The Drop

always dressed immaculately.
    Was it my imagination or was she eyeing me suspiciously as I buttoned my best jacket in front of the mirror?
    ‘Will you be back after the meal then?’ she asked.
    ‘No,’ I was trying to sound patient, ‘I’m on babysitting duty, I told you that too. I have to make sure Sarah doesn’t rape or murder anyone or get roasted by the Newcastle youth team.’
    ‘Why do you have to be the one to keep an eye on her?’
    I sighed, ‘because he asked me, because he trusts me with her. You could have come too, I said.’
    ‘And I told you I have to visit mother.’
    ‘I’m only saying, it’s not like you aren’t invited or anything.’
    ‘Well,’ she said, because she couldn’t refute the logic of that, ‘I just think it would be nice if you weren’t back late tonight that’s all.’
    ‘Laura, it’s her 21 st birthday and she’s going clubbing. How early were you home on your 21 st ? I have to look after her so of course I’m going to be late. Jesus!’ I scooped up my keys and left her to it.
    Bobby bought everybody a really nice meal at Café 21. There weren’t too many of us; a little bit of family, what little he had left, a young brother who had nothing to do with the firm, an older sister, there was the birthday girl of course and three of her friends, all lasses, since the boyfriend had been given the heave-ho, Malcolm, a bloke who worked for Bobby’s firm in a non-muscle capacity who’d known Sarah since she was a baby, and there was me.
    ‘Where’s the wife?’ asked Sarah.
    ‘Visiting her mum in hospital,’ I said, ‘the old bird’s not well.’ I didn’t tell her I was secretly pleased Laura couldn’t make it. Aside from the fact I had to concentrate on making sure Sarah was safe tonight, I really didn’t fancy a whole evening of Laura moaning that it was getting late, then getting the huff with me when I poured her into a taxi and sent her off home on her own. Since we’d got back from holiday she’d not been too much fun to be around. Sure she was worried about her mother but the old lady’d been ill, on and off, for years. She was one of those thin, scrawny women, who looked like an undernourished sparrow but I’d have put money on her reaching ninety and still moaning about her health everyday along the way.
    During the meal, I made a big point of drinking nothing but mineral water and I watched my manners. We then said goodbye to Bobby and the oldies and I drove the four girls off to the club in the Merc.
    We fought our way through the crowd and into the roped-off VIP section I’d sorted for Sarah. It was one of our places so I made sure there was plenty of comped champagne, the decent stuff, not the house shite we bought in bulk. The bottles of Veuve had been laid out nicely for our arrival in big, silver ice buckets with their best glasses and some table decorations. All of this made me pretty popular and Sarah kissed me on the cheek, ‘thanks David,’ she said.
    ‘No bother,’ I told her and it wasn’t. I mean I hadn’t actually done any of it myself. I’d just told them to make the tables look nice.
    Sarah said ‘I can’t believe you’re not having any.’
    I shrugged, ‘I’m your designated driver.’
    ‘I know, but you can have one glass,’ and before I could argue she poured one and handed it to me. We were all sitting in a half moon shaped banquette set against the wall, overlooking the dance floor. We toasted Sarah’s birthday and the girls proceeded to get well lashed-up. Before too long, they’d finished the champagne, so I ordered some cocktails then they hit the dance floor. They tried to drag me on there with them but I said, ‘later, got to see someone right now.’ Sarah did a mock pout. ‘Won’t take me long,’ I assured her.
    I then went to find Palmer, the guy I’d entrusted to discreetly watch my back all night while I was watching Sarah. He was hard to spot at first, being all of five foot eight in his socks. Palmer was a muscley Scot without an ounce of fat on him. He was a calm and soft-spoken bloke, particularly considering he was from Glasgow.
    ‘Anything?’ I asked him.
    ‘Nah,’ he shook his head, ‘quiet. Got a man watching the CCTV and he’s not seen anything unusual. There are no new faces that concern us and nobody’s been watching you. I would know,’ he would as well, he was ex special forces and very, very good, which was why I’d convinced Bobby he was worth having on the