‘And you’ll get it. First, you talk. What’s with the mad Lottie? She after revenge or is she trying to make another comeback?’
Szulu frowned. ‘Huh?’
‘She used to run a gang, a few years back. Clubs, drugs, girls… that sort of stuff. You didn’t know?’
‘You kidding me? That old woman?’ Szulu almost laughed at the idea, then clearly thought better. ‘I ain’t surprised. She’s cold. Way cold. I don’t know about no comeback, though. But revenge, definitely. She said so, in fact. She hired me as a driver, see — and minder. First we went to Palmer’s place. But he wasn’t there. She seemed to be looking for something at his place, but she never told me what. Maybe she didn’t know herself. Fact is, she never told me nothing until it was almost too late. Then she told me he was some hotshot ex-army cop.’ Szulu looked aggrieved at the idea and shook his head. ‘Then she decided she wanted me to put the frights into her.’ He nodded at Riley, before quickly looking at Mitcheson. ‘But I was never going to hurt her — honest. It seemed like Grossman was building up to something… getting herself all wired up and that, but she didn’t say what it was.’
‘Revenge?’ said Riley. ‘Why am I not surprised?’
‘She told me Palmer had caused her old man’s death and spoiled some plans, and you’d helped him. It’s obvious, isn’t it? She was pissed and wanted payback. Said something about how she’d been waiting long enough and now was the time, before it was too late. Too late for what, she never said. Personally, I think she’s nuts. But that’s all I know, I promise.’
‘So why this?’ Mitcheson waved the.22 in the air. ‘You’re no gunman.’
‘It was for protection, man, what else?’ Szulu glanced down at his arm and hissed quietly as a wave of pain hit him.
‘But Lottie Grossman always flies mob-handed,’ said Mitcheson thoughtfully. ‘It’s the only way she knows. Are you saying there’s nobody else out there?’
Szulu looked from one to the other, a variety of expressions crossing his face. Then he said quietly. ‘Sort of.’
‘Sort of?’
‘Wait — it’s not like you think. See, I got into this problem. There’s this south London guy named Ragga Pearl. He’s bad news — I mean really bad. A gangsta dude with delusions. With Ragga, if he wants to hurt someone, he don’t think twice about it. Think of the worst person you ever knew, jack it up by a hundred, and you’d have the Ragga. He’s a real mamba on two legs. Anyway, he thinks I disrespected him, but I didn’t. See, he’s got this whole thing going about respect, and is totally crazy into the bargain — I mean lethal, right?’ He winced, but this time it didn’t seem connected with the pain in his arm. ‘I also owe him some cash, which was stupid, borrowing off a freak like him, but whatever. At the time, I was desperate.’
‘How does this mesh with Lottie Grossman?’ asked Riley impatiently.
‘I’m coming to it, right? I don’t know how Grossman connected with a guy like Ragga Pearl, her being old and white an’ all. I mean, it shouldn’t happen, even with all this multi-cultural crap they spilling out these days. You don’t mix lions with zebras, right? I reckon they must know people in common, is all I can think of. Anyway, I been expecting like the roof to fall in on me for about two weeks now, what with the way Ragga is. But next thing I know is, he calls me and tells me I’m working for this white woman until he decides otherwise.’
Mitcheson asked, ‘Doing what?’
‘He says I’m to do what she says, go where she wants, stuff like that. He says she wants someone followed and needs a guy who knows the moves, you know?’
‘Moves?’
‘Yeah. The street. How to move around but stay out of trouble. He says he told her I was good for that, and then he tells me if it goes down well, the debt’s paid off.’
‘Why?’
Szulu scowled. ‘Why? ‘Cos this is the Ragga. He don’t need no reasons, man. He just does stuff. It’s all part of his controlling shit…so he can pull strings and make like he runs this business fuckin’ empire. Doesn’t mean he hasn’t got an angle going, which in this case is earning money off the old woman for me being a modern-day slave. Only he ain’t gonna tell me his reasons, is he? All I know is, I do like the woman says, and maybe I’ll get out from under Ragga’s thumb, which is fuckin’ ace with me.’ He shrugged, which made him wince again. ‘You ask me, I reckon he knows stuff about this Grossman woman. Stuff he doesn’t let on about. But that’s Ragga, man. He’s always looking for an advantage.’ He managed what could have been a smile of admiration. ‘First she’ll know about it is when he drops a thunderbolt on her head.’
‘I wouldn’t bet on it,’ muttered Mitcheson. He looked at Riley. ‘She’s quick off the mark, I’ll give her that. Her and her time might be long gone, but she’s cottoned on fast to who the new boys in town are.’
Riley shrugged. ‘Different style, same aims. She needed someone cheap, and Ragga sold her this mutt.’
But Szulu was in full, resentful flow and appeared not to have heard the exchange. ‘Thing is, she never kept me in the loop about nothing. It was like everything was this big secret, and I was driving blind all the time. And there was Ragga always in the background. She even threatened to put in a bad word with him when I questioned her once; said she never put up with disloyalty, not ever. I mean, what was that about? It wasn’t like I was a kid or she owned me… but she acted like she did.’
‘That’s Lottie for you,’ said Riley. ‘Mad as a mongoose.’
‘Bless her,’ Mitcheson agreed. ‘So you don’t know anyone called-’ He looked at Riley.
‘Radnor,’ she put in. ‘Or Michael — he’s a Russian.’
Szulu shook his head. ‘No, never heard of them. Far as I know, Ragga don’t mix with no Russians. Like I said, no-one else was involved.’
‘Okay,’ said Mitcheson. ‘Is that it?’
Szulu nodded. ‘That’s it, man. See, I got the gun in case the Ragga come calling, or maybe the old woman decided to do something crazy. That was all.’ He looked at Riley. ‘I’m sorry I scared you. I didn’t mean no real harm, only… it kind of ran away from me.’ He switched his gaze to Mitcheson and stood up straighter, lifting his chin. ‘That’s straight up, man.’
Mitcheson nodded. He sensed Szulu was telling the truth, it had all poured out so freely. Now he wanted out. ‘Fair enough. So what were you supposed to do after delivering the message?’
Szulu shrugged. ‘Go meet the old witch and tell her I done the deed. Then wait for her to tell me what she wants to do next. Only, I got a feeling she might not make it.’
‘Why’s that?’
‘She’s old, man. And sick. She had some sort of attack at her hotel, and it’s made her even more unpredictable. You want my opinion, she’s running out of juice.’
‘A heart attack?’
‘Don’t know, man. I ain’t no doctor. She got some pills that seem to help, and I’m supposed to pick up some more from a pharmacy, but I can’t second-guess her, you know? All I know is, I got to get away from her and Ragga, or I’m dead meat.’
Mitcheson pulled him away from the wall. ‘Then you’d better get going, hadn’t you? One thing, though.’ He leaned close to Szulu and stared intently at him. ‘You say a thing to Lottie about me and I’ll know. You’d also better not come back here. You dig?’
Szulu nodded and swallowed, not liking what he saw in the other man’s eyes. ‘Yeah, man. I dig.’
They listened to Szulu stumbling down the stairs and out the front door, before Riley turned to Mitcheson and leaned against him with a sigh of relief.
‘Do you believe him — about him being Lottie’s only man?’
Mitcheson shook his head. ‘I’m not sure. You know Lottie: she never employs one man where two or three will do better. But maybe she didn’t have a choice. Could be she’s firing on a low fuel tank. I think you’d better keep an eye out for anyone else who might be working for this Ragga Pearl. Just to be safe.’
‘I don’t want to sound like a helpless female,’ she said softly, ‘but I’m so glad you turned up when you did.’ She reached round behind her and pushed the hand holding the gun away so that he could put it down. ‘Especially before I used that.’