‘Is it, Prims? Really?’
Primo clanged about in his locker, removing books and heaving them under his arm, switching the strap of his laptop bag from one shoulder to the other.
‘You know it’s not over, Prims,’ Tone continued, following as Primo started toward the library. Tone tugged on Primo’s elbow. ‘Ari needs to know that even if your old lady isn’t going to the cops, we know he did it. He needs to know that we have that on him.’
Primo pushed open the double doors that led from the Year 12 area into the main corridor, hurrying along with Tone at his heels.
‘Your mum not calling the cops is her business, I guess.’ Tone stopped, expecting Primo to do likewise. ‘But letting Ari know he hasn’t gotten away cleanhanded with what he did to Ad is yours. Yours and mine, Prims. We owe your brother that much, eh? You know I’m right, Prims.’
‘What do you suggest we do, Tone?’ Primo asked, walking back to him. ‘What?’
Loud and enthusiastic applause erupted behind the closed library doors. Someone wolf-whistled, and within a few moments there was a crescendo of whistling, followed by the squeal of a microphone, and a voice Primo recognised as belonging to the Head of English, calling for quiet.
Primo knew that soon his Year 12 cohorts would spill out into the corridor, along with his teachers. He didn’t want to have to explain Tone’s presence to any of them.
‘Day’s been blown anyway,’ he announced, and led Tone into the late morning sunshine.
When they were out of the school gates, Primo pulled Tone up short.
‘I’ve stuffed up my school year, Tone,’ he said with genuine regret. ‘No way I’m going to get through with anywhere near the marks I’d set myself.’
Tone folded his arms across his chest and screwed up his mouth.
‘Look at me,’ Primo said just above a whisper. ‘I’ve just missed a major talk from the guy who actually directed the film I’m meant to be writing about in my exam, and now I’m out here with you feeling sorry for myself.’ He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. ‘What am I going to do? Mum’s going to be really impressed.’
They were silent for a moment, then Tone said, ‘You can always come work for me once I take over the joint. I’ll start you off delivering pizzas, move you up to serving tables. Never know, you could make head pizza maker one day, eh?’
Primo frowned. He looked back over his shoulder at the school grounds. The bell was sounding for recess, the junior kids already streaming out onto the ovals and quadrangles.
‘Business partner more like it, Tone,’ he said, his smile a thin gossamer line that went no deeper than his lips.
Primo had avoided going to the freight yard since running into Ari’s neighbour. The neighbour had got a good look at him, Primo figured, and could easily describe him to Ari. Better to let some time elapse, even if it had meant he’d have to phone in with all manner of excuses about why he was missing another afternoon’s shift.
It probably was a ridiculous lack of logic, Primo told himself repeatedly, to think Ari would make the connection between some guy turning up at his house and him. But he had been warned away by Ari once already, Primo reasoned.
And with Ad having been bashed, it was all so volatile with Ari.
But Tone was right, Ari needed to be made accountable. He had to be told that Primo and the rest of the family knew it was him who’d given Adrian the hiding. He owed Adrian that much.
Primo’s head swam with scattered thoughts, all of them jabbing at the back of his eyes, making him groggy with uncertainty again.
What Primo wasn’t so sure about was whether he’d tell Ari that he had been responsible for dropping the dead dog on the doorstep. If Ari already thought it had been Ad, then maybe it was best left there.
Primo shook his head, desperate to clear the fog, watching courier vans and semi-trailers pull in and out of the freight yard at regular intervals. The boom gate was constantly up and down as the two burly young men in the guard house checked paperwork before ushering the vehicles along.
‘What we going to do exactly, Prims?’ Tone asked as they waited in the hearse for Ari to arrive on his Honda motorbike.
Primo swallowed. He held his hands up in front of his eyes. They were shaking.
‘Yeah, me too,’ said Tone.
‘I guess ...’ Primo began, but his thoughts fragmented. It occurred to him that he really had no idea what he was going to say or do. He knew what he would like to do, but Ari would break both his arms before he got even one punch in.
‘I guess I tell him that we know what he did,’ Primo continued. ‘And I hope that he realises I could go to the cops.’
‘Yeah. That’s something at least. If you go to the cops Ari’d be in trouble for real, eh? And then there’s the drugs.’
Primo smiled despite himself at the mention of the drugs and shook his head. ‘That we bought for two hundred bucks,’ he said.
‘True that, eh?’ Tone sighed heavily. ‘Maybe it’s not such a good idea to mention that.’
They sat in silence for a long time. The late afternoon shift was slowly arriving. Primo recognised most of them. Jimmy, the reed-thin young man who worked his loading bay, waved and came over to the hearse.
‘Oh, shit,’ Primo said under his breath.
‘Yo, Juice,’ Jimmy said, bending into the passenger window.
‘Jimmy,’ Primo said.
‘Fancy wheels.’
‘Yeah.’ Primo glanced at Tone. Tone continued to stare out into the car park.
‘You been missing a while,’ Jimmy went on. ‘We be thinking you quit, me and Ari. We be thinking you got too good to come work with us losers.’
Primo grinned. ‘Nah, never do that, Jimmy. Not me. Not Juice.’
‘Ari was pissed, man, ’cause him and me have to cover for you all them days you no show. Big loads too. Hardcore work, Juice.’ Jimmy stared at the hearse, seemingly fascinated. ‘This is like one of those cars they take dead people in, for certain,’ he said finally. ‘Cool or what.’ Standing back, he gave Primo a thumbs up and added, ‘Catch you inside I reckon, then.’ He sauntered off, hips swaying over bandy long legs.
‘Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,’ Tone suggested. ‘What with Ari being pissed at you about your no show at work and all.’
Without waiting for a reply, Tone turned the ignition and was about to engage Drive when Primo reached over and put his hand over Tone’s.
‘What’re you doing? You reckon Ari being pissed at me for not turning up to work is going to make any difference to the fact that he knows what Ad did? What he thinks Ad did?’ Primo shook his head dismissively. ‘You’re kidding, right?’
The engine died and the voices in the cabin fell silent along with it.
‘Juice!’
Primo jumped.
Beside him Tone jumped too.
The passenger door was thrown open, and before Primo could react Ari had him out of the hearse.
‘Juice! You done show up, man. I was thinking you pike out on Ari, man. I was thinking you scared of me or something, brother.’
Primo frowned.
Scared? He wasn’t scared, he was petrified.
Primo realised the big man had come up on their blind side.
He should have been more careful. Of course Ari would be on the alert. He’d just bashed someone. He may not have known the guy’s name, but Ari was no fool. He would have been cautious about someone stalking him to exact payback. That was Ari’s world. Always be alert.
Idiot.
‘Shit!’ Tone said, coming round the front of the hearse. ‘Let him go!’
Ari had Primo by the arm and his brow furrowed uncertainly when he saw Tone puffing out his chest, arms flailing.
‘You better let him go,’ Tone croaked. ‘We know what you did and you’d better back off right now.’
To Primo it felt like the big man was cupping his arm rather than grasping it in anger. The grip was firm but not aggressive.
<
br /> ‘I said BACK OFF!’ Tone said, and rushed at Ari.
The big man let go of Primo and easily swiped Tone aside, landing him on his backside. He towered over Tone, suddenly menacing.
‘I don’t think that be too much of a good thing happening on me, you know,’ Ari said, looming down to peer questioningly at Tone.
‘I don’t want no more trouble, Ari,’ Primo said and held both hands out open-palmed. He licked his bottom lip. He had to be careful.
‘Juice,’ Ari said, backing away just enough so that he could see both of them. ‘Your mate, he got a wish to be riding in back of that car there in a box maybe?’
Primo decided to settle the matter now. No more running away. No more mistakes.
‘Tone’s right,’ he started. ‘We know what you did. You got your revenge on my brother for the dead dog so that makes it square, by my reckoning. That’s why we aren’t going to the cops. If we did, you’d have hell to pay for bashing my brother, and for selling me and Tone the drugs outside your house.’
With Ari distracted, Tone got to his feet and stood beside Primo. His fists were clenched and he was breathing hard.
Primo knew that Tone was as scared as he was. Tone’s fists were shaking.
‘Ad,’ Primo started, working to keep his voice from quivering, ‘Adrian, my brother, he had nothing to do with the dead dog on your doorstep. That was me. Me and him.’ He gestured at Tone. ‘We did it. It was stupid.’
Something in the big man’s expression changed. His face suddenly hardened, his skin showed a fine sheen of sweat, and he squinted.
‘You could of killed my brother,’ Primo added, searching Ari’s face for some clue about how he was receiving the news.
‘We’re sorry about the dog and all. It was a mistake and we admit it, but now we’re even, okay?’
Tone cut in and stepped in front of Primo as though to shield him. ‘Fact is, we never bashed anyone. No one got hurt until you went after Ad. My old man wouldn’t be too pleased if I told him. You know about my old man, yeah? Everyone knows about my old man. Colourful Italian businessman. Spent time inside.’
Ari’s nostrils flared and he hunched his shoulders.
‘Quit it, Tone,’ Primo said through the side of his mouth. Something wasn’t right.
He looked more closely at Ari. More closely than he ever had.
Ari was powerfully built, his arms knotted, hands splayed like lumps of solid dough, with thick fingers heavily tattooed with insignias Ari liked to brag were gang ID.
Ari could kill them both, Primo decided. He could pulverise their bones in his hands.
Without warning, the big man took two strides and hit Tone square on the jaw. Tone fell down hard. Ari turned to Primo, who felt unable to move.
‘I don’t know what shit you talking about your brother,’ Ari said, saliva flying from the corners of his mouth. ‘I don’t know what you got happen to your brother, but I pretty clear on you telling me you put the dead dog where my sister find it.’
Primo snapped out of his trance and crossed to where Tone lay. He lifted his mate’s head, but kept his eyes on Ari. His own head filled with confusion.
What did Ari mean he knew nothing about Ad?
‘Why you put the damn dog on my doorstep, brother?’ Ari demanded. He was standing, feet apart, eyes stabbing into Primo like twin spears. ‘What cause you got against Ari, Juice?’
Primo’s knees collapsed from under him and he sat beside Tone and the big man stared down at them. Words failed Primo as the enormity of his mistake took focus in his head.
Tone made no attempt to get to his feet, his hands working his jaw back and forth, his eyes clouded over.
‘Maybe I should come give your brother a hiding, Juice,’ Ari growled and, grabbing Primo by the right arm, heaved him to his feet.
‘Maybe Ari done something to you, Juice, what you don’t like. Is that it, brother? Maybe I done give you shit on the job and you think you can be a hero, like, and come give me grief. Is that it, Juice?’
Primo looked at Tone, begging him not to speak.
‘It was a stupid thing to do, eh?’ Primo said quickly. Before Tone could say anything to contradict him, Primo added, ‘You’re right, man. You absolutely are. I was really pissed at you, you know. You keep calling me Juice and stuff, and that’s not my name. I keep telling you but you seem to think it’s funny or some shit to keep calling me Juice.’
When he looked at Tone, Primo wasn’t surprised to see his mate’s face twisted in bewilderment. Primo arched his eyebrows, and shook his head tensely.
‘A dead dog, Juice! You serious on that, man?’ Ari rocked sideways, like a lumbering bear, his shoulders rolling, head lolling. ‘What make smart boy like you think like some mind-cripple, Juice? Why you not be man and say to Ari’s face what you be thinking?’
Primo licked his lips. He had to be cautious. This could all be a trap.
‘Tone and me,’ he said slowly, nodding at Tone, ‘we see this film, yeah. About some gangster and the way he deals with his problems, you know. So I figure, hey, maybe if I scare Ari, he quit calling me Juice and giving me grief. Maybe Ari stop treating me like I was some no-account kid, you know?’
‘Like Jimmy there,’ Ari cut in, raising an arm in the general direction the other worker had headed minutes before. ‘He be a no-count kid, for sure on that score, Juice. But he not stupid enough go leave no dead dog on my doorstep and think Ari be scared. How you figure that shit anyway, Juice?’
And that’s when Primo did something that caught both Ari and Tone by complete surprise. ‘Here,’ he said, presenting his chin. ‘I deserve it, man. My mate here took the blow for me, so go ahead, square it up.’
Primo closed his eyes and took deep breaths, trying not to flinch. He realised he needn’t have worried because his entire body had gone rigid with fear in expectation of the blow.
‘Prims!’
‘You shut your mouth!’ Primo heard Ari command.
Time stopped. Primo concentrated all his attention on the tip of his jaw where he expected Ari to land a punch that would floor him.
He was no hero, he told himself. This had nothing to do with being brave. This was pure survival. He had to end this now, then find out what had actually happened to Ad.
‘Ari not stupid, Juice,’ Primo heard. ‘People think that, eh? Ari not stupid, brother. But, how was you figuring Ari would know some lame dead dog what is dropped on his doorstep be a sign from Juice?’
A moment later Primo felt warm breath on his neck. He opened his eyes and there was the big man, leaning right into him.
‘For a smart brother, you dumb, man,’ Ari snarled. ‘How you figure Ari even think was you put the dead dog there and give my sister and little ones a scare what they never have before?’
Primo let out a breath and turned with Ari as he circled him, keeping the big man in his vision. Beside him, Tone looked on, puzzled.
‘And still you and your mate here come look for Ari to score,’ Ari said and came to a stop toe-to-toe with Primo. ‘That prove to Ari just how stupid you be, Juice.’
The huge shadow that was Ari backed away. But just as Primo closed his eyes and let his head fall forward with relief, Ari threw a punch from the hip that caught Primo on the nose, smashing it all over his face.
Primo sprawled against Tone and gave out a cry of shock and agony. Blood spurted from his nose and splashed his friend.
‘Now we square, Juice,’ the big man said. ‘Now we be all settled.’
Tone would have jumped at Ari but Primo had just enough sense through the pain to grab Tone and push him off balance.
‘You don’t show your face here no more, Juice, because next time Ari don’t be so understanding.’
Primo hadn’t noticed before, but now he saw that a small crowd of men in hi-viz vests and beanies had gathered. Some held cans of soft drink, others had untidily folded newspapers tucked under their armpits.
All of them hooded their eyes when Ari marche
d off, arms flexed as though he would break in half the next man that spoke to him.
Jimmy caught Primo’s eyes. Primo refused to look away, holding the young man’s stare. Jimmy nodded awkwardly and turned on his heels without a word.
Outside the guard house, clipboards at the ready to check the next vehicle arriving at the lowered boom gates, two men Primo knew only by sight stood shaking their heads in his direction.
‘Piss off, both of youse!’ one of them shouted. ‘Right now. Piss off or I’ll call the cops.’
The clusters of men dispersed with mumbled grunts and muted laughs, one even giving Primo the finger as a parting gesture.
‘Sorry, mate,’ Primo whispered when they were back in the hearse, ‘I’m sorry I got you into this.’ Tears streamed down his cheeks as he took in Tone, whose face had already started to darken and swell.
Tone turned the ignition, reversed the heavy car and dropped a burnout that swallowed the car in smoke and burning rubber, accelerating back toward the guardhouse and leaning right into the steering wheel as though it were a physical part of him.
‘Tone!’ Primo’s voice was a primal scream. It echoed in the cabin, but went no further because the car screeched against the sudden acceleration, the jerky fishtailing kicking the hearse’s rear end out just sufficiently to send the two men on the pavement jumping back in fear of their lives.
‘BASTARDS!’ Tone yelled. He punched an arm out the open window, gave a middle-fingered salute, and gunned the black hearse onto the road in a veil of blue smoke.
Minutes later, the car thundered into the crowded McDonald’s car park. When the hearse stalled, Primo exploded in laughter, punching the dashboard and almost howling in a fit of tears and lengths of saliva. The blood from his crunched nose smeared all over his face and soiled his hands.
‘It was the wrong brother, Tone!’ he said through a grunt of frustration. ‘It was a brother, but not Ari. When Ad said brother he didn’t mean Ari. He meant Stella’s brother, or brothers. She’s got two.’
Tone leapt out, slammed the driver’s door and walked off toward the entrance.
Primo wound down his window and leaned out, almost delirious with a mixture of self-loathing and regret. His head was thumping. He wanted to lie down and shut his eyes.
Dead Dog in the Still of the Night Page 14