Free Come Clean (1989) by Bill James Page B

they’ll be so close together, like offering theirselves deliberate as targets. It’s
handsome, inspired. I don’t know if Lay-waste ever give anything away in his life before, so maybe he been having training special. He’s great on hold-ups and grabbing, and going wild
with a handgun, but this got to be geniality. So the four of them, the whole poison family, in such a very neat cluster around Lay-waste, that’s Leo, Gerald, Anthony.’ Now, he touched
each of the farmyard personnel. ‘No bodyguards on the stage, just the four of them. Bodyguards would look total bad form, an unforgivable reflection, this being a family affair, family and
staff, all trusted. Would Leo show he can’t even rely on his own people? No. He’ve got to be relaxed, you understand, none of the usual muscleshield or he’s giving foul offence.
They’re on a plate.’
    ‘One missing?’ Loxton pointed at the toy people.
    Macey went over the identifications again; ‘Leo with the whip; then, the purple riding boots, Lay-waste; and the one nursing the piglets, Gerald. I haven’t got Daphne because
we’re not interested in her, are we, Benny? The men are the firm. She’s spare. Pity she has to be there at all, really, we don’t have no quarrel with Daphne, but in silver
weddings, you see, Benny, the wife always turns up. It’s marriage, isn’t it – they’re part of it, too? Of course, she could get hit, I can’t say different. This is
what upset Justin, the idea to kill a woman, and made him act so stupid, trying to leak. There’s going to be a lot of bullets, that’s bound to be, if we’re trying to knock down
decisive three people at once, and shooting from a distance.’
    Macey pushed over the three farm workers slowly and one at a time and left them lying on the stage. ‘We have to take them right out, obvious. Injuries could be all right, if we knew for
sure it meant wheelchairs for the rest of their time, or cabbaging their brains, so they’re never going to be able to do more evil against us for their firm, but you can’t tell with
wounds. Doctors have come on such a lot since they let Lord Nelson slip away like that. Our boys won’t have time to worry about Daphne, no denying it. They’ve got to put a real, Quality
Street fusillade in there, something irresistible. But that don’t give Justin excuse for wanting to grass. It’s a pity, but we had to sort him out, no choice.’
    ‘Too right,’ Loxton said. ‘I’m sad about it, though.’ He gazed at the deep green William Morris wallpaper and shook his head slowly in regret.
    ‘Yes, I know, Benny. Well, one of your lads, isn’t it?’ Macey replied. ‘You worry about all of us.’
    ‘That boy, he had such gifts.’
    ‘Sure. But it’s done now. Look on the bright side, Benny. Think of this evening, God, but you’re going to be the belle of this ball in that gear. What I’d say you
resemble is His Excellency somewhere, one of them colonies, in the old days, yes, His Britannic Excellency waiting for his rickshaw to take him to the club, but staying so cool even in the
cuff-links and waistcoat, and all the maddening heat. Your missus is right. Benny wouldn’t do for what you look like tonight. It got to be Theodore, Benny. You need a name with
dimensions.’
    ‘Must put on a show. They’ll all be there. Mayors and big business, MPs, swagger-stick cops and medieval pussy from the Women’s Voluntary Charity is a big call, gets everybody
dressing up. Quite right, too. This is what’s known as a good cause. I’m definitely in favour.’
    ‘What charity, Benny?’ Macey asked.
    ‘What?’
    ‘What charity ball specific you going to?’
    ‘You know, one of them charities – collecting to save something, £60 a double ticket, before the rip-off booze and parking. Me and Alma went last year. She gets very concerned
about . . . what’s it called? – them needy, yes, that’s it, them needy. Or could be whales. Well, a whale got feelings,