Galway Confidential

37

I agreed that I would be available to perform a favor for Edge if they helped catch Raftery. Rachel emphasized that they would ask for something and it would not be negotiable. I said I was fine with that.

A week later, I got a call to wait outside my building, and was told,

“Bring your hurly.”

I duly waited and a van arrived, two men in it. Brief nods were exchanged, no words. We drove to Athenry, stopped before a large farmhouse, the driver indicated for me to get out. A man came out of the farmhouse, he surveyed me, said,

“I’m Tarry Flynn, like the Patrick Kavanagh story.”

He looked at the hurly in my rucksack, said,

“You came prepared, good. Let’s go see the livestock.”

He led me to a large barn, and I followed him in. Raftery was tied to a hard chair, his left eye heavily bruised but otherwise seemed unharmed. He exclaimed,

“Jack fucking Taylor, Christ, you never give up.”

I moved up close to him and he jeered at me.

“What now, wise guy, you going to beat me with your hurly?”

I had a hundred things I intended to say to him, but my mind was just ice cold. I felt the slow solid beat of rage.

Flynn said,

“I’ll leave you to him.”

I stared at Raftery, then I swung the hurly with all the ferocity in my heart.

I was in the hospital, sitting by the bed of a man in a coma.

Raftery.

The nurse who had attended me was amazed, said,

“Your brother sat by you and now here you are doing the same for him, ’tis a wonder.”

Indeed.

I went every day. I wanted to be there when he came to.

On a Saturday evening, I had just washed the dog, who was now sulking. I poured a large Jay, gave the dog a mash-up of nuts with chicken pieces. I think he forgave me a bit.

There was a knock at the door and I opened it to Rachel, who I hadn’t seen since the van picked me up. She came in, I got a drink for her, we kind of settled and after she had some of her drink, she said,

“You didn’t kill him.”

I said,

“Not yet.”

She was dying to ask me, but I waited and finally she went for it, asked,

“What did they ask you to do? What’s the favor you have to perform?”

I gave her a long look, said,

“It’s confidential.”