The Devil Read Free Page B

and
    the energy of the the One.'
    I asked,
    ' A n y idea of where I might find the charismatic Mr K ? '
    She gave a small laugh, no relation to mirth or joy, said,
    'That's part of his schtik, he just shows up, begins his tired
    rap and wallop, a whole bunch of eejits follow.'
    I liked her a lot. Women of spirit always appealed to me.
    I had to know, asked,
    ' Y o u were never drawn in?'
    She gave me the rolling-eye bit, said,
    'I w o r k in a fast-food joint to keep me afloat and I hear
    enough horseshite without having to go looking for it.'
    She was Irish, no doubt.
    I asked,
    'What's he look like?'
    She gave it her full concentration, then said,
    'Tall, great smile and a shaved head. H a r d to place where
    he's from. He sounds like a German, or maybe French?'
    I put out my hand, thanked her profusely and volunteered
    that she was one bright young lady.
    She gave a lovely smile, said,
    ' M y name is E m m a , I enjoyed talking w i t h y o u . '
    I spent the best part of a week w i t h students and frequent-
    ing student hangouts.
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    THE DEVIL
    Was even offered some Ecstasy.
    The song remained the same.
    N o e l had been liked, had friends, and then out of the blue
    - or black - he became a total devotee of this Mr K.
    I found no sign of the enigmatic Mr K.
    I'd always just missed him.
    Or he was due at the Quays and I'd show up.
    He didn't.
    They found N o e l d o w n near the rowing club, hanging by
    his feet from the flagpole, an inverted cross not so much
    carved as literally gouged into the skin.
    W h e n I called his mother, I left out the above details but
    had to say it looked like somebody had harmed him.
    Fuck, talk about understatement.
    Her wails of grief, the sheer torment of her agony made
    me just want to hang up.
    Like I could.
    I said the trite shite you do and offered to refund her
    money.
    A silence.
    Then,
    ' M r Taylor, you use that money to find the scum w h o
    robbed me of my precious golden boy.'
    I swore I w o u l d .
    I even sounded like I meant it.
    In the local pubs, the murder was on the menu and I heard
    faint whisperings of the head of a dog being enmeshed in the
    poor boy's entrails.
    I didn't inquire.
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    KEN BRUEN
    W o u l d you?
    Fuck, it was sick enough.
    W h i l e the country went nuts, I went to the cemetery.
    Phew-oh.
    I sure had a long line of people to pay my respects to.
    Cody, my surrogate son, and the others, it grieves me to
    name them. So many of them in their graves because of my
    stupidity.
    I left my dad till last.
    He wasn't buried w i t h my mother.
    She'd torn h i m asunder in life, so at least in eternity, he
    truly w o u l d have some peace.
    I did lay a red rose on my mother's grave and tried to
    think of something nice to say to her.
    N o t h i n g .
    N o t a blessed thing.
    Then I walked along the narrow path to my father, and at
    first, I couldn't register what my eyes were seeing.
    Faeces, rubbish, condoms, were scattered over his plot.
    Too late to blame my mother.
    I was in shock for about five minutes, then began to clear
    away the debris, and it was then I saw it above my dad's name.
    A n inverted cross.
    Y o u come out of the cemetery and it's but a spit to the
    nearest pub.
    Naturally.
    We take our burials almost as seriously as our drinking.
    I took a place at the counter and realized I was actually
    shaking.
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    THE DEVIL
    The b a r m a n , my age, p r o b a b l y used to s h o o k - u p
    mourners, asked quietly,
    'What w o u l d you like?'
    'Jameson, large, pint of Guinness.'
    He withdrew discreetly.
    A f r a i d he'd wake the dead?
    Once I got on the other side of the drinks, I began to, as
    the young people say, chill.
    My anger was at its usual simmering slot and G o d , I
    wished I still smoked.
    So someone knew I'd been investigating the student's
    death. N o t hard as I'd been all over the campus for a week.
    A n d had sent me a message.
    To frighten me off.
    By Jaysus.
    M a d e me more determined than ever to find Mr K.
    Whoever this bollix was,