The Tale of the Wolf (The Kenino Wolf Series) (26 page)

Thursday 10:30 a.m.

With nothing to do but wait for Bosley, Tabatha and I decided to have a bit of a lie in, breakfast in bed and all the shenanigans. I was tucking into my toast when I was startled out of my leisurely respite by my front door banging, and I do mean banging. It was knocked so hard it sounded like the thing was going to come off. I leapt out of bed and grabbed the tranq gun. Tabatha grabbed the rifle. I moved up to the door and was just about to pop a dart through the letterbox when I heard Curtis bellow from the other side.

‘
Wolfy, it’s me, Curtis. Open up. It’s an emergency.’ I opened the door and he strode straight in clutching his head and shaking. ‘Wolfy, we’ve been robbed. The rocks are gone.’

‘
What?’ Tabatha screamed.

‘
How d’ya know?’ I quickly flung in.

‘
I’ve just come from the lock-up. They’re gone.’ Curtis had gone as pale as a sheet.

‘
What were you doing there?’

‘
Um ... ah, Wolfy. I swear it’s not what you think.’ Curtis had just realised what the terror of not seeing the stones had made him forget. Namely, that he shouldn’t have been there. Tabatha clutched the rifle.

‘
Tabatha, Wolfy … I swear on the Holy Bible, I swear on my mother’s life, I swear on my father, I swear I weren’t going to rob you. I just went to look.’ Curtis was near tears. ‘I just wanted to see them. Wolfy. Life’s been so hard lately and I just wanted to make sure that there was something in the future. Something good coming to me.’

‘
Something’s coming alright.’ Tabatha said raising the rifle.

‘
Tabatha, look please. If I took them why would I be here?’ It was a valid point.

‘
Maybe you’re using your head.’ It was a point Tabatha wasn’t agreeing with.

‘
I swear, I just wanted to look, just look just feel them in my hands.’ He crumpled on to the chair.

‘
So, if you didn’t take them, who did?’ I queried.

‘
You believe him?’ Tabatha directed her query at me.

‘
I believe he didn’t take them. I not sure about this “I just wanted to feel them story.”’

‘
I swear, Wolfy, that’s all it was. Wolfy, have I ever robbed you?’ Curtis was pleading.

‘
No, in fairness, you haven’t.’

‘
That don’t mean shit. You’ve never had anything worth stealing before.’

‘
Yes, thank you, Tabs.’

‘
It’s true.’

‘
Yes okay. That’s not what matters now. What matters is who’s robbed us.’

‘
Only three people knew we had them,’ Tabatha announced, ‘and I know I haven’t got them.’

‘
Four people.’ I added before she remembered my early morning disappearance to get flowers.

‘
The butler,’ Curtis piped in.

‘
How did he know where they were hidden?’ Tabatha asked sceptically.

‘
Maybe he followed us. Maybe, when we didn’t get nicked, he decided to pinch them back off us. I don’t know. All I do know is that this was dodgy from the start.’

‘
So what do we do?’ Tabatha wasn’t convinced, she was still tempted to shoot Curtis and truss him up. I could see it her eyes.

‘
First thing we need to do is find out who this Colin is, and what that place we knocked off was. When we know that, we’ll know what to do. Don’t worry, we’ll get them. I promise.’ The promise was more to Tabatha than Curtis.

I just want to state for the record that I had no intention of robbing anybody. I love Tabatha and would happily have given her my whole cut. But between her and Curtis the greed was scary. I didn’t think Curtis was trying to rob us. He was just going to look. It’s the kind of nonsense he’d do. The problem was he would have taken one stone, from his portion. But he would have taken it. Nobody was willing to be patient, even me.

‘
Let me phone Tommy.’ I said pulling out my phone. I’d been meaning to dig around anyway, which was why I’d told everyone to stash the rocks. It didn’t smell right.

I told Tommy to get me as much info on the place we’d visited and whether there was a butler there called Colin.

Bosley rang soon after I’d hung up and gave me Michael’s address.

‘
Come on.’ I said to Tabatha. It’s time to get some answers.’

‘
What about the diamonds?’

‘
Tommy’s digging around. When he calls back we’ll know what to do. In the meantime, I’m doing right by Longy. Somebody ordered his death and I’m not letting them get away with it.’ I gave Tabatha a little guilt trip to get her mind off the stones. Or at the very least distract it for a bit.

‘
I’m coming too,’ Curtis piped in.

‘
Damn right, you’re coming.’ Tabatha sneered at him. ‘Just ’cos Wolfy may believe you, it don’t mean I do. You’re definitely coming. I ain’t letting you out of my sight. Gimme a sec. I want my bag.’

Curtis looked at me and was just about to get into his ‘I swear …’ nonsense, when I cut him off. ‘Don’t ... Don’t say no more. I’ll know the truth soon enough.’

Thursday 11:30 a.m.

The three of us jumped in Betsy and headed to the address Bosley had given us, an estate in Tulse Hill. I didn't know it. It wasn't an address I'd seen before. But then Michael did have a different circle from me.

The block was one of those red-brick estates that populate London; external balcony, concrete stairs, nondescript doors. Typical sink estate, although in fairness this one looked better and more peaceful than most.

The address Bosley had given me was for number 40, the flat in the corner. We parked up and walked up the communal stairs. We had to walk all the way round to reach the flat.

‘
This is it,’ Tabatha said pointing quietly.

‘
Yes, it is,’ said Bosley.

‘
Shit,’ Curtis said, instantly recognising Bosley and preparing to run.

I grabbed Curtis’s arm to steady him.

‘
I wondered whether you'd be here.’ I said smiling at Bosley

‘
Please! Do you honestly think I'd leave you to it? God knows how it would turn out.’

‘
Keep ’em guessing. That's my motto,’ I said, still holding Curtis, who still didn't know what was going on and was still going with flight as the appropriate instinct.

‘
It wasn't a compliment, Mr Wolf.’

‘
I know, but I took it as one anyway.’

‘
Hmmph!’

‘
After you,’ I said pointing at Bosley.

‘
Oh god!’ Tabatha exclaimed reaching across and smashing the door knocker so hard that the glass shook. There wasn't any answer.

‘
Do your police speech.’ I nudged Bosley.

‘
Thank you, Mr Wolf. I know what I'm doing. This isn't my first time.’

‘
It is mine,’ Curtis mumbled.

‘
Open up, Michael. We know you’re in there. It's the police,’ Bosley said, trying not to fumble his words. Being in front of us was throwing Bosley off his stride. ‘I can't believe I’m doing this,’ he mumbled.

We banged again and Bosley repeated his ‘we’re the police’ speech less convincingly than before.

‘
Now what?’ Curtis said. He still had no idea what was going on and was half hoping we were going to say leave.

‘
Well, as I don't have a warrant, there is nothing we can do. I’m not meant to be here and certainly not with you.’

‘
So we might as well go in then,’ said Tabatha, pulling out a chisel and a hammer.

Smack! One hit later and the lock was gone.

‘
Oh my god! What are you doing?’ Bosley exclaimed

‘
Opening the door,’ she replied. She was in a real shitty mood. Understandable really.

I heard the gunshot and then the glass broke. We dived for cover. A second shot, then a third.

‘
Someone’s shooting,’ Curtis screamed stating the obvious.

‘
Thanks, Sherlock. Michael, it’s Wolfy. Stop shooting!’ I shouted through the doorway.

‘
Wolfy?’ It was a weak and feeble reply.

‘
Yeah, Wolfy. Stop shooting.’

‘
Are you alone?’

‘
No, but they’re cool. It’s just Tabs, Boom-Boom’s sister, and Curtis.’

‘
I heard someone say police.’

‘
Yeah, that’s Bosley. Don’t worry. He’s harmless.’ Bosley shot me a venomous glance I shrugged back. ‘Michael, I’m coming in. Don’t shoot me. I just want to talk. I want to know what happened to Longy.’

‘
I killed him, Wolfy. It’s my fault Baba’s dead.’

‘
I’m coming in.’ I stood up and pushed open the front door. Michael was in the hallway. No wonder nobody could find him. I’d known him for years and I’d never seen him look like that. He was bad; ‘I-live-on-the-streets-and-eat-out-of-a-bin’ bad.

I walked in slowly, he was clutching the gun in his hand, the other three followed slowly behind me, Bosley first, then Tabatha, and last, and with much dragging at the back, Curtis.

Michael’s clothes were true homeless man ragged. He had a wild beard on his face and was barefoot. He was filthy dirty and the smell coming from him was enough to make you choke. He looked like Robinson Crusoe on a bad day. I followed him deeper into the pit he was living in. We walked into the front room. It was empty: no furniture, curtains, carpet or even paint on the walls. He scrunched back into the corner and faced us. There were empty food wrappers and half-eaten scraps of his dustbin-acquired dinner in front of him.

‘
What the hell’s going on, Michael?’ His eyes were wild. He looked like he hadn’t slept well in a very long time.

‘
I killed Baba.’ He mumbled it.

‘
No, you didn’t. It was a hitman called The Beggar.‘ I’d never really liked Michael. I didn’t
dislike
him, he just wasn’t my cup of tea. We knew each other, enough to talk but not to trust. I wouldn’t have sat down and had a drink with him. But then and there I felt such pity for him, such a sense of sadness. He was a bastard no doubt, but he’d suffered, suffered a lot.

‘
I told them … told them. My stupid big mouth.’ He started slapping himself.

‘
Told who?’ Michael was half-crazed.

‘
Frazer. I told Frazer about Baba.’

‘
Scott Frazer?’

He nodded. Tears ran from his eyes, streaks of white cleaning the dirt on his face.

‘
Why? Michael, why did they want him dead?’

‘
Because of Tom Jones.’ He started laughing, a true crazy man laugh. ‘Tom Jones ... Tom Jones.’

‘
What are you talking about? Start from the beginning. What was Longy involved in?’

‘
Baba is the Prophet ... Tom Jones is God.’ He looked at me wildly. He was lost in some turbulent thoughts; I needed to move more slowly.

‘
When was the last time you ate?’ I was trying a different tack. Michael was out there somewhere and needed reigning back in. He shrugged. ‘Curt, go get him some chips would ya?’ Curtis nodded.

I sat down on the floor in front of him. ‘Curtis has gone to get you some chips Michael okay?’