Romeo's Tune (1990)

by Timlin, Mark

  ‘Or you could have killed him with that ashtray.’

  I forced a grin and said, ‘But I knew when we met that only one of us was going to come out of this alive.’ And I left him standing in the midst of all that warm affluence and walked out into the cold afternoon.

  I wandered through the park and down Sloane Street to the King’s Road. There were people there having a good time who’d never touched a gun. I envied them and caught the end of a film full of fake bullets and fake blood. It made me sick and I left before the credits.

  That night I hit the pubs so hard I don’t think they’ve recovered yet.

  33

  I must have got home at some time and stripped the bed of all traces of the whores who’d slept with me the previous night, because I woke the next morning fully dressed on a bare mattress.

  The milk was off and the inside of the ‘fridge smelled like a week-old corpse, so I changed into something clean and split for the office. I decided that I’d finally have to do something about the mess.

  Teresa called about ten-thirty. It was good to speak to someone I knew. Not that the conversation began particularly pleasantly. There were no greetings, no big hellos.

  ‘What the hell are you up to now?’ was how she started. I was supposed to recognise her voice straight off, and of course I did. I’d know her anywhere.

  ‘Are you all right?’ she continued. I assured her that I was. ‘I read about it in the papers. I’ve been trying to call you for two days. Where have you been?’

  I told her that the phone had been out, and so had I. But I didn’t tell her where I’d been.

  ‘What happened, Nick? Was it meant for you?’

  I told her as much as I knew, as much as I wanted her to know. ‘So it’s all starting again,’ she said.

  I tried to explain, to no avail.

  ‘Who was she?’ Teresa asked. Her tone stung a reaction.

  ‘It’s none of your fucking business,’ I replied, rather louder than I should have.

  All at once she softened. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, ‘I was just so worried.’

  ‘A bit late isn’t it?’ I asked. Somehow the exchange wasn’t going as it should have gone.

  ‘Don’t say that, Nick,’ she whispered. ‘You know my reasons.’

  ‘So what’s different?’ I demanded. I sounded petulant and I knew it.

  ‘Nothing, not a damn thing, unless you count an old friend nearly being blown sky-high as nothing.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ I said. ‘It was good of you to take time to call.’

  ‘“Take time”? Nick it’s me you’re talking to, so cut all that nonsense out right now.’

  ‘Yes ma’am,’ I said and, do you know, I almost felt good for a moment; but that’s what friends are for.

  ‘I thought you’d be happily married by now,’ I said.

  ‘No chance. I haven’t even had a fuck since I arrived.’

  ‘Giving that old working pussy a rest.’

  ‘Yep. I think I might have healed up down there.’

  ‘Teresa,’ I said, ‘I’ve gotta tell you, that’s a hell of a thought.’

  ‘It brings tears to my eyes too,’ she said.

  ‘So no bouncing brown babies?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘No handsome studs loitering around the restaurant with their tongues hanging out?’

  ‘Honey,’ she purred, ‘there’s no handsome studs loitering about with anything hanging out. Well there are a few but I think they’re after Sally.’

  ‘I don’t believe that either,’ I said.

  There was a pause and then she said, ‘Listen, Nick, why don’t you come and visit?’

  ‘Now I believe you,’ I said. ‘You really haven’t had a fuck for months.’

  ‘Not for that, lickle boy,’ she said. ‘Don’t get me wrong. Come as a friend, no strings, no big deal. I realise what you must be going through. You can drop out of sight down here for a while.’

  ‘Still looking after my best interests, huh?’ I asked.

  ‘Sure, why not? I know how you feel.’

  ‘Do you?’ I asked.

  ‘Sure – you haven’t got a patent on feelings.’

  ‘You should phone more often, Tess, you always make me feel better.’

  ‘Did you love her?’ she asked all of a sudden.

  ‘I think so. No, I know so. It’s just that I didn’t have too much time to find out.’

  ‘Well, the offer’s open.’ She sounded deliberately off-hand. I was beginning to realise what an effort she’d made even to telephone, and I hadn’t made it any easier for her.

  ‘I don’t know if I’d be welcome,’ I said, trying to lighten the mood. ‘I’d be frightened to park my car down there.’

  ‘It’s not as bad as it’s painted. Come and see. There’s just Terry and Sally and me and the kids. And the food’s excellent. I’ll vouch for that.’

  ‘It sounds like a sit-com on TV.’

  ‘I’m serious.’

  ‘Perhaps Terry might have other ideas.’

  ‘Any friend of mine is a friend of Terry’s. You could lose yourself for a couple of weeks.’

  ‘I’d like to lose myself for a couple of lifetimes. You make it sound very tempting Tess, but there’s a few things I’ve got to take care of up here. So maybe soon.’

  ‘Oh Christ, Nick, be careful.’

  ‘I will,’ I promised, and that’s how we left it.

  34

  I lay low for the next three days. I didn’t leave the flat, just unplugged the phone and waited for developments. I knew that if Cassini wanted me he’d find me, and if he didn’t, fuck him.

  I lived on sandwiches and cigarettes, and when the sandwiches ran out I lived on cigarettes alone, catnapping in the armchair by the window with McBain’s Magnum in my hand. I kept the radio tuned to a 24-hour all-music station and the TV flickered to itself in the corner with the sound turned down. The curtains were permanently closed and the only light came from the tube with its array of talking heads, news and old films and, late at night, just greyness with a crackle of white noise.

  I didn’t shave or wash or change my clothes. I drank water from the tap and felt myself growing old and bitter as my sour smell filled the small room.

  Ferrara came by on the fourth morning. I heard the insistent sound of a car horn and cracked the corner of the curtain to survey the street. I saw the red Volvo double-parked outside and Ferrara was standing on the pavement gazing up at the house. I tapped on the inside of the glass with the barrel of my gun and he gestured at the front door. I went downstairs and let him in.

  ‘You look lousy,’ he said by way of a greeting.

  ‘Everyone says that,’ I retorted. ‘Do me a favour and change the record.’

  He followed me up the stairs and into the darkened room. ‘God it stinks in here,’ he said and without invitation drew back the curtains and opened a window. A breeze that was neither warm nor cold blew through the room. Spring was coming.

  ‘This is no way to live,’ he said. ‘Have you eaten?’

  ‘Not much.’

  ‘You’ll need to,’ he said and leant out of the window and shouted to get the chauffeur’s attention. He told the driver to go and get some food and I heard the Volvo take off. ‘Take a shower,’ he said to me. ‘You smell offensive.’ He picked the Magnum off the unmade bed and said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll keep the redskins at bay.’

  I looked at him and went into the bathroom. I looked in the mirror. My face was a horror show all on its own. I lathered up, shaved, then stood under alternate blasts of hot and cold water until I felt better. I towelled myself down, combed my wet hair and walked back into the main room. I found some underwear, clean denims and a shirt and got dressed. I slipped my feet into a pair of soft loafers and pulled the covers up over the bed. Whilst I’d been gone Ferrara had cleared up most of the mess and piled the dirty dishes in the sink. We sat opposite each other in silence until the food arrived. The chauffeur fetched a larg
e deep-dish pizza with all the trimmings and a six-pack of cold lager and a bottle of bourbon for Ferrara.

  When the driver had gone I opened the pizza box and although I’d seriously thought I’d never want to eat again the smell of the hot food made my mouth water and I demolished the whole pie. Ferrara declined my offer of a slice and went and got a glass for his bourbon. I was starting on my third beer by the time the food was gone and I dumped the box in the trash.

  ‘Better?’ asked Ferrara.

  ‘Yes, thanks.’

  ‘A pleasure. We thought you’d quit on us.’

  ‘I knew you’d be around sooner or later,’ I said. ‘Got a cigarette?’

  He threw me a packet of Luckies and I lit up. I sat back and took a long pull from the cold tin in my hand.

  ‘What’s the story?’ I asked.

  ‘You were right,’ said Ferrara. ‘It was the Divas who killed Josephina. Your drug dealer friends are out of the picture. That only left the Divas. We discovered that they were involved in a family business in Chicago.’

  ‘Mafia?’ I asked.

  ‘That word again. You never learn.’

  ‘Josephina told me the whole story,’ I interrupted. ‘She said that if I ever met any of you, that you’d deny it.’

  ‘She didn’t know the whole story, God rest her,’ he said sadly.

  ‘What does it matter?’ I asked.

  ‘Ultimately it means nothing. Now let me continue. As I said the Divas are involved with a business in Chicago. Rack jobbers, jukebox distributors, promoters etc. They are very tight with them. They sent word to Josephina’s father that her death was an unfortunate mistake. She was a war casualty in a misplaced attempt to kill you. They apologized, God help them. They even offered to pay for the funeral.’ His hand was white on the neck of the bourbon bottle and he drank deeply from the glass he held in his other hand. ‘They dared to offer money in exchange for her life, the scum.’

  His voice cracked and shook with fury.

  ‘Calm down,’ I said. ‘What did her father say to that offer?’

  ‘Say? He said nothing. The message was delivered by a boy in a white suit and a black Cadillac. Mister Cassini had the car crushed and sent back to Chicago on the back of a truck.’

  ‘And the messenger?’

  Ferrara’s face cracked into a death’s head smile. ‘He was still inside,’ he said.

  ‘And now what?’

  ‘Now we arrange a funeral of our own, on this side of the Atlantic. A funeral for the men who killed my employer’s daughter.’

  ‘Good.’

  ‘It might get bloody,’ he warned.

  ‘My life has got bloody before, and if blood is needed again, so be it.’

  ‘So you are in?’

  ‘Of course, but there is one condition.’

  ‘I don’t like conditions.’

  I shrugged. ‘Perhaps not, but I want to bring along some guests of my own to the party.’

  ‘No,’ he said.

  ‘Yes,’ I replied firmly.

  ‘Who?’

  ‘The people who started all this. McBain and his minder, if they’ll come.’

  ‘Are they good?’

  ‘I don’t know about McBain, I don’t even know if he’ll leave his house, but I do know he can use a gun. That belongs to him.’ I nodded at the Magnum. ‘As for his man Algy, yes he is good.’

  ‘I’ll speak to Mister Antony about it.’

  ‘Speak to who you like, but that’s the deal.’

  ‘I could tell you to go to hell.’

  ‘But you won’t. Antony wants me there. I’d even bet that if I’d declined to go, your job was to kill me. That’s why you came alone. Freddy boy would have been too eager for me to refuse and might even have jumped the gun.’ I almost smiled at my own black joke.

  ‘Yet you left me alone with this.’ He held up the Magnum. ‘You must trust me.’

  ‘Benjamin,’ I said, and looked him straight in the eye. ‘This thing has gone beyond trust. It’s gone beyond life itself. When Jo died, I died. I don’t care what happens to me now. I just want to be there when those people die. Perhaps Algy and McBain won’t come, but I want to give them the chance. Besides, I knew you wouldn’t do anything until you were sure what my answer would be.’

  He laughed mirthlessly. ‘Very well. I’ll go to Antony now. How long will it take you to organize your end?’

  ‘They’re pretty reclusive. A matter of hours I should think.’

  ‘Good. When I leave, plug in the telephone and wait here. Don’t leave under any circumstances. We will be in contact within twenty-four hours, probably sooner. Now, you’ll need some food. I’ll send the driver.’

  ‘I’m not hungry,’ I protested.

  ‘I saw you eat before and you’ll need nourishment to be ready for action. Is there a deli nearby?’

  I gave him directions and he went down to the car and sent the chauffeur on another errand. He was back within twenty minutes with two carrier bags full of cold food and more beer. I saw Ferrara to the front door and we shook hands. We stood palm on palm in the doorway for a long moment.

  ‘See you soon, Nick,’ he said.

  ‘See you soon, Benjamin,’ I replied and went back up to my flat and sat and waited for the call to come.

  35

  It came at eight the next morning. I was lying asleep fully dressed on top of the bed and the sound of the bell jerked me awake. I nearly knocked the phone off the table as I grabbed the receiver.

  ‘Antony?’

  ‘Who else?’

  ‘You woke me.’

  ‘You’re lucky you can sleep. We go tomorrow, Saturday. They will be at their farm, vulnerable. I believe you wish to bring some company.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Very well, but no passengers. I’ll arrange weapons and transport. Just meet us tomorrow evening at six.’ He gave me an address in W8. ‘It’s a garage,’ he explained. ‘Don’t be late.’ With that he hung up.

  I rolled off the bed, dragged a brush through my hair, rinsed out my mouth with lager, strapped the Magnum under my arm, pulled on a jacket, lit a Lucky Strike and hit the road for Richmond.

  I stopped the car outside the iron gates at the end of Park Close and hit the horn button, using the same code as I’d used the last time I’d called. When the echos died I sat and waited and listened to Horace Silver playing softly on the stereo.

  After three or four minutes I saw Algy walking towards me down the drive. He waved when he saw the car and activated the radio control and the gates swung open.

  I drove in and stopped the car. The gates closed behind me, I cracked the door and climbed out. Algy and I shook hands with our lefts.

  ‘How’s the burns?’ he asked.

  ‘Getting better.’

  ‘To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?’

  ‘I wondered if either of you two wanted to get a bit of excitement into your life.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘Like it’s been confirmed that the Divas planted the bomb in the car.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘And the Yanks and I are going to do something about it.’

  ‘What Yanks?’ he asked. I told him. ‘And what are they planning to do about it?’

  ‘Blow the fuckers away, that’s what.’

  ‘And what do you think the police will have to say about that?’

  ‘The police don’t know.’

  ‘Don’t you think they might be interested?’

  ‘I’m sure they would, but Cassini and his little firm seem to have better grasses than Old Bill.’

  ‘Or more clout.’

  ‘Sure,’ I replied. ‘They don’t have to go by the book. They bribe their snouts or put the right frighteners in.’

  ‘And the police don’t?’

  ‘Cynical, Algy,’ I said. ‘You’ve been watching too much TV.’

  He kicked at the stones on the pathway with the toe of his boot.

  ‘Well?’ I asked. ‘H
ow about it?’

  He pulled at his beard and smiled that big toothy smile of his. ‘You’re round the bend, the lot of you,’ he said.

  I said nothing in reply.

  ‘We could all end up in prison for twenty years, or worse.’

  I remained silent and his smile got wider.

  ‘Oh, what the hell,’ he said at length. ‘Why not?’

  I grinned. ‘What about the boss?’ I asked.

  ‘You want him to come too?’

  ‘He started it.’

  ‘I’ll go and talk to him. He’s not communicating too well at the moment.’

  ‘Hard day?’ I asked.

  ‘Days, more like. He hasn’t been to bed for nearly a week. I think this business is getting to him. He’s been up in the music room eating Durofit like spangles and playing all the band’s old records over and over.’

  ‘My heart bleeds,’ I said.

  ‘Don’t be too hard on him. He’s just fucked up in the head and doesn’t know what to do about it.’

  I felt the first stirrings of anger deep in my gut.

  ‘Come on Algy,’ I said. ‘Don’t give me that shit.’

  ‘You don’t know him like I do.’

  I shrugged. ‘If you say so.’

  ‘I’ll go and see what state he’s in.’

  ‘And if he won’t come, what about you?’

  ‘Hell, you know I won’t let you down.’

  ‘It’s going to be dangerous.’

  ‘So what? Life’s been a bit dull around here for too long. I fancy a bit of excitement, like you said.’

  Algy left me in the big living-room downstairs with the ashes of a fire glowing in the grate. I sat on one of the big sofas and waited, smoking my way through the last of the pack of Lucky Strike as I did.

  After half an hour or so Algy clumped down the stairs and back into the room.

  ‘He’s not coming.’

  ‘I didn’t expect anything else,’ I said.

  ‘But he wants to see you.’

  ‘Well I don’t want to see him.’

  ‘Give him a break.’

  I sat like stone.

  ‘Nick,’ said Algy. ‘Do me a favour. He’s cracking up.’

  ‘And I’m not?’

  ‘You’ll survive. He might not.’