Everything around me felt unreal. I knew I had to try to do something, fight or bite or hurl myself at a window.
But, instead, I just sat there, as if paralysed.
Carl and Kevin, however, were quickly on their feet. They were only too eager to take me down to the Twilight Quay where they could torment the life out of me.
“I’ll go and fetch a chain,” Carl said, “so the ape can’t escape from us!”
But as he turned and started for the door, a loud wail could suddenly be heard. It was more despairing than any sound I’d ever heard in my life.
It was Bernie.
He hadn’t uttered a word during the whole of this long and awful meeting. But now he was on his feet and looking at Moira with wide and staring eyes. The whole of his great body was shaking. 401
“Don’t hurt the ape!” he stammered. “It wasn’t her…”
“Sit down and keep quiet!” Moira snarled. “You’re raving. Like the idiot you are!”
“No!” Bernie yelled.
Moira was taken aback by his outburst.
“It wasn’t the ape, it was me,” Bernie said. “I was drunk and Tarantello tricked me into saying things… in his car… I promise… that’s what happened… I didn’t mean to… please, Moira… you mustn’t hurt the ape.” They all stared at Bernie. Tears were running down his
cheeks. The whole room was filled with the sound of his great sobbing gulps.
And Moira began to laugh. It was a shrill, piercing laugh. But it soon passed and she became as grim as the grave again.
“That was the most stupid, lying rubbish I’ve ever heard! You drunk, Bernie? And in Tommy Tarantello’s car, to cap it all?”
She started to laugh again and the others in the room joined in. But they stopped abruptly when Moira suddenly fell silent.
“The ape must die!” she said. “And do you know what, Bernie? I want you to be the one to do it!”
Bernie looked as if he didn’t know what she meant.
So Moira raised her voice. “You are to kill the ape, Bernie!”
Now he understood. “No, please… please… please.” 402
“Yes!” Moira roared. “That is what’s to happen, Bernie! You’re to take the ape down to the Twilight Quay and when you get there, you’re going to shoot it.”
Moira handed her revolver to Bernie. When he didn’t want to take it, she slapped his face and pressed the weapon into his hand.
Bernie looked at her, pure horror showing in his face. Moira lowered her voice.
“Listen carefully now, Bernie. Really carefully. If you come back without killing the ape, you won’t be let in. And I’ll never want to see you again. Never, ever! And you’ll have to survive on your own. For the rest of your life! Understood?”
“But, Moira… Moira…” Bernie sobbed.
Moira slapped her hand down on the table with a crack.
“Stop snivelling, you idiot!” she yelled. “I asked whether you understood! Well?”
Bernie stood there motionless, his face swollen and wet with tears. Then he nodded.
Carl and Kevin accompanied Bernie and me down to the yard. The shot-up getaway cars were still there and a big gang of the Kingston Kings were gathered round a fire in an oil drum, sharing a couple of bottles of whisky. From their raucous laughter 403I could tell they had taken the opportunity to get drunk while Moira’s meeting was going on.
Carl and Kevin helped one another loop one end of a chain as a noose around my neck and attach the other end to Bernie’s belt.
“What are you up to?” one of the gang members by the fire shouted to them. “Is that fool taking the ape out for a walk? Can’t we have a bit of fun instead?”
“Unfortunately not,” Carl answered. “Playtime’s over for this ape. It’s on its way down to Twilight Quay!”
Kevin opened the gate. Then Bernie and I were both given such hard kicks in the backside that we fell flat on our faces in the street.
“Have a good time, Bernie,” Kevin said. “You’re the lucky one, you are, getting all the fun of finishing off the ape. Make sure you spin it out—that’ll be much more enjoyable!”
The gate slammed behind us with a dull, heavy thud.