by Joe McNally
‘So was Harold Shipman.’
‘Ouch! That was in very poor taste!’
‘It was. I withdraw it.’
‘Anyway, Blake’s waiting for us. That’ll get the first part out of the way.’
‘And the fun starts tomorrow,’ I said, looking across at Mac.
He said, ‘Well, I’ll say one thing, this is the first time you’ve tried to pull something off by informing all the authorities in advance.’
‘Needs must when the devil drives, Mac. Needs must.’
78
Mave arrived later, carrying a small suitcase. She closed the door behind her, looked around and said, ‘What a beautiful room.’
‘I’m glad you like it. You’re paying.’
‘I am the year-round Santa Claus of the north country, air fares, hospital bills, maybe even funeral costs.’
‘Cheer me up, why don’t you?’
‘Who needs cheering? For a man who is due to lapse into a coma at six-fourteen in the morning you look remarkably healthy, which leads me to ask, what the hell are you doing in bed?’
I smiled, ‘I believe it’s called method acting.’
‘And I believe it’s called being lazy.’
We laughed, more to ease the tension than anything else. Mave said, ‘When’s the sting?’
‘First part today, I hope.’
‘Prim and Vita both okay with it?’
‘Yep. Prim maybe less so, but once she starts it’ll be fireworks. She’s all show business. Nervous waiting in the wings, but she’ll blow them away when she steps out. She doesn’t know that yet, but she will.’
Mave nodded and looked at me in a way I was familiar with. Today was the one day I didn’t want to see that look, ‘What’s up?’ I asked.
‘My man in Newbury will need three days.’
I slumped slowly back to rest on the pillow. Mave said, ‘Can you hold out for a three-day coma?’
‘It’s more about if everyone else can keep their nerve that long. Would it be any quicker if you travelled down there to help him?’
‘There’s nothing for me to do on it, Eddie. Remember last time he helped us on Jimmy’s case? Same situation.’
‘So there’ll be nothing Bradley’s team can do either?’
‘Nothing except help get it here quickly once he’s done.’
I stared at the ceiling. ‘We need to cancel today. Cancel Prim. Put it off for forty-eight hours. Otherwise it’s a three-day pressure cooker and somebody will blow.’
‘That means rearranging a hell of a lot of other stuff, doesn’t it?’
‘Bradley and Mac would be the first to say better safe than sorry.’ I reached for my phone.
79
Next morning, the BHA put out the press release at six-forty-seven to say that Eddie Malloy had lapsed into a coma, which they suspected was linked to a previous head injury suffered at Bangor when Montego Moon had bolted, and that more would be known after a specialist’s assessment.
It was one of the few times to be thankful that my champion jockey days were long gone. The news would stir a few racing reporters, but none would be rushing to Carlisle for comments from the medics. I asked Mac to include a paragraph asking jockeys not to visit until further notice.
At noon, I had my first formal visitors: Dil, Prim and Vita. Ten minutes later, a tech from Merseyside police arrived, introduced himself as Gary, and apologized for being late. I introduced the others and, as Gary grasped Dil’s hand he said, ‘You’re the owner of the racehorse stables?’
‘That’s right.’
‘My colleagues tell me the bug sweep was clean?’
Dil said, ‘That’s what they told me yesterday.’
‘Good. Just double-checking that you knew.’
‘Thanks,’ Dil said.
Gary put a leather case on the table and opened it. He took out a gemstone brooch and held it up. It caught the sunlight through window. Prim said, ‘Ruby?’
Gary said, ‘Was that what you asked for?’
‘I did. It’s bigger than I thought it would be.’
‘Probably to make sure we get plenty cover for the receiver. Is that the jacket you’ll be wearing?
‘Yes. Should I take it off?’
‘Please.’
Prim gave him the blue, cropped jacket. Gary smiled and said, ‘Talk among yourselves,’ and he moved to the leather sofa by the wall.
Dil said, ‘We could have done this at my place.’
I said, ‘Except that you care so much for your dear comatose friend that you all felt inclined to rush to his bedside. Unlike last time.’
‘I drove all the way to Bangor last time!’
‘Indeed you did…three days after I was admitted,’ I smiled, ‘I’m only winding you up Dil. It’s safer to do everything here. Not overlooked, as Mave and I were saying earlier. Not overlooked, and not bristling with bugs.’
Gary brought Prim’s jacket, holding it by the shoulders, ‘Want to try it on?’
Prim said, ‘You serious?’
The fair-haired tech said, ‘Trust me. It’ll feel different. If it’s too awkward, you’ll fidget and mess with it and the broadcast could break up. Plus, if anyone sees you looking uncomfortable with it they could get suspicious.’
Prim stood up and pushed her arms through the sleeves, and frowned, and adjusted and fiddled with it, ’You’re right,’ she said.
‘Want me to raise it an inch so it’s not weighing on the lapel so much?’
Prim slipped the jacket off, ‘Yes, please.’
Five minutes later, she was comfortable in it. The tech said, ‘Try and keep it on in the car on the way to the racecourse. And, this will sound stupid, but be careful not to take it off once you’re there. It can be an instinctive thing, especially if the room you’re in is too warm. Once you start wriggling out of it, it’s kind of difficult to change your mind.’
She nodded, ‘And it won’t suddenly whine, or bleep or something?’
‘It’s got no capability for audio out. Transmit only, so don’t worry about that. Easiest thing is to try and forget it’s there, otherwise, your fingers will go to it, believe me.’
Prim nodded again, then looked down at the brooch, ‘Okay. Thanks.’
Gary said, ‘We’ll do a quick check, if that’s okay?’
‘Sure.’ Prim said.
Gary made a phone call, ‘Ready for on-site test?’ He turned to Prim and said, ‘What did you have for breakfast?’
‘I was way too nervous to eat breakfast. Black coffee and three Hail Marys.’
Gary, phone to his ear, smiled and nodded, ‘That was great. Thanks.’
Vita said, ‘Who was listening to that?’
Gary said, ‘Two guys in a white van parked a mile away. The same van will be parked in the centre of the racetrack once we’re live. It has a logo on and the words, “Events Radio”. There’ll be backup officers with us in there.’
Dil said, ‘Events Radio? Bit of a giveaway, is it not?’
Gary said, ‘Just cover for us if anyone catches sight of the equipment. Any reasonably sized event will have a supplier of handheld radios on site.’
Dil nodded. Gary looked around at all of us, ‘Any questions?’
Nobody spoke. Gary smiled as he picked up his bag and scooped his jacket from the back of the sofa, ‘Good luck.’
At the sound of the door closing Dil said, ‘Is all this really necessary? Monty knows exactly what’s happening. It’s not as though we’re trying to catch him out.’
I said, ‘Dil, Dil…’ he turned to look at me, ‘we’ve been through all this, and-‘
‘I know! But seeing Prim hooked up with it, well, she’s nervous enough now, what’s it going to be like in the box with Bruno hanging around? There’s no percentage in it! We know what Monty’s going to say.’
I said, ‘Bradley wants it. He’s out on a limb here. There might be a fair way to go before we get to Ember, and if Bradley hits resistance he’s going to need something oth
er than my word for it.’
Dil eased off a bit and leant back, his voice lower when he spoke, ‘I’m just amazed Monty Bearak agreed to incriminate himself right off the bat.’
I said, ‘Dil, if you wanted the perfect example of a man stuck between a rock and a hard place, this is it. Do I need to go through everything yet again, or is it enough just to remind you that this gets Prim and family off the hook?’
He swept his fringe and half-sneered, ’If it works…’
Prim said, ‘Oh, fill me with confidence, why don’t you?’
Dil went from loud to cowed and opened his hands, looking at her in what he hoped was a silent apology that Vita wouldn’t see. But the sly smile on Vita’s face had never changed since Dil opened his mouth and I had a sudden vision of Vita on a giant stage wielding a thin baton and a manic laugh as she conducted a theatre of chaos.
I said, ‘One thing has changed…hopefully it will ease the pressure on Prim.’
Everyone turned. I said, ‘We’re delaying the first sting for forty-eight hours.’ Prim’s chin dropped and her shoulders relaxed as the tension was released. I explained what had happened. Prim said, ‘I was relieved when you told me. Now I’ve got two days to worry myself to death.’
I said, ‘Well, the good news, I hope, is that you can have a short practise run today, because Monty doesn’t know yet about the delay, and it’s not safe to call him.’
Prim rested a finger on her breastbone, ‘You want me to go and tell him?’
I said, ‘We’ll arrange it so you just bump into him briefly and he invites you to his box on Tuesday. Two-minute conversation.’
‘And what do I do for the next two days?’
‘You do your gypsy princess vigil at my bedside, to build up some kind of alibi to convince the innocent that you’re not part of the plot to kill me.’
80
Mave was the only one who kept vigil for the next two days. Dil, and Prim and Vita came and went, as did Mac, but these were precautionary on the very slim chance that Ember was watching us. There was no reason he should be, at least not until Prim had made her pitch, but I’d been unnerved by the fact that Ember had found out what Boffo was doing long before anyone else had.
Another who visited each day was a police firearms officer in the guise of a doctor. He was even supplied with specialist ID so that staff would believe he was an expert, working alongside Blake, on my case only. The name on his ID was MacCready. He did not tell us his real name. The purpose of his visit was to establish himself in case Ember had us under surveillance, and to set up the ‘best scenario to give us the opportunity to apprehend an intruder’: a euphemism for stopping Ember’s guys killing me and Mave.
On Tuesday morning, Mac came in, wearing his ‘bad news’ look. ‘How’s the patient this morning?’ he said.
‘What’s up, Mac?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You’ve got something to tell me. You’re crap at hiding it. We both know that.’
‘Nothing major,’ he said, undoing the buttons on his jacket and sitting down, ‘Bradley’s reluctant to release a recording to Prim, assuming all goes well this afternoon.’
‘Why?’
‘He’s concerned it might go against us in court. It will be evidence.’
‘It’ll be evidence Prim already knows about, having been involved in the conversation.’
‘But you want the others to hear it, don’t you? That’s where Bradley’s problem lies.’
I swung my legs out of bed and faced him, ‘Mac, I want the others to hear it so they can give Prim support and encouragement for the next one, which will probably be tomorrow, and then the big one, probably Thursday. Also, if Vita does need to play her part, she’ll want to know what it’s been like.’
Mac raised his hands, ‘You’re preaching to the converted. I’m only telling you what he said.’
‘I’ll speak to him.’
‘Hmm, that’s sure to go well.’
‘Mac, come on, pitch in here! They’ve got to know the technology works, too! Prim’s putting her life on the line here. Maybe Vita as well. They’re entitled to proof that everything Bradley’s team claim can be done can actually be done.’
Mac nodded. I said, ‘You might also want to point out how ridiculous it is to be concerned about these tiny breaks with procedure given that he’s driving a coach and horses through the rule book.’
‘True.’
‘Call him, will you?’
‘I will when I get back to the car.’
‘Do it now, Mac, please!’
He stood up and took out his phone and wandered slowly toward the window as he waited for an answer.
81
At seven that evening, the formal start of visiting time, Mac was back, along with Prim, Vita and Dil. I went to Prim and put my hands on her shoulders, ‘You okay?’
She nodded, ‘I think so.’
‘It went well?’
‘Eddie, all I can say is it passed quickly…very, very quickly.’
‘Is that good or bad?’ I asked. Mac held up a yellow memory stick, waving it, ‘Let’s find out,’ he said, and handed the stick to Mave. She slotted it into the laptop. Mac said, ‘The tech guys edited out all the early stuff. It starts with just the three of them in the box.’
Mave sat on the bed with me. Mac remained standing. The others sat on the sofa. Mave pressed play.
Monty’s voice was first: ‘Prim, it’s been a delight to have you here as my guest. Is someone picking you up? I can arrange a car for you. Bruno will organize it.’
Prim: ‘I’ll get a taxi. Thank you…I mean, I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I’ll get a taxi when...when I’m leaving.’
Monty: ‘My dear, forgive me! I wasn’t throwing you out! Please, I’ll open another bottle.’
‘No! It’s not, well it’s not social. I need to talk to you, to both of you.’
Three seconds of silence which seemed like ten.
Monty: ‘Well, Bruno normally takes a break about this time, can’t stand the smell of my cigars. If it’s something you need Bruno’s help with, I mean, is everything okay with Ben and Alice?’
Prim: ‘Nothing’s okay for anybody! Nothing! It’s been bloody torture sitting through this whole afternoon waiting to tell you this. Both of you!’
‘My dear, please! Sit down. Is the news about Eddie worse than we’ve been led to believe? I was planning to visit this evening.’
Prim: ‘The news about Eddie is exactly why I’m here, but there’s no point you visiting him. The longer he’s in a coma the better.’
Monty: ‘Is that what the specialists are saying. Isn’t that rather unusual?’
Prim: ‘It’s what I’m saying. And it’s what you’ll be saying!’
Monty: ‘I’m afraid you’ve lost me.’
Prim: ‘Listen, just let me talk. All I need is for you to listen.’ The volume faded as she turned her head, ‘You too, Bruno! Please come and sit down. You’re in this as well.’
Prim looked around at us and said, ‘Bruno didn’t wait for Monty to signal or anything, he just came over.’
The sound of chair legs dragging on carpet. Prim: ‘Eddie Malloy knows what you’ve been doing. Everything. He knows you kidnapped Ben Searcey. He knows about all the betting shops you’ve got, about the bookies’ pitches. He knows you’re the hit man, Bruno. He knows about all the shell companies and that you’re running those girls in Deadwood and that DJ and his gang work for you, and-‘
Monty: ‘Prim! Prim…Prim…please! What on earth are you talking about? Betting shops? Girls? Eddie is a very good friend of mine. Someone is trying to make a fool of you, a very big fool.’
A loud bang on the table, then Prim: ‘Stop it! We haven’t got time for it! You haven’t got time for it, and don’t think you’re out of it either, Bruno, and don’t think you can get out of it. I’ve heard the tape!’
Monty: ‘What tape? What the hell are you talking about? This is beyond a joke, Prim!
’
Prim: ‘Stop! You’re wasting time. Eddie is this close to getting you! This close! Why do you think he’s been coming to see you so often lately? Why was he staying behind until it was just you and him? He was wearing a wire! He’s trying to get you to incriminate yourself so he can add it to all the evidence Mave found.’
Monty: ‘What evidence?’
‘The shell companies you own. The change you made to Valentine Elements to try and push the blame onto Kelman Hines. The call you made, Bruno, to tell Eddie that Hines was running the trafficking in Deadwood…Believe me now? Is it ringing bells, yet? Can we stop with all the fucking bullshit now? You’re in charge in Deadwood, and you’re the strongarm man! You tipped Eddie off on Hines, then you did all you could to push him toward me to get the blame for the horses…the phone call about the mystery gypsies at the Blue Anchor, remember? That tip off about Hines and then the highly convenient big pointy hand directing him to the Hines lab closest to the hub of everything that had been happening, which, surprise, surprise was where Ben was being held. Oh, how convenient all that must have seemed, landing it all on me!’
Long silence, then Bruno, quietly: ‘It was you.’
We all looked at Prim. She smiled.
Prim: ‘I didn’t kidnap Ben Searcey! I came up with a plan, my own plan, to get Dil Grant away from Vita Brodie and it all just unravelled and now Eddie’s going to hand me in, and you, and you! And I never meant to hurt anybody and now my father’s in trouble, too. He’s nearly eighty and he’s looking at spending what’s left of his life in jail.’
Silence…
Monty: ‘You said evidence. What evidence. Where did you hear all this? Eddie Malloy is hardly going to sit you down and tell you everything.’
‘Oh, Eddie sat me down all right, he sat me down and promised me and Dil he was going to find us a way out of this, all nice and neat and they’d get my father off, too and even Kelman Hines. And I believed him. I believed him, but my father knew better. He got the same guy who built the kit for the radio scam on the horses to go and bug Eddie’s house. So, what do we find? What do we find after all the promises? A recording of about a dozen conversations Malloy has had with his little genius girlfriend Mave, who, by the way, does all the work. She does all the work and Malloy takes the glory.’