quid. Give us twenty and I’ll give you a blow job.’
Fathom looked taken aback and she went into raucous laughter. ‘Your face!’
Lennie looked embarrassed and said, ‘Can it, Lilly, for fuck’s sake. It’s the police.’
‘Oh, don’t you think coppers do it? I’ve had plenty of them in the past, I can tell you. You want names?’ She leered at Slider.
‘Just tell us where Mike is, and we’ll leave you in peace.’
‘I don’t know any Mike. So get out.’
‘Your son, Mike. Michael Carmichael.’ Slider had seen the candle, spoon and glass straw on the mantelpiece, the tackle for chasing the dragon, which was evidence enough to arrest the pair of them – not that he wanted to. He gestured to McLaren to pick up the piece of silver foil from the floor – obviously the wrap the H had come in. McLaren picked it up and showed it to them.
‘There’ll be enough traces on this to show what was in it,’ he said. ‘We’ve got a field test kit in the car. Possession of scag is a serious offence – and what’ll we find if we search a bit more?’
It was enough to alarm Lennie. ‘Mike’s not here,’ he blurted.
‘Shut your mouth, you stupid little shit,’ Lilly growled at him.
‘Look, it’s her, not me. I don’t do scag.’
‘I’ll kill you, you fucking rat!’
‘You let me go, and I’ll tell you.’
‘Tell me, then,’ Slider said calmly. ‘Where can we find Michael Carmichael?’
Lilly flung herself at her lover with an incoherent scream, and Fathom leapt into action, throwing himself at her and grabbing her arms. McLaren had to go to help him, while Slider gestured Lennie back as he jumped out of bed, and warned him not to try to leg it. Fathom and McLaren were at a disadvantage with Lilly, since they had to fight fair, try not to hurt her, and keep from being bitten or scratched – God knew how toxic she was. McLaren could have felled her with a tap to the chin, but they weren’t allowed to do that. After a bit she got tired of the business and stopped struggling, otherwise they could have been fighting for hours. She slumped back on the bed, coughing. They kept hold of her arms, panting, but she said, ‘Let me go. I gotta find my fag, before the bed goes up.’ And when they let her go, she gave herself to rummaging about for the lit cigarette that had fallen among the sheets in the struggle.
Slider said, ‘All right, Lennie. Where’s Mike?’
In the interval, the naked youth had put on a pair of sweat pants from the floor, and now was standing with his arms wrapped round his chest, watching, his eyes flitting about as if calculating the odds of escape.
‘You’ll let me go?’ he said now.
‘I promise.’
‘Well, he ain’t here. He don’t live here no more. He’s got these friends up town – rich kids. He hangs about with them now. We’re not good enough for him,’ he added scathingly.
‘Where does he live?’
‘I don’t know the address. It’s in Notting Hill, that’s all I know. He wouldn’t tell me.’
‘Shut your face, you little shit!’ Lilly said angrily. ‘I’m warning you.’
He looked at her with a wrench of contempt. ‘I’ve had it with you, you rotten slag. You’re always calling me names. I don’t owe you nothing.’ He looked at Slider. ‘Mike’s got it good up there, selling coke to these rich kids for big money. Well, why wouldn’t he? Better than knocking stuff out round here for half the price. He doesn’t like me and I don’t like him. You should hear what he said about me and Lilly. He thinks he’s too good for the likes of us now. Well, stuff him! And stuff you, Lilly! You and your skanky son. I’m not getting in trouble for either of you.’
Lilly screamed at him incoherently, and Fathom and McLaren had to restrain her again, while Slider was having to persuade Lennie not to deprive them of his company just yet, which was how he excused himself afterwards for not having heard anything from outside. But suddenly all
Fathom looked taken aback and she went into raucous laughter. ‘Your face!’
Lennie looked embarrassed and said, ‘Can it, Lilly, for fuck’s sake. It’s the police.’
‘Oh, don’t you think coppers do it? I’ve had plenty of them in the past, I can tell you. You want names?’ She leered at Slider.
‘Just tell us where Mike is, and we’ll leave you in peace.’
‘I don’t know any Mike. So get out.’
‘Your son, Mike. Michael Carmichael.’ Slider had seen the candle, spoon and glass straw on the mantelpiece, the tackle for chasing the dragon, which was evidence enough to arrest the pair of them – not that he wanted to. He gestured to McLaren to pick up the piece of silver foil from the floor – obviously the wrap the H had come in. McLaren picked it up and showed it to them.
‘There’ll be enough traces on this to show what was in it,’ he said. ‘We’ve got a field test kit in the car. Possession of scag is a serious offence – and what’ll we find if we search a bit more?’
It was enough to alarm Lennie. ‘Mike’s not here,’ he blurted.
‘Shut your mouth, you stupid little shit,’ Lilly growled at him.
‘Look, it’s her, not me. I don’t do scag.’
‘I’ll kill you, you fucking rat!’
‘You let me go, and I’ll tell you.’
‘Tell me, then,’ Slider said calmly. ‘Where can we find Michael Carmichael?’
Lilly flung herself at her lover with an incoherent scream, and Fathom leapt into action, throwing himself at her and grabbing her arms. McLaren had to go to help him, while Slider gestured Lennie back as he jumped out of bed, and warned him not to try to leg it. Fathom and McLaren were at a disadvantage with Lilly, since they had to fight fair, try not to hurt her, and keep from being bitten or scratched – God knew how toxic she was. McLaren could have felled her with a tap to the chin, but they weren’t allowed to do that. After a bit she got tired of the business and stopped struggling, otherwise they could have been fighting for hours. She slumped back on the bed, coughing. They kept hold of her arms, panting, but she said, ‘Let me go. I gotta find my fag, before the bed goes up.’ And when they let her go, she gave herself to rummaging about for the lit cigarette that had fallen among the sheets in the struggle.
Slider said, ‘All right, Lennie. Where’s Mike?’
In the interval, the naked youth had put on a pair of sweat pants from the floor, and now was standing with his arms wrapped round his chest, watching, his eyes flitting about as if calculating the odds of escape.
‘You’ll let me go?’ he said now.
‘I promise.’
‘Well, he ain’t here. He don’t live here no more. He’s got these friends up town – rich kids. He hangs about with them now. We’re not good enough for him,’ he added scathingly.
‘Where does he live?’
‘I don’t know the address. It’s in Notting Hill, that’s all I know. He wouldn’t tell me.’
‘Shut your face, you little shit!’ Lilly said angrily. ‘I’m warning you.’
He looked at her with a wrench of contempt. ‘I’ve had it with you, you rotten slag. You’re always calling me names. I don’t owe you nothing.’ He looked at Slider. ‘Mike’s got it good up there, selling coke to these rich kids for big money. Well, why wouldn’t he? Better than knocking stuff out round here for half the price. He doesn’t like me and I don’t like him. You should hear what he said about me and Lilly. He thinks he’s too good for the likes of us now. Well, stuff him! And stuff you, Lilly! You and your skanky son. I’m not getting in trouble for either of you.’
Lilly screamed at him incoherently, and Fathom and McLaren had to restrain her again, while Slider was having to persuade Lennie not to deprive them of his company just yet, which was how he excused himself afterwards for not having heard anything from outside. But suddenly all
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