Eight Ball Boogie - Declan Burke [70]
The dig hurt but he took it square on the chin.
“Anything. Just say the word.”
I told him about my visit to Conway, leaving out nothing, not even the lipstick on the secretary’s teeth.
“You tapped him for two grand? Thinking he’d just had Gonz killed?” He whistled. “You’ve got balls, Harry. You think with them maybe, but you’ve got balls.”
“I didn’t tap him for anything. All I was looking for was some kind of reaction, something that linked Conway to the pros. I didn’t get any. Conway’s good but he’s not that good. Conway had nothing to do with last night. That was Sheridan’s call.”
“Sheridan?”
“Our esteemed TD. I put the spook up Big Frank and Sheridan came crawling out of the woodwork.”
“So maybe Sheridan is using the East Belfast boys.”
Dutchie didn’t want to let the East Belfast boys go.
“No one uses the East Belfast boys, Dutch. Those lads aren’t taking orders from anyone, least of all some Free State fucker.”
“Might do, if the money was good enough.”
“Maybe. Not that it matters either way. Thing that’s bugging me is, where does Conway come into it if Sheridan already has his hook-up?”
“Maybe he was threatening to rat Sheridan out to the big boys, start a war.” He shrugged. “You got the message? About Conway?”
“Yeah. How’d he go?”
“Not sure. Everyone’s keeping their heads down, saying fuck all. It’s getting out that it’s a drug thing. Everyone’s hiding bongs, flushing stashes.”
“Last time I saw Conway was about eleven. He was with Tony Sheridan.”
“You’re saying Sheridan had Conway offed?”
“Who knows? A desperate man does desperate things. Because whatever’s going on, it’s going on fast. Maybe Conway fucked up once too often.”
He didn’t buy it.
“Jesus, Harry. It’s a bit much.”
“Tell it to Big Frank. The way I see it, it makes perfect sense. Gonzo first, then me, then Conway.”
“How’s that?”
“Gonz did time for Conway a couple of years back. That’s why he was back in town, putting the squeeze on. Conway came to me, trying to work out if I was hooked up with Gonzo. Next thing Sheridan knows, I’m running around with pictures that prove he’s connected to Conway. What does he do? Step one, take Gonzo out of the picture by feeding him Flatliners. Two, me, because I have the shots. Three, Conway gets his for being the prick that could’ve brought the house of cards down.”
“So where’s Helen Conway come into it all?”
“Fuck knows. Maybe she is screwing Tony Sheridan. Or maybe she’s running the whole show, I doubt if Helen Conway ever took a back seat to anyone in her life. Right now I’m more worried about Katie.”
He frowned.
“The journo?”
“Have to go, Dutch. Do me a favour?”
“What about Katie?”
“Check the street outside. See if the Dibble are still out there, watching the office.”
I was pretty sure Brady wouldn’t be there. I was pretty sure Galway wouldn’t be there either, but I didn’t want to take any more chances than I had to. I told him about the call from Katie.
“If the Dibble are out in the street watching the office, they can’t be with the pros. Basic physics, that.”
“Christ, Harry, tell me you’re taking the piss. Who the fuck is Katie, some bimbo fucking journalist?”
“Right now, Dutch, she’s a hostage. If it wasn’t for me she’d still be a bimbo fucking journalist.”
“You’re walking into an ambush, just like that? Lamb to the fucking slaughter for some bird you hardly know?”
“It’s not much of an ambush. They told me where they’d be.”
He grabbed me by the shoulders, shook me hard. I let him. I needed loosening up after the long drive.
“It’s a set-up, Harry! Fuck’s sake, man!”
“We went through it this morning. Sheridan had a decision to make and he wants to let me know what it is. Then everyone walks away, like the man said.”
“The reason they tried to take you out last night is the reason they’ll do it tonight. They think you’re in with Gonz, which makes you poison.”
“Give me some credit, Dutch. It’s not heat of the moment anymore. These boys are sharp. They think I want to see them taken down and all things being equal I would. The way things are, though, I couldn’t give a flying