“Yeah,” I say, still grinning. “I was getting a bit confused there.”
My mother, bless her, knows I’m no angel, but she is unaware of the darker side of my life. I’ve managed to keep that hidden from her all these years, and I plan to keep it that way.
As we pull into the car park at Deville’s, I spot Sullivan’s car, and check the reg plate against the picture on my phone to confirm. It’s him. Perfect.
I walk my mother halfway through the car park, then turn back, using the excuse that I left my wallet in the car in order to grab a syringe from the hidden stash I keep there for occasions like this, then jog to the entrance of the restaurant and escort my mother inside.
As we are being seated, I spot Sullivan at the opposite end of the restaurant.
I keep my eye on him from my peripheral, making smalltalk with my mother until the wait staff comes to take our order, and I notice him making a beeline to the bathroom.
Suddenly I need to piss; what are the odds?
Once I’m behind the first door with no one in sight, I check for cameras, then remove the lid of the syringe before stepping into the gents. I enter quietly as a mouse and wait for the steady stream of Sullivan’s piss to finish hitting the water, then I “stumble” into him just as he comes out of the stall. The syringe enters his left thigh, and I press down on the plunger before sliding it up my sleeve, I stutter out an embarrassed apology as I slip into the stall next to him.
It happens so fast that he has no time to process what happened or even that he’s just been injected with potassium chloride. He’ll drop dead within minutes, and no one will suspect a thing.
I send off a quick text, confirming the deed is done. Then answer some messages from my brother Robbie, who currently runs Dandelions for me.
He had to let one bartender go for catching him snorting coke in the bathroom. I tell Robbie to handle the situation discreetly and make sure it doesn’t affect the reputation of the restaurant. Then he moans about one of the lads from the evening shift calling in sick with Covid.
There is a hint if I ever saw one. Urgh, fine. I’ll be a good boss and go help out!
I finish up in the gents and head back to my mother, just in time for the starters being served. “Sorry about that.”
“Upset tummy?” she asks, cocking a quizzical eyebrow at me.
“Nah, just Robbie.” I grab my glass of 7Up and add, “They’re short-staffed. I’ve got to help out atDandelions later.”
There is an unmerciful crash from outside causing my poor mother to jump out of her skin.
“Oh my God!” One of the server’s squeals. “Should we call an ambulance?”
“Is everything ok?” Mam asks one of the girls hurrying past.
“Car crash,” the girl responds, her voice trembling. “It looks pretty bad.”
I get up and go to the window, the driver of the car Sullivan hit seems fine, other than a little rattled. He, on the other hand, is as dead as a doorknob, the potassium must have kicked in right as he was edging out onto the main road.
I pull out my phone and call for an ambulance to report the accident and request immediate medical assistance. “Has the driver moved?” I ask, feigning concern.
“No, he hasn’t moved at all,” the girl replies, gnawing on her lower lip.
I finish playing my part as a concerned citizen and take my seat across from my mother. My sautéed Atlantic prawns are begging to be devoured. “This looks good.”
7
ROBBIE
The kitchen is bustling, the bar is hopping, I’m two men down, and I’m now trying to calm Samantha because one of the lads called her the wrong fucking pronouns, I don’t have time for this shit.
“He called me her, that is not how I identify!” They screech at the top of their lungs, over dramatic tears rolling down their face.
I pinch the bridge of my nose and take a deep breath, attempting to maintain my composure amidst the chaos. “Samantha,” I say through my teeth. “You were she/her, up until last week. Forgive Gary for not being a fucking mind reader, maybe stop adjusting your pronouns overnight. If you don’t tell anyone, how the hell are we supposed to know?”
Common sense does not win, they are still a hysterical mess. They would want to calm the fuck down before AJ gets here because if he walks in…
The chaos surrounding me suddenly comes to a grinding halt, which can only mean one thing.
