by S G Read
‘I’ll leave that up to you but I don’t want him to surface!’
‘Leave it to us boss, where is Larry?’
‘He’s in with the accountant!’ Clo replied but you will have to make sure the bookworm doesn’t smell a rat until it is too late.’
Clo walked back to his office.
‘Larry you and Harry take Bertram here back to Spotty’s, I think we’ll soon have this sorted.’
Bertram, Spotty's bookkeeper, smiled the smile of someone who knew things were not right; Clo was being friendly! He followed Larry to the lift with Harry Drew following. He had heard tales about Harry Drew; not very nice tales. If they were true Harry’s favourite trick was to supply cement wellingtons to his victim while they were still alive and drop them into the water. Then as a sign of real sadism, he would follow them down in a diving suit to watch them drown. Bertram had no intentions of taking part in that sort of performance, if he did not have to.
The lift door opened and Bertram dropped the ledgers he was carrying. Larry immediately bent to retrieve them. Bertram pushed him over, shoved Harry over the top of Larry and jumped in the lift. His heart raced as he frantically pushed the button to close the doors over and over, then as Harry recovered enough to get his pistol out the door closed.
‘We gotta get him!’ Harry hissed.
‘I thought we were taking him to Shultz!’ Larry replied, unaware of their real purpose
‘Well you thought wrong!’
‘Oh!’ Larry realised where they were taking the accountant and why the accountant ran, the accountant was obviously not as daft as he seemed.
They ran down the stairs, trying to overtake the lift. When the lift stopped in the foyer the doors opened and Bertram ran for his life, he wanted either somewhere to hide or a telephone to call Emil Shultz but he was a little pressed for time at the moment. He crossed streets he did not know and ran through places he would never dream of going in an effort to escape from the two men following him.
He knew what Clo and Harry Drew had in store; he had seen a lot of things and knew too much, it was time to silence him! As his limited energy ran out he found himself in front of a church, he ran inside to hide and found what he though was the perfect hideout, the bell tower! He settled down until the pursuit moved to somewhere else but he under estimated the fear the locals had about crossing Clo. As Harry pursued him he asked the people he met if they had seen him, most of those he asked had seen him run by. Harry mentally noted the face of anyone who said they had not seen him and if he thought they had seen something, they would enjoy the same fate as Bertram was going to meet, when they caught him!
It took ten minutes for Harry to reach the church and the priest who just so happened to be standing outside, merely looked up at the bell tower, made the sign of the cross across his chest and walked away from the church. Harry climbed up and found Bertram cowering behind the bell. He drew his pistol.
‘Come on! And no more running!’ He ordered.
Bertram walked down in front of Harry with the idea of running as soon as they were down, a shot in the back was better than drowning slowly and there was a slight chance that he might escape. At the bottom of the stairs Harry hit him with the pistol barrel. Bertram fell in a heap as Larry walked up.
‘Sit on him while I get the wheels.’ Harry ordered, put his pistol back in its holster and walked out.
Larry stood their watching and waiting until Harry returned but Bertram did not wake up. Ten minutes later Harry pulled up in front of the church and Larry picked Bertram up effortlessly and carried him out of the church. He dumped Bertram unceremoniously on the back seat and climbed in beside him to make sure there was no repeat of his earlier effort to escape.
Clo left the Dolphin not knowing anything about Bertram’s attempted flight. Marco drove with Luke Weaver beside him in the front. Luke was a coward who did his killing with a knife, mainly when the recipient was looking the other way. After a brief stop at Carl the paper’s stand, where they found Barney, in a new suit. Barney walked up to the car followed by Carl the paper.
‘Where have you been?’ Clo asked.
‘I was soaked boss. I had to go and get a suit.’
‘Why didn’t you phone me when you knew where she was?’
‘She got out just up there but there weren’t any signs of her when I got out. It was a tight squeeze!’
‘You say she was with the blind man’s protégé?’ Clo asked and directed the question at Carl the paper.
‘Yes Mr. Clo. They came down and bought a paper. All wet she was.’ Carl the paper answered.
Clo looked at Barney who was busy preening himself and gave a snort of disgust.
‘Get in, we are going to see the blind man.’ He ordered.
Barney climbed into the back of the car. They drove on and parked as near Caleb’s shack as possible, Clo was not one for walking farther than he had to. Caleb was in the lean to and alone when they arrived. His nose warned him that it was no one he knew.
‘Can I help?’ He asked.
‘Yes,’ Luke answered, ‘you can tell us where the girl is or I’ll cut you up a bit at a time!’
When he realised they were dealing with a blind man, Luke was ready to take him on, face to face.
‘What girl?’ Caleb asked. ‘I haven’t seen a girl.’
The humour of the statement passed right over Luke's head and only served to enrage him.
‘Say anything else I don’t like and you won’t be able to hear anyone again!’ He said coldly.
‘I’m sorry I can’t help you. I don’t know anything!’ Caleb argued.
He was not about to tell them where Cally had gone, even if they hurt him. This was not going to be the first time someone had beaten him up.
‘Persuade him!’ Clo ordered.
Marco held Caleb while Luke pushed the knife into Caleb’s arm and twisted it sideways. Caleb cried out in pain.
‘Where is she?’ Clo asked.
‘On her way to the Dolphin, to find her father.’ Caleb lied.
It was a plausible lie but Clo did not like the answer.
‘Ask him again.’ He said confident that it was a lie.
Luke pushed the blade in the other arm, slowly.
‘Try again.’ He hissed.
‘She’s on her way to the Dolphin to see- Ahh.’
‘I’ve heard that one, try something else.’ Clo ordered.
‘It’s the truth!’
Luke pushed the knife into his groin and Caleb felt a pain he’d never felt before. He cried out, loudly. Clo worried about the noise.
‘Barney, you go outside and make sure we’re not disturbed.’ Clo ordered.
Barney did as Clo told him and went outside to make sure no one took any interest in what was going on in, the little shack.
‘Now Caleb, that’s your name isn’t it? If you tell us what we want to know we’ll leave you in peace.’ Clo said quietly. ‘Or we can keep cutting you until you can’t stand the pain any longer. Then you’ll sing like a little bird!’
‘If I could see, I’d kill you!’ Caleb said loudly and received another wound, this time a cut that left his right ear hanging half off.
‘I can keep this up for ages,’ Luke boasted, ‘and don’t worry you won’t die until I want you to!’
‘Do your worst!’
‘I will.’
He tweaked the cut ear and Caleb cried out in pain again.
Harry drove to a deserted warehouse and Larry carried the still unconscious Bertram inside. Harry tied the unconscious Bertram's feet together and pushed them into a well-used round tin bath. He then tied them to the bath so that he was unable to remove them, when he woke. Then Harry watched as Larry mixed the concrete to pour into the bath. When they finished, they left Bertram to it, with him tied so he could not move his feet there was no way he could get away and when they returned the cement would be hard and Bertram would be ready to go for a swim. Back at the Dolphin it seemed deserted, they looked ar
ound until they found Arnold Phillips.
‘Where’s Clo?’ Drew asked.
‘Out at Carl the paper’s stand, he phoned, he reckoned he saw the girl.’ Arnold answered.
‘Did he leave any orders?’ Drew asked.
‘Not that I know of!’ Arnold answered.
‘What do we do until it’s time to deliver the goods?’ Larry asked.
‘We could go to the hospital and see how Doyle is. The cops might be keeping something from us. He might be singing like a canary by now!’ Harry answered.
He had good reason for not wanting Dermot to sing, mainly his own boasting of how and where he killed a particular thorn in Clo’s side. It was designed to entertain and make him look good, not get Harry fried!
‘I can’t go in there,’ Larry cried jumping out of his chair, ‘I was with Lefty when he popped the cop and a nurse!’
‘You wait in the car then, they don’t know me!’ Harry offered.
Larry drove to the hospital, parked in a side street and watched Harry walk in. Harry walked to the desk and inquired about Dermot, his brother. The nurse told him the room number and he walked to the room, hat in hand. A police constable sat outside the door reading a book. He stood up when Harry approached.
‘Is this Dermot Doyle’s room?’ Harry asked politely.
‘It is. And you are?’ The constable asked.
‘I am his brother Harold.’
‘You can go in but he won’t talk to you, he just sleeps.’
‘I’ll sit with him if it’s okay?’
‘Help yourself.’
The constable sat down and picked up the book he was reading. Harry walked in and nodded to the nurse who was tidying the bed.
‘Is there any change?’ Harry asked.
The nurse shook her head.
‘Sorry.’ She answered, to back up the shaking of her head.
‘Thank you. I’ll sit with him for a while if it’s okay?’
She nodded.
‘I’ll be done in a minute.’ She added.
Harry waited until the nurse had gone then gave Dermot a close inspection, while he was doing it he checked to make sure there was nothing hanging round his neck. Apart from the St. Christopher, he always carried.
‘Just checking to make sure you are a vegetable Dermot. I didn’t want you spreading those stories of my exploits I tell in the Hotel. If I thought there was a chance of that I’d do you here and now! Clo wants his money by the way, he’s after your little girl and he’s promised her to Barney before I can have her.’
Harry smiled a wicked smile.
‘I hope you can hear me Doyle.’
He walked out looking very sad, nodded to the constable and headed for the car.
Cally pedalled furiously toward the hospital. If it was her pa she wanted to make sure he was being looked after right! She had no Idea that Drummond had been told to follow her and look after her. If she had she would have said ‘Don’t bother! I can look after myself!’
She dropped the bike on the grass in front of the hospital and walked toward the main entrance. Larry saw her arrive from where he was sitting in the side street and started the car, he was going to try and grab her as he drove by. He crept to the intersection and pulled into the main street going slowly. When Cally was half way there a man walked out of the main doors. He looked at her and then at the car following her. Larry flashed the lights and started to speed up. Harry looked again at the girl in the wet dress and caught on. As Cally passed Harry, he grabbed her, threw her into the car, followed her in pinning her to the seat as he did so and then Larry hit the gas.
Drummond was still on his way when he saw the car go by with Cally in it, still struggling. He recognised it as one of Clo’s cars and ran faster. He needed his bike to get to the Dolphin as fast as possible.
Larry drove straight into the Dolphin car park and carried the girl to the lift. They took her to Clo’s office but Clo was still out.
‘Is he still with Carl the paper?’ Harry asked when he found Arnold.
‘I reckon he must be. Aint set eyes on him since he went out!’ Arnold answered.
‘What’s his number?’ Harry asked.
He was extremely happy to be able to phone Clo to let him know they had succeeded where the rest had failed.
‘How the hell should I know? Ask information.’
‘It’s a pay phone, dummy.’ Harry replied unaware that he could still talk to information anyway about a pay phone.
‘Look in Clo’s book then but don’t say I told you to.’ Arnold retorted.
‘Clo don’t scare me none.’ Harry replied with a smile.
Caleb was still alive, just, when Barney walked in.
‘Carl the paper just came up from his stand. They’ve got the girl at the hotel.’ He announced.
‘About time to. Come on let’s see if she can help us find the missing money.’ Clo replied.
‘What about him?’ Luke asked.
He wanted to slice Caleb's throat, not only for not telling him what they wanted to know but also, just the sake of it.
Clo looked at the pathetic heap that used to be Caleb; he was dribbling and mumbling incoherently.
‘Leave him. He had guts. He’s as good as dead anyway!’ Clo answered. ‘When he is found it will be a warning to others not to withhold information from me!’
They walked off and left Caleb where he lay. Caleb had heard Carl the paper’s name and knew who had brought this upon him. He knew he was dying and his thoughts turned to revenge. He waited until he was sure he was alone and somehow managed to climb to his feet. He had a plan and felt about until he found his gas can. He and Drummond earned a few cents siphoning off gas from cars and selling it to their regular customers, Drummond relished in taking gas from the mobs cars and selling it, despite the danger.
Caleb shook the gas can and was pleased to hear some gas slosh about inside, he judged that it was half-full. He opened a match book and folded one across the others; this was a trick he had shown Drummond. He licked the matches to make sure they were live then stumbled toward the door. A tear ran down his cheek when he thought of Drummond, not that they were kin or anything. He had come across Drummond one day and taken him in after his father had thrown him out in a drunken fit.
Caleb had tried to ready Drummond for the world outside, now he would have to go it alone. Caleb coughed and blood ran out of his mouth, he knew he had to go now or he would never make it. He found the door but instead of going out he turned and walked to the rear of the shed, his good arm out stretched, the more injured of his two arms was forced to carry the gas can. He took a dollar from their secret supply and folded it round the roll of blank paper he kept in there.
Ready for the showdown he staggered down the street towards Carl the paper’s stand. He heard Carl the paper long before he reached him, Carl was calling out the headlines as he always did. Caleb staggered towards the noise until the silence told him Carl had seen him.
‘Are you here Carl?’ Caleb asked weakly but there was no answer. ‘I’m a goner Carl and I have money, I want Drummond to have it.’ He flashed the roll. ‘Can you see he gets it?’
‘Sure I will old man.’ Carl answered when he saw the roll of money. ‘What happened do you want me to call an ambulance?’
‘It is too late for that.’ Caleb replied.
He listened as he stood there swaying to and fro. Carl moved toward him and the money, just as Caleb knew he would, he was a greedy man. He also knew that no money would never reach Drummond. He heard Carl approach, then felt it when he tried to take the money from his hand. Caleb threw his good arm round Carl the paper, dropping the roll as he did so and opening his hand to reveal the book of matches. He grimaced as he held on and forced his badly injured arm to lift the gas can over both their heads.
‘Let go old man, you’re messing up my suit!’ Carl the paper shouted. Then he felt the gas as it poured over his head and ran down his face. ‘What the hell?’
‘Y
ou told Clo where the girl was; well you won’t tell him anything else until he joins you in hell!’ Caleb said as loud as he could manage and lit the matches.
Both of them exploded in a mass of flame. Carl the paper screaming for help and Caleb holding on to him as long as his strength held out. He wanted Carl the paper dead.
Carter led the way to the main pipe. They’d already seen marks to show that someone had been through the pipe recently; now on the far side of the main pipe they found a child’s hand print. Pruitt helped Carter up into the pipe and Carter pulled him up after. The looked for sign as they went and spotted a small footprint half way up the ladder Cally had first tried to use to escape.
‘She went up here!’ Carter said pointing his torch up at the grating.
‘You reckon she lifted that?’ Pruitt asked.
‘She did the one in the alley, according to the plate washer, it was down last time he was there.’
‘See what’s up there.’
Carter climbed the ladder and pushed the grating up. A car ran over it as he did so and pushed it back down.
‘Hell!’ Carter yelled and shook his hand.
‘Stop messing about and get out.’ Pruitt ordered. He had followed him up the ladder.
Carter lifted one side and looked for approaching cars. When he saw it was safe he lifted the grating out and hurried out of the drain quickly. As he went to help Pruitt out he saw a man covered in blood put his arm round Carl the paper then tip something over both of their heads.
‘Are you going to help me out or what?’ Pruitt asked.
‘Caleb’s injured and he’s having a fight with Carl the paper.’ Carter answered as he pulled Pruitt out.
Then they both saw the two struggling men burst into flames. Pruitt was on his feet first and running, Carter followed. By the time they arrived the two men had separated, Carl the paper in the middle of the street crying out in agony Caleb lying by the burning paper stand. Pruitt used his jacket to try to smother Caleb’s flames but Caleb was past help. Caleb felt Pruitt’s badge and grabbed his arm.
‘The girl’s gone to the hospital to see her dad. Help her!’ He hissed urgently with his last breath and slumped back dead.