Scarlet Women

Big dog, small cock, she thought.

‘You understand me?’ he yelled in her face, spittle flying.

‘Yeah. Think I got that.’

Annie drew back, walked a few paces away. Looked again at the blonde skinny one, shivering in the shadows despite the mugginess of the night, turning her face away. She felt strongly that she knew the girl, knew her well. It is, thought Annie. It’s…

‘Mira?’ she said suddenly.

The skinny girl’s head whipped round.

Out of the shadows along the towpath stepped a squat, muddy-eyed geezer and a bloke wearing a deaf aid. Both dressed in neat, sober clothes, like the woman. Rizzo stiffened. His hand slipped into his pocket, folded over the knife he always carried for his protection.

‘Hey, what’s going on?’ he asked.

‘Nothing’s going on, Rizzo,’ said Annie. ‘Just me asking questions and you answering them.’

She pulled her attention away from the girl she was sure she knew. Although the girl was so changed, so… bedraggled. She couldn’t believe her own eyes…and yet. It was. It was Mira.

‘Yeah, and you’d better fucking well hurry up and cough up the answers,’ said Deaf Derek.

Annie sent him an annoyed glance. No use showing the tosser up in front of his ‘girls’; he’d only dig his heels in and act tougher to maintain face.

‘Yeah, or what?’ asked Rizzo.

‘Or nothing,’ said Annie. ‘We just want some answers, that’s all.’

‘I ain’t talking to you. I told you, it’s done.’

‘How’s your mum taking it?’ asked Annie.

‘I told you, no more questions,’ shrieked Rizzo.

‘Hey, you wanna show some respect,’ said Deaf Derek.

Annie threw him another look. Why don’t you shut up, arsehole?

She returned her attention to Rizzo, feeling a surge of disgust for this horrible little specimen who had put his own sister on the game, who kept these poor pitiful skinny girls out here come rain or shine, while he bunked off to the cosy pub or to his mum’s nice warm house to get bladdered, watch telly or shoot up.

She held up her hands in a peacekeeping gesture.

‘Hey, Rizzo, we don’t want trouble. That’s the last thing we want. What we do want is to get whoever did this, and that’s not the man the police are holding. Your sister’s dead, Rizzo. Don’t you want to get him too?’

‘Last warning,’ said Rizzo flatly, shaking with rage.

He’s on something right now, thought Annie. No good reasoning with him.

She stepped back, shrugging; okay, no worries. But at the same instant Derek stepped forward and waved a finger in Rizzo’s face.

‘Hey, you know who you’re talking to, cunt?’ he yelled.

And that did it. Rizzo let out a curse. Jackie and Mira screamed and shrank back as he let Benj off the leash.

Annie knew about bull terriers. She knew the damage they could do. The instant it was released, the dog lunged forward, teeth bared, huge shoulders bunched, all muscle and evil intent. Steve, who had said nothing yet, knocked her to one side so that she fell against the streaming-wet wall under the bridge, smearing her black jacket with green algae. That’ll be a bugger to get clean—what a stupid thought when a bull terrier was coming at you about to rip your fucking throat out.

There was pandemonium under the bridge. Deaf Derek shouting, the girls screaming their heads off, Rizzo yelling, Go on, Benj. Kill!

The damned thing was going to do it too.

Annie stumbled, nearly fell to her knees, thinking, That idiot bastard Derek.

She felt the dog’s hot fetid breath as it launched itself at her. She shrank back, shut her eyes, thought Christ!

But the dog didn’t strike.

When she got her eyes open she found that squat powerful Steve had surged forward and was clutching the snapping, snarling, writhing brute by the neck. The weight of the dog drove Steve back so that he crashed into the wall beside Annie, the dog driving at him, squirming, its black eyes glaring hate, its jaws flecked with spittle and its teeth bared in hideous threat.

‘Do something!’ Annie roared at Derek, who was staying well out of it.

He did nothing.

Steve struggled with the huge, powerful dog but he couldn’t win, the thing was going to get loose from his grip and tear them all to fuck.

The struggle lasted for seconds but seemed endless. Annie struck the thing around the head with her fists. It had no effect whatsoever. She didn’t have the kiyoga, the steel-sprung rod she usually carried in her pocket. If she’d had Max’s gun with her she’d have shot the damned thing.

Steve was grimacing with effort, trying to move his grip on the animal.

Then he got his hand down, grabbed the dog by one back leg. Shoved the thing away hard, he got the other back leg in the other hand. The dog dropped down, front legs scrabbling for purchase but finding nothing, still snarling, still trying to get his teeth into Steve, Annie, anybody except Rizzo.

Steve got a firmer hold on both back legs. He took a grunting breath, and yanked hard, like Charles Atlas pulling on a Bullworker. There was an audible crunch as the dog’s spine snapped like a twig. There was a whimper. Then the dog stopped moving. Stopped snarling. Just hung there, in Steve’s hands. Steve tossed the dead animal into the canal.

The girls stood there, open-mouthed. Rizzo, too, was frozen in shock.

Then he stepped forward, eyes wild. ‘You’ve killed my fucking dog,’ he howled.

Steve straightened. Took a breath. Grabbed Rizzo by the arms, turned him like a rag doll, slammed him face- first into the bridge wall.

‘Jesus!’ screamed Rizzo as Steve yanked both arms up behind his back to his shoulders.

‘You know what, cunt? You’re starting to get on my nerves,’ said Steve in Rizzo’s ear. ‘Now. Listen up. This is Mrs Carter, and you are going to answer her questions, you got that? Nod yes, you stupid little bastard.’

Rizzo nodded.

Panting, Steve glanced at Annie. ‘Ask him,’ he said.

Annie straightened up, pushing herself away from the wall. Got a calming breath down her. Shit, her heart was hammering away like a bass drum. The dog’s dead body was floating off down the dark waters of the canal. Derek was standing back, watching.

He caused that, she thought.

She looked around. Jackie was still standing there, quaking with fear, but Mira was gone. But now was not the time for recriminations. Now was the time to ask her questions. She stepped forward, and talked to Rizzo Delacourt while Steve held him tight.

Steve dropped her off at the club an hour later, and was about to drive off with Derek when Annie shook her head.

‘Hold on Steve, wait out here will you? I want a word with Derek.’

Derek trailed after her into the club. The watcher in the car was there; he nodded an acknowledgement as she went in.

‘Jesus, could you believe the way Steve handled that dog?’ Derek was marvelling loudly as they went into the office and she shut the door behind them. ‘Broke his back with his bare hands. That’ll teach that sorry little runt to give out with the mouth the way he does.’

Annie went around the desk, sat down, unbuttoning her jacket.