Red Letter Day Read Free

smiled at her, rocking on his heels, his hands dug deep in the pockets of his cardigan. 'Beautiful day.'
    'Hi, Dominic.'
    'How's the leg?'
    She made a face. 'Not bad, not bad.'
    'Well, you don't have long to go now.' He walked with her to the door of Close Second, taking off his glasses to polish them on the front of his heavy cotton shirt.
    'Have you found someone to run this place for you yet?'
    'Yes, thank goodness. She starts on Monday.'
    'Wonderful! That must be a load off your mind.'
    Rose turned worried eyes on him. 'Yes it is, now if I could only sort my son out. Why didn't you want him to work today, Dominic? Has he been giving you trouble?'
    Dominic pushed dark blond hair off his forehead and settled his glasses back on the bridge of his nose. 'Of course not, Rose! There just isn't enough work for us both at the moment.'
    Rose frowned. 'That new book shop is really hurting you, isn't it?'
    Dominic sighed. 'If only they stuck to selling books, but no, they have to sell stationery and newspapers and magazines.'
    'I hate the idea of Fergus having nothing to do all day.'
    'I'm sure he'd have no problem finding something else.'
    'Yes, but with his background—'
    'Forget about his background, Rose. I've left him alone in that shop God knows how many times and he's never touched the till.'
    Rose looked shocked. 'I should hope not!'
    'If he were still on drugs, Rose, he'd have cleaned me out long ago and you too. He's a good lad and I'd be happy to give him a reference.'
    Rose's face cleared as she recognised the truth of his words. 'Thanks, Dominic.'
    Two women approached and turned into the newsagent's. Dominic turned to salute her with a twinkle in his eye 'Don't look now but I believe I have customers! See you later, Rose.'
    'Bye, Dominic.' Rose laughed. With all his problems Dominic still held on to his sense of humour. Gosh, what must he think of her? He'd said business was bad and all she'd been worried about was how it would affect her son. She'd bring him in a coffee later and ask him about it, she decided as she went back into her shop. She could imagine how tough it must be and how Dominic's takings must have dropped in the last three months. She'd probably never have that problem. There were only a handful of second-hand shops in Dublin and only one other that dealt exclusively in designer labels. She had a loyal clientele, some of them travelling from the four corners of Ireland. She had the phone numbers of her best customers and she called them if something came in that she knew they'd like. It was this personal service that made it even more difficult to find a suitable manager.
     
    The bell tinkled on the door and she looked up and smiled. 'Mrs Williams! I'm so glad you dropped in. I have a lovely Gina Bacconi dress that I think you'll like.'
     
    Fergus stood in HMV debating whether to spend his last few Euros on CDs or a new game for his Playstation. The way things were going it looked like he'd have a lot more time on his hands soon so he decided to go for the game. After paying for it, he tucked it into the inside pocket of his jacket and headed back out onto Henry Street.
    'Yo, Gus, how's it goin'?'
    Fergus closed his eyes briefly before turning around. 'Howaya, Mick.'
    Mick Garvey leaned closer. 'Haven't seen ye in ages.'
    Fergus stepped back. 'Ah, well, you know yourself, keeping busy.'
    Mick laughed. 'Still working at the shelter, are ye?'
    Fergus nodded. 'Yeah, a bit.'
    'Ye must meet all sorts down there. Maybe I'll drop in and see ye some night.'
    Fergus smiled but his eyes were cold. 'Sure. And if I'm not there, Paddy Burns will be. Do you know Paddy, Mick? He's an ex-cop.'
    Mick's eyes narrowed. 'I hope yer not forgetting who yer friends are, Gus.'
    'Oh, I know exactly who my friends are, thanks, Mick. See you around.' Fergus walked away before Mick could answer and lost himself in the crowds on Henry Street. He was breathing heavily and his heart was racing. Mick was half his size and he could