It was early evening as Manny set himself up to carry out Maurice Grapelli’s first job: an easy task where the only risk lay in being seen by a witness. He’d placed a couple of calls earlier to track down the taxi that belonged to the douche who had removed Taylor’s suitcase from her apartment, then with time to spare, opted to complete Maurice’s jobs. Vinnie had given him all the details he needed: his victim’s hang outs, his appearance, his routine –enough information to allow Manny to trail the sucker without fear of hitting the wrong person.
The only mistake Vinnie had made was in giving Manny the dude’s name. Names weren’t given out lightly in this business. Names led to trouble later down the line. Vinnie and Manny had regarded each other warily after the slip, Vinnie with the expression of a kid who had been caught stealing candy. Manny knew this was an uncharacteristic error since Vinnie had a solid reputation, but it was a blip that forced Manny to reassure the other man that there would be no loose ends once the job was done. Vinnie had thanked him in the way a mouse might thank an owl for not being hungry, gratitude Manny had accepted in the knowledge that he now had some leverage against Vinnie, something he might use in the future should he require a favour.
It didn’t mean the job was blown though. Manny still needed to earn the fee Maurice Grapelli was pushing his way, which was why Manny had situated himself in the shadows across the road from a rundown apartment block to wait on Ruby Demarco. This location was one of Ruby’s regular haunts. Once a week he would come to this building where he and his associates would get high on some of the stuff Ruby sold as a day job. Not that he paid for its use at these parties of his. According to Vinnie, Maurice Grapelli was aware Ruby had been helping himself to the drugs for ages, but he’d chosen to ignore the abuse of position because of the steady profit Ruby brought in. Maurice, it appeared, was lenient like that. Manny wouldn’t have been so kind. Folks who did drugs were a liability, always a fix away from making a mistake, and it was an error that had finally eroded Mr Grapelli’s confidence in Ruby.
Drugs weren’t Manny’s thing, either. He preferred a clear head to go about his business. Of course, he wasn’t averse to the odd steroid or two to improve his bulk, but they didn’t count. They weren’t in the same league as the foul shit Ruby was injecting or snorting or whatever else he did. Manny sniffed and screwed up his nose in disapproval.
For a moment, he considered whether the money he’d earn from this job would come from the drugs trade, and a pang of guilt swept through him. But Harry Chance had once told him never to pass on an opportunity. Manny sniffed again. Harry had the right of it. You made your money whenever there was an opportunity: you turned nothing away. That’s what kept food on the table. Manny should grasp the chance while Grapelli offered it: he might never get another opportunity.
His revere was broken when Ruby tumbled out of the apartment, giggling in the arms of a blonde-haired woman. The couple supported each other as they tottered off down the street.
‘Damn, Vinnie!’ Manny cursed. ‘You didn’t tell me this would be a two-person job!’ He didn’t have any issues with dispatching a woman, but her presence made life a little more complicated. He’d have to trail them to work out when to carry out the deed.
The couple swayed their way along the side of the road, arms interlocked for balance, and sometimes bounced against the walls of buildings, sometimes spilled onto the road. Manny followed, kept to the shadows. This was more out of practice than necessity: the couple were so wasted their focus was entirely on each other and on staying upright. Still, Manny took no risks. He was led through a network of roads: second right; third left; first right; and he trailed at a suitable distance, always far enough away to remain unseen. It would be a tricky job dealing with both of them, but not impossible. Finally, they halted at the edge of a waterway all but hidden in the depths of the city. Its far shore was a brick wall several stories high: a featureless barrier of which Manny approved. There was no reason why anyone would want to gaze down on this location. There was nothing to it except the sluggish water and a narrow strip of grass, an odd tree, and a walled-off industrial complex behind.
He remembered Taylor taking him to a similar location once, not long after they’d met. She’d saved a kitten from drowning. He’d done it a favour and killed it as soon as she’d rescued it from the river. He snorted. She’d always been too soft, too much a hippy, and besides, the damn kitty had nipped him with its prickly little teeth. It had gotten what it deserved. He chided himself. He needed to focus on the job.
Ruby and his companion were talking wildly as they gesticulated at the waterway. ‘Gators live in there, I tell ya,’ Ruby declared. ‘Monstrous creatures that come out at night and snap your spine in two. Whoomph!’
‘You’re messing with me, Ruby Stein.’ The woman pushed him playfully. ‘You don’t need to mess with me.’
Ruby staggered a little. ‘I’m telling you straight. I seen this man, a fat dude. He was slow… slow like a slug, you know? Fat, juicy, oily. He came down here one night and – wallop! – those great big gator jaws came down on him from the dark. Those monsters lurk in the bushes waiting for youse. So… so you’d better keep your wits about you. Or you’ll get whoomphed yourself!’
The woman pushed at his chest with her head, making Ruby stumble backwards. ‘You are joking me, babes. Don’t make a joke at me.’ Her words rang loud in the quiet air.
Manny moved quickly. He hoped passers-by would assume a lovers’ argument was progressing with all the commotion they were generating. There was bound to be some noise, some disturbance, which he needed to keep to a minimum. Not that anyone would pass by, but you learned not to take unnecessary risks when you carried out this sort of operation.
He crashed his weight into Ruby. With knees bent low to drop his centre of gravity and increase the power of his impact, Manny’s shoulders slammed into the man’s midriff and lifted him off the ground, bundling him to the water’s edge before Ruby had time to register what was going on.
The woman screamed but Manny chose to ignore her. He’d expected she’d do something like that, but he had to deal with them one at a time. Trust him to need to dispose of two people at once. That was always going to be messy. It was a good job the place was deserted. He straightened, gripped Ruby’s neck with both hands, and twisted with a sharp motion. The man’s neck bones snapped with a satisfying click. Weak fists pounded upon Manny’s back as the woman attacked him. He considered dealing with her before disposing of Ruby’s body, but dismissed the idea: the corpse was in his hands already, after all. With a heave, Manny spilled the dead form into the water where it disappeared with an underwhelming plop.
‘You bastard!’ The woman screamed. ‘You utter shitting bastard!’ Her punches increased in frequency, if not strength.
Manny faced her. She would’ve been pretty if not for the wasted tiredness in her eyes, or the cheap makeup she’d applied badly. He might even have made a play for her himself had the circumstances been different. It’d been a long time since he’d been with a woman and he missed it. He considered the situation. It would be easy to force himself upon her before finishing the job he’d been sent to do. The notion led him to shrug inwardly. As tempting as the idea was, it was asking for a whole heap of trouble, and a job was a job. He needed to get it over with before anyone spotted him. There was no time to deviate from the work, no space for errors, no forgiveness in loose ends.
He grabbed her fist when she punched at him next, and squeezed down hard. Her squeal of pain bounced around the enclosed space. Manny cursed. He should have done that differently. That sound would never have come from a lovers’ quarrel. That was the sound of someone responding to violence. He’d better get the job finished sharp.
The woman offered little resistance as he tugged her close to him, so close he caught the fragrance she was wearing in his nostrils. Her blue eyes bulged wide with fear.
‘Sorry, babes,’ he told her, ‘but this is business. You’re in the wrong place at the wrong time.’ With his free hand he grabbed the back of her neck, which was thin and delicate. Soft. It snapped easily when he applied a little pressure, and immediately her eyes glazed. It was striking how eyes that were full of life became vacant so quickly. Manny grunted. What did he care? He lifted the woman’s body over his shoulder, walked to the water’s edge, and tipped her in.
‘Money in the bank,’ he said and rubbed his hands against his thighs. ‘Now for this Andy Forrest guy.’
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