The Storm Without by Tony Black Read Free Book Online Page B

signs.
    The car park was half empty; I was sure it wasn ' t half full. As I pulled up outside what had once been a popular café and 19 th hole I clocked the decay of years. I had to double take. There didn ' t seem to have been enough time for this level of ruin to take hold. I looked around. The place had once been full of people; dog-walkers, children playing. It was surprising how quickly they ' d disappeared. Abandoned the place. I wanted to join them.
    I spotted Mason ' s car in the bays at the far end of the enclosure and looked around for him. There was no sign. He ' d told me: ' On the dot. By the cages. I won ' t hang around. '
    I knew where he meant. I ' d taken my sister ' s kids to see the animals they kept there: small animals — rabbits and birds. But as I passed the derelict summerhouse with its crumbling structure and dirt-blackened windows, I doubted my chances of seeing anything resembling life that wasn ' t a weed.
    Mason was drawing on a cigarette, his collar raised around his beefy neck. He eyed me momentarily then walked towards the wooded path.
    I caught him up. ' I see why you brought me here. '
    He turned, bit the tip of his fag. ' Like the grave. '
    ' You ' d see more folk in a graveyard. '
    He knitted his brow, brushed some stray cigarette ash from his sleeve and flicked his dowp towards the gutter. ' Let ' s walk. '
    I nodded, opened a palm. ' After you. '
    As we went I felt my own cravings ignite, reached into my pocket and removed my Regal Kingsize. It was the same pack I had turned to earlier. The tobacco strayed from the tip of the paper. I shook my head. ' Oh, man …'
    Mason tilted his face, raised an eyebrow as he took in the pack. ' Hmnn. '
    I lifted the cigarettes. ' They ' re fakes, you know. '
    ' Oh, I know. You obviously didn ' t. ' He allowed himself a smile. Two rows of teeth stained with coffee and nicotine on display.
    ' Local problem is it? ' I held up the pack as I spoke. I couldn ' t believe things had got so bad here that there was a black market in knock-off ciggies. What was next? Razor blades? Pretty Pollys? It was like 1944 all over again. ' Are you not doing anything about it? '
    Mason lunged for the pack, scrunched it in his great mitt, said, ' Excise isn ' t my department, Doug! '
    I bit. ' Flogging them in your manor is? '
    He shook his head. The extra collars round his neck quivered as he moved. ' I ' ll give you one of mine … if it ' ll shut you up. '
    I accepted. Lit up. Could see it was time to change subject. ' Okay, so why am I here? '
    Mason retrieved the lighter he ' d given me, put his hands back in his pockets and turned to face the path. A pile of damp leaves blocked our way as we progressed. He raised himself on his toes, momentarily, then kicked the obstruction away like a rugby ball. His cheeks flushed slightly with the exertion. ' Well, not because you asked me, for sure. '
    ' Oh, really. '
    He turned, his nostrils flared. ' Yes, really, Doug. ' He lifted a finger, wagged it at me as he spoke through those stained teeth. He looked fierce. ' I ' ve been doing some digging, on you … mate. '
    ' Oh yeah, better watch that. I hear it gives you dirty hands. '
    Mason recoiled. Forced a laugh. ' From what I hear, you ' re the one with dirty hands, boy. '
    ' That right? '
    ' Yes that ' s right! ' The finger was back, wagging, pointing. ' Not exactly flavour of the month in Ulster are you? '
    I felt my chest inflate. He ' d done more digging than he had call to. We ' d been friends, once. ' You ' ve been busy. '
    ' Yes, I have … and it ' s a good job. '
    I drew the tip of the cigarette to my lips, inhaled. I held the smoke for a moment, then slowly blew it out, white against the still air. ' You should take all you hear with a pinch of salt, Mason. You know as well as me that you make precious few friends in this racket. '
    ' By the sounds of things you made quite a round number … zero. ' I wondered who he ' d been talking to, but found I didn ' t really