An Excerpt from Luck of the Irish: A Tony Gavel Mystery
Arthur Freely knocked on the back door of the Pot’o Gold and waited. As he looked around the alley his hands automatically reached for his hair and brushed through them. He began biting on his lower lip while waiting for someone to answer the door. A few seconds later a little window slid open and a pair of blue eyes stared at him. Arthur wiped the sweat from his brow and said “Turnstile”. The pair of eyes looked him over and the window shut. A second later the door opened and a large man stood blocking the entrance to the back room of the Pot’o Gold. The man was close to 6’3 and must’ve weighed close to 300 pounds. He was dressed in a black suit and Arthur could see a 9mm pistol hanging from a shoulder holster under his armpit. He had a jagged scar going down his left cheek. The man scowled as he looked Arthur over. “Mr. McCully ain’t going to be happy to see you Arthur.” The man said. Arthur gulped and resisted the urge to flee back out into the street and away from this place. He held up a brown paper bag and shook it. “It’s all here just like I promised.” Arthur said. The man grabbed the bag out of Arthur’s hand before he had a chance to put it away. Arthur tried to take it, but the man shoved Arthur in the chest knocking him down to the ground and opened the bag. Inside, the bag was filled with 20 and 50 dollar bills. It had to be close to $3,000. The man looked through the bag before closing it and slipped it inside his suit jacket. The man looked down at Arthur. “Wait here. Don’t go anywhere.” The man closed the door. Arthur got up and wiped off his pants. He ran his hands through his hair and looked around the alley once more. No one could be seen in either direction but Arthur was still nervous. This was a bad part of town to be standing in a dark alley in the middle of the night. Especially what was going on the other side of the door. It felt like an eternity before the door opened but in reality it was only a few minutes. “The boss says you can come in. He wants to see you.” The man patted down Arthur looking for any weapons, satisfied that Arthur was clean he lead the way into the Pot’o Gold. The back room of the Pot’o Gold was usually cluttered with boxes of cheap whiskey and cases of imported ale’s and other various items that a bar needs to run on a daily basis. Tonight was a different story. Friday night the Pot’o Gold was home to Keith McCully’s poker night. Keith McCully was the head of the Irish mob and every Friday he invited various people that he did business with to participate. He also invited people that he owed favors too or people that he was trying to get into his organization. A few others made the cut as well, people that might have owed McCully money or others that McCully knew would be a sure bet at losing. Keith McCully was in the business to make money and his poker games were no exception. There are seven tables set up around the room. Some of the are full while others just had a few people sitting at them. Most of the people sitting at the tables were dressed in expensive suits. Arthur recognized a few of the people playing poker. At one table he saw James Hahn, head of The Black Lotus, a local Asian street gang that specialized in opium and cocaine sales. It’s been rumored that McCully is looking to get into the opium business with Hahn. Sitting to Hahn’s right was another street gang leader by the name of Mark Sanches. His gang, The Warlords, are in the market of selling military grade weapons and other various armaments. The sold to everyone and didn’t discriminate. They were neutral and everyone respected them and feared them. In the last eight years not one group tried to move in on the weapons trade since Sanches took over. He is a ruthless killer and will do anything to protect his investments. The third person at the table Arthur didn’t recognize. She was a stunning looking woman, dressed in a long sleeveless jade colored gown. Her jet black hair was shoulder length and she had piercing emerald colored eyes. She looked like a wolf among sheep and Arthur guessed she was a dangerous person. A few of the other tables had people that were in McCully’s crew drinking ale and playing seven card stud. They were laughing and having a good time ignoring the other tables around them. Bits and pieces of the conversation could be heard of some of their most recent exploits. There were 9 people in all and most likely they were all packing heat to make sure things did not get out of hand. One of the last tables in the corner had a mixed group of people. They were not as well dressed as the others but the money on the table proved they had income to spare. From the looks of them, they were probably informants, and riff raff trying to make an impression to get into McCully's gang. There were a few scantly clad women working the room carrying trays of alcohol and other stronger beverages. They would stop at tables and drop off the drinks and get orders from the various people in the room. Some carried food to the tables while others would just stand and watch at certain tables waiting for any orders that they players would give. Arthur knew some to be call girls, high end ones at that. They all worked for Keith McCully. Arthur was sure they would give more than just food and drinks if asked. The big man made his way to a door in the back of the room and knocked on it. After a moment he opened the door and pushed Arthur inside. “Here he is boss. He’s clean.” Keith McCully was sitting behind a large oaken desk wearing a midnight black three piece suit, with a neatly pressed white silk shirt and red tie. He was a handsome man in his early forties, his dark brown hair had streaks of silver running through it. He was sporting a goatee. He had the build of a construction worker. When he stood up you noticed his short stature. If he was lucky, he was pushing close to 5’6”. Not one person ever mentioned his height though. The man carried himself like he was over ten feet tall. He oozed power and confidence. When you looked into his black eyes you knew he’s a dangerous man not to cross. Keith McCully gestured to the seat in front of his desk. A smile ran across his lips that did not reflect in his eyes. Another man Arthur didn’t recognize was sitting in front of the desk as well. He didn’t look so good. His face looked like it was hit with a sledgehammer. His right eye was swollen shut and he had blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. “Have a seat Arthur.” McCully said as he finished signing his name on some paperwork that was in front of him. Arthur sat down and waited for McCully to finish. Arthur ran his fingers through his hair and began biting on his lower lip. He did that when he was nervous. Maybe coming to see McCully wasn’t a good idea Arthur thought as he watched the man. The door closed behind Arthur and he sneaked a quick peek behind him. The man was gone and Arthur was left alone in the room with McCully and this other man. Arthur turned back towards McCully and noticed him staring at Arthur. He didn’t look happy. “You’re late with your payment Arthur.” McCully said in a low tone. His hand resting on a hammer that was sitting on the desk. Arthur swallowed and took a deep breath before answering. “I’m sorry Mr. McCully. I had some problems gathering the money but I promise it is all there like I said it would be.” McCully dumped the bag of money on the table and began counting it. He sorted the money and counted it quickly. After a few minutes he looked at the stack in front of him and shook his head. “It seems it is short Arthur.” He said as his hand griped the hammer tighter. Arthur began sweating and wiped his forehead with his sleeve. “There’s $3,000 dollars there like our arrangement.” Arthur whispered. Keith McCully looked over the pile one more time before answering. “$3,000 was the price when you were supposed to pay me two weeks ago. You’re now two weeks late. There is interest to be paid Arthur. You still owe me $1,000 more.” Arthur looked around the room trying to find the nearest exit. He was sure the door was blocked on the other side by the bouncer. There was no other exit in the room. He was trapped with one of the most ruthless people he knew and he owed him money. Arthur began rubbing his hands together. “Well Arthur? You were told about the interest if you didn’t get my money back to me in time weren’t you? You didn’t think I was running a charity did you?” McCully asked. Arthur gulped as he shook his head. “No one told me about Interest Mr. McCully. I swear. I know you’re not running a charity. I really needed the money Mr. McCully.” McCully stared at Arthur for a few minutes not saying anything. Arthur began sweating more and couldn’t help but wipe his forehead with the sleeve of his jacket to get the moisture off his face and out of his eyes. Arthur wasn’t sure if he was going to get out of here alive and started getting jumpy. His legs began to shake as did his hands. Mr. McCully pointed at the man sitting at the desk next to Arthur. “You see him Arthur?” Arthur swallowed as he nodded his head. “This man seems to be in the same spot that you’re in Arthur.” Mr. McCully started bouncing the hammer onto his hand. “He was supposed to pay me a month ago Arthur. You know what he decided to do? He tried to skip town.” The man started to speak but Mr. McCully backhanded him across the mouth. “Shut up Sam. I didn’t say you can speak. When we found him and brought him back he promised he was going to pay with the interest. It’s been two weeks now since we dragged him in here. And now he doesn’t have my money or the interest.” “I promise Mr. McCully. I will get you the interest.” Arthur said. “I just wanted you to see what happens when you try and screw me over Arthur. We go way back so I am giving you this as a friendly reminder.” Mr. McCully walked behind Sam and put his hand on Sam’s shoulder, making Sam flinch. Mr. McCully reached his arm back and slammed the hammer onto Sam’s head. Blood and brain matter splashed all over Arthur, Mr. McCully and the desk. Sam’s body slumped in the chair. Mr. McCully hit him again and again, blood splashing all over the pace. Arthur thought he was going to be sick and quickly covered his outh with his hands. “It’s not my problem that you’re a degenerate gambler Arthur. Maybe if you weren’t high all the time and actually cleaned yourself up, you wouldn’t be in this predicament.” “Please Mr. McCully. I swear. No one told me about the interest, otherwise I would’ve brought that as well. Please don’t kill me. I can get you the money. I can have it here in a few hours.” Arthur whimpered as tears rolled down his cheeks. McCully eyed Arthur one more time and nodded as he released the hammer. McCully stood up and walked around the table. Arthur flinched as McCully placed his hand on Arthur's shoulder. “I believe you Arthur.” McCully said. “I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’ll have one of my guys drive you home to get the money. If you bring it back to me we won’t have a problem and I will consider your debt paid in full.” “If for some reason you can’t get me the money like you promised.” He pointed to Sam’s lifeless body slumped in the chair next to him. “I promise Mr. McCully. I won’t let you down. I can have it for you real soon.” McCully put the hammer down amid the blood and brain matter. He pressed the button on the intercom and spoke. “Send Stitch in here please.” A few moments later there was a knock on the door and a man walked into the office. Arthur turned to look at the man. He was about the same height as Arthur and had shoulder length unkempt red hair. He was dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt with black combat boots. Both of his eyes were black and he had a busted nose that hung off center. He had three scars on his face. Two were along his right cheek that went from ear to jaw. They still looked fresh and had recently been stitched up. The last was on his forehead going from one side of his head to the other. The man smiled at McCully and Arthur noticed he was missing some teeth along the bottom of his mouth. “What’s up boss?” Stitch said in a heavy Irish accent. McCully smiled at Stitch and nodded towards Arthur. “I need you to drive Mr. Freely to his house to pick something up for me. Make sure he gets it and bring him right back.” Stitch looked at Sam’s body and the blood on the desk and gave Arthur an evil looking smile. “No problem boss. How long does he have to pick up this item?” McCully looked at Arthur for a moment. “I’ll give him two hours. That should be more than enough time. Don’t you agree Arthur?” Arthur nodded. “Very well.You have two hours Mr. Freely. Don’t waste it. Thank you Stitch.” Stitch walked over to Arthur and grabbed his shoulder and yanked him up to his feet. Stitch was a lot stronger then he looked. “Let’s go buddy. Times a wasting.” Arthur looked back at Sam’s body one last time as he let Stitch lead him out of the office. Stitch lead Arthur to the parking lot of the Pot’o Gold pub. It was filled with some very high end cars as well as what you would expect from low to middle class people. Stitch walked up to a beat up black pick up truck. In the bed of the truck Arthur could see various landscaping equipment. A chainsaw and a sawzall were sticking out from under a large blue plastic tarp along with a shovel and other various things. Arthur wasn’t sure if Stitch was a landscaper or if he used this truck to dispose of bodies that Mr. McCully didn’t want found. Arthur reluctantly got into the cab of the truck next to Stitch and sighed. Hanging from the rear view mirror was a small leprechaun holding his hands out into fists, looking like he was ready to get into a fight. There were various fast food containers littering the floor and a big map folded up on the seat between them. Stitch started up the truck and looked over at Arthur. “For your sake I hope you have the money.” Stitch said. “By the looks of it though it doesn’t look like this will end well for you Mr. Freely. Where to?” Arthur knew he was in big trouble. It took him weeks to scrounge up the $3,000 that he owed. He didn’t have any other money in his apartment that he knew of. He had to come up with something or he thought this might be his last day on earth. “The Yards.” Arthur mumbled. Stitch looked at Arthur one more time and shook his head. The Yards were a beat up part of Big City. It was located near the old railway system that Big City used to use to import and export most of their goods. It used to be a thriving community when the rail system was in full swing. Homes sprung up around the yards at a fast rate and many of the workers lived there. When Big City built up the port and became a major seafaring city the railway system and the Yards became a thing of the past. Many people lost their jobs and the rail system began breaking down. Broken down trains and large sections of broken tracks were seen around the main hub. The rail system hasn’t been used in years and now lies in shambles. Most of the workers that lost their jobs moved away and the area became home to a lot of hoodlums and gangs. The houses were mostly broken down and graffiti marked most of the buildings around the hub. Most of the denizens of the hub were homeless and lived around the central hub. They built a little community out of make shift tents. Fires were always going in metal barrels littered around the hub. The few houses that were left standing housed the last few rail workers that stayed. Old Timers they were called. No one really bothered them and they knew to keep their mouths shut at what they saw happening around them. The gangs ran the area and did a lot of their business in the hub. The cops never came into The Yards anymore unless they were specifically called in. The whole area reeked of poverty and despair. The drive to the Yards had taken close to forty minutes. Arthur sat in silence during the whole ride and Stitch left him to his thoughts. When the Yards came into view Arthur began fidgeting. He was still unsure what he was going to do. He knew that Stitch would kill him if he didn’t get what McCully wanted. He probably took this truck so he could get rid of the body once it was all done. Arthur had to come up with a plan quick. “Where to Mr. Freely?” Stitch asked as he pulled into the Yards. Arthur lived in a small one story house that looked like it was about to collapse. It was in shambles. The yard had overgrown with weeds and the roof was missing tiles. The walls had mold and vines growing along it. There was a small metal fence that wrapped around the yard. Stitch pulled up in the driveway and shut off the car. He reached over and grabbed a small handgun out of the glove box. Arthur frowned and looked at Stitch. “Is that really necessary?” Arthur asked as he got out of the car. Stitch looked around the area as he slipped the gun into his pants behind his back. “One can never be to careful in this neighborhood Mr. Freely.” Stitch said with a smile. “Better hurry up. Times almost up.” Arthur lead the way inside. As he entered his house, he flipped on the light switch. The inside of the house was just as bad as the outside. There was garbage strewn all around the place. Stacks of newspapers were piled everywhere the eye could see. Pizza boxes and soda cans littered the floor. There was a small TV sitting on a milk crate in the middle of the room in front of a yellow colored couch that was missing it’s legs. The place had a damp mildew odor about it. Stitch looked around the room with disgust. “You live in this dump?” Arthur ignored him and went into his bedroom and flipped on the light. Stitch followed close behind. The bedroom consisted of a box spring laying on the floor and a small end table with an alarm clock on it. There was a small wooden dresser in one end of the room and clothes covering the bed and floor. There was a closet along the wall that was missing the doors. A few beat up looking jackets were hanging in the closet. Arthur went straight to the closet and began going through the pockets of the jackets. Stitch looked around the room for a moment before settling his eyes on Arthur. He pulled out the gun and held it by his side. Arthur rifled through all the jackets and found a few crumbled up dollars and some change and slipped them in his pockets before going to the dresser. He went through the clothes in there as well as the clothes about the room. After a few minutes he had about $7.43 in total. Next Arthur went into the living room and began rummaging around the place looking for any money he may have hidden. Stitch was getting impatient as he noticed Arthur’s lack of success. “Mr. Freely, we both know you’re wasting my time and yours. You have no money in this dump. Let’s just face the facts and go back and see Mr. McCully.” Arthur turned to look at Stitch and noticed the gun for the first time in his hands. Arthur took a deep breath before speaking. “He gave me two hours and I will use them. I know I have money here somewhere. I just have to find it. Give me a break will you.” Stitch shrugged his shoulders and looked at his watch. He checked out his gun and took off the safety before settling on Arthur again. Arthur was now on his knees digging under the couch cushions and trying to reach under the broken couch. He found a few more bills that he quickly put into his pocket before continuing on. It took Arthur about ten minutes in total to check the whole living room before he headed into the kitchen. Stitch stayed close behind looking at his watch every few minutes and shaking his head. The kitchen was the cleanest place in the whole house. Everything was put away in it’s proper place and the counters and appliances were clean. Stitch walked passed Arthur and opened up the fridge and took out a cold beer. He sat down at the small table and put his gun down as he popped open the beer and took a swig. Arthur looked at Stitch with disgust but hurried towards the pantry. He opened it up and took out a few coffee cans. Inside one of the cans was a small stack of money. It was rolled up and rubber banded. It consisted of mostly tens and fives with a few twenties sprinkled in. Arthur smiled as he slipped the money roll into his pocket. Stitch noticed the roll and gave Arthur that evil smile. “You might get out of this yet.” Arthur looked over at Stitch as he sat at the table drinking his beer. Stitch was ignoring him and looking at his watch every now and then as he looked around the room. “Why is your kitchen spotless, but the rest of your house a dump Arthur?” Stitch asked him absentmindedly. Arthur began taking out some pots and pans and found another small roll of cash hidden inside one of the pasta pots. He slipped that into his pocket and snuck a peek at Stitch. Stitch was ignoring him now and had a phone in his hand. It was one of those new smart phones and Stitch was busy doing something on it. Arthur grabbed the biggest pot he had and smashed it down on Stitch’s head. With a loud thump Stitch’s head slumped forward and hit the table. Arthur hit him again as Stitch fell to the floor. Arthur kicked him once in the stomach but Stitch made no sounds. Arthur stomped on Stitch’s cell phone and shattered it before grabbing the gun off the table. Arthur rifled through Stitch’s pockets and found the keys to the truck. Looking down at Stitch’s body one last time, Arthur wiped the sweat from his brow and ran out of the house.
