Ripped (98 page)

Make
up
your
minds,
he
should
have
said.

The
track
he
had
wiped
in
the
steam
was
filling
with
a
haze
of
tiny
pearls
of
moisture
.
Dimly
he
made
out
a
figure
crossing
the
yard.

'Let
me
speak
to
him.'

But
when
he
got
out,
it
was
not
Stewart
but
Peerse
erect
and
reproachful
who
strode
through
the
gate.

'The
man
was
off
duty,
but
you
brought
him
back.'
Peerse
gave
what
passed
with
him
for
a
smile.
'That's
what
happens
on
this
kind
of
enquiry.
Conscientious
officers
do
more
than
anyone
could
ask
of
them.'

'Is
there
any
news
of
my
brother?'

Peerse
bent
to
peer
into
the
car.
'That's
your
brother's
wife
in
there?
Take
her
home.'

As
he
straightened,
Murray
grabbed
him
by
the
upper
arm.
It
was
so
thin
his
hand
closed
around
it.
'Tell
me.
Has
something
happened,
you
bastard?'

Above
his
head,
Peerse
said,
'I'll
deal
with
this.'
Grouped
in
the
gate
behind
him,
three
plainclothes
men,
beefy,
crumple-faced
and
scruffy,
hovered
uneasily.
A
yellow
carpet
of
light
spilled
from
the
side
door
of
the
school
they
had
neglected
to
close
as
they
left.
Murray
let
his
hand
fall
to
his
side.
The
nearest
of
them
farted,
muttered
'pardon'
into
the
silence,
and
then
under
Peerse's
stare
they
broke
and
moved
off,
bulkily
unconcerned.

'Take
her
home,'
Peerse
said,
speaking
even
more
quietly
than
before.
'Her
husband
could
be
sitting
at
home
wondering
where
she
is.
I'll
send
a
car
after
you
to
check
it
isn't
a
false
alarm.
Meanwhile,
I'll
go
and
have
a
look
at
the
Fernie
flat
for
myself.'

'There's
blood
on
the
floor
in
the
front
room
– and
in
the bathroom
–
on
the
mirror.'

'Your
brother
should
have
paid
heed,'
Peerse
said.
'I
warned
him
about
the
woman
Fernie
the
day
I
came
to
your
mother's
house.'
Perhaps
despite
himself,
his
voice
was
full
of
anticipation.
'If
she
has
harmed
him,
she's
made
her
big
mistake.'

As
Irene
got
out
of
the
car,
she
must
have
heard
only
the
last
words
for
she
said,
'Is
it
all
right?'

'You've
to
go
home,'
Peerse
said.
'I'll
be
along
later
to
ask
you some
questions.'

'Sh
e
doesn't
know
anything,'
Murray
said
quickly.
He
was
afraid
that
she
would
blurt
out
that
Frances
was
her
sister
.
It
was
was
though
he
was
in
a
conspiracy
with
her
against
Peerse.
'They
haven't
had
anything
reported.'

'There
isn't
anything
you
can
do,'
Peerse
said.
'As
soon
as
we
know
about
your
husband,
we'll
be
in
touch.'

'They
might
both
be
hurt,'
she
said.

'Both?'

'Come
on,'
Murray
said.
'I'll
take
you
home.'

'What
about
Mary
O'Bannion?'
Irene
asked
.

Fat
drops
of
rain
splashed
on
the
bonnet
of
the
car
beside
Murray
.
As
Peerse
stared
down
on
them,
about
to
stoop
like
a
predatory
bird,
Murray
felt
his
mind
go
blank,
then
blurted,
'I've
been
telling
her
about
Kujavia.'

'That's
a
story
he's
been
telling
everyone,'
Peerse
said.
He sounded
bitter.
'Did
he
tell
you
about
the
concentration
camp?'
He
turned
from
her
and
put
his
face
down
close
to
Murray's.
'McKellar
told
me
all
about
it –
he
thought
it
was
very
funny.
He
said
it
reminded
him
of
my
father.'
He
straightened.
'Do
what
I've
asked,
Mrs
Wilson,
and
go
home.
Believe
me,
you
haven't
anywhere
else
to
go.'

But
in
the
car
she
said,
'It's
not
far
away,
is
it?'

The
rain
was
falling
heavily
now,
pouring
from
the
edges
of
the wipers
on
each
upswing.
All
those
years
ago
on
the
beat,
the
night
the
mob
had
cornered
them,
Peerse
on
the
ground,
twitching
like
a
daddy-long-legs
when
you
opened
your
fist
and
it
was
too
injured
to
take
off.
Peerse
had
seemed
too
fragile
to
last
.

'He's
right,'
he
said.
'There
wouldn't
be
any
point.'

'I
want
to
go.'

'Why?'

'Because
I
don't
know
anywhere
else,'
she
said.

Above
his
head
from
the
bracket
on
the
landing
wall,
the
gas
mantle
glowed
white
except
where
from
one
broken
corner
a
blue
discharge
flared
and
swayed.
It
hissed
in
the
stillness
as
he
waited
and
the
smell
from
the
flat,
worse
than
memory
had
prepared
him
for,
licked
out
from
the
crack
of
the
open
door
as
if
the
dead
dog
had
been
left
where
he
dropped
it
to
rot
heaving
with
blind
white
maggots.
He
hit
the
door
with
his
full
weight
and
heard
the
chain
rip
out.
The
edge
of
it
hit
something
solid
and
it
gave
until,
staggering,
he
stood
inside
.