Cry of the Hunter - Jack Higgins [49]
‘There was no need, Mr. Fallon. No need at all,’ Conroy said. His hands reached across the table and fastened over the two five pound notes.
The kitchen door opened and Murphy entered. ‘Well, that’s my good deed done for the day,’ he said. ‘What happens now?’
Conroy heaved himself to his feet. ‘I think you’d better go upstairs, Mr. Fallon,’ he said. ‘One of the neighbours might come in. It wouldn’t do to stay here.’
For a moment Fallon looked directly into his eyes and Conroy smiled nervously. ‘All right, Paddy,’ Fallon said. ‘Anything you say.’
Conroy nodded. ‘It’ll be the safest thing. Rose will show you the way.’ He sank down on the couch again and Rose led the way out of the room.
They followed her up a creaking, uncarpeted stairway that led to a narrow landing. There were only four doors leading off it. Fallon paused at the bottom of the next flight of stairs and said, ‘What about the attics?’
The girl shook her head. ‘The stairs are rotten up there, Mr. Fallon.’ She gestured scornfully downstairs and said, ‘He keeps meaning to get them fixed but he never gets around to it.’ She opened the first door and they were met by a frightful stench. She wrinkled her nose and closed the door gently. ‘That’s his room. I don’t suppose you want to go in there.’
‘No thanks,’ Murphy said. ‘I don’t think we’d survive.’
She opened the next door and they walked into a tiny room, half-filled with junk. There was a truckle bed in one corner with a mattress on it. ‘Is this the best you can do?’ Murphy said.
‘You can sleep there,’ she said calmly. ‘Mr. Fallon can use my room.’ Murphy opened his mouth to make an indignant reply but Fallon frowned quickly and they followed the girl out of the room. She gestured to a door opposite and said, ‘That’s the bathroom,’ and then she flung open the end door and announced with pride in her voice, ‘This is my room.’
There was a threadbare carpet on the floor and a narrow bed over by the window covered with a cheap satin quilt. Against one wall an ancient Victorian dressing table stood. The girl had made some attempt to camouflage it with a bilious looking chintz material and the experiment was a notable failure. The rest of the walls were covered with pin-up pictures of her cinema idols. Fallon moved into the room and said, ‘It’s very nice indeed.’
She smiled her delight. ‘Oh, I knew you’d like it, Mr. Fallon.’ She moved towards the door. ‘I’ll have to go now. I’ve some shopping to do in the market.’
Fallon followed her out into the corridor making a sign to Murphy to stay in the room. He walked with her to the head of the stairs and they paused. ‘Can I trust you, Rose?’ he said.
Her face glowed and she nodded vigorously. ‘I’ll not let you down, Mr. Fallon.’
He squeezed her arm. ‘You’ll let me know if you see anything suspicious going on?’ She nodded again and he said, ‘Good girl!’
She started to descend the stairs. Half-way down she turned and smiled up at him. ‘I’ll watch me Dad for you, too, Mr. Fallon,’ she said.
He stood listening to the click of her absurd high heels until they faded away into the living room and then he returned to Murphy. The boy was working his way along the walls looking at the pin-ups. ‘She’s got a hell of a taste. Mr. Fallon,’ he said.
‘Thank you!’ Fallon said dryly.
Murphy turned with a grin. ‘Now then, Mr. Fallon, you know what I mean.’ His face became serious and he sat down on the bed. ‘What do you think about Conroy?’
Fallon sat down beside him. ‘He’s about as trustworthy as a snake,’ he said. ‘But I think he’s more frightened of what the Organization might do to him if he betrays us than anything else.’
Murphy shook his head. ‘I don’t know. Five thousand pounds is a lot of money. A hell of a lot of money.’ For a moment he was silent and then he said, ‘What’s our next move?’
Fallon leaned back against the wall. ‘We’ll hang on here as arranged until tonight, then we’ll go and meet Anne.’
‘And after that?’ Murphy said.
‘I’m not sure.’ Fallon frowned. ‘Things are pretty sticky