Bad Catholics (9 page)

‘Boss, I didn't say anything because I wasn't sure but I think he rings a bell.'

‘I thought so. He's a villain, is he?'

‘It's just his face. I think I've seen it, but I can't place it.'

‘That's enough for me. Sort him out, find out who he is, and mark his card.'

‘Make another visit or pull him?'

‘Just a visit to let him know the times of trains and buses out of this patch. Tell him Paddington has an unhealthy climate.'

‘OK boss, if that's what you want. Back to the nick now?'

Deal looked at his watch.

‘No, drop me at Bertani's, I'll have a coffee then I've got a meet. I'll be back about two.'

‘Any hurry with Costello?'

‘Not really, he's nobody, just move him. Let the man know he is not loved.'

Soon after the police had left, Philomena knocked again on Jimmy's door. Jimmy dragged himself from sleep.

‘Yes, Sister?'

‘Sorry, there's another visitor I'm afraid.'

‘Police again?'

‘No, definitely not police.'

‘A big man, black, well dressed, good looking?'

‘Is he a friend?'

‘I know him.' Jimmy felt like shit.

‘He looks like a businessman, but he has the manner of a politician, all smiles and insincerity. Has he come to sell you something or get your vote?'

Jimmy came out of his room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. ‘Maybe both. Maybe I'm rich and influential, maybe working here is just an eccentricity.'

‘Whatever he is, is he trouble? That's exactly what he looks like, trouble with nice manners. I've seen the type before.'

‘Yeah, he might be trouble.'

Philomena held Jimmy's arm. They stopped at the top of the stairs.

‘Then have your trouble somewhere else. There's to be no more trouble here.' She let go of his arm.

‘Thanks for your support, Sister.'

‘Sorry, but that's how it is. If I could help I would, but there's no sense in beating around the bush. Do you want me to call the police?'

‘No, definitely no police.'

‘That bad? Well, God go with you, Jimmy, but go you must if you have trouble coming. Remember, there's to be no more trouble!'

‘Don't worry, nothing will happen here. I'll see to it,' and he began to walk down the stairs.

Philomena noticed his feet. ‘Your shoes, where's your shoes?'

Jimmy looked down. ‘My mind was elsewhere,' he muttered, and went back to his room. Philomena watched him as he came back and went down the stairs.

‘God go with you, Jimmy,' she said, but this time she said it so that only God could hear.

‘The lad!'

The voice was loud, cheerful and South London. The big man came towards Jimmy as he entered the dining room. Immaculately and very expensively dressed, he wore a fawn overcoat like a cloak over his broad shoulders, with a white silk scarf hanging loosely round his neck. He looked like something from the fashion section of a glossy magazine.

‘The boy looks well, though shabby, and the boy hasn't lost his touch, you retain the old skill, Jimmy.'

‘What do you mean?'

‘You know what I mean.'

‘The barman at The Hind?'

‘The Liffey Lad, Jimmy.' The big man looked pained. ‘The Liffey Lad, please. It hasn't been The Hind for years now. No, not the barman, a modest talent could have taken him. No, this place. Who would think of looking for you in a place like this?'

‘Have you been looking for me, Nat?'

‘I let it be known I wanted to say welcome home. Sit down, my boy, sit down and tell me all about yourself.'

Nat pulled a chair out and sat on the edge of the table.

‘I've been all right.'

‘I'm glad, Jimmy. I'm glad of that because, if you remember, we never got to say goodbye last time, did we?'

‘No, Nat, we never said goodbye.'

‘Dead, and never called me mother,' Nat laughed. ‘What am I to do with the boy?'

Jimmy sat hunched in the chair.

‘You shouldn't have come back, it wasn't a clever move. And you're only back five minutes when there's blood on the carpet, my carpet, and then there's a dead body alongside you, and it all happens in my sphere of influence. I don't know, what on earth am I to do with you?'

‘Your sphere of influence reaches as far as Paddington now, Nat?'

‘Oh, Paddington is well within my sphere of influence. I've never regretted emigrating over the Thames. Going north agreed with me.'

Jimmy changed the subject.

‘Who was the inspector? He wasn't here in my day.'

‘New lad, been here eighteen months, two years. He's

doing well.'

‘Your man?'

‘No Jimmy, doesn't take yet, he's clever. He knows what he's worth as an inspector and he knows what he will be worth higher up, so he's staying clean. I respect him for it.'

‘That's why you waited till they'd gone.'

‘That's right. No fuss needed.'

‘Is there going to be a fuss?'

‘If I wanted a fuss it would have been Vic and Sammy visiting, not me.'

‘Vic still with you?'

‘Always, Jimmy, always. No one like Vic.'

‘And Sammy?'

‘Since your time Sammy's the only one who could take Vic and Vic's the only one who could take Sammy so naturally I put Sammy and Vic together.'

‘What about you? Could you take them?'

Nat laughed. ‘What a boy! Perhaps I could but I don't do that kind of work any more. I haven't come to talk about me, pleasure though it is. I've come to tell you what I'm going to do about you.'

Nat was no longer smiling.

‘I don't like you, Jimmy. I never got to say goodbye last time, but as I had no good reason to go looking for you when you skipped, I left it alone.'

Nat stood up.

‘Goodbye, Jimmy. This time I do get to say goodbye.'

Jimmy's surprise must have registered.

‘That's right, I'm going to let you leave.'

Jimmy put his arms on the table, put his hands together and looked at his thumbs. ‘Urgent, my going?'

‘No, not urgent. You're not important any more, just not wanted. Take your time, my lad, but let me see you once before you go.'

Nat adjusted his coat. ‘Why should I see you before I go?'

‘So you can say goodbye to me, and give me a little something before you go.'

‘Do I have something of yours?'

‘Let's say I have a moral right to it.'

‘Do I know what it is?'

‘It's what it always is, Jimmy. Money. You see, when I heard you were back I was going to kill you. You knew I would, because I don't take chances, not even little chances like you, so you made sure you disappeared. That was good but it gave me time to think. It must be a lot of money you left here for you to take the risk of coming back. I suppose you took plenty last time but now you're back for the rest, and there's no way you could get in, get the money, and get out without me nailing you. So, you make an entrance, you pop in to see George and he tells me. You knew he would. Then you come here and you lie low while people are looking, looking all over. When no one sees you around everyone figures you've gone, got what you wanted and got out so they stop looking. Then, when nobody expects it, you pop up, get your money, and run and all anyone has time to do is watch your dust. A good plan, Jimmy, no chances, you know how things work so you make them work for you. But I worked it out, so maybe it's not so good after all, because I set about finding you and then I sent you a little message before I came to call.'

‘What message?'

‘The one I left on the pavement last night.'

Jimmy shook his head. ‘That's no good, Nat, it doesn't fit. I don't think you found me. I think I was recognised and you got tipped last night, so I don't think the body was down to you.'

‘You're right, I did get tipped last night and that was quite handy, although I was half-expecting it, and I paid enough for the tip to make it look good to the law. They think I only found you 'cos I was tipped and that was after the old lady was iced. They think they were the ones who told me where you were, so the old lady can't be anything to do with me, can she? I always think a good police alibi is worth whatever you have to pay for it.'

‘Sorry, Nat, I don't believe you.'

‘And I don't give a fuck what you believe. You'll give me a hundred grand if you don't want to leave in five different directions at once. Get the money, get it to me, and get out.'

Jimmy resumed the study of his thumbs. ‘That's a lot of money.'

Nat relaxed. ‘Don't pretend you haven't got it stashed somewhere. I won't believe that. You were always good, and you were always careful, you didn't splash it about. And you made plenty, we all did.'

‘How long have I got?'

‘Take your time. I know where you are now and I'll keep an eye on you, so there's no hurry. But my advice is, don't linger. It won't be long before everyone knows where you are and I won't work up any sweat to keep you alive, not even for a hundred grand. Now you know how it is, I'll leave you to it.'

Jimmy watched him go. Now he knew how it was, and he didn't like how it was. He got up and went to the store and collected the buckets and mops. The toilets needed cleaning. He'd managed to sluice them down but you could still smell something that wasn't Jeyes Fluid when you went past.

Two days after the murder Detective Sergeant Eddy Clarke was drinking coffee in the police station canteen with a uniformed sergeant. The uniformed man looked agitated.

‘Bloody hell, Eddy, what did he want to come back for?'

‘Search me. But I'll tell you this, he won't be staying long. Boy says he wants him gone. I've got to tell him to go.'

‘Boy? He doesn't know him, Jimmy was gone before he came here.'

‘I know, but Boy's taken a dislike to him so he wants him away. He told me to find out about Jimmy and then tell him to go.'

‘Find out? You know about him as well as I do.'

‘Yes, but Boy doesn't know that and when Jimmy's gone it won't matter.'

‘And you think he'll go just 'cos Boy says so? It doesn't sound likely to me. And if you think you can make Jimmy leave, you must have stopped taking your medication.'

‘He'll go all right. Boy's not the only one who knows he's back and won't want him to stay around.'

The uniformed sergeant nodded. ‘I see, earned yourself a few quid, have you? Was that why you didn't let on to Boy straight away?'

‘Somebody would have told Nat. It might just as well be me as anybody else.'

‘Sure, the money's got to go in somebody's pocket and a favour done for Nat, well, you can't do too many of those, can you?'

Clarke stood up. ‘I'll go and break the news to Jimmy. Boy says he'll be back at two. Tell him where I've gone, will you?'

‘Sure, Eddy.'

There was the buzz of conversation in the dining room. Philomena was at the urn and Janine was sitting at a table with two old ladies when she saw Sergeant Clarke come in. She excused herself and got up.

‘Hello, sergeant, did you want anyone?'

‘Mr Costello, if he's around.'

‘He's in his room. I think he might be asleep. He looked terribly tired when he went up.'

‘Well, Miss, I'm afraid I'll have to disturb him again.' He looked around the dining room. It was crowded with elderly people. ‘Are you always this busy at lunch-time?'

‘I'm afraid not, very few of these are regulars. The word got out that we could open today and I think a lot of these are …'

‘Sight-seeing, I know. We get a lot of that in our business. Never mind, they soon get bored and go back to their TVs. Could you show me to Mr Costello's room, it would be better if we spoke there.'

Janine led him upstairs to Jimmy's door. He waited till she had gone and knocked.

‘Jimmy, it's me, Eddy Clarke.'

Jimmy's weary voice came through the door. ‘Oh Christ, I'm asleep, clear off.'

‘Sorry, Jimmy, I have to see you.'

‘OK, come in.'

Clarke went into the room where Jimmy, shoeless, was sitting on his bed. There was no chair, so Clarke sat beside him. Jimmy had his head in his hands.

‘Tired, mate? That girl tells me you've been looking a bit ragged. Haven't been getting much sleep.'

‘No. After you and Inspector Dick Head left Nat turned up and since then you could say I've had one or two things on my mind. What do you want this time, Eddy?'

‘He came himself, did he?'

Jimmy nodded wearily.

‘That's right. Did you think he'd send Vic and Sammy?'

‘I didn't think anything. How would I know Nat would come round?'

‘Because you told him I was here, last night, as soon as you could get rid of your inspector.'

‘Somebody would have told him, wouldn't they?'

‘That's right, Eddy, don't worry about it. As soon as I saw she was dead I knew Nat would turn up. Someone would tell him I was here, it just happened to be you, that's all.'

‘What'd he say?'

‘Not much. He asked me how I was.'

‘Didn't seem to mind you being back, then?'

‘No, why should he?'

‘Well that's OK then. I just thought that if there was a problem maybe I could help.'

‘Thank you, it's nice to know you're on my side.'

‘Just for the record, why are you back?'

‘Whose record?'

‘Just asking.'

‘Well, I'll tell you, Eddy, since it's you asking and since it's for the record. It's none of your fucking business.'

‘Have it your own way, Jimmy. I can see how you wouldn't want to tell me but you can see how I had to ask. Now I can say I don't know anything and you wouldn't say anything. Come on, let's get out of this dump and I'll buy you a pint. The Falcon's handy from here, it's quiet and no coppers get in there.'