Garry Disher - Death Deal

Nurse let outrage carry him through the next few minutes in the bathroom. He came out feeling better physically, bladder eased, the sleep washed from his face, but then it hit him that he was in the middle of something nasty.

If the girl was working solo, shed struck luckybut how did he explain it to Lovell?

If the girl knew he had the stuff, then she was working for the people Lovell sold to, meaning Lovell had made himself some enemies.

Nurse preferred to go with this idea. It would take the heat off him for a while, distract Lovell from the key issuethat he, Nurse, had been careless and let someone pinch seventy-five thousand dollars worth of heroin.

Or had allowed it to happen. Nurse went cold, knowing thats how Lovell would see it. Lovell was in the sort of game where you expect the worst of everyone, where you suspect everyone of trying to rip you off or inform on you, so when something goes wrong you hit back and you make it hard and permanent.

Thats how Lovell would read the facts and it terrified Nurse. He put on his pants. Then he removed them and got into bed. With the covers to his chin he felt marginally more secure, but it was all relative: he couldnt stay here forever.

A red light blinked away the seconds on the bedside clock. Nurse was mesmerised. The numerals climbed to 14:59 and dead on three oclock the telephone rang.

Nurse went through the possibilities. Room service, wanting to know if maids could clean now. Unlikely. Lovell had a permanent arrangement here. This room, 212, wouldnt be touched until five.

Maybe one of the buyers. Nurse thought hed heard knocking earlier. Three dealers, itching to get back on the street and sell to the users, getting twitchy, more and more dangerous as they saw the weekend slipping away from them.

He could bluff it out. Sorry, youve got the wrong person, kind of thing. The handset seemed heavy and slick in his damp hand. Hello?

It was Lovell.

Nurse? What the fuck are you doing? Ive just had three very pissed-off messages on my answering machine. I thought you mustve cleared off on me.

Nurses mouth was dryfear, and a hangover from the drug. He coughed, tried to summon spit from somewhere. Something went wrong. I

Not on the phone. Stop there, Im coming up.

And the line went dead. This time Nurse dressed fully. He put on a tie. It made him feel more in control. When the knock came he stood near the door but didnt touch it. Yes?

Its me, arsehole. Open the door.

Nurse unlocked the door and it smacked into his shoulder as Lovell and a second man came into the room. The second man was small, quick and crouching: in five seconds he had checked the room, the bathroom, the wardrobe, under the bed. Clean, he said.

Lovell had been watching from the door, his hand on something in the side pocket of his jacket. Go down and help the others. You know the drill.

The man nodded and slipped away. Despite himself, Nurse had to know what was going on. Wheres he going?

You think Id go into a situation like this without backup and counter surveillance? So what happened? The drug squad get to you? Someone rip you off?

You could say that.

Lovell crossed the room and the blows were hard, stunning, the flat of his hands left, right, like the base of a frying pan across Nurses face. Nurse folded, contracting his limbs protectively, bobbing before the sinewy pilot as if in prayer.

Either you were ripped off or you werent, Lovell said. Dont muck around with me.

I didnt rip you off, I swear I didnt.

Lovell was close and dangerous. Well soon know, wont we? Unexplained wealth, your debt to Bone suddenly squared, Ill soon know. Now, what the fuck happened? He jerked back. You stink. You look like shit. What happened?

There was this woman.

Nurse waited for the explosion. It didnt come. Instead, there was an iciness in Lovell, a glittering patience.

We came back here, Nurse continued. She made me a drink. Im talking about last night. She made me a drink he yawned and the next thing I know its half past two in the afternoon and Ive been ripped off. Wallet, watch, cufflinks

Tell it to the insurance company. She got the stuff, is that what youre trying to tell me?

Nurse nodded.

Show me.

They went to the wardrobe. Nurse had upended the briefcase among the mothballs and his carpet slippers. Lovell picked it up and did what hed done, shook it, put his hand inside it.

Im sorry, Nurse said.

Lovell ignored him. We need to find her. Tell me about last night. Fucking leave anything out and Ill wipe the floor with you.

His voice was hoarse with warning. Hard knots showed at the corners of his jaw. Nurse swallowed and told him: early floor show, a couple of drinks, dinner alone, a few dollars here and there on blackjack and two-up, then this woman, Sonia.

Describe her.

Nurse described her.

And thats all?

What do you mean?

Come on, Nurse. Was she alone? Did she slip anyone the wink? Did anyone see you who can verify your story? Think, for Christs sake.

Well, there was this one incident at the roulette table. Management tried to chuck her out.

Why?

Nurse shrugged. I suppose they thought she was sus.

But not you, eh? Anybody else could tell she looked wrong, but you did your thinking through your prick.

Nurse kept his eyes on the floor. Lovell stood very close to him and the mans long torso seemed redolent of hard, rangy competence. It was like being back in the schoolyard bumping chests with some bullyboy.

What are you going to do?

Me? Find her, what do you think? A, she ripped me off. B, what if she talks?

All the concentration was on the girl. Nurse began to relax.

That was a mistake. Lovell read it in Nurses mind and body and stabbed a forefinger under his jaw like a gun barrel. Not that youre off the hook. Profit and loss, you know what Im talking about? Youre well and truly in the red.

Jesus Christ, Lovell, youre stretching the relationship.

Come off it, Rice. You get your cut.

Yeah, for turning a blind eye, not for sticking my neck out.

With irritation, Lovell took three fifties from his wallet and shoved them into Rices suitcoat pocket. The detective jerked away as though hed been fouled, fished out the notes and folded them into his wallet.

What if they refuse?

Sweet-talk them. If that doesnt work, suggest youll wander around frisking the patrons.

Theyve got clout. Theyll laugh in my face. Id be busted back to uniform duty in fucking Ipswich if I hassled the patrons.

Lovell was exasperated. Youre the cop. You know how to get cooperation out of people. Look, just tell them some flash types from the States have been working a scam in the casinos out here and you need to see if theyve hit the Monte Carlo yet.

Rice tapped his fingers on the steering wheel of his unmarked Sigma and thought about it. Lovell was in the front seat with him. The car was parked in a side street adjacent to the casino. Three young women flashed by the car on roller blades. They were leggy and deeply tanned, licking ice-creams. Their bikinis were brightly coloured scraps of cloth that might as well not have existed, and both men groaned, collapsing flesh and ice-cream into one serviceable image. Nurse saw them too. He was waiting outside the car, sitting palely fat and selfconscious on a wood and cast-iron municipal bench under a young palm tree.

Lovell nudged Rice. Look at him. What a prick.

Rice looked but it meant nothing to him. Who is he anyway?

He can ID the woman.

I dont know about this, Lovell. How do I explain the pair of you to their security people?

You flash your badge, they wont want to see if weve got badges too. Just say were part of the task force, whatever it is you bastards play at.