Ken Bruen - Merrick

No.

She got a playful smile, asked

‘Remember anything?’

I was weak but still clued in enough to say

‘Only that you never left my side.’

Right answer.

She beamed then with eyes dancing in her head, said

‘You proposed.’

Yeah, right.

I could play, took the Irish route, asked

‘And……………..did you accept?’

She laughed, said

‘Oh, you’re back alright.’

And did I love her?

Take a wild Comanche guess.

She stood up, went to the bedroom, came back with a Gap bag, handed it over, said

‘And no, I didn’t leave you, I called Crow, had him go get this.’

I opened the bag, you guessed it

Brand new Levi shirt, white as hope.

I got back to my apartment, very conscious of the time factor. My time out, Merrick’s

fookin sulk time, all in all, I figured, we were nearly four days behind the edge we’d

nearly had.

I was playing The Saw Doctors, from Tuam, just outside Galway, and cross me

bedraggled heart, the favorite band of no less than…………….Jodie Foster.

And me.

Train…………their latest single was dynamite.

Rock, longing and loss, what better metaphor for the Irish psyche.

Paranoia, a lingering echo of the stress that nearly wiped me, was biting at my heels. I

had the Sig Sauer on the table, beside the six pack of Guinness. Knock on the door.

I moved up close, asked

‘Who is it?’

A pause.

Then

‘Ryan, it’s Merrick.’

I opened, and there he was, in his resplendent contrition, said

‘I screwed up big time Ryan, yet again, I’m sorry.’

I waved him in, said

‘Jesus wept, you going to spend your life apologizing, let it go, ok?’

He saw the gun on the table, asked

‘You were expecting me?’

I pulled a Guinness from the pack, said

‘Enough, alright, we have a psycho to catch and I think we’re already seriously out of

time.

He sat, took a hit of The Guinness, said

‘Fuck Ryan, it’s warm.’

Caught the look from me and added

‘Which is exactly how I…..am………….like it.’

And we had a moment then it passed.

He reached in his seriously battered leather jacket, took out a small package, said

‘You gave me your Mother’s Yeats so, this is I hope, as significant, you catch the drift.’

I opened it.

The American Flag came out.

He explained

‘Betsy Ross was a daughter of The American Revolution and sewed the first flag. The

stars in a circle represent the thirteen American colonies. The stars now represent each

state and the stripes each original colony. My wife, Judy, is related, on her father’s side to

Betsy Ross. Judy, on her Mom’s side, is part, I swear on the flag, part Chippewa Indian.

You can’t get more American than that.’

Shona might argue that toss.

I said

‘I can’t……..take this.’

‘Judy sent it, and I as Rabbi, confirm you as an American of the soul.’

How could you stay mad at the guy?

I said

‘Thank you…………………absolutely.’

I managed to pin it on the wall, then stood back, said

‘Cross me heart Merrick, I’m delighted to any part of America.’

Meant it, Ireland, in her wild wisdom had rendered outcast so, The USA was sheltering

me, giving me work, treating me like I mattered.

Who you going to plead allegiance to?

Merrick’s mobile shrilled. He answered, listened, his face a mixture of incredulity,

confusion, anger. He asked

‘You sure?’

Then listened, said

‘Thanks for the heads up Loot.’

He clicked off, looked at me with, was it apprehension.

I went

‘What?’

‘The case has been closed….solved,what the fuck ever.’

‘You’re kidding, how?’

‘That was Lieut. Jordan, they went to Tribeca, this morning, found Bob Temple dead,

suicide apparently, with a Heckler and Koch, the gun used on me, he left a note, saying

he was no longer able to live with his actions, they’re waiting on ballistics but the Loot is

pretty sure it will match the slug they dug out of me………….so, case closed. Oh yeah,

they found……….trophies, you know.’

‘Trophies?’

He near shouted

‘’You fucking know, do I have to goddamn spell it out for you, from the children.’

I was afraid that’s what it meant, said

‘It’s a set up.’

‘What?

‘Jesus Merrick, wake up, the flowers to Shona, came from Mr.’s Trent, who works for the

accountant.’

I poured a Guinness, focused

Merrick went to say something, I snapped

‘Shut the fook up, I’m nearly there.’

Ran it all over in my mind, the thought niggling on the edges of my sub consciousness

came crashing clear, I thought, fook, this perp is smart, real smart but…………’

Then something else struck me, why now, why did the guy feel the need to tie up loose

ends, unless he was spooked, unless he’d heard something, fook, fook, fook.’

I asked

‘Did you talk to anyone, say the case was near to closure, anyone at all?’

His face showed the guilt, he looked away, I ventured

‘Let me guess, I’m pretty sure I know, the same guy said to me in the

hospital……………. come to dinner, bring your Indian girlfriend.’

I was cruising, flying, ideas, racing through my mind, I said

‘Remember way back, I said, there were two and one might be a cop? Serg. Boxer said to

me he felt there were two and……one could be a cop………..or………ex-cop,

somebody you’d feel comfortable talking to?’

His body literally sagged in on itself, he sat down, realization crushing him, put his head

in his hands, said

‘Oh VI, Charlie,Jesus wept and I never told him about the credit card or the flowers, or

Mr.’s. Trent. Oh my Lord, Ryan, I’m so sorry.’

I desperately wanted to, as he once explained to me…………….. ream him a new one.

But that could come later, right now, we had to snare the slimy clever bastard. I said

‘Get a grip, we can trap him but it means you have to go and meet him, act like you’re

confused, tell him about Mr’s Trent and how you and I are going to see her the next day,

try to figure it out. He’ll have to act, and fast. Clear up the whole mess and we follow

him, take him in the act of trying for Mr.’s Trent.’

I added his own word

‘Capiche?’

He shook his head, said

‘Sit with him have a brew and act like everything is hunky dory, he’ll smell a rat.’

I grabbed him by both his shoulders, said

‘You screwed it up, now you put it right, act…………you cam fookin act, right?’

He nodded miserably.

I let out my breath, said

‘Ok, I’m going to Queens, be in place. When he leaves, give him five minutes, then

follow him. He’ll go to Queens but we don’t want him killing anyone else.’

A thought occurred to him, he said

‘This means….the accountant is the other killer, the serial wanna-be, what about him?’

I asked

‘Ever hear of two birds with one stone?’

His last effort

‘Shouldn’t we hand it all over to NYPD?’

‘Right, and by the time they get their arse in gear, if they buy it, don’t forget, they’ve a