Norman stood up.
‘He said he’d stay with you after rehearsals yesterday!’
‘Norman, Aesop wasn’t rehearsing yesterday either. What are you on about? He’s not coming in till Monday, I told you. We’re working with Ryan for the weekend. While we have Shiggy. What makes you think …’
‘But … he was here yesterday. Didn’t I drop him outside the door myself at eleven o’clock.’
They were all looking at each other now. Dónal stood up and put his hands in his pockets, scowling.
‘He said he liked to get here early so as to get a warm-up done,’ said Norman.
‘Norman, Aesop has never been early for a rehearsal in his life. He’s always wandering in half an hour late, the fucker.’
‘Are you telling me you haven’t seen him today or yesterday?’
‘No, Norman, I haven’t. I haven’t seen him since the other night.’
Almost at the same moment, they all pulled out their phones.
‘I’ll do it,’ said Norman, and clicked the number. After a few seconds, he took the phone away from his ear again. ‘It’s not ringing. Says it’s turned off.’
‘Jesus fu … what the fuck is going on?’ said Jimmy, he was standing up now too and trying Aesop’s phone. He shook his head. ‘Nothing. Fuck! What now? Do we call the cops, or … I mean …’
‘Hang on a minute, Jimmy,’ said Dónal. ‘Let’s just think for a minute. Norman?’
‘Jimmy, call Jennifer, Marco and his Da, will you? Call your Ma too. Don’t get anyone all worked up or anything, okay? Just say he’s late for a rehearsal and you were wondering where he is.’
‘Right,’ said Jimmy, taking out his phone again.
‘Then check your email.’
‘Okay.’
‘Dónal, go in there and check your email as well. And you Shiggy. Dónal, when you’re done with that, send him a text and get him to call you or me as soon as he gets it.’
‘Yeah.’
‘Tell him it’s important. You know what he’s like. It’s possible that the gobshite doesn’t realise what he’s after doing.’
‘Right.’
‘I’m going over to his place now, just to check. He probably is asleep, the eejit.’
‘Why did he say he was rehearsing with us yesterday?’ said Jimmy, waiting for Jennifer to answer her phone. ‘That’s what he told you, right? He didn’t come in here. We were here at eleven with Leet.’
‘I don’t know. But I left him standing outside the door downstairs and he said he was coming up here.’
‘But …’
‘I don’t know Jimmy. Look, I’ll be back in half an hour, okay? Keep trying his number there and call me if you get anything.’
‘Okay.’
Norman went outside and started down to the Ha’penny Bridge. It’d be quicker just to go on foot with the traffic the way it was, although he nearly broke his fucking ankle on the bridge, jumping over a couple of buskers. He picked up the pace at the other side of the river and was outside Aesop’s front door less than ten minutes later.
He stood panting for a minute before he took out the keys. Something felt wrong. A hint of it had struck him when he left the studio, and it had taken hold as he ran across the city. This was his responsibility. He was the one that was meant to be looking out for Aesop, and now there was no sign of him. The bollocks had obviously lied yesterday about the rehearsal, but that didn’t change the fact that Norman’s job was to make sure nothing happened to him. But none of that was what felt wrong now. He took out his phone and looked at it, his breathing back to normal now but his stomach squirming. Fuck. He had to check.
He dialled her number first. The phone was off. Well that wasn’t unusual. They weren’t allowed take calls when they were on duty. Still. He pulled a business card out of his wallet to get the number of the office. He’d never actually called her this way, but he had the number from when he’d been doing the gardening work there. Should he? Well, he had to, didn’t he? It was in his head now and nothing would shake it until he knew.
And he had to know. The fucking pain and heartbreak would be better than wondering. Probably.
He dialled.
It took less than a minute and then he knew. Certainly he could leave a message for Patricia Sweeney. She’d get it on Monday when she came into work. Were they sure she wasn’t in there covering for someone today? They were absolutely positive. Everyone who was supposed to be working today, was working.
Norman thanked the girl and hung up. Anger, confusion and hurt milled through him, each new thought and picture in his head causing him to clench his jaw and his fists. He fingered the keys to Aesop’s house for a minute and unlocked the deadbolt. Then he turned the other key in the latch and went in. There was no buzzing from the house alarm. Someone had been back here since he and Aesop had left yesterday. Well … not someone. Only Aesop and himself knew the key combination to turn it off. Checking downstairs just took a few seconds. There was no sign of anyone. They must have been in such a hurry that they didn’t hang about down here. He went quietly up the stairs and stood in front of Aesop’s bedroom door. He paused for a second. The fury was building in him, burning. There was still time to walk away. Because if he saw what he knew he was going to see …
But he couldn’t walk away. He’d lost control now. Totally. He was practically someone else. The person he’d been trying for years not to be any more. His hand went out on its own and gripped the doorhandle. Then, drops of despair and rage starting to well in his eyes, he took a big breath and pushed the door open.
*
Jimmy and Dónal had done everything that Norman had told them to do, but there was no news. No one knew where he was and he hadn’t been in touch on email, texts or voicemail. They sat on the couches with Sparky and Shiggy, no one saying anything, just waiting for Norman to come back, hopefully with an apologetic and sleepy Aesop.
‘Tea?’ said Shiggy eventually.
Jimmy just nodded.
Shiggy went off into the kitchen and Dónal turned to Jimmy.
‘It’s fine, man. You know what he’s like.’
‘Yeah. But he’s a bloody idiot for doing this after everything that’s been going on.’
‘I know. But, look, at least we know that he never intended to come in here yesterday, right? It’s not like we haven’t got a clue at all. He was up to something. So none of this means that he’s in trouble with … y’know.’
‘That was yesterday Dónal. Whatever he was up to, he’d be finished by now. And what’s up with his phone? Why isn’t he answering it?’
‘I don’t know. Maybe he’s out of battery.’
‘Me bollix.’
‘It happens man. Especially to a dizzy muppet like Aesop. He just forgot to charge it.’
‘How long is Norman gone?’
‘Twenty minutes. Just … just try and take it easy, okay? He’ll be back in a little bit.’
‘Where did Sparky go?’
‘He’s calling a few of the pubs. He knows half the landlords in Dublin. Just to see if Aesop’s been around the place, last night or whatever.’
‘Okay.’
‘Can you think of anywhere else he might be?’
‘No. But that’s not the point! He wouldn’t just piss off like that without saying anything.’
Jimmy tapped his pockets. He wanted a cigarette, but he had none.
‘Anyone have any smokes?’ he said.
Dónal shook he head and Shiggy called out from the kitchen that he didn’t.
‘Is there any in the control room?’
‘There might be. Maybe one of the Leet lads left some lying around.’
Jimmy walked through the doors and started pulling open drawers and searching under bits of equipment. Eventually he found two half-crushed cigarettes in a box behind the mixing desk. He grabbed them and started down the stairs to go outside. Hunched over with his back to the wind, the smoke tasted a bit stale, but Jimmy didn’t care. Whatever toxins and poisons were in the thing, he needed them right now. He stared down at the cobbled street as he pulled on it. A guy and a girl walked past holding hands, making him look up so he could get out of their way, and they caught his eye, grinning in recognition. He didn’t respond at all. He barely registered that there were other people on the street. His mind felt dulled and numb but at least that was probably better than letting it get to work on what might be going on here.
*
Aesop’s eyes snapped open and jerked around the room. What was that? A noise. What … where … ? The empty bottle of Jameson on the bedside table brought it all back. What he’d done last night. Oh bollocks. He was a fucking idiot. He knew he was fucked. He was in the wrong place in the wrong time with the wrong person. He was fucked. Big time. He tried to sit up quickly in the bed, pushing himself against the headboard. Blinding pain shot through him. Why did he have to drink all that whiskey last night? He looked down at the sleeping figure beside him and cursed again before looking up to see the door swing open.
This was what happened to fucking idiots.
‘Okay …’ he said, his hand trembling out in front of him. ‘Just … listen, let’s just fuckin’ relax for a minute before we do anything, right? Okay? Let’s just …’