Macbeth

Something whirled in the air which he breathed in and spat out. People seemed to be lined up in front of him. The smell of perchlorethylene was overwhelming. His free hand found a light switch on the wall by the door. The people lined up were stands holding jackets and coats, each under a plastic cover with a note stating a name and date. In front of him a hole had been blasted in a plastic cover and a brown fur coat, and Duff realised he had been spitting out animal hair. He stood listening but heard only the drone of the green Garrett dry-cleaning machine by the wall. Then a ringing, like a bell above a shop door. He threw himself against the wall of clothes, ploughed past stand after stand through a door to the rear of a counter where a Chinese couple stared at him, scared out of their wits. He ran past them and onto the street. Looked up and down. The Saturday evening rush had started. A man bumped into him and for a moment Duff lost his balance. He cursed as the man apologised and continued down the pavement.

He heard laughter behind him. Turned and saw a guy in rags, filthy, a few stumps of teeth in an open mouth.

‘You been robbed, mister?’

‘Yes,’ Duff said, lowering the shotgun. ‘I have been robbed.’

38

Lennox stood outside the hospital entrance with Kasi. Glanced towards the kiosk where Tourtell was queueing to buy cigarettes, then focused on the car park. A light came on inside Tourtell’s limousine. The distance was probably a hundred metres. Around the same distance as up to the roof of the multi-storey car park to the left. Lennox shivered. Clear weather often came with a rare north-easterly wind, but also the cold. And if it blew a bit more now the sky would be free of clouds. In moonlight Olafson could probably have shot Tourtell from anywhere, but in the darkness the plan was that it would happen in the car park, under one of the lights.

He checked his watch again. The cold was eating into his body, and he coughed. His lungs. He couldn’t stand the sun and he couldn’t stand the cold. What did God actually mean by sending someone like him to earth, a lonely suffering heart without armour, a mollusc without a shell?

‘Thanks for helping us.’

‘Sorry?’ Lennox turned to the boy.

‘Thank you for saving my father.’

Lennox stared at him. Kasi was wearing the same kind of denim jacket as his own son wore. And Lennox couldn’t prevent the next thought coming. Here was a boy, not much older than his own, about to lose his mother. And his father. He says it’s fine as long as he has one of us.

‘Let’s go, shall we?’ Tourtell said as he came out puffing a cigarette he had just bought.

‘Yes,’ Lennox said. They crossed the road and went into the car park. Lennox moved to the left of Tourtell. Kasi was a few steps in front of them. All Lennox had to do was to stop as they went through the light under the first lamp so that he was out of the line of fire, and then the rest was up to Olafson.

Lennox felt a strange numbness in his tongue, fingers and toes.

‘They’re coming,’ Seyton said, lowering the binoculars.

‘I can see them,’ Olafson lisped. He stood with one knee on the concrete of the car-park roof. One eye was shut, the other wide open behind the telescopic sights of the rifle resting on the parapet in front of them. Seyton scanned the roof behind them to make sure they were still alone. Their car was the only one up there. People didn’t seem to visit the sick on a Saturday evening. He could hear the music from the streets below them and smell the perfume and testosterone from right up there.

Down in the car park the boy was walking in front of Tourtell and Lennox and out of the line of fire. Good. He could hear Olafson take a deep breath. The two men walked into the light under a lamp.

Seyton felt his heart give a leap of joy.

Now.

But there was no shot.

The two men walked out of the circle of light and became vague outlines in the darkness again.

‘What happened?’ Seyton asked.

‘Lennox was in the line of fire,’ Olafson said.

‘I suppose he’ll get out of the way when they pass under the next light.’

Seyton raised his binoculars again.

‘Any idea who could be after me, Lennox?’

‘Yes,’ Lennox said. There were two lamps left before they reached the limousine.

‘Really?’ Tourtell said in surprise and slowed down. Lennox made sure to do the same.

‘Don’t look up at the multi-storey behind me, Tourtell, but on the roof there’s an expert marksman and right now we’re in his sights. To be more precise, I am. So walk at the exact same speed as me. If not, you’ll be shot in the head.’

He could see from Tourtell’s look that the mayor believed him. ‘The boy...’

‘He’s not in any danger. Keep walking. Don’t let on.’

Lennox saw Tourtell open his mouth as though it were the only way his big body could get enough oxygen as his heart rate increased. Then the mayor nodded and walked faster, taking short steps.

‘What’s your role in this, Lennox?’