The Job: Part Fifteen

~ beetleypete

This is the fifteenth part of a fiction serial, in 777 words. It may contain some swear-words.

Alan gets tough with Frankie.

Taking a glass from inside the sideboard, Alan poured himself some of his own Scotch, and sat down. “I heard Patsy was in a home. Went to see Lugs for old time’s sake, and offered to bung him a wedge to get her some proper care. We had a drink, and walked round the block chatting ’cause it was so noisy in the pub with al the telly screens blaring. That’s the long and the short of it, Frankie”. Toland was sipping his drink, and he suddenly leaned forward.

“So if I take old Lugs down to my lock-up and start slicing off one of his Dumbo ears, do you reckon he will tell me the same story?” Alan shrugged. “Start slicing his ear, and he will tell you any story you want to hear, Frankie. You know that”. In the old days, Frankie had been known to favour using a cut-throat razor on people. But he was old now, so would probably get one of his goons to do the job. He leaned back again, relaxing against the headrest.

“Little birds, Alan. Little birds tell me things. Things like you have been spending a lot of time with Old Reg. Things like you have been to visit Teddy Henderson. I have a lot of little birds helping me, Alan”. Putting his glass down on the coffee table, Alan set his jaw.

Some rules from back in the day never left him. Don’t back down. Never show weakness. Never change your story. Front it up.

“Why shouldn’t I go and see Teddy? He was one of the best back then, and he did his time solid. No squawking. I owe him. So I dropped him a few quid. And Old Reg has been a family friend all my life, he was good to my mum. He will be pushing up daises before too long, so of course I will spend time with him before I go back to Spain”. This time, it was him leaning forward, and he lowered his voice to sound more menacing.

“You don’t come here and frighten my sister, Frankie. That’s fucking well out of order, and you know that. Got something you want to say to me, then get a message to me and I wil come and see you. And as for those little birds, fuck them. And while I’m at it, fuck you, and the horse you rode in on”.

Toland was trying to smile, but Alan’s aggression had unnerved him. It was well known that he had shot Larry The Limp stone cold, and without any solid proof that the Irishman had even grassed him. Even in his fifties, Alan Gill wasn’t a man to be messed with when he had no bodyguards around. Gill could be a hard man, and fearless.

“Calm down, Alan. I was just asking a fair question. You’re back on my manor, putting yourself about like you own the place, and you have hardly been to see me or talked to me. It’s a question of respect, you know that, and don’t need me to tell you”. Alan was still fronting up, no way was he going to calm down.

“If you want respect, you don’t come to my sister’s place and threaten Lugs. You talk to me man to man, ask your questions without threats, and you might get the answers you want. But they will already be the same as the answers I have given you. I’m out the game, Frankie. I have a life in Spain, and a good business. I should be entitled to visit my sister and ask her to come and live there with me, and to catch up with any old friends while I’m here. I don’t want trouble with you, but I’ll be fucked if I will lie down and roll over because you’ve got some arseholes following me around”.

The tension in the room was overwhelming. Alan kept direct eye contact with Frankie as the older man seemed to be thinking of something clever to say. When he couldn’t think of anything, he stood up, extending a hand. “We know each other too well to fall out, Alan. You know I had to ask. Thanks for the drink, I will be in touch”. After the brief handshake, he left the flat, nodding to Gloria who was standing in the hallway like a frightened rabbit.

When enough time had passed that he would be back at his car, Alan turned to his sister.

“Glor, as soon as your passport arrives, you’re off to Spain. No arguments”.

39 thoughts on “The Job: Part Fifteen”

    1. Thanks, Elizabeth. I have actually been in a pub and overheard two ‘hard men’ having a very similar conversation. It was a ‘who blinks first’ situation, in every way imaginable.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  11. (1) I once watched Tony Blair on a blaring telly.
    (2) Overheard:
    Frankie: “So if I take old Lugs down to my lock-up and start slicing off one of his Dumbo ears, do you reckon he will tell me the same story?”
    Alan: “No. He’ll say, ‘Lend me your ear!’ and begin telling circus stories.”
    (3) Frankie once hired a young lady named Beulah Goon, who lived abroad. When her ship sank during the trip to England, she ended up surviving, along with her cousin, on Cutthroat Island, where they did a lot of skinny dipping.
    (4) Bad citation: “Little birds, Alan. Little birds tell me things. Things like tweet-tweet and chirp-chirp and twip-twipper-twipeee.”
    (5) Overheard:
    Alan: “Why shouldn’t I go and see Teddy? That’s like asking Christopher Robin to stay away from Winnie the Pooh!”
    Frankie: “Hey, I could use another little bird. Where can I find this Christopher Robin?”
    (6) Wait till Frankie leaves Gloria’s place and finds out that a horse thief has stolen his ride.
    (7) Let’s be frank about this. It wasn’t Toomey who grassed Toland. The facts:
    Grassed: Frank Toland
    Grasser: Frank Sheeran (the Irishman)

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