The Devil by Ken Bruen Read Free Book Online Page B

enough not to
    ask questions.
    M y mobile rang.
    Ridge.
    A l l warmth.
    T h a n k i n g me for my fine behaviour at the drinks party.
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    THE DEVIL
    Through gritted teeth, I asked,
    ' H o w is Carl?'
    Like I gave a fuck.
    She gushed. G o d forgive us both, but she d i d . Went,
    ' H e is very taken with you. W h o ' d have guessed you had
    such charm?'
    W h o indeed?
    She prattled on.
    Ridge!
    I reined in me animosity, not easy but got there, and she
    said,
    'I hope you don't m i n d . Jack, but he asked for your
    mobile number. Was that OK to give it to him? I think he
    has plans for y o u . '
    I nearly laughed, said,
    'You're right, I do believe he has plans for me.'
    Then she changed her tune, asked,
    'Are you all right. Jack? Y o u sound a bit strained.'
    Surely not.
    I said,
    ' M u s t be a bad connection. But I wonder if I might ask
    you a wee favour, you being a newly appointed sergeant and
    all?'
    She was still high on the party's success and agreed to do
    whatever I needed.
    D u m b bitch.
    I told her about the Sawyers, the little girl K e l l i and the
    bullying.
    N o problem.
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    KEN BRUEN
    She'd be deHghted to straighten them out, and in fact was
    in town the next day and w o u l d appear in full uniform to
    have a chat with the bullying girls. She said,
    ' W h o knows better than y o u . Jack, the effect of a
    uniform?'
    I felt a pang.
    True, me days in uniform, you had a certain presence.
    Said,
    'Thank you so much, I owe you.'
    She laughed, said,
    'Tis nothing.'
    She was so wrong. A n d ended the call w i t h ,
    'Jack, I think you've really turned your life around. I'm so
    proud of y o u . '
    I hung up before she got more ridiculous.
    Caravan's, on Shop Street, one of the last remaining old
    G a l w a y pubs, with an Irish barman.
    Wouldn't last.
    But I'd appreciate it while it d i d .
    A busker outside was singing 'It's Raining In Baltimore'.
    I dropped a ten in his wet tweed cap and he said, in a
    German accent,
    ' Z a n k y o u . '
    The barman thankfully hadn't k n o w n of me travel plans,
    so no need for all the fandango of bullshite. He said,
    'Usual?'
    I nodded and headed for the snug, a portioned little
    corner where you can see but not be seen.
    The Brits w o u l d love it.
    100
    THE DEVIL
    The Irish Independent was on the table. I scanned the
    headlines:
    1,177 workers lost their jobs every day during January.
    327,861 are now out of w o r k .
    132,263 posts have been axed since the new Taoiseach
    came to power.
    A n d the editorial screamed,
    'It's going to get worse.'
    The barman came over, put d o w n the Jameson first, then
    the pint of Guinness, nodded at the paper and said,
    'I've applied to go to Australia.'
    The young people were all heading out again. Like the
    a w f u l eighties, when our best and our brightest left
    the dying economy, and never came back.
    But tough times bring out the street entrepreneurs.
    I'd hardly sank half the Jay before I'd been offered a batch
    of shirts.
    Nearly bought a light blue as it was so like my old
    Guard's one, but passed when the guy said,
    ' Y o u can't just buy one.'
    The bollix w o u l d probably have his o w n franchise within
    the year.
    I was sinking the black when a w o m a n - R o m a n i a n , I'd
    guess - offered me some D V D s . Said,
    ' A l l the blockbusters, sin'
    I flicked through them and smiled.
    Hellboy?
    H e l l , yes.
    A n d
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    KEN BRUEN
    The Reader,
    The Wrestler,
    London Boulevard,
    Abba: the Movie,
    Alien vs Predator 2,
    Appaloosa.
    Said I'd take them all save A b b a .
    She was surprised, asked,
    ' Y o u no like A b b a ? '
    Sacrilege?
    I asked,
    'It's a happy, feel-good one, right?'
    She nodded.
    A n d I stared into her gypsy eyes, asked,
    'I look to you like a guy w h o does happy?'
    We settled on a price and she was pleased. Then she leant
    over, said,
    'The boy - don't look now, but to your right - he no like
    you, is true?'
    I waited till she'd gone, then casually looked to my right
    and sure enough, there was a young guy