The Second Cut by Louise Welsh

Author:Louise Welsh [Welsh, Louise]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd
Published: 2021-11-06T16:00:00+00:00

Twenty-Four

WE WERE HALFWAY towards Glasgow, windscreen wipers keeping up a steady to and fro. Frank was driving, his dark fringe flopping over his forehead, jaw set, morose as a funeral director steering a hearse loaded with miniature coffins. Abomi had regained his smile and was chatting about his uncle’s Rottweiler, Rambo, and what kind of dog he would buy with the bonus Rose had promised him, if he could persuade his mum and Uncle Razzle to let him have one of his own.

‘There was an Afghan hound that almost won Crufts, remember? It was a wee smasher, but Uncle Razzle says they’re only good for advertising hairspray and Mum says they eat as much as Rambo. Westies are cute.’ He held out his phone and showed me a photo of a white terrier, grinning at the camera. ‘The SSPCA website says they’re full of personality, but maybe they’re a girl’s dog. What do you think, Rilke? Are they a girl’s dog?’

I was about to tell him that, with the exception of Chihuahuas, Toy Poodles, Pekingese and King Charles Spaniels, there was no such thing as a girl’s dog, and that his bonus probably wouldn’t stretch to the price of a pedigree when my phone buzzed. I took it out and saw Les’s name flashing on the screen. I almost rejected the call, but it occurred to me that he might have information on the G-situation and I picked up.

Les clipped his words in a way that told me he wanted to hit me. ‘What did you say to Jamie Mitchell?’

My stomach descended in the direction of my brogues. ‘Nothing.’

Les was somewhere loud, full of swimming-pool echoes. He repeated ‘nothing’ as if it were a point for the prosecution. ‘So why is he out for your blood?’

We overtook a lorry. An arc of spray engulfed the van. I whispered, ‘Are you somewhere public? Maybe think about keeping your voice down?’

‘My voice is fine. I asked you a question. Why is he out for your blood?’

‘He’s not out for my blood.’

‘Here’s Shereen Nanjiani with a newsflash: he bloody is. Think hard. What did you do that Mitchell might have taken offence to?’

I sighed. ‘He wanted to buy a stupid painting off the wall before the sale. I told him he’d have to wait for the auction like everyone else.’

Les went ballistic in my ear. ‘What the fuck did you do that for?’

Anger carried his voice into the cab. Frank glanced at me and then back at the road. Abomi turned to look at me, his mouth an O of surprise. I twisted round to face the window and lowered my voice, hoping Les would follow my example.

‘Keep it down. I had to. It’s the rules.’

Les’s volume crept upwards. ‘Since when did you care about fucking rules?’

I put a bit of steel into my voice. ‘Bowery wouldn’t last long if we didn’t obey the law. Anyway, since when did you care about you know who?’

‘Since he became the big man about town. Jamie Mitchell’s hexed me because of you and now no one will sell me anything.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.