Ю Несбё - Macbeth

They waited. The hissing inside had stopped.

Then a golden drop came.

‘We’ve topped a thousand now,’ Seyton said.

‘What... what’s that?’

‘Gold.’

‘But we removed—’

‘Teeth. Let’s wait until it’s over sixteen hundred, in case there’s any steel in the body. After that all we have to do is hoover up the ash. Hey, are you OK?’

Lennox nodded. ‘Bit dizzy. I’ve never... erm... shot anyone before. You have, so I’m sure you remember what it felt like the first time.’

‘Yes,’ Seyton said quietly.

Lennox was going to ask what it had felt like, but the glint in Seyton’s eyes made him change his mind.

Macbeth stood on the roof of Inverness Casino looking to the east through a pair of binoculars. It wasn’t easy to distinguish in the darkness, but wasn’t that smoke coming from the top of the brick chimney at Estex? If so, the matter had been dealt with. And they would have two more men in their spider’s web, two men with blood on their hands. Kite and Lennox. Kite could be useful to have around in the mayoral elections. If there were any other candidates standing. And Lennox would soon need someone else to get him dope. Before much longer Hecate would be no more than a saga as well.

Macbeth had waited by the stairs to the toilet in the central station for fifteen minutes before Strega turned up. At first he had rejected the bags of power and said he only wanted to pass on a message to Hecate. He wanted to meet him as soon as possible, inform him about his future plans and also give him a present as a token of Macbeth and Lady’s gratitude for what Hecate had done for them. A present he was sure that Hecate — if the rumours about him liking gold were true — would appreciate.

Strega had said he would hear from her. Perhaps.

Yes, there was smoke coming from the chimney.

‘Darling, Tourtell’s here.’

Macbeth turned. Lady was standing in the doorway. She had put on her red dress.

‘I’m coming. You look pretty, did I say?’

‘You did. And that’s all you’ll say for a while, my love. Let me do the talking so we follow the plan.’

Macbeth laughed. Yes, she was back all right.

The gaming room and the restaurant were so full of customers that they literally had to force their way through to the gaming table they’d had set up in the separate small room at the end of the restaurant where Tourtell was waiting.

‘Alone this evening?’ Macbeth said, pressing the mayor’s hand.

‘Young ones have to study for exams.’ Tourtell smiled. ‘I saw there was a queue outside.’

‘Since six o’clock,’ Lady said, sitting down beside him. ‘We’re so full I had to persuade Jack here to be our croupier.’

‘Which tells me there ought to be room for two casinos in this town,’ Tourtell said, fidgeting with his black bow tie. ‘You know how unhappy voters get when they aren’t allowed to go out and waste their money.’

‘Agreed,’ Lady said, beckoning a waiter. ‘Has the mayor had a lucky evening, Jack?’

‘Bit early to say,’ Jack said, smiling from where he stood in his red croupier’s jacket. ‘Another card, Mr Mayor?’

Tourtell looked at the two cards he had been given. ‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Isn’t that right, Lady?’

‘You are so right. And that’s why I’ve decided to tell you about a consortium which is keen to invest its capital by not only taking over the Obelisk but also renovating and reopening it as the most attractive casino in the country. It is of course a financial risk given that the Obelisk’s reputation is being dragged through the mud right now, but we’re willing to put our faith in a new owner and a new profile changing that.’

‘We, Lady?’

‘I’m in the consortium, yes. Together with Janovic, a property investor from Capitol. It’s important, as you said, for the town to have the Obelisk up and running again. Just think of all the taxable income it will bring in from the neighbouring counties. And when we open the newly renovated, spectacular Obelisk in a few months’ time it will be a tourist attraction. People will travel from Capitol to gamble in our town, Tourtell.’

Tourtell looked at the card Jack had given him and sighed. ‘Doesn’t look like this is going to be my night.’

‘It still could be,’ Lady said. ‘The shares in the consortium haven’t all been taken up, and we’ve considered you as a potential investor. You also need something to fall back on after your mayoralty is over.’

‘Investor?’ He laughed. ‘As mayor I’m afraid I don’t have the legal ability or the money to buy shares in companies, so the undoubted share-fest will have to take place without me.’

‘Shares can be paid for in a variety of ways,’ Lady said. ‘For example, with services rendered.’

‘What are you suggesting, my beautiful duchess?’

‘That you publicly support Macbeth’s candidature for mayor.’

Tourtell looked at his cards again. ‘I’ve already promised I would and I’m famous for keeping my promises.’

‘We mean in this election.’

Tourtell glanced up from his cards, at Macbeth. ‘This election?’

Lady placed a hand on the mayor’s arm and leaned against him. ‘Yes, because you won’t be standing.’

He blinked twice. ‘I won’t be?’

‘It’s true you intimated you would, but then you changed your mind.’

‘And why was that?’

‘Your health isn’t the best, and the job of mayor requires an energetic man. A man of the future. And as soon as you’re not the mayor you’ll be free to join a consortium which in practice will have a monopoly over the casinos in this town and, unlike the cards you have in your hand, will make you a very rich man.’

‘But I don’t want to—’

‘You recommend the voters elect Macbeth as your successor because he’s a man of the people, who works for the people and leads with the people. And because he, in his role as chief commissioner, has brought down both Sweno and Hecate and shown that he gets things done .’

‘Hecate?’

‘Macbeth and I are anticipating events here a little, but Hecate’s a dead man. We’re going to propose a meeting with Hecate, which he won’t leave alive. This is a promise, and I’m famous for keeping promises too, my dear Mr Mayor.’

‘And if I don’t go along with this—’ he spat the words out like a rotten grape ‘— share deal ?’

‘That would be a shame.’

Tourtell pushed his chair back, took one of his chins between his forefinger and middle finger. ‘What else have you got, woman?’

‘Sure we shouldn’t stop there?’ Lady asked.

Jack coughed, tapped his forefinger on the pack. ‘Enough cards, Mr Mayor?’

‘No!’ Tourtell snarled without taking his eyes off Lady.

‘As you wish,’ she sighed. ‘You’ll be arrested and accused of unseemly behaviour with an underage boy.’ She nodded to the card Jack had placed in front of him. ‘See, you went too far. Bust.’

Tourtell stared at her with his heavy cod-eyes. His protruding wet lip twitched. ‘You won’t get me,’ he hissed. ‘Do you hear me? You won’t get me!’

‘If we can get Hecate, we can certainly get you.’

Tourtell stood up. Looked down at them. His chins, his scarlet face, indeed his whole body was shaking with fury. Then he spun on his heel and marched out, the inside thighs of his trousers rubbing against each other.

‘What do you think?’ Macbeth said after he had gone.

‘Oh, he’ll do what we want,’ Lady said. ‘Tourtell’s no young fool. He just needs a bit of time to work out the odds before he makes his play.’