Running on Empty (41 page)

‘Well, we seem to be all out of coffee, Dave. We’ll just have to press on with our little chat. So, I’m going to remove the duct tape now, and you can start, ok?’

Grainne pulled the tape to one side.

‘Girls, you have this all wrong. I don’t know who you have me confused with, but I’m just a businessman. I didn’t do anything. I’m just a businessman working for a distribution company. This is all a big mistake. Please, you have my wallet, check in it. You’ll see I’m just a guy going about his work. Please, I beg you, this is all wrong’.

Grainne replaced the duct tape, making Carters eyes bulge in terror. He tried to muffle something, but it was no use.

‘I’m afraid that’s the wrong answer Dave. I suppose, in the world of business you say you work in, killing your boss would be regarded as a hostile takeover, right?’

Carter’s eyes bulged larger. He tried to focus his thoughts.

How did they know about Fielding. That’s impossible. Is there something I don’t know? Are these two working for someone? Is there some sort of double cross going on with Harmon maybe?

His train of thought was interrupted as his knee caught fire, a screaming, intense pain shot through his body as Grainne emptied part of the boiling water from the kettle over his right leg. He tried to scream, but it only emerged as a muffled high pitched moan. His bulging eyes began to water.

Grainne produced a spray can of Burn-ease from her paper bag, and began applying it to Carters scalded leg.

‘There now, isn’t that better? You know Carter, I have an uncle, and he’s a master at this type of situation. Us two girls here, well, we’re only amateurs by comparison. But we try, God love us, we truly do. Now, one of the few things I have picked up from my uncle, is that the interrogator needs to possess some facts before they start interrogating, otherwise it’d be difficult to ascertain if you’re lying or not. So, just to get you in the right frame of mind, here’s a few little samples of what we know, as a starting point ok? We know you murdered Mark Fielding, we know about the drugs, about China, about Nebraska. Now, I’m going to take off that duct tape again, and my friend here is going to boil up another kettle, and you better start talking pretty fast, and pretty truthfully, or you know what’s going to happen, and there’ll be no Burn-ease next time ok?’

Carter nodded, or tried to as best he could, given the fact he’d a cable tie around his throat.

Carter told them everything, or, everything he could think of that they may want to know.

‘Listen, that’s everything. I’ve told you everything I can think of. If there’s anything I haven’t told you, ask me. Please, I’ve told you all I know. Let me go, please?’

Grainne walked over and replaced the duct tape. ‘

You’ve been a good boy, Dave, you really have, but letting you go isn’t really an option, I’m sure you can understand that. However, don’t worry, we’re not going to kill you or anything. We’re not murderers. You a religious man Dave?’

Carter tried to shake his head, which proved difficult.

‘No, I didn’t think so somehow. Me, I’m likewise I’d say, never had much interest in religion either. However, there is one thing I remember from my schooldays. They used to talk about purgatory. Now purgatory, if I recall correctly, was sort of like a half way house. You weren’t in hell, and you sure weren’t in heaven, you were sort of in limbo if you were in purgatory. So, welcome to limbo Dave. You’re not in hell, but then again, you’re not in a great place either. I think it’s time we hit the road, girl’ she said, turning to Sally.

Carter tried to shake his head, his eyes pleading with them not to leave him, tied up in his own private purgatory. As Grainne made to leave, Sally picked up the half full kettle of recently boiled water, and went to Carter. She leaned down in front of him, their faces inches apart, and looked him in the eyes.

‘This is for Boston’ she said simply, as she emptied the remainder of the water over his naked groin. Carter tried to bite through the duct tape, to release the scream trapped in his mouth, but to no avail.

Grainne approached the reception desk.

‘Hi there’ she said, ‘I’m down to see my boyfriend in twenty eight, sorta like a surprise visit? So, I’m gonna fix you up to keep the room for the remainder of the week. It’s sorta a special visit, we haven’t seen each other in a while, so we’ve a bit o’ catchin’ up to do, know what I mean?’ she said, winking at the clerk. ‘No need to bother ‘bout cleanin’ the room either, you can do that when we’re gone. Don’t want no maid comin’ in while we’s all hot n’ heavy like’ she finished, winking again.

And with that she headed for the Buick, and the two girls took off.

Tom sat with Joey in the other room, unsure of how to begin.

‘Joey’, he said finally, ‘what the hell were you doing in that place in Crawford’.

‘What place?’

‘The one where they process the drugs, Joey’

Joey looked scared, and ashamed. He didn’t want Tom to know about his drug use, or anything connected with it. That was Joey’s little secret.

‘Oh, that was nothing Tom, y’know, I was just doing a favor for someone, for a friend like’.

‘What sort of favor Joey?’

‘Just pickin’ up something, collecting something for a friend, that’s all’.

In the back of Joey’s mind, he was thinking about what Gorgeous had told him. He had to get that packet back to Gorgeous, or else. If he didn’t he was dead, he remembered being told, and so was Melody. Get that packet back within two days, or he and Melody were history.

‘…..collecting Joey?’

‘Huh?’

‘I said, what were you picking up, and where is it now?’

‘It’s just a packet, Tom, it’s nothin’

‘Joey, where’s the packet!’

Joey pointed to under the bed, and Tom fished it out, examining it.

‘Look Tom, leave it be will ya, I have to bring that packet to Gorgeous, or me and Melody are dead, you understand? He said he’d kill us both if he hasn’t got that parcel by…what day’s today Tom?’

Tom emerged into the other room, the packet under his arm. Andy Jones sat strapped to a chair, trying to emit an air of bravado, but failing miserably. Suddenly he spotted the parcel under Tom’s arm.

‘Put that down’ he yelled, ‘that ain’t yours. You’ll be fucking strung up if you don’t leave that alone. You don’t know who you’re dealing with. The whole lot of you’ll be killed if you mess with him’.

‘Who’s him?’ asked Pat quietly.

‘I ain’t tellin’ you fuckers nothin’

‘Ask him about Gorgeous’ said Tom.

‘You fucking junkie retard Joey’ he hollered back into the room.’ Gorgeous will fucking kill you for that, and your stupid bitch too’.

‘Joey says that this guy, Gorgeous, will kill him and his girlfriend, if this package isn’t delivered by tomorrow’ added Tom.

‘Damn right he will’ shouted Andy, ‘damn right, he’ll nail all of your sorry asses, you wait and see’.

‘I’ve had enough of this idiot screaming’ said Pat, ‘time to get some answers’.

He went into the bathroom, emerging with a towel which he proceeded to tear into strips with the aid of a pocket knife. He rolled one strip into a ball, and went over to Andy.

‘Open wide, boy’.

Andy kept his mouth jammed shut.

‘I said, open wide fucker’ he repeated as he stabbed the knife full strength into Andy’s thigh. His mouth sprung open to emit a scream, and Pat rammed the balled up cloth in, slapping his jaws tight together to prevent him spitting it back out, and quickly tied a strip of towel round his head to keep it in place.

‘Now listen fucker, I’ll give this to you straight and simple, ‘cause you look a bit backward. I want information, and I want it now. There’s a time for finesse and patience in this business, but this is neither. You’re going to give me every piece of information I want, or die trying. I’m going to chop little pieces off you, bit by bit, until I get what I want. The only thing I’ll leave alone is your mouth, understand, because that’s the only piece of you that’s any good to me. I don’t care if that mouth of yours is the only piece of you that’s left, like a pair of chattering joke teeth sitting on that chair’.

He grabbed Andy’s hand, tied to the chair, and proceeded to cut his baby finger off with the serrated blade of the penknife. Andy made a muffled scream, his eyes glazing over.

‘One piece down, a whole fucking lot left’ said pat, tossing the finger to one side.

‘When you’re ready to talk, just nod your head, ok?’

Andy’s head was going all over the place in his frantic effort to get away from this hell, making it difficult to comprehend whether he was actually nodding or not. Pat went to pick up the other hand, but was brushed aside by Brad.

‘Listen kid, my friend here’s a bit of a psycho, to be honest. If you be sensible, and agree to answer all our questions, I think I can convince him to calm down. I’m your only hope kid, so, what’s it going to be, are you willing to talk?’

Andy nodded his head frantically, his eyes exploding with fear. Brad removed the towel strap and gag. Andy whimpered softly, staring down at where his little finger had been.

‘Look at me’ ordered Brad, ‘I want answers, and straight ones. It’s the only thing that can save you, understand?’

Andy nodded again, still whimpering.

‘Who’s gorgeous?’

‘He’s a dealer on the west side of Boston’ Andy answered in a rasping voice.

‘Where does he live, what’s his address?’

‘118 Hillcrest, apartment 3B’.

‘Is he the main man, in that area? How big is his operation?’

‘He’s pretty big, yeah’ answered Andy, sniffling, ‘he’s big enough to be ordering his supplies from the factory here in Nebraska, so I’d imagine he’s the main supplier in the west Boston area’.

‘Have you been there, in his house I mean?’

‘Yeah, I was there a coupla times’.

‘How many of his employees would normally be with him?’

‘I don’t know’

‘Now Andy, I’m trying to save you here. Don’t fuck me up, or I’ll have to hand you back to my friend’ said Brad, gesturing across to Pat, ‘How many?’

Andy began to cry.

‘I don’t know, man I really don’t, it varies y’know, it’s hard to say exactly’.

‘Ball park figure, between what and what?’

‘Maybe four, three or four is all I’ve seen, but there could be more, maybe up to six, I guess’.

‘Well done Andy, I think you may just have saved your sorry ass’.

‘One more thing’ asked Pat from across the room, ‘what name are you booked into this motel under?’

‘Huh?’ this question took Andy by surprise.

‘What name did you book this room under?’

‘My own name’, replied Andy puzzled, ‘my own name, Andrew Jones’.

‘Fine’ said Pat, as he approached Andy, and refitted the gag.

Pat approached reception, and booked the room of Andrew Jones for a further two days.

‘Well, I think the old good cop, bad cop routine worked pretty well, don’t you think?’ said Pat as they walked to the car.

‘Good cop, bad cop? I was just trying to keep the poor bastard alive’ replied Brad.

Pat called Grainne on her cell phone.

‘You girls ok?’ he asked. ‘Good. Listen we’ve a lot to sort out. How about we meet up in the hotel in half an hour or so, that suit you? Good, see you then, ok’.

They all met up in Tom and Grainne’s room, the girls surprised at the additional member the men brought.

‘Who’s this?’ asked Grainne, gesturing to the scruffy, stoned individual standing beside Tom.

‘This is Joey, my brother’ answered Tom simply.

‘What? Where did he come from, I mean, how did he end up here? I don’t understand’ asked Sally.

‘It’s a long story’, began Tom, ‘I’m not even sure myself to be honest, but basically, Joey here is mixed up in all of this, through pure fluke and bad luck, though maybe it could turn out to be a good thing in the end. We’ll just have to wait and see how it all pans out’.