Take Two

CHAPTER 14

Cohen stayed on the floor, curled up with his knees against his chest. ‘Get the fuck up and stop being such a baby, Nicholas,’ said Richards. ‘You took my money. I found out. Now I want it back. You’re going to be eating hospital food for a few weeks, but if you don’t stop fucking around it’s going to be a lot worse than that.’ Cohen didn’t react other than to sniff loudly. ‘Get the fuck up, Nicholas, now!” screamed Richards.

Cohen sniffed again and pushed himself up onto his knees. ‘Warwick, mate, let me tell you what happened,’ he gasped.

Richards stood up and pointed a finger at the kneeling man. ‘You’re no fucking mate of mine, Nicholas. Not after this.’

‘Look, just listen will you. I moved the money, you know that, but I can’t get it back.’ He coughed and spat out bloody phlegm. You know I gamble, right?’

‘What?’

‘Oh come on, mate, we’ve been to the races together. Cheltenham. Goodwood. I took you to Ascot once. All on me, remember?’

‘What’s your point, Nicholas?’

‘Cohen coughed again and sat back on his heels. ‘I had a bad year. I lost more than I won. Hell, I lost a lot more than I won.’

‘How much, Nicholas?’

Cohen shrugged. ‘A few grand at first. So I remortgaged this place. That was easy enough. But I kept on losing. So I borrowed more against the house.’

‘So your bank’s got my money, is that what you’re saying? Then you’re going to have to sell your bloody house if that’s how I get my money back.’

‘I’m sorry, Warwick. It’s more complicated than that.’

‘What do you mean?’

Cohen began to cry and he wiped his cheeks with the palms of his hands.

‘I was chasing my losses. I figured I was just on a bad streak and it would turn, so I borrowed.’

‘Borrowed? From who?’

Cohen swallowed nervously. ‘Lenny Wilson.’

‘Lenny fucking Wilson? Why the fuck would you borrow from that shark?’

‘I know, I know. I just wanted a loan for a week, I had a couple of sure things. But then they lost so I had to borrow more and then he started giving me credit and then…’ He began to sob again and buried his head in his hands.

‘Lenny fucking Wilson has my money? You stole two million quid from me and gave it to Lenny fucking Wilson? How could you lose two million on the horses?’

‘It wasn’t the horses, it was the interest. Ten percent a week. And then he said if I didn’t get the cash he’d kill me. And he meant it, mate. I know he meant it. And it wasn’t two million. It was just a couple of hundred grand, at first. I thought I could win it back so I took some from your account but that went and then I went back to Wilson. Then I had to keep paying.’

‘With my money?’

‘I’m sorry, mate. Really. I’ll get it sorted.’

Richards sneered at Cohen. ‘So what are you saying, that you’re more scared of him than you are of me?’

‘No, I just figured I could get back in the black before you found out. I’ve had a few wins, so I think my luck’s finally changed.’

‘Your luck? You fucking mug. There’s no luck in gambling. You gamble, you lose. It’s just that you’ve lost my fucking money, not your own. My fucking money. Why the fuck did you think you could use my money to pay off your debts, you fucking slag?’

‘Warwick, mate, be reasonable…’

‘Reasonable!’ yelled Richards. ‘You want me to be fucking reasonable. You stupid fucking twat!’ He reached over and grabbed a crystal figurine of a leaping dolphin off the coffee table, swung it to the side and smashed it into the side of Nicholas’s face. Blood splattered across the window behind him and Cohen slumped to the ground without a sound.