FOURTEEN

JACK

“It’s been a long time,” Jerry said when I opened the door. “How you been, Jack?”

“I’ve been better,” I replied, motioning for him to come inside.

“You working again?” he asked. “Feel free to tell me to go fuck myself but when I get a message saying Jack needs me, I think that’s bullshit. He aint needed anything getting rid of for what? For five years? Maybe more? But I looks it up myself and sure as hell, there it is in black and white. You need a man with a van. So what’s going on, Jack? You get bored working for that loan company? Hey, don’t look so surprised. It’s kind of important in my line of work to keep an eye on my clients. No doubt, you been keeping just as keen an eye on me. So you know my prices have gone up, right?”

“Christ,” I said, rubbing my forehead. “You still don’t stop for breath, do you?”

“Hey, in my particular line of employment, you never know when you might take your last so you gotta make the most of it, am I right?” He elbowed me in the side as he let out a barking laugh. “So where’s the asshole who thought he could take on Jack Rutherford? What kind of dumb fuck was he anyway? Burglar down on his luck? Someone from the old days wanting revenge?”

“In a manner of speaking,” I said, leading him up the stairs. We stopped on the landing, Jerry looking down at the body of my attacker. “Payment when I get paid?”

“Hey, I aint normally in the credit business so to speak. I’m a cash up front kind of guy. Don’t borrow, don’t lend, that’s my motto. But,” he paused before grinning, showing his rotting teeth, “seeing as we’re old pals and you’ve thrown a lot of work at me in the past, I’ll say yes just this once. For a friend. You need the full clean and steam?”

“If you would.”

“Got the shit out in the van. Also got myself two guys since last time you saw me. They’re good, Jack, real good. I mean they come in and do it so well, your wife thinks what the fuck, how did my house get this sparkling? He must be having an affair, the son of a bitch. You know what I mean?”

“I thought you always liked working alone.”

“My back aint what it was, Jack. I’m getting on. But then so are you. Are those a couple of grey hairs I see. I tell ya, the first time I saw a grey hair, it weren’t on my head if you know what I mean? I was looking down at the old tackle and fuck me if there weren’t a hair as white as snow white’s sweet pussy just looking up at me. I tells myself, Jerry, you aint no spring chicken no more. I’m fifty-eight, Jack. Fifty fucking eight. I can’t keep doing this forever. I needs myself, what you call it? Apprentices. That’s what it is. I tells myself, Jerry, you get yourself some apprentices or you aint gonna be good for shit in a couple of years. So I trains them up and they do all the lifting and shifting, the cleaning and steaming. I just…supervise.”

“So where are they?”

“In the van, waiting for the word. You tell me you’re good to go and in they come and if you want, they’ll wash your pots and scrub your balls for you too, I got them so well trained.”

“Just getting him gone will be enough for me. I’ll keep my balls in my pants.”

“Suit yourself,” he shrugged, kneeling down and looking at the body. “Well, bud, you fucked up coming into my friend Jack’s house, I’ll tell you that. But don’t you worry, you’ll soon be in a much better place.” He slapped the cheek of the corpse before standing up again. “Let’s do it to it,” he said to me before heading back downstairs. He pulled open the front door while I stood on the landing and waited. It was like a well oiled machine, watching him at work.

His two guys were the strong silent type, in comparison to Jerry. He had them up the stairs quick sharp and they got the body wrapped and carried down so fast, I marvelled at the sight. “Didn’t I tell you they was good?” Jerry said, watching as the men carried a very long and slightly bulging length of carpet out to the open back door of their van. It was inside a few seconds later and then they were back, cleaning equipment in their arms. “Be sure not to miss anything,” Jerry shouted up to them before turning back to me. “I swear to God, Jack, the first job I took those two on, they left a fucking shoe behind. A goddam shoe, can you believe that? We’re about to drive off and I looks in the back and says, ‘Hey, where’s his shoe?’ and they looks at me and shrugs. I nearly lost it with them but they’ve been good. They aint put a foot wrong since. Or should I say, a shoe wrong?” He barked out another laugh before leaning on the wall behind him. “So are you working again?”

“Not really,” I replied. “Just a one off.”

“Well, hey, one off’s is all well and good but you bear me in mind if you decide you want a two off or a three off. I got overheads now, Jack.”

“Yeah, next you’ll be paying taxes.”

He barked again. “That’s a good one, Jack. That’s a real good one. Now you go get yourself a drink while we finish off. I can’t gab all day.”

“I bet you can.”

“You’re a funny guy, Jack. That’s why I miss working with ya.”

I found a bottle of whisky in the kitchen. “You’ll do,” I said, pouring myself a glass.

By the time it was empty, they were done. “Fast and slick, like your mum,” Jerry said from the doorway as the other two carried their cleaning gear outside. “Quincy himself wouldn’t be able to tell anything happened up there.”

“Thanks a lot, Jerry,” I said. “I appreciate it.”

“Sure you do. Now you take care of yourself. You aint no spring chicken no more, either.”

“Don’t I know it.”

He was still laughing when I shut the door. I listened to the van driving away before heading back to the kitchen. The whisky was calling to me. I sat at the counter, sipping at it, listening to the faint sound of her. She was singing down there. What was that tune? Then I remembered. Hush a bye baby. Did she still sing that?

I closed my eyes, thinking about the last time I’d heard her singing that song. She was in the backyard, playing on the swing. I nodded and waved at her as I passed by. She grinned back at me before carrying on singing.

Inside her father was waiting for me. “I’m in trouble, Jack,” he said, pacing up and down in the kitchen. “I need your help.”

She’s  coming,” Drake added, appearing from the shadows, plucking a speck of dirt off his jacket.

“You’re his assistant,” I said. “You’re getting paid enough, why haven’t you prepped anything?”

“There wasn’t time,” he replied. “We only found out today.”

“Will you promise me something?” Geoffrey asked, looking scared for the first time ever. “Promise me you’ll keep her safe. Whatever happens to me, you keep her safe. She means everything to me, Jack.”

“You’re going to be fine,” I said, showing just wrong a person can be.

I needed another drink. He wasn’t fine. I was wrong about it all. I left her without a father. I failed them both. I lifted the bottle to my lips, thinking about how complacent I was back then, how certain I was that nothing could get through the ring of steel round Geoffrey Sanders.

She was still singing down there. I couldn’t bear it. She was a kid again, sitting on the swing and happy as anything for a few more days until it all fell apart, all because of me.

I got up, bottle in hand, staggering to the left as the alcohol coursed through me. She had to shut up. I couldn’t listen to that singing anymore. So I headed for the cellar, ready to tell her to shut her goddam mouth else I’d shut it for her.