Page 125 of Mother Parker
Elliot took a couple of quick breaths and nodded, wiping the tears off his face.
“My brother. He…I told him not to hurt you, but he…he’s not a bad person. I think. He’s the only one I got.”
“Elliot, you’re not making any sense. What does your brother have to do with any of this?” I snapped at him.
I had two wounded creatures in desperate need of attention. I couldn’t waste any time with fucking niceties.
He bit his lip, scratched the back of his head, and looked away from me.
“He-he asked me to scope out the shop. He keeps an eye on new shops opening. He asks me and his people to check them out. Find out more.…find…the weak ones he can take advantage of.”
“You-your brother is behind the racketeering?” I exhaled, unable to believe it.
I’d put my faith and trust in Elliot, and…
“He-he’s not a bad person. I promise. But he-he got mixed up with the wrong people, and…”
He fidgeted, and the light from the street lamp shone on his face for a moment. His cheek was red.
“Who did this to you?” I asked.
Elliot covered his reddened cheek and shook his head.
“It’s fine,” he said.
“Was it him?” I pointed behind us, to the general direction of the café. “Is that your brother?”
“The guy who tried to set fire to the shop? No, that-that’s not my brother. That’s Rat Man. He works for my brother though,” he said.
“Rat—”
“I don’t know his name. Everyone just calls him Rat Man.”
I thought back to the slimy little man who came into my shop twice, who threw Molotov cocktails at me.
“You know what, that seems fitting. But you said your brother wanted to hurt me. What happened?”
“Toby is not a bad person, I swear, but he-he gets carried away. He asks me to do things sometimes.”
“Things? What things?” Parker grumbled, and Elliot shook like a leaf.
“Just…things. Break this, pull that, you know. Things.”
I gasped. Sophia crowed in my arms, and I put a finger under her beak and scratched.
“It was you? The door, the fridge…the graffiti?”
As much as I hated violence, I felt the sudden urge to punch my employee. He’d caused so much trouble, and I’d been so nice and gentle to him, teaching him, training him.
I looked at the ground because if I kept looking at him, I’d take a swing.
“Not the graffiti. I didn’t do that. That was Rat Man. Toby put the pressure on us and Rat Man just went all out with the graffiti.”
“Well, how did that work out for your brother? His little minion has been arrested after the stunt they pulled,” Parker yelled at Elliot.
“Toby doesn’t know about the fire. Rat Man was pissed off when you blew him off the other day—”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Next time someone threatens me, I’ll try and be nice!” I yelled, only to get Sophia rattled.
