Ashworth sat back down.
Dick Alderman and Jim Prentice stood up.
‘Stand up,’ said Jim.
Ashworth stood up.
‘Eyes front.’
Ashworth stared straight ahead.
‘Don’t move.’
Dick and Jim lifted the three chairs and the table to one side. I opened the door. We stepped out into the corridor. I closed the door. I looked through the spy-hole at Ashworth. He was stood in the centre of the room, eyes front and not moving.
‘Pity the Badger and Rudkin can’t be with us,’ said Jim. ‘Be like old times.’
I ignored him. I asked Dick: ‘Where’s Ellis?’
‘Upstairs.’
‘He got it?’
Dick nodded.
‘Best get him then, hadn’t you?’
Dick walked off down the corridor.
‘Shame they can’t be here,’ said Jim again.
‘Shame a lot of people can’t be,’ I said.
Jim shut up.
Dick came back down the corridor with Mike Ellis. Ellis was carrying a box under a blanket.
‘Morning,’ he slurred. His breath reeked of whiskey.
I said: ‘You up for this Michael, are you?’
He nodded.
I leant in closer to his mouth: ‘Bit of Dutch courage for breakfast, eh?’
He tried to pull his head back.
I had him by the scruff: ‘Don’t fuck it up, Michael.’
He nodded. I patted him on his face. He smiled. I smiled back.
‘Ready?’ said Jim.
Everyone nodded. Ellis put down the box. He left it in the corridor for now. I handed him a package wrapped in brown paper. I opened the door.
We stepped inside -
Room 4:
James Ashworth, twenty-two, police issue shirt and trousers, lank hair everywhere, a cigarette burn and a bloody bruise to match the dirty black nails of his dirty yellow fingers -
Jimmy James Ashworth, former friend and neighbour of Michael Myshkin, child killer -
Jimmy Ashworth, the boy who found Clare Kemplay.
Jim Prentice and I stood by the door. Dick and Ellis brought the chairs and the table back into the centre of the room.
Dick put a chair behind Ashworth. He said: ‘Sit down.’
Ashworth sat down opposite Ellis.
Dick picked up the blanket from the floor. He put it over Ashworth’s shoulders.
Ellis lit a cigarette. He said: ‘Put your palms flat on the desk.’
‘Will you just tell me what you want?’ said Ashworth.
‘Just put your palms flat, Jimmy.’
Ashworth put his palms flat on the desk.
Dick paced about the room behind him.
Ellis put the brown paper package on the table. He opened it. He took out a pistol. He placed it on the table between him and Ashworth.
Ellis smiled at Ashworth.
Dick stopped pacing about the room. He stood behind Ashworth.
‘Eyes front,’ said Ellis.
Ashworth stared straight ahead in silence:
Room 4 quiet, the Belly quiet.
Ellis jumped up. Ellis pinned down Ashworth’s wrists.
Dick grabbed the blanket. Dick twisted it around Ashworth’s face.
Ashworth fell forward off his chair -
Coughing and choking, unable to breathe.
Ellis held down his wrists.
Dick twisted the blanket around his face.
Ashworth was on his knees on the floor -
Coughing and choking, unable to breathe.
Ellis let go of Ashworth’s wrists.
Ashworth span round in the blanket and into the wall:
CRACK -
Through the room, through the Belly.
Dick pulled off the blanket. He picked Ashworth up by his hair. He stood him up against the wall.
‘Turn around, eyes front.’
Ashworth turned around.
Ellis had the pistol in his right hand.
Dick had some bullets. He was throwing them up into the air. He was catching them.
Ellis asked me: ‘It’s all right to shoot him then, Boss?’
I nodded: ‘Shoot him.’
Ellis held the pistol at arm’s length in both hands. Ellis pointed the barrel at Ashworth’s head.
Ashworth closed his eyes. Tears streamed down his cheeks.
Ellis pulled the trigger -
CLICK -
Nothing happened.
‘Fuck,’ said Ellis.
He turned away. He fiddled with the pistol.
Ashworth had pissed himself.
‘I’ve fixed it,’ said Ellis. ‘It’ll be all right this time.’
He pointed the pistol again.
Ashworth still had his eyes closed.
Ellis pulled the trigger -
BANG!
James Ashworth, twenty-two, thought he was dead:
He opened his eyes. He saw the pistol. He saw the shreds of black material coming out of the barrel. He saw them floating down to the floor -
He saw us all laughing.
‘What do you want?’ shouted Ashworth. ‘What do you fucking want?’
Dick stepped forward. Dick kicked him in the balls.
