Dark Times in the City by Gene Kerrigan Read Free Book Online

probably think I’ve forgotten – Saturday night?’
    Callaghan said, ‘Saturday – what?’ He tried to sound puzzled, but he knew he wasn’t convincing.
    ‘Dinner party?’
    The phone call from Hannah had been ten days ago. ‘I’ll let you know,’ he’d said. Now, as they emerged onto the pavement outside the restaurant, Hannah raised her eyebrows and waited.
    Callaghan shrugged. ‘What I said – it’s really not my kind of thing.’
    ‘What you said was you’d think about it.’
    Callaghan said, ‘I’ve never been a big fan of dinner parties. Dinner’s something you eat – and what I remember about parties is they’re places where you drink a lot and make a show of yourself trying to get off with someone.’
    ‘We’re not teenagers any more. Besides, how many parties have you been to, the last seven months?’
    There were three men standing several feet away, the two younger ones seemingly awed as they watched an older man swear viciously into his mobile, telling someone that was fucking
it
. ‘Too
late
, old flower. The deal’s done and you’re
out
. You’ve just destroyed yourself.’
    Callaghan said, ‘Some people love their work.’ He and Hannah began to walk towards her office.
    Hannah said, ‘What about Saturday?’
    ‘You really don’t have to organise my social life.’
    ‘Come for my sake, then – I’d love to see you there. Just a couple of hours with pleasant people, no pressure.’
    ‘I’ll see.’
    Her smile said she knew he was saying it to shut her up.
Chapter 7
     
    When they came out of the casino Rowe was sober, Warner was mildly pissed, but the guy from 257 Solutions was walking like hislegs had been disconnected from his brain. Pissed or stoned, more probably both. His expression was tight, worried, as though he’d just begun to wonder if he was making a fool of himself.
    Callaghan had spent the afternoon ferrying Rowe and Warner to and from their meetings, and waiting in between. Then he dropped them back to the hotel at Northern Cross and had a couple of hours off. He went home, cooked his first real meal of the day and watched something mindless on television. When he got back to the Hilton he found he now had three passengers. The 257 Solutions guy – name of Costigan – had volunteered to take the visitors on the town. The private casino, widely touted as the coolest hang-out for the financially overconfident, was the final stop. The kind of place it was, the drink was sold at a discount, ensuring that idiots like Costigan swallowed enough alcohol to boost their self-belief in direct proportion to the rate at which it dimmed their judgement. An evening of showing off meant that Costigan would spend the next few months clearing his credit card bill.
    Callaghan had the rear kerbside door open when they reached the Tuareg and he helped Rowe ease the drunk inside. ‘We’ll drop him off first,’ Rowe said. Callaghan nodded. When he got behind the wheel he looked back and Rowe was helping the drunk into his seat belt. Warner slid into the front passenger seat.
    ‘Where are we off to?’ As Callaghan eased away from the kerb the drunk moaned. Callaghan was already pushing his door open as he braked, then he slid out of the car and was reaching to open the rear right passenger door when a blue Ford van coming from behind almost clipped him.
    Shit
.
    As Callaghan pressed himself back against the car to avoid the blue van, he figured the delay might well make his effort pointless. After the van was past – dark blue with white writing on the side – he jerked open the door, then stood back as the drunk’s upper body flopped forward and vomit splashed onto the road.
    Getting the door open in time made the difference between going straight home after he’d dropped his passengers and spending an hour in Novak’s garage, ridding the car of the stains and the smell.
    ‘He needs a minute,’ Rowe said. He got out of the car and lit up a cigarette. Callaghan shook his