Collected Stories Read Online Free PDF Page B

pie?’
    ‘That I could go for.’
    Roy cut a piece of Clara’s cherry pie and gave it to Turner. Turner took two large bites and it was inside him. Roy cut another piece. This time Turner leaned back in his chair, raised his arm and hurled it across the kitchen as if he were trying to smash it through the wall. The dog thrashed after it like a shoal of piranhas. It was an aged creature and its eating was slobbery and breathless. The second it had finished, the dog ran back to Turner’s feet and planted itself there, waiting for more.
    Turner said to Roy, ‘Three, did you say?’
    ‘Yeah.’
    ‘So I have come some considerable miles at your instant command for fuck-all. You know,’ he said sarcastically, ‘I’m looking at eighteen.’
    ‘In that case four. All right. Four g’s. Might as well, eh, Jimmy?’
    Turner slapped the dog. ‘You’ll get another go in a minute,’ he told it. He looked at Jimmy. ‘What about ten?’
    ‘Go for it,’ said Jimmy to Roy. ‘We’ll be all right tomorrow. Ten should see us through.’

    ‘Smart,’ said Turner. ‘Planning ahead.’
    ‘Ten?’ Roy said. ‘No way. I don’t think you should hustle people.’
    Turner’s voice became shrill. ‘You saying I hustle you?’
    Roy hesitated. ‘I mean by that … it’s not a good business idea.’
    Turner raised his voice. ‘I’m doing this to pay off my brother’s debts. My brother who was killed by scum. It’s all for him.’
    ‘Quite right,’ murmured Jimmy.
    ‘Hey, I’ve got a fucking question for you,’ Turner said. ‘Little Roy.’
    ‘Yes?’
    ‘Do you know how to love life?’
    Jimmy and Roy looked at one another.
    Turner said, ‘That’s stumped you, right? I’m saying here, is it a skill? Or a talent? Who can acquire it?’ He was settling into his rap. ‘I deal to the stars, you know.’
    ‘Most of them introduced to you by me,’ Roy murmured.
    ‘And they the unhappiest people I seen.’
    ‘It’s still a difficult question,’ said Roy.
    He looked at Turner, who was so edgy and complicated it was hard to think of him as a child. But you could always see the light of childhood in Jimmy, he was luminous with curiosity.
    ‘But a good one,’ said Jimmy.
    ‘You’re pleased with that one,’ Roy said to Turner.
    ‘Yeah, I am.’ Turner looked at Jimmy. ‘You’re right. It’s a difficult question.’
    Roy put his hand in his jeans pocket and dragged out a wad of £20 notes.
    ‘Hallo,’ Turner said.
    ‘Jesus,’ said Jimmy.
    ‘What?’ Roy said.
    ‘I’ll take a tenner off,’ Turner said. ‘As we’re friends – if you buy six.’
    ‘I told you, not six,’ said Roy, counting the money. There was plenty of it, but he thumbed through it rapidly.
    Turner reached out to take the whole wad and held it in his fist, looking down at the dog as his foot played on its stomach.

    ‘Hey,’ Roy said and turned to Jimmy who was laughing.
    ‘What?’ said Turner, crumpling the money in his hand. Roy pulled the cherry pie towards him and cut a slice. His hand was shaking now. ‘You are in a state,’ Turner said. He took the mobile phone out of his pocket and turned it off.
    ‘Am I?’ Roy said. ‘What are you going to do with that money?’
    Turner got up and took a step towards Roy. ‘Answer the fucking question!’
    Roy put up his hands. ‘I can’t.’
    Turner pushed three small envelopes towards Jimmy, put all the money in his pocket, yanked away his drug bag, and, pursued by the dog, charged to the door. Roy ran to the window and watched the Rolls take off down the street.
    ‘You wanker,’ he said to Jimmy. ‘You fucking wanker.’
    ‘Me?’
    ‘Christ. We should have done something.’
    ‘Like what?’
    ‘Where’s the knife! You should have stuck it in the bastard’s fucking throat! That pig’s run off with my money!’
    ‘Thing is, you can’t trust them proles, man. Sit down.’
    ‘I can’t!’
    ‘Here’s the knife. Go after him then.’
    ‘Fuck, fuck!’
    ‘This will