try anyway. A man in sunglasses climbed out of the passenger seat and ran into a shop. The panic began to drain out of him. He stepped into a pub. There was a phone inside the front door. He dialled and waited. The oul lad who ran the place answered.
“Tell him Bobby. Bobby wants to talk to him.”
He listened to the clack of balls as he waited. Someone called out, “Who?” The phone was grabbed.
“Yeah? Who’s this?” It was Jammy.
“Guess who.”
“Is that you, Joe? Trigger? Don’t mess, I’m in a game here!”
“How quickly we forget, Jammy. What’s the story, man?”
A pause. Jammy’s voice was different now.
“Is that you, Leonardo?”
He sniggered. His ribs hurt. He wasn’t even angry now, that was the weird thing.
“No, it’s Bobby Egan.”
“It’s you, isn’t it, Leonardo? Where are you, man?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know. What’s the story here? Did you think I was just going to disappear? Outa sight, outa mind, huh?”
“Leonardo?”
It was the way he said it: that was worth everything. A way better buzz than if he’d just started off sticking it to him. Tierney’s voice was different now.
“I thought you were gone, you know? England maybe?”
“Gone, huh.”
“Come on, man. You know what I mean.”
“You’re a lying bastard, Jammy!”
Now he felt angry. His face was hot again. He rubbed his hand over the unfamiliar bumps, the soft, sticky scab already beginning to form over his eyebrows.
“So you’re in a game, are you now?”
“Well, yeah, I am.”
“How much?”
“Twenty.”
“Tell the guy you’re out, Jammy.”
“Are you serious, Leo-”
“Fucking tell him! And hey! Hold the phone up. I want to hear it.”
“Jesus, Leonardo, I can’t, man.” The whisper excited him.
“Yes, you can. You tell him to fuck off too. I want to hear you say that.”
“Leonardo, man… What’s going on?”
He jumped with the fury now. The screech hurt his throat.
“Fucking do it! Or else!”
“Come on, Leonardo. What did you want? Where are you? I can help you out, you know. You sound like you’re in a jam or something.”
“‘A jam’? You know why I’m phoning you! Don’t fuck with me now, man!”
“I don’t know what you mean! I thought you were long gone. The money and all…?”
“Oh, yeah, Jammy. Long gone, huh? What does that mean? This cop was talking to me last night, man. Yeah, I was in a bit of a jam last night. Like you’d never believe, man! This cop, he’s asking all kinds of questions, isn’t he? About you. He didn’t give too much of a shit about me, did he. It’s you he wanted to talk about.”
Tierney said nothing.
“Hey, are you listening?”
“I don’t get it. What’s he want to talk to you about me for?”
“‘I don’t get it’! Like fuck, you don’t! Now! Tell the guy! I want to hear it.”
He listened to the click of more balls. He thought he could hear Tierney breathing but maybe it was his own breath or the sound of his own blood rushing around in his ears.
“Hey! I’m not going to stand here all day, man! I’m going to count to three and if I don’t hear you say it, I’m dropping the phone! Then I’m going to make one more call, Jammy! That’s all I need, man!”
“Are you here in town?”
Tierney sounded like he was trying not to show that he was in pain.
“None of your business. One… Two…”
“Hey, Anto…”
He stood still in the booth and pushed the receiver harder against his ear.
“Fuck off… Yeah… No…”
He kicked the wall under the phone. All his aches fled: he’d guessed right. That cop-
“There,” said Tierney. “You heard that. That’s twenty quid burned. Look, man, if I knew what you wanted-”
“Tell you what. Listen, just shut up and listen, okay? Now. Why don’t you phone Bobby Egan and ask him. Say: ‘Bobby, my good friend Leonardo-no, Liam-Liam said to phone you. He says you’d know what he wants.’ Try that one. See what Bobby says.”
“Jesus! I don’t know what you want, Leonardo.”
“How does it feel, Jammy? Do you like it?”
“Like it? Like what? Leonardo, I gave you the money, man. I got the word to you so’s you could lie low and every-”
“Oh, yeah? What I want to know is this: how low?”
“I don’t get it.”
He kicked at the wall again.
“Better again,” he hissed. “Just hang up the phone and forget I called. Save yourself the price of the phone. You can talk to Bobby when he comes looking for you.”
He heard Tierney’s swallow before the words came this time.
“Just tell me what you want, man. Are you stuck? Where are you?”
“Where am I. Listen to this and then give me a straight answer. What would the cops want with you? Why would that guy be asking me about you, about you and me and Mary from years ago? Huh?”
“I don’t get it, honest, Leonardo-”
“It’s Liam to you. Fucking Liam! Say it!”
“Liam.”
“You don’t know? Is that all you can come up with?”
“You know I was only trying to help you, Leonardo. The money-”
“It’s Liam, you fucking bastard!”
“Liam…”
The warning pips sounded. He was ready with the coins waiting on top of the box.
“No, don’t worry now, Jammy. I’m still here. And yeah, you can tell now, can’t you. I’m in Dublin. Something went wrong for Mary, didn’t it? And who would she phone, huh? She couldn’t phone the Egans ’cause she was doing her own thing. Who would she phone then, Jammy? Who?”
“I don’t know, man.”
“Like hell you don’t! Tell me I’m wrong, man! I fucking dare you!”
He wondered what Jammy Tierney looked like now. The sweat pouring out of him, standing there by the counter in the pool-room.
“Here, Jammy, what’s that guy doing, the guy you were playing? Is he still there?”
“Yeah, he is.”
“Are you going to have a row on your hands? Are you?”
“Don’t know. Don’t think so.”
“Are you going to just give him the money?”
“I suppose.”
“What are you going to do then, Jammy?”
