Кен Бруен - A Fifth of Bruen - Early Fiction of Ken Bruen

Naylor began to feel uneasy and thought he might need back-up. The man looked positively deranged. Naylor began to move towards the door.

“Mr. Colbert these premises are no longer your property.”

Robbie flung the watch and Nayor beat a rapid retreat. He didn’t notice the woman sitting quietly in the outer room.

Robbie let loose a string of obscenities and began rummaging in his desk for something to ingest. The woman came quietly in, picked up the watch and waited. He looked up,

“Who the hell are you?”

“Are you Robert Colbert?”

“No, I’m the fucking Aga Khan, who the hell do you think I am, what do you WANT?”

“I believe you may be able to help me. I have a special dilemma.”

“Don’t we all honey, well spit it out.”

“I have a child that needs to be sexually abused. I hear you’re just the man for the job. That it’s a specialty of yours.”

Robbie froze. What colour there was in his face drained away. He sat down slowly and asked quietly.

“What is this, who put you up to it?”

“I’m the little girl’s aunt.”

It took him a few moments to put it together and when he did, he gave a bitter smile.

“The convict’s sister, the crazy bitch. Yea, I heard about you. Didn’t they have you in some madhouse. Get early release did you... lemme tell you sister, you pull many more stunts, you’ll be back on the funny farm.”

“You have a filthy manner, but what else could I expect from a child molester. A pervert.”

He stood up.

“That’s it, you’re outta here. I don’t need this garbage today.”

As he moved towards her, she reached in her bag and pulled out a gun. He thought it must be a toy, it looked so plastic.

“You’re kidding. I’m supposed to buy that’s real, gimme a break.”

She squeezed the trigger and the intercom leapt from the desk. He looked round in disbelief.

“Yah bad bitch, I only bought that yesterday.”

And she squeezed again.

It felt like a sledgehammer to his right knee and he sunk to the floor.

Now he was truly afraid.

“For pity’s sake, I never touched that little girl.”

And squeeze.

His middle fingers disappeared.

Squeeze.

Squeeze.

Squeezed.

Tom was planning his next job when the phone rang.

“Hello.”

“Daddy?”

“Kendra, hello darling’”

His heart pounded in his chest and the phone felt sticky in his hand.

“How did you know it’s me Daddy?”

“I’d recognise you anywhere honey.”

“Mummy is going to be away all day and she said you could bring me out... will you Daddy?”

“What time is it now darlin’?”

“Am... eleven I think.”

“Start counting, at 12 o’clock, I’ll be giving you the biggest hug you ever had. Are you counting?”

“One

Two...”

He dressed fast, rang a mini-cab and was on his way. Five minutes after he left, a police car pulled up to his door. Kendra was waiting at the window.

Seven years old now, she was her mother in tiny exact detail. He felt his breath hold in his chest as he saw her. She was wearing a bright blue tracksuit with “Eurodisney” on the front, and came racing into his arms.

As he held her he thought, “if I could hold her thus forever.”

And already she was pulling away, laughing.

“Your beard tickled me Daddy.”

They went to:

   Kew Gardens

   The Zoo

   McDonalds

   And

   Burger King.

Tom couldn’t believe one little girl could put away so much

   Ice cream

   Chips

   And soft drinks.

As a thief, he had to admire the glossy wholesale thievery of those outfits. The day was drawing to a close and a silence shaped above father and child. Kendra was sucking emptily on her Coke. He asked,

“Like anything else darling’”

“No thanks, Daddy.”

“Are you upset about anything?”

“It’s my first Communion next month.”

“You’ll be a big girl then.”

“We have to make our confession and if we don’t tell all our sins, we’ll burn in hell till our skin falls off and we’ll still be roasting. Sister Adele says it’s like being burnt with a match only a million and million times hotter.”

She said this in the rushed total concentrated way that child does. Her little cheeks were flushed as if she could a ready feel the heat.

Tom would have liked a few moments with the highly imaginative Sister Adele. He wondered what sins a seven year old girl could be burned for.

“I have a secret Daddy. It’s a big bad thing.”

Tom tried not to smile.

“Well honey, you can tell me. I won’t tell anyone. Cross my heart and hope to die. That’s what daddies are for, to tell all those things. Then the badness is wiped away.”

“Alright so.”

She took a deep breath, looked around, then with her head down, she began to tell.

“I told Mummy a big fib... I said the man..., did things to me... like we were told about in school... you know... girls and touches... to always tell a grown up. So... I pretended and told Mummy the man did.”

Tom was stunned. Thoughts chased each other in mad sequence.

“... Robbie hadn’t touched her

... they taught this at school?

... she didn’t call Robbie her daddy!”

He lent over and put his hand under her chin, lifted her face gently,

“It’s okay, Kendra, it’s okay... no one’s going to punish you.”

Tears rolled down her small face. Between sobs, she said,

“Will Mummy be very cross, I only said ’cos I thought she’d send the man away and you could come home.”

He wanted to weep himself, to stab somebody... anybody. To hide her away so the world would never touch her. But already she was drying her eyes and asked,

“Do I look terribly Daddy?”

“You look beautiful.”

When they got back, Liz was waiting at the door, an expression of gravity clouding her.

“The police are here.”

On cue, two plainclothes officers and WRC appeared. They were producing warrant cards. One said,

“Might we have a word Mr. Kenny, I’m Superintendent Barnes, this is Sergeant Woods. The WPC will look after the little girl.” All moved inside.

“What’s going on?” asked Tom.

“Your wife says, I’m sorry... your ex-wife says you picked up the little girl at 12. Is that correct?”

“Yes it is.”

“And you spent the full day with her? Did you leave her at any stage?”

“What do you mean leave her? She’s seven years old for God’s sake. Do you know the animals that are out there.”

The WPC turned and had a brief word with Barnes. He nodded.

“Well Mr. Kenny, your child confirms what you said.”

“You questioned the child?”

“It was necessary Mr. Kenny. We’re only doing our job. You’ve been inside I believe?”

“Yes I have.”

“Staying clean are we?”

“Well I dunno about you but I am.”

The policemen exchanged a look.

“You wouldn’t possess a handgun, would you Tom?”

“Ah, the Christian name now. No, I don’t have a gun. You said, I’m an ex-convict... What’s going on?”

“Between one and two o’clock today, Mr Robert Colbert was shot to death.”

“Jesus,” said Tom.

“Any idea as to who might wish harm to him?”

“Just about anyone who ever came in contact with him... he was that type of individual. Half of London I should think. Does that help?”

“We’ll be in touch Tom, keep yourself out of trouble, there’s a good lad.”

After they left. Liz walked right up to him.

“Did you have anything to do with this Tom?”

“No.”