Punks: An Excerpt from Tell Me More // Brad Kelln

This excerpt from Brad Kelln’s novel Tell Me More (Insomniac Press) is presented in partnership with moorehype. Tell Me More is the first instalment in the Blake Waiter Mystery series.

The GPS voice interrupted again and told me to take the exit on my right for Highfield Park Drive. I took the ramp into a high-density neighbourhood in North End Dartmouth. It was an area consisting exclusively of lower-rent apartment buildings—not exactly a prime crime and drug area but not far off. It was sort of in the middle. The GPS led me through a maze of buildings until it announced my destination was on the right.

There was a big parking lot mostly full of cars but I managed to find a visitor parking spot near the front. There was a small path that led to the front doors of the building. A group of late teen, early twenties guys hung around the path. The kind of guys who couldn’t pull their pants up all the way. Clouds of smoke billowed away over them.

"If I’m not back in fifteen minutes,” I said to Talus, “send in the army.”

"Shall I adopt my robot form and accompany you into the building?”

I was figuring Talus out so I knew to ignore this comment. I turned the Jeep off and got out. I glanced in the back seat to make sure the coffee can was tucked under the passenger seat, out of sight, and then locked the door and checked it a couple of times.

I took a big breath and walked down the path towards the crowd of kids. As soon as they'd heard me pull up they’d been watching, and now they deliberately turned, as a group, to stare at my approach.

One of them called out to me when I was about ten steps away. “You a cop?”

I got that a lot. I think it was my size and my close cut hair. “Nope,” I called back, and then thought maybe I shouldn’t have.

One of the kids with a scruffy beard and a ratty blue hoodie pulled high up over his head stepped onto the path blocking my way. He didn’t look up at me and his face was partially obscured by the hood. “What’s you want round here?” he mumbled at me.

It took me a second to decode what he’d said. “I’m here to see someone. Excuse me.” I tried to move around him but more of them stepped onto the path and I was blocked in. Fuck.

“Let me sees ur hall pass,” another guy said. Surprisingly, he also wore his jeans low and his hoodie high. This guy must be the comedian of the group because they all laughed at the funny hall pass joke.

“I don’t want any trouble, guys,” I said and held my hands out in a gesture of acquiescence. “I just really need to go talk to someone. It’s a bit of an emergency.”

“Oh,” said the comedian, mocking my voice, “It’s a bit of an emergency. I need to go suck someone’s dick.”

Everyone laughed again. I chuckled too, just to show I was a good sport but I was losing my patience pretty quick. “Okay,” I said. “Can I just get through now?”

The first guy spoke again and got right up next to me, but didn’t look up. I think he didn’t want to show how much shorter he was by having to speak up to me. “You didn’t pay the toll.”

"Toll?” I spat back. “Come on guys. This has been a shit day and I don’t ... ”

Comedian again: “Oh ... oh ... oh ... I’m having a bad day.” Then he switched to a more menacing voice. “Well, your day just took another turn for the worse, mother-fucker.”“Listen you little shit-stains,” I started because I just couldn’t help myself. I didn’t have time for this when a lunatic was holding my wife. “I’m going to go into that building now. I need to talk to someone, so why don’t you run along home now and get mommy to change your diapers.”

"What the fuck did you say?” the first guy blurted. He was looking up now and he was mad.

"Big mistake,” one of the other voices in the mob chimed in.

I felt hands grab me on both arms before I had a chance to bolt out of there. The little punk in front smiled and pulled an arm back to hit me but didn’t get a chance, because there was a bellow from the direction of the apartment building behind them.

"What the fuck is going on over there?” came a familiar voice.

Everyone froze and heads turned to see who spoke. It wasn’t hard to find the person attached to the voice. The enormous bulk of Chuck Peligro stood in the entranceway of his building—about twenty metres down the path.

"Oh shit,” the comedian said.

Tough guy dropped his punching arm. “It’s all cool, big guy. We just playin’.”

"Playtime’s over,” Chuck growled. “Get lost.”

"This bitch here was disrespectful,” tough guy said and nodded back at me where I was still being held in place.

Chuck’s answer was just to stare down the path.

"We needs to teach this bitch how to show respect, yah?” Tough guy kept pushing.

Chuck straightened his Oakley blades before he spoke. “I’m gonna count to three and then I’m gonna take a mental picture of all the little pukes that is still standing in front of me.”

The reaction rippled through them quickly. They exchanged glances and I felt hands drop off my arms. They didn’t want any trouble with Chuck. It was no surprise he had a reputation in this area.

"One,” Chuck said, just loud enough for us to hear.

Even tough guy’s attitude changed. “Oh, snap. It’s all good.” He waved the other guys off and they began parting, clearing the way for me.

"Two,” Chuck said evenly.

"Get the fuck out of here!” Tough guy yelled, and that was all it took for the group to turn tail and run in every direction. They couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

That just left Chuck and me staring at each other. He turned around and started back toward the building. After that display now I was wondering about going up to this guy’s apartment all by myself. He stopped at the double doors and held one open as he looked back. “You coming?” he asked.

As an answer, I jogged down the path toward the building.

Dr. Brad Kelln is a clinical and forensic psychologist based in Halifax. In addition to working full-time at the largest forensic psychiatric hospital in the Maritimes, he is a special consultant to both the Halifax Regional Police and the Nova Scotia RCMP on hostage negotiation and criminal investigations. He is an expert on violence and psychopaths and regularly speaks at academic and law enforcement venues. He is an adjunct professor within both the psychology and psychiatry departments at Dalhousie University. His previous publications include In Tongues of the Dead, Lost Sanity, and Method of Madness.