Fighting Chance

by Shaun Baines

  He dropped the foil into the bowl of petrol and closed the microwave door.

  "Dad would pit me and Scott against each other," Daniel said. "He called it training. Sometimes with races, sometimes in fights. The loser spent the night outside while the winner was fed. I lost a lot of weight until I learned how to fight dirty."

  Bronson followed Daniel with his eyes. "If I'd known, I would have – "

  "Called Social Services?" Daniel asked with a snort. "Or would you have turned a blind eye? Like Mam did. Like everyone did. Gets pretty hard to trust people after that."

  "I gave Scott a chance to prove he was working for us and he is," Bronson said. "Give me the same chance?"

  "The Daytons are over," Daniel said. "This is my time now."

  Bronson's insides went to liquid. He wriggled under the microwave, hearing the petrol spill over the bowl.

  Daniel patted him on the arm, trying to soothe him. "It's air-tight. Squirm as much as you want, but that explosion is trapped. The only way out is through you."

  "You don't have to do this," Bronson said, bucking against the bomb strapped to his chest. "Is this about trust? You can trust me."

  "So you said. Several times." Daniel smoothed out the bags under his eyes. "But I don't need you anymore. You're the old generation."

  "That's not my fault."

  "It's not mine, either." Daniel pressed Start. The microwave whirred, the interior light shining on a revolving bowl. He ran to the far end of the kitchen, leaving Bronson to confront the fire on his own.

  Straining against the ropes, Bronson's face grew purple, the knots tightening with his every twist. He stopped moving, his eyes wide as sparks pinged off the inside of the microwave.

  "I only wanted to help," Bronson said, a scream fixed in his chest. "You're killing your only friend."

  "Daddy?"

  Bronson turned his head. Eisha padded into the kitchen in her pyjamas. She was wearing unicorn slippers with stained, yellow horns standing proud of her feet. Her clothes were smeared with dirt and her skin was ghostly white, pinpricked with sweat. She held a toy cat in the crook of her arm.

  "I heard voices," Eisha said.

  "Get out of here," Bronson shouted, tipping onto his side, forcing his body between the crackling microwave and Eisha.

  Daniel ran to the socket, wrenching the plug free. The microwave died and the bomb was rendered inert.

  "Why is Uncle Bronson on the floor?" Eisha asked.

  Stepping over a gasping Bronson, Daniel knelt in front of Eisha. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you with Auntie Lily?"

  Eisha's lower lip trembled and her face curdled into a grimace. "There was a woman." She flung her arms around Daniel's neck and sobbed. "I tried to be brave, Daddy. Like you, but she was scary. She was wearing a mask."

  Daniel peeled her arms away like they were wet spaghetti strands. "Are you okay? Is Auntie Lily okay?"

  The tears on Eisha's face were the first Bronson had seen that contained fear. She hugged the cat and twisted its ear.

  "It's going to be fine, pet," Bronson said.

  Placing a gentle hand on her head, Daniel's face collapsed into stress lines, reminding Bronson of slash marks in a side of beef.

  "I want the same things as you, Daniel," Bronson said, writhing against his bonds. "We don't have to end like this."

  There was no response, except for the distant sound of traffic as people went about their business. As if the world was safe. As if their lives were worth living. Bronson didn't belong in that world and he didn't know if he belonged in Daniel's, either. That would be up to the man who had just tried to kill him and it didn't look promising.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Arriving at Lily's flat, Daniel was pleased to see the police. It was an unfamiliar feeling, somewhere between gratitude and trapped wind.

  Bronson was the first out of the car and didn't look back. Daniel sat in the passenger seat surveying the scene. The commotion had brought out the neighbours. They swung on their front doors like monkeys in a zoo, swinging out of sight whenever the police strayed too near.

  A Mercedes police van with metal grills over the windows idled further down the street. A yellow ambulance was parked behind, its blue lights dead. There were no paramedics and Daniel hissed air through his teeth. That meant they were inside and someone had been hurt.

  "Why did the lady come to Auntie Lily's?" Eisha asked from the back seat.

  "I told you, I don't know."

  "Are you going to kill her?"

  He twisted in his seat and looked at his daughter. She cocked her head to one side, examining his face. "Good," she said with a nod. "But don't hurt Uncle Bronson. He's silly and I like him."

  "He has been silly, hasn't he? Stay in the car," Daniel said.

  He caught up with Bronson, who was attempting to negotiate with a female officer stationed at the door. She was taller than him with red cheeks and a button nose. "I'm not going to repeat myself, sir. Step away from the residence."

  "But we're family," Daniel said.

  The sun beamed over his shoulder and the officer squinted as she looked up at him. "Do you have any identification?"

  "Let them in," a man called from inside. Daniel recognised the voice and they went inside. The sitting room was swamped with people. Panwar sat on the sofa, a glazed look on his face. His left eye was swollen and a paramedic in green scrubs was dabbing blood from his mouth. A uniformed policeman flicked through the channels of the television.

  Lily stood with her back to them. Her head was bowed. Daniel caught the shake in her shoulders. She was talking to a man in a pinstripe suit, who was scribbling notes in a book. There was a cigarette behind his ear. His hair was tied into a greasy ponytail.

  Whether it was Daniel's imposing stature or Bronson mumbling to himself, the atmosphere in the room changed. DCI Spencer looked up, glancing over his shoulder and excused himself from Lily.

  "Didn't think it would be long before you two arrived," he said, stopping in front of them. "Can't say I'm glad to see you."

  "I'm not particularly happy about smelling you, either," Bronson said, stepping back. "Still wearing too much aftershave?"

  "What's going on?" Daniel asked.

  Spencer snapped his notebook shut. "That would be telling."

  Lily pushed past the DCI. Her eyes were red. She threw her arms around Daniel and he held her as she sobbed. "I'm sorry, Daniel. She barged her way in, shouting, waving a gun. I don't know what happened."

  "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put you in this position. It's my fault. Again."

  Bronson's frown deepened. "This is tidier than my place. Nothing's turned over. Nothing's smashed. It's like they didn't want to cause a fuss."

  "Odd, isn't it?" Spencer said with a sniff.

  "She's gone," Lily said. "They took her. Eisha is gone, Daniel. I'm so sorry."

  Daniel placed soft hands around her face. "She's fine. She made it home. Eisha's in my van outside."

  "What?" Spencer's raised voice made everyone in the room jump, except Daniel. "Why didn't you say something?"

  "Because that would be telling," Daniel answered.

  "You," Spencer shouted at the uniformed policeman by the television. "You're not getting paid to watch Homes Under The Hammer. Go check on the girl."

  With a flushed face, the policeman squeezed by them, disappearing outside.

  Spencer rounded on Daniel. "This isn't the Wild West and you're not in charge anymore. You or your sidekick. I'm the god damn Northumbria Police and you'll show me some respect."

  "But you do supply us with information," Bronson said.

  "And you and I have an agreement, remember?" Daniel mimed signing a contract before tearing it in half. "Maybe you should reconsider exactly where you are in life."

  Daniel gazed around the room, inviting Spencer to do the same. The uniforms were gone. The paramedic who had treated Panwar had slipped out without anyone noticing. The DCI was on his own, surrounded by Dayton
s.

  Spencer sidled to the door with a casual whistle, but Bronson blocked his way.

  "You couldn't see the farce for the trees," Bronson said. "Just tell us what you know and stop embarrassing yourself."

  "This is a sealed investigation. Nothing is to be released to the public," Spencer said.

  "It was a woman," Lily said, staring pointedly at the DCI. "Wearing a mask. With an angel on it."

  "An angel? Not a skull?" Daniel looked at Bronson, who raised his eyebrows.

  "Did she say anything?" Bronson asked.

  "She wasn't making any sense. It was all ranting. And her voice was low pitched, like she was possessed or something. She was really losing it. Like she was talking to someone who wasn't there."

  Spencer opened his book. "What did she want?"

  "It was really weird, but it wasn't a robbery." Lily patted the lid on the ceramic vase. "She was going mental and knocked this over. My watch fell out and I thought she'd take it. She almost did, but I snatched it up. Told her my ex-husband gave it to me and she started crying."

  "She didn't take it?" Daniel asked.

  Panwar groaned from the sofa, but Lily continued talking. "No, but she was upsetting Eisha. That's when Eisha punched her in the boob."

  Bronson burst out laughing, but Daniel scowled. "Did she hurt my daughter?"

  "She was going to," Panwar said, cradling his jaw. "She grabbed Eisha by the hair and threw her out of the room. I tried to go after her. Make sure she was okay."

  "Are you sure you weren't trying to run away, too?" Daniel asked.

  Lily went to Panwar. "He was trying to protect her. He got beat up for getting in the way."

  The world narrowed onto Panwar's face. Daniel read every contraction. It was evident from the bruising on his face that Panwar was no fighter and the swelling made it difficult to know if he was telling the truth. Daniel supposed he should just be grateful, but everything about Panwar irked him. He couldn't put his finger on why, but as Lily placed a tender hand on Panwar's arm, the answer came. It was jealousy.

  "You'll be living with me from now on," Daniel said.

  "That's brilliant," Eisha shouted, standing in the doorway.

  She bolted around Spencer's legs, throwing herself at Lily, who pressed multiple kisses to her cheek. "I thought I'd lost you. Don't run off like that again."

  "I won't have to. Now that you're living with Daddy. He'll protect us both." Eisha grinned at her, but Daniel saw fear in Lily's eyes.

  Spencer broke up the group, waving his hands as if he was scattering a swarm of bees. "There is a little thing here called my bloody job. I need statements, corroborations, testimonies and I need to figure out what the hell is going on, but…" He paused, placing his cigarette, now translucent with hair grease, between his teeth. He lit it and caught Daniel's eye. "I don't think it's a terrible idea. This masked idiot was probably a junky looking for something to sell for their next fix, but she might come back. I can't guarantee the police can protect you."

  "But I can," Daniel said, folding his arms.

  Eisha tugged on the hem of Panwar's shirt. "You can come with us, if you like. As a thank you." She waved her stuffed animal in front of him. "For buying me Angry Cat."

  "What the hell is an Angry Cat when it's at home?" Bronson asked.

  Panwar ruffled Eisha's hair. "It's something she can talk to whenever she feels angry," he said.

  "And I have to keep it with me all the time, don't I? For when I have my bad thoughts." Eisha hugged the animal, shuffling closer to Panwar.

  "What about all those dolls I bought you? Can't you talk to them?" Daniel asked.

  Panwar and Eisha shared a smirk.

  "You can't talk to dolls, Daddy," his daughter said.

  Bronson muttered something Daniel didn't catch, but he suspected it was sarcastic.

  Wincing against his injuries, Panwar stepped forward, offering his hand to Daniel. "I think you're right. We'll be safer with you around."

  "It takes a real man to say something like that, sir," Spencer said. "It's a credit to you."

  "Especially, if you've just been beaten up by a woman," Bronson said.

  Panwar coughed politely. Daniel looked down at the outstretched hand. With a breath, he took it, feeling like he was squishing wet lettuce. It was a brief handshake and he moved away quickly, approaching Lily. He shrugged at her and waited, averting his gaze.

  The fruit basket on Lily's table was gone. Daniel imagined it had been disposed of after he attacked Panwar. It was a stupid gift. Who the hell ate fruit anyway?

  Lily looked to the floor, worrying her lip. "Okay. We'll come with you."

  "Is there anything you want to take?" Daniel asked.

  "There's nothing here I want." Lily dipped her hand into the vase on the table, retrieving the watch Scott had given her. She guided it over her wrist and led an excited Eisha out of the room.

  Panwar followed, disappearing in another direction.

  The room was bigger again. There was space to move, but Daniel remained hunched, clicking his fingernails, making a sound like animal claws on a hardwood floor. "There's still a way for you to go," he said to Bronson, "but for now, I'm going to wait outside."

  Bronson stopped him with a hand. "What I did was wrong, but it was also kinda right. I would do it again."

  Daniel walked into the glare of the autumn sun, shouting over his shoulder. "You can make up for your behaviour by buying me a new microwave."

  "My hairy arse," Bronson said, smoothing out his tie. "Maybe I'll buy you an Angry bloody Cat while I'm at it. Might help with your bad thoughts."

  Tapping ash into his hand, Spencer eyed Bronson through the curls of cigarette smoke. "I'm not giving you any details about an ongoing investigation."

  "You're such a dipshit. If I want to know what happened, all I have to do is ask Lily. In an hour, we'll be sitting around a take-away talking about how much aftershave you wear. You're a bloody fire hazard."

  Spencer hid his embarrassment behind a drag on his cigarette. "What do you want then?"

  Bronson took another look around the room. It felt wrong. "She didn't touch a stick of furniture and she didn't steal a thing."

  "Sounding like a true detective, Miss Marble," Spencer said.

  "It's Marple, you bloody…never mind. What exactly was she doing here?"

  Pacing the room, Bronson played with the tips of his moustache.

  Lily and Eisha bustled from the flat, hand in hand. Panwar trailed after them, carrying a laptop and a black satchel. Bronson heard a voice from outside. It sounded like Daniel issuing orders. Car doors opened and shut. Eisha was singing, or trying to.

  A breeze whistled through the flat and Bronson pulled his jacket tight around his frame, staring at the vase.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Daniel shivered as the sun kissed his skin. Dressed in a faded t-shirt and jeans, he was ill-prepared for the onslaught of autumn. His legs were draped over the side of the jetty jutting into the lake and his thick arms were studded with goose pimples. A rowing boat was tied to a wooden strut. A breeze pushed it from the shore and it strained on its leash, desperate to be part of the larger water.

  It would stay there until Daniel decided otherwise. No-one untied it, but him.

  Eisha ran down a grassy slope, wearing a summer dress patterned with sunflowers.

  For an instant, Daniel saw her mother Tawnee, not as she was, but how he remembered her – carefree and beautiful. Not yet into double figures and he already saw the young woman his daughter would become.

  Driving the thought aside, he picked at a wooden splinter and cast it into the water.

  "Are you going to be warm enough in that?" he asked.

  The smile dropped from Eisha's face and she sat on the edge of the jetty in a crumple, positioning Angry Cat between her and Daniel. Its eyes had been poked out and Daniel didn't have to guess who had done it.

  "There aren't even any stupid fish in here," Eisha said.


  His father had introduced fish when the lake was first built. A flatbed lorry had arrived with a silver tank on its back, like a diesel fuelled snail. Tubing was thrown over the jetty and the driver cranked a lever, starting the pump with a roar. Unsuspecting fish were shot out of the tube and for days afterwards, Daniel found their bodies washed up on the shore. Occasionally, he'd discover a live one, drowning in the air.

  "Too weak to survive," his father had said. Frightened by the notion, Daniel had silently agreed and stopped visiting the lake for a while.

  But fish weren't the only creatures in the lake. There were bodies. Rivals and witnesses lay decomposing on the bed. Each wore a brick necklace and had a family praying for their safe return.

  "Oh, there are more than just fish in here," Daniel said. "There are sharks and mermaids and whales and – what do you call those things with loads of legs?"

  "Octopuses."

  "Yeah. Those." He beamed at his daughter, but she didn't notice. Her eyes were trained on the waves gushing in to greet her.

  "What did you say?" Daniel asked.

  When Eisha looked at him, his blood chilled. His daughter's face was empty, her mind elsewhere, but her lips had the slightest tremble, as if she was talking to herself.

  "Eisha? Are you listening to me?" he asked.

  A cloud of flies skimmed the water and a fish launched from the surface, its webbed mouth open as it cut through the buzzing insects. With a splash, it sank to the depths and swam with the skeletons.

  "You're being silly again, Daddy. There are no octopuses here." Eisha yanked her dress over her bony knees, her eyes boring into Daniel's face. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

  "There you are. One big, happy family." Panwar walked along the jetty, dressed in a dark padded jacket with a yellow scarf tied around his neck. "Are you two warm enough out here?"

  "I'm cold," Eisha said.

  Panwar untied his scarf and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Is that any better?"

  Nodding, Eisha waved the scarf at Daniel. "See what Uncle Panwar gave me."

  The look his daughter had given him moments before was the same he'd seen on Angel seconds before he had torched the van. Distant. Lost. Lips moving. He knew little of Angel, but he'd tortured a man who seemed to know more. She was the Maguire child in the attic. The shame behind locked doors. As sure as he recognised the madness in Angel, he saw the same in Eisha.