Killing Moon полностью

Krohn stood up from the table, gave his wife an apologetic look, and went into the living room. ‘Hello again, Harry,’ he said cheerfully.

Hole’s voice sounded hoarse. ‘Nine hundred and sixty thousand dollars.’

‘I beg your pardon?’

‘If I solve the case, I want nine hundred and sixty thousand dollars.’

‘Nine hundred and...?’

‘Yes.’

‘You are aware—’

‘I’m aware that I’m not worth it. But if your client is as wealthy and as innocent as you say, then the truth is worth that to him. So my suggestion is that I work for free, have my expenses covered and only receive payment if I solve the case.’

‘But—’

‘It’s not that much. But, Krohn, I’ll need an answer within the next five minutes. In English, on an email from your address and with your signature. Understand?’

‘Yes, but Christ, Harry, that’s—’

‘There are people here who need to make a decision right this minute. So I sort of have a gun to my head.’

‘But two hundred thousand dollars ought to be more than—’

‘Sorry, it’s the amount I said or nothing at all, Krohn.’

Krohn sighed. ‘It’s an insane sum, Harry, but all right, I’ll call my client. I’ll get back to you.’

‘Five minutes,’ came the hoarse reply. Krohn heard another voice say something in the background.

‘Four and a half,’ Harry said.

‘I’ll do my best to get hold of him,’ Krohn said.

Harry put the phone on the kitchen table and looked up at the man with the shotgun, which was still pointed at him. The other man was speaking Spanish into another mobile.

‘It’s going to be all right,’ whispered Lucille, sitting next to Harry.

Harry patted her hand. ‘That’s my line.’

‘No, it’s mine,’ she said. ‘I’m the one who got you mixed up in this. And anyway, it’s not true, is it? It won’t be all right.’

‘Define all right,’ Harry said.

Lucille smiled faintly. ‘Well, at least I had a wonderful final evening yesterday, that’s something. You know, everybody at Dan Tana’s was convinced we were a couple.’

‘You think?’

‘Oh, I saw it in their faces when you walked in with me on your arm. There’s Lucille Owens with a tall, blond and much younger man, they thought. And wished they were movie stars themselves. And then you took my coat and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Thank you, Harry.’

Harry was about to point out that he had only done as he had been instructed beforehand, including removing his wedding ring, but refrained.

‘Dos minutos,’ the man with the phone said, and Harry felt Lucille’s hand squeeze harder on his.

‘What’s el jefe in the car saying?’ Harry asked.

The man with the shotgun didn’t answer.

‘Has he killed as many people as you?’

The man gave a brief laugh. ‘No one knows how many he’s killed. All I know is that if you don’t pay you’ll be the next two on his list. He likes to take care of things personally. And I mean likes.’

Harry nodded. ‘He the one who gave her the loan or did he just buy the debt?’

‘We don’t loan money, we just collect it. And he’s the best. He can spot the losers, the ones in debt.’ He hesitated for a moment, then leaned forward a little and lowered his voice: ‘He says it’s in their eyes and in the way they carry themselves, but mostly in their body odour. You can see it when you get onto a bus — the ones weighed down by debt are the ones with a seat free next to them. He said you’re in debt too, el rubio.’

‘Me?’

‘He was in that bar looking for the lady one day and saw you sitting there.’

‘He’s wrong, I’m not in debt.’

‘He’s never wrong. You owe somebody something. That was how he found my father.’

‘Your father?’

The man nodded. Harry looked at him. Swallowed. Tried to picture the man in the car. Harry’s phone had been lying on the kitchen table on speaker while Harry had put forward his proposal, but the man on the other end had not uttered a single word.

‘Un minuto.’ The man with the mobile released the safety catch on the pistol.

‘Our Father,’ Lucille mumbled, ‘who art in heaven...’

‘How could you spend so much money on a movie that never materialised?’ Harry asked.

Lucille looked at him in surprise at first. Before perhaps realising that he was offering her some distraction prior to their stepping over the threshold.

‘You know,’ she said, ‘that’s the most frequently asked question in this town.’

‘Cinco segundos.’

Harry stared at his phone. ‘And the most frequent answer given?’

‘Bad luck and lousy scripts.’

‘Mm. Sounds like my life.’

The display lit up. Krohn’s number. Harry pressed Accept.

‘Talk to me. Quickly, and just the conclusion.’

‘Røed says yes.’

‘You’re going to get the email address.’ Harry handed the phone to the guy who was talking to el jefe. The guy stuck the pistol in the shoulder holster inside his bomber jacket and put the two phones against one another. Harry heard the low buzz of voices. When it went quiet, he gave the phone back to Harry. Krohn had hung up. The guy put his own phone to his ear and listened. Lowered it.