Arthur woke with eyes welded shut by grit. He’d slept little, his mind replaying the newscast of the shredded awning at The Regency and the three women passengers he’d driven to that hotel. There wasn’t a single part of him that wanted the new day to arrive: the prospect of ferrying the women around made his belly ache. When he had slept, his dreams had been haunted by visions of giant feathery crow wings spreading over him and he’d woken up panting, unsure whether the birds were offering comfort to him, or attempting to smother him under their weight.
He rose early, showered, scowled as he threw on his new suit. He even managed to fit the cufflinks first time, much to his surprise. Yet the uniform weighed on him, branded him as belonging to the three ladies, and he yearned for his jeans and t-shirt.
As he left, Arthur gave Taylor a gentle kiss on her brow and smiled a smile that went unnoticed. Instead, she murmured in her dreams, turned over and snored lightly. Arthur sighed. He didn’t want to wake her, but some unconscious token of recognition would have been nice. Today was going to be a bad day.
The streets were quiet, which allowed him an easy drive to the depot. He entered the little yard, parked up, and slipped into the office, hoping for coffee before the ladies appeared. On a whim, he rapped on the door of his boss’s office and entered the tiny room with a ‘Hey, Zander!’ which he hoped would sound upbeat.
‘Good morning, Artie!’ The man lived his job and was seldom away from his office. At least, as far as Arthur knew. ‘You’re in early.’ His boss beamed. ‘Did your lady friends ask you for an early start?’
‘What? No…they ain’t here already, are they?’
Zander nodded. ‘They breezed in five minutes ago, raring to go. They are some girls; not ones I’d like to dick around with.’
That was the last thing Arthur needed. ‘Look boss,’ he said, ‘about these women… I’m not sure I’m the guy to drive them around.’
Zander placed his pen on his desk and sat back in his chair. ‘Why’s that then? You’re the man they asked for. And they’ve certainly taken a shine to you. That suit must have cost more than a few bucks.’
‘I’ll let any of the other guys wear it if they’ll take the job on.’
Zander strolled around his desk to a small window that overlooked the staff section of the office. ‘I’m not able to do that,’ he said. ‘Have you any idea how much these women are paying me to get exclusive use of your services? It’s three times what we normally charge, Arthur. Three times! I didn’t even have to barter. Jesus, when I think about it, they would have paid four, five times that amount. I bet I’d have raked it in… in fact, if I went back, I’d have haggled with them until they had no notes left in their purses …
‘Anyway, they were most insistent. They didn’t want any of the other guys. It had to be you, Arthur. It was all about you.’
‘Heck, I don’t care, Zander. I don’t want to drive them.’
‘Jesus! Artie how long have you worked here? Fifteen… sixteen years? You’ve never shirked a fare before. Heck, I’ve seen you take on some real crazies. What’s the matter with you? Are you sick or something?’ His eyes narrowed and he paused, re-appraising the situation. ‘Did those women threaten you?’
Arthur swallowed. ‘Not as such.’
‘Well then…’
For a moment, Arthur considered telling Zander about the previous day’s events, but Taylor’s words repeated in his head and he held back. If he told Zander his suspicions about what happened at The Regency, his boss would have no choice but to call the cops, and they’d be at the office faster than Arthur might ride to Chinatown and back.
Instead, Arthur shrugged and stared at the wall behind Zander’s back. ‘They make me uneasy… and I’ve a hunch something’s not right with them… as you say, I’ve dealt with some crazies in my time and I can spot them a mile off. These women are so crazy they scare me.’
‘A hunch. Pfft! Listen, Arthur, here’s a proposition to make this easier. But it’s only a few words between you and me, understand? There’s no need to mention it to anyone else, but… because we’re making such good money off these women I’ll give you a better rate for ferrying them around. But don’t tell no one or else I’ll dock your pay instead. Okay?’
Arthur dipped his head. ‘It ain’t about the money Zander…’
‘Well, if it ain’t about the cash…’ Zander sat back in his chair again, lifted his pen and scribbled something illegible on the notepad in front of him. ‘Look, I don’t wanna do this to you, but this is your last chance buddy. Either you do the job or find a new firm to work for. And I’m not kidding.’
It hadn’t crossed Arthur’s mind that Zander might fire him. Sure, the guy was an asshole at times, but he was the boss and bosses were born assholes. But to threaten him with the sack…
‘Listen,’ Zander continued, ‘there can be a new guy in your cab tomorrow. A Mexican, a Pole, a Russian. It don’t matter which. Guys are falling over themselves for a job. I know you do the work well, but hey, this ain’t rocket science and as long as someone remembers how to get from A to B, I don’t care if he can’t talk American. I don’t care if he isn’t able to hold a conversation with his fares. I. Don’t. Care. That sort of stuff don’t bring in extra money for me, Artie. And that’s the bottom line. The business has changed. Most of the guys you worked with when you started have packed up and went off to the care home for retired drivers. Some were scared by one too many nut jobs and packed it in, but we always replaced them with guys willing to work longer hours for less dough. Others, I just let go… You’re lucky I’ve kept you on for so long.’
‘So why did you keep Davide?’ Arthur said, his temper rising. He enjoyed Davide’s capers, but the guy was a sleaze. Still, Arthur was aware he shouldn’t have brought his workmate into the argument.
Zander growled. ‘He’s a waste of a badge, too. The first slip he makes, he’s outta here. Now, go do your job.’
‘Okay…’ He was backed into a corner. He needed his job. ‘I’ll drive them, but I tell you, there’s something not right with them.’ Yes, it was going to be a real bad day. ‘Thanks for your support boss,’ he said on his way out, loud enough to carry all over the office before the door shut between them. Behind it, a muffled volley of expletives erupted. It was a hollow victory but it brought Arthur a brief moment of satisfaction.
The three women were crouched over an old copy of Forbes magazine. Each raised her head as he opened the door to the public reception room, their faces joyless and stern.
‘Look what we did for you,’ Lara said, her hand pushing against her black hair, which she’d set into a bun. ‘I hope it’s satisfactory?’ Her voice was irritated. ‘You weren’t able to tell us apart, so we changed the way we arranged our hair. Not that you’re bothered, clearly. All that nonsense with Zander. Do you imagine we’re deaf, or something?’
’
Arthur was unsettled. ‘Look, lady…’ They shouldn’t have been able to hear that conversation. There were walls in the way and a couple of doors…
‘Be careful, Arthur, we do not yield to criticism.’
As Arthur shrugged his shoulders she rounded on her companions. ‘See? I told you this was a waste of time.’ She made to pull the pins out of her hair so it would fall across her shoulders.
‘Wait, Lara,’ Chloe said. She was sporting a ponytail. ‘Let’s give him a chance. Arthur, we drew straws. Tina got the shortest so we allowed her to leave her hair as it was.’
Tina smiled, but said nothing. Untouched, her hair reached half-way down her back.
‘Pah! Blind Chance had his hand in that one, I’m sure!’ Lara scowled.
Tina glowered at her sister, scandalised. ‘Enough! You know that’s not true. It was just the luck of the draw.’
‘And what is luck, if not chance under a different name? Anyway, shall we go? My knees are cramped and I need to move around.’ Lara levered herself up and hobbled towards the door, an act of exaggerated frailty. The women were hard to age, but he doubted they were as old and arthritic as Lara was making out.
‘Listen,’ he said, ‘about yesterday…’
Chloe paused in the doorway, waiting for what he had to say, and he sensed Lara’s and Tina’s eyes drilling into him. He wanted to ask why they’d gone to The Regency; wanted to be given assurance that they hadn’t been involved in the death of Jonas Windberg. But the words faltered in his mouth. A question such as that would be so offensive, and something his relationship with them would never recover from. Instead, through a dry mouth, he asked, ‘Did youse hear that someone died at the hotel you visited yesterday? It happened not long after we left. It was on the news.’
Chloe stepped back into the room. ‘Is that so…’ Her face was inscrutable, although Arthur detected the thinnest of smiles flicker over her narrow lips. ‘What a tragedy. The poor man’s family are in our prayers, is that not so, sisters?’
‘Quite so…Our thoughts and prayers,’ Tina echoed and Lara nodded agreement.
‘Now, we need to go, Arthur,’ Chloe continued, dismissing the matter. ‘We can’t afford to be late for this morning’s appointment. We’re heading to the suburbs so we have to push on.’
‘Where do youse want to go, exactly?’
‘Oh, we’re not sure of the address… place names are a little… inconsequential… but we will know once we’re near. That will be enough. We’ll be able to direct you.’ Arthur bristled. He hated the idea of driving without a clue where he was heading. Not only because it meant he was unable to choose which route to take, but because he remained certain the women were trouble, and he was worried that he wouldn’t make it back to the depot in one piece. Ideally, he ought to tell Florence where he was heading in case something nasty happened, and he hated not being able to do that. After all, a can of pepper spray wouldn’t go very far against all three of his fares.
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