Maid of the Mist by Colin Bateman Read Free Book Online

Corrigan. 'I'm smiling because I'm fascinated, fascinated by what you plan to do about it. You try to steal my woman, and you come here to complain about my behaviour.'
    'I gave her a peck on the cheek. You broke her fucking jaw, for God's sake.'
    'You're right. For God's sake I did. And now she knows not to do it again.'
    'I thought you were supposed to be a Christian?'
    'I am.'
    'What is it, some obscure branch of the Presbyterians, the "if thy wife offends thee beat her fucking brains in" branch?'
    'There's no need for profanity, Corrigan.'
    'There fucking well is. Lots of fucking profanity.'
    Christians. He'd had enough of them back home in Ireland. Fighting with each other. Killing each other. All in the name of love. And now here was Big Fat Bob crowing over breaking his wife's jaw.
    Corrigan removed his pistol from its holster.
    'You needn't think you're going to scare me with that,' Bobby said. But suddenly he didn't sound quite so bullish.
    'We've just got these,' Corrigan said, rubbing his hand down the barrel. 'Upgrades. Used to be .38-calibre service revolvers. This is a .40-calibre semi-automatic Glock pistol. It can do a lot of damage.'
    He let it sit for a few moments, then smiled. Bobby didn't like the smile. He swallowed. He'd gone a little pale. He was remembering. One of the workers had gone postal with a gun five years before. Wounded fourteen. He looked at Corrigan, at his pale face and his red eyes, and wondered.
    'You're pretty sure I'm not going to shoot you,' Corrigan said, keeping his eye on the gun. 'It would be pointless. Nicky's not dead, she doesn't want to press charges. Why lose my job, go to prison over a woman who betrayed me? But then you're thinking, what's to stop him claiming he was attacked? That someone angry enough to break a woman's jaw isn't going to go peacefully when a cop comes to arrest him. He's a cop, for godsake, he can make it look like there was a struggle. Are you thinking that, or am I reading you wrong?'
    Bobby just looked at him. He wasn't thinking anything. His sweat glands were, though. It was a cool room, but there were suddenly puddles under his arms. They dripped.
    Corrigan turned the gun slowly until it was pointing at Big Fat Bob. 'The thing is, Bobby, I'm from Belfast. I was a cop there for five years. You ever hear of the Falls Road? I was stationed there. Toughest beat in Europe. We shot terrorists for breakfast. Do you understand what I'm saying? Once it gets in your blood, it stays in your blood. I could shoot you dead, right now, and not even think about it, because I'd get away with it. Back home, we did it all the time, because they were never going to end up in court. They were killers, but the law protected them. So we had to get rid of them our own way. Do you understand what I'm saying?'
    Bobby nodded slowly.
    'On the other hand,' Corrigan continued, 'this is Niagara Falls. It's a nice and peaceful land. There's really no need for a gun.' He set it down on the desk. Bobby's eyes flitted to the weapon, then back to Corrigan. 'I carry it with me all the time, but it isn't always loaded. Depends how I feel in the mornings. One morning I'll load it all up, just in case. Others, I'll empty it. Keep it empty. You can feel too secure with a gun; sometimes it's good not to carry that responsibility around with you. That possibility. Do you understand what I'm saying?'
    Bobby nodded again.
    'Thing is,' Corrigan said, 'I just can't remember whether I loaded it this morning or not.'
    Bobby swallowed. Suddenly he knew what was coming.
    Corrigan lifted his gun. He aimed at Bobby's chest. His finger slipped on to the trigger.
    'You know it's not loaded,' Corrigan said.
    Bobby nodded. But he was thinking of his last words.
    'You know I wouldn't shoot you even if it was.'
    Bobby nodded. He tried to picture the Lord, but he could only picture the gun.
    'But I want you to swear to me that you'll never lay a finger on her again. Because if you do, I'll come and find you