Open Wounds by Douglas Skelton sampler

10 douglas skelton
McCall twisted in his seat to look at the boy, his face a question
mark.
‘No, look – we are!’ Jimsie insisted. ‘Okay, we’re no going deaf
– no matter what some us might hope for – but we spend a helluva
lot of time hanging around waiting for something to turn up. I
mean, look at us now. What’ve we been sitting here for… what?
An hour? Just waiting for this geezer to show up. So, see, he’s the
seal and we’re the eskimos and that closemouth over there, that’s
the hole in the ice and we’re just…’
Jimsie stopped talking and tensed. McCall didn’t need to look
towards the opposite kerb to know that their wait was over. A
black Audi had pulled up at the opening to the tenement. Standing
beside it locking the door was a balding man wearing an expensive
dark suit and carrying a briefcase.
‘Looks like grub’s up, Nanook,’ said McCall.
They waited until the man disappeared into the gloom of the
tenement mouth before Jimsie reached down to spring the boot
lock and they both climbed out of the car. The young man walked
to the rear as McCall hefted a pair of long-handled bolt cutters
from the well of the driving seat, then glanced over the headrest at
the dog, who was standing on the seat expectantly.
‘Stay, Arrow,’ he said and the dog sat back down obediently.
He was used to this. The windows would remain open, of course,
and any little scroat with larceny in mind would have to deal with
the dog. McCall thrust the bolt cutters into the folds of his long
lightweight coat and waited for Jimsie, who slammed the boot
closed and joined him, both hands in his pockets now, the folds of
his own coat pulled tightly to his body as if he was cold. He
crossed the road before McCall could say anything. McCall’s eyes
narrowed as if he was squinting against the sun. Something wasn’t
right here.
They paused in the shadow of the tenement opening to pull
thick woolen ski masks over their heads. The flat they wanted was
on the ground floor and Jimsie had already pressed the bell before
McCall caught up with him, his gaze flitting over the young man.
He was hiding something and McCall’s instinct told him it wasn’t