silence shaped above father and child. Kendra was sucking emptily on her Coke. He asked,
“Like anything else darling’”
“No thanks, Daddy.”
“Are you upset about anything?”
“It’s my first Communion next month.”
“You’ll be a big girl then.”
“We have to make our confession and if we don’t tell all our sins, we’ll burn in hell till our skin falls off and we’ll still be roasting. Sister Adele says it’s like being burnt with a match only a million and million times hotter.”
She said this in the rushed total concentrated way that child does. Her little cheeks were flushed as if she could a ready feel the heat.
Tom would have liked a few moments with the highly imaginative Sister Adele. He wondered what sins a seven year old girl could be burned for.