Despite his mother’s edict to get his lazy arse straight over to Erskine Court, Ronan gave it another couple of hours for the area to be clear of cops before he ventured through its doors. The lobby was empty when he arrived, and he went straight to the lift. His adrenaline was running high. No telling what Barrington Daley might do when he saw who was at his door. Ronan didn’t have much of a plan. What if Barrington confessed to killing Joey? What then? Waste him? Cripple him? What was the appropriate penalty?
He came out of the lift, stood in front of 801 for a moment. He checked the .45 pushed into the back of his waistband, then rapped on the door. When it opened a crack, he shouted ‘Boo!’ and Barrington screamed.
‘Open the door, you pussy,’ Ronan ordered.
Barrington took off the chain and allowed him in.
‘And take off that fucking hood,’ Ronan continued. ‘What are you, a fucking Eskimo?’
Barrington pulled back the hood of his parka. Ronan noticed how shaken up he looked, his eyes wide with fear.
‘Jesus, man. It’s Ronan, yeah? I mean, like, you ain’t no ghost, are you?’
‘You heard, then? About Joey?’
‘Yeah, man. The saddest news. I feel for you, man.’
‘How’d you find out?’
Barrington’s shrug was barely perceptible within his massive coat. ‘Word is everywhere, man. Everyone’s talking about it.’
‘Plus there have been cops all over the show, asking their questions.’
Barrington’s eyes darted, as though he was trying to do a quick assessment of how much he should say. ‘Yeah, like they do. They’ve been knocking on every door in this building, man.’
Every door. Meaning, I’m just one of many.
‘Why?’
‘What’s that?’
‘Why were they here?’
‘Search me. I’m guessing someone must have seen him around.’
‘They didn’t come here because you and Joey used to be tight?’
‘Nah, man. Nothing to do with me pacifically. They was rousting everyone.’
‘So what happened when they got to you?’
‘Usual shit. Routine inquiries is what they said.’
‘What’d you tell them?’
‘Nothing. Didn’t even tell them I knew him. That’s for them to figure out.’
‘But they showed you photos, asked if you’d ever seen his face?’
‘Yeah. I told them I’d never seen the guy in my life.’
‘And they were fine with that?’
‘Totally, man. I put on a good act, you know what I’m saying?’
‘Right.’
The punch from Ronan took Barrington completely by surprise. It split open his lip and sent him sprawling back onto the sofa. As he tried to get up again, blood gushing from his mouth, Ronan pulled out his gun and aimed it at Barrington’s face.
‘Stay down! Stay the fuck down!’
Barrington cowered, his quivering hands an ineffective shield. ‘What are you doing, man? What’s going on?’
‘Why are you lying to me?’
‘What do you mean? What about?’
‘The police. They came here before the door-to-door started. Two detectives, a man and a woman. They came to this building and they took the lift up to the eighth floor. Your floor.’
‘All right, all right. They did, yeah.’
‘Why?’
‘Because they knew about me and Joey. Knew we used to hang out.’
‘So what did they ask you?’
‘Just if I’d seen him recently.’
