Savage Night - Allan Guthrie [28]
When Richie got sent down, it hadn't come as a surprise to Park. Everybody's luck runs out sooner or later. Park knew what his son did. Effie had told him early on (those two were close, almost like twins), knew Park wouldn't snitch on his son.
Problem was Liz. She hadn't known that her big boy killed people for a living and after she found out, she changed.
"I asked Richie to find out who'd placed the hit on Martin's dad," Effie said. "He asked Carlos. Carlos said it was Tommy Savage. And Carlos has no reason to lie."
"So this Tommy Savage hired Richie to kill your boyfriend's dad," Park said. "That's fucked up."
"I can't let Savage get away with it."
"Course not."
She shifted in her seat, inched closer to him. "I have an idea how to sort it out. Make everything work out for the best."
"I'm listening."
"We need to make Tommy Savage pay," she said. "You agree?"
"Certainly seems that way. What're you thinking?"
"He deserves to die," she said. "But he's stinking rich. Could be worth a lot to us alive."
Park couldn't quite see how. It wasn't as if they could blackmail Savage. They didn't have any proof he'd ordered the hit on Martin's dad. Just had Carlos the Spaniard's word, and he wasn't exactly likely to spill to the authorities if Savage refused to pay up.
Park must have looked puzzled cause she said, "We can use Savage's money to get Mum into a decent home."
"I like that idea," Park said, nodding slowly. "I like it a lot." He looked at Liz. "But how do we get it?"
"Well, here's the clever bit. We threaten him."
"Okay. Think that'll work?"
"As long as we prove we're serious."
"Go on."
"We tell him we're going to kill somebody. That's the threat."
"And we prove we're serious by … ?"
"Doing it."
"Right," Park said. He thought about what she'd just said. "You think we should actually kill somebody to show Savage we mean business?"
"Yes."
Park didn't like to appear stupid in front of his daughter but he couldn't follow her line of thought. He asked, "How does that work?"
"If Savage sees we're prepared to kill someone,.and he knows he's next, then he'll pay up. We have something on him. He's guilty. He can't go to the police. Course he'll pay up."
"And if he doesn't?"
"The only reason for not killing him is to get some money out of him. If he won't pay up, he might as well die."
"But just suppose he doesn't pay up, then we'll have killed somebody for nothing."
"Not if we kill someone who deserves it."
Park paused. This was interesting. "You have somebody in mind?"
"Think about it."
He thought about it. Shook his head.
"Isn't there one person you'd really like to see dead?"
He wasn't there yet.
"Someone Mum would like to see dead? Someone who treated her like shit, never changed her pads, called her a fucking cabbage, let some poor old madwoman nearly suffocate her?"
"Fuck, aye." That wanker, McCracken. He could see now how all this might work. Kill McCracken to show Savage they meant business. Then blackmail Savage. Bleed him dry. Use his money to get Liz in a new home. Maybe tap him up for a bundle to give Effie and Martin a nice wedding. And Martin would be avenged for his father's murder, even if he could never know the ins and outs of it.
Only one problem. Park had never killed anyone. "If only Richie was around," he said.
"I can manage," Effie said. "And Grant offered to help."
"You told Grant?"
She said nothing.
"Before you told me?"
"Actually," she said. "It was Grant who came up with the blackmail idea. I would have been more than happy to kill the fucker."
Park believed her. She really took things personally sometimes. "So Grant knows about Martin's dad?"
"He knows everything. He's cool, Dad."
"Yeah," Park said. "It's not that I don't trust him. I'm just not too sure about involving him. He's got his own place. Well, his own room. And a job. Making a life for himself. And I don't imagine killing someone's going to be that straightforward."
"He wants to