Free Her Last Call To Louis MacNeice by Ken Bruen Page B

police line. A cop said, ‘No passage here Sir, please go round.’
    ‘That’s my home.’
    Standing a piece further down was Noble, the flames reflecting off his face, making it glow. He was wearing the grubby raincoat, turned to greet me, ‘Mr Cooper, come through.’
    As if I had a choice. He said, ‘What rotten luck eh, the decorators are hardly out the door. You’re covered I presume.’
    ‘With wot?’
    ‘Insurance man! Good heavens, you are insured?’
    ‘Of course, I’m a citizen.’
    ‘You’ll be devastated all the same, I can read it in your face.’
    His smirk was blatant.
    ‘As long as it gives heat to the neighbours, can we really call it a total loss.’
    He took my arm, whispered, ‘It’s too early to say for sure but it might be deliberate.’
    I shook his hand off, said, ‘Don’t be daft.’
    ‘Ah Mr Cooper, I have many shortcomings, that’s not one I’m prone to.’
    ‘Who’d torch my house, Noble.’
    ‘I was hoping you’d answer that.’
    ‘No idea.’
    ‘I must say I admire your stoicism. Most people, they’d be in a highly emotional state.’
    ‘I must be in shock, wouldn’t you say. Drawing on your vast well of human experience, don’t you think.’
    ‘But the basics. Where will you stay?’
    ‘Don’t worry about me Noble.’
    He moved right into my face, I could smell mints, ‘But I do – you’re almost family, what with the amount of time I think about you.’
    ‘I’m touched.’
    ‘And if not now, you will be. You’ll be sorry to hear our Sergeant Quinn had an accident. Come now Mr Cooper, you can’t have forgotten him. I know he thinks of you, if not fondly, at least persistently.’
    ‘Car accident was it?’
    ‘Sporting mishap actually.’
    ‘What?’
    ‘Yeah, two sports with baseball bats did a number on his legs. What you might term – a bad break.’
    ‘I didn’t reply but he read my face, said, ‘Ah, you think I’m being facetious … no. You can tell me, strictly off the record, man to man.’
    ‘OK – I think you’re a prick and a bad bastard to boot. Being a cop you’ve been trained to it but, I think you were born a nasty piece of work.’
    He was delighted, leastways his face was all lit up, answered, ‘Good, excellent. I relish frankness and let me reciprocate. I’ve checked up on you, did yer stretch for GBH , a hard man. But I’m gonna have you Cooper, oh yeah. You took out the wrong cop, I’m not so easy.’
    ‘Hey shithead, if I went after Quinn, I wouldn’t need help.’
    ‘See, yer hard like I said. Near time for you to go travellin’ – yer mate has fucked yer business, yer home is gone … oh yes, and I’ll be there, count on it.’
    I pushed him aside, said, ‘I hope that’s a promise.’
    And walked away. I didn’t look at my ex-house, I could feel the heat. Went to the pub and ignored Lisa’s barrage of questions, ‘Was that your house!…’
    Got a large Scotch and a corner to sulk.
    No way in the world did I believe the fire was an Act of God. Course, I knew He was capable, the evidence was my life but I didn’t think He could be bothered. I tried to remember what Cassie had said in her letter, something about no longer writing to me at that address as I wouldn’t be able to receive mail. Exhibit A for the prosecution, pretty damning. Plus, she was a total friggin’ nutter. Then there was the cops. Capable of anything but I wasn’t convinced. Arson seemed a tad extreme when they’d countless methods to put me in the frame. The jury was out on them. The third possibility was the worst, I really didn’t want to even consider it. Doc.
    Ruthless and reckless enough to urge on my doubts about the bank job. He sure needed the cash and, if I had a similar motivation? Yeah, it was possible. I took a long belt of the Scotch and thought about Cassie pushing Laura under the train. Jeez, if Doc knew I was indirectly responsible – fuck, I’d have to shelve that.
    I heard, ‘You have the appearance of a man with