‘More importantly,’ Nicola complained. ‘Why aren’t you knocking on doors before barging into rooms marked private?’
Richard glanced at Geoff. ‘I need a word with Nicola,’ he explained. He glanced back over his shoulder as though he feared Black had already decided to follow him and was about to walk in on this conversation. The idea left a shiver of cold terror crawling along his spine.
Nicola folded her arms across her breasts and stared at him sullenly.
‘Your friend Chloe,’ he began. ‘Where is she?’
Nicola shrugged. ‘She’s probably in Birmingham.’ She looked puzzled. ‘Is that what you mean?’
‘I need to speak with her.’
‘Won’t you see her in the office on Monday?’ Geoff asked.
Richard shook his head, angry at the interruption. He waved Geoff silent. ‘I need to speak with her tonight if possible. Tomorrow at the latest.’
Nicola laughed. ‘That’s not going to happen. Chloe is trying to do something special for her boyfriend this weekend. It’s their anniversary.’
He pulled out his wallet. ‘I’ll pay her to come down here now.’
She shook her head. ‘I just told you, the pair of them are at a concert tonight. That’s why I said they’re in Birmingham. I think they’re at the NEC.’
‘Then tomorrow night,’ Richard insisted. ‘I’ll pay for her to see me tomorrow night.’
He could hear the desperation in his voice and wondered why neither Richard nor Nicola was questioning him about his peculiar behaviour. Were they used to seeing him in such desperate straits? Or did he appear so far beyond help that they were humouring him?
‘I’m serious,’ he insisted. ‘This is important.’
‘How much are you willing to pay?’ Nicola asked.
He relaxed, his paranoia briefly assuaged. If Nicola was trying to negotiate a price then that didn’t mean he’d come across as dangerously desperate. ‘I’ll give her a hundred.’
She seemed to consider this and then shook her head. ‘Give me two hundred and I’ll guarantee she’s here.’
He nodded and reached for his wallet.
Nicola held out a hand and Richard quickly counted the twenty-pound notes into her open palm. A spur of the moment idea came to him and he placed an extra twenty on top of the money. ‘Have her bring me a cheap mobile phone.’
51
Throughout the whole of Sunday he could think of nothing except the impending meeting with Chloe. Black’s Jaguar was again parked at the bottom of the driveway. Richard could see it lurking there when he peeled back a corner of the curtains from the bedroom window. He didn’t bother going for a Sunday morning run. Instead, he hid himself away from the stress of being watched by lounging in front of the TV set.
All the time he tried to imagine what he would say to Chloe.
Black appeared at the front door at noon to tell Richard that his mobile didn’t appear to be switched on. Richard explained that his mobile had been misplaced and he was then annoyed when Black barged in offering to help search for it.
There was no logical way he could argue against searching for the phone, not without revealing that he had deliberately tossed it aside the previous night at the restaurant. Grudgingly accepting Black’s invitation to help, Roger tried to keep out of the man’s way as Black blundered from room to room searching for the missing phone.
Two hours later, after searching through the house, Black claimed to have found it. He handed the phone back to Richard, offering no explanation as to where it had been or why it might be dripping wet.
Richard thanked him stiffly.
‘You’ll want to be more careful with that,’ Black suggested.
‘I’m going out for a meal again this evening,’ Richard said. ‘Will you be accompanying me?’
‘What a kind and thoughtful invitation,’ Black exclaimed. His eyes sparkled with a glint of wicked pleasure. ‘I think I would very much like to join you.’
‘I wasn’t making an invitation. I just figured you’d still be stalking me.’
Black chuckled as though they were sharing a joke. ‘I’ll be happy to accept your kind invitation,’ he repeated. He paused and asked, ‘Are we going to The House of Usher again?’
Richard hoped his shrug looked innocent and casual. ‘I guess so.’
Black nodded and then leant forward conspiratorially. ‘You want to be careful with your phone whilst we’re there,’ he confided. ‘I heard, last night, some bloke dropped his phone into the bottom of their indoor fish pond.’
Richard was still blushing when he finally managed to close the door on Black. Black, it seemed, knew that he’d been trying to get rid of his mobile. Black had probably guessed that Richard was worried that the text messages on the phone could be perceived as incriminating. With mounting certainty, Richard knew he could not let Black have a chance to talk with Chloe first.
That evening, half an hour before his table reservation at the restaurant, Richard walked to Black’s Jaguar and climbed inside. The interior had the smell of a car fresh from the showroom. The seats were redolent of new leather. The dashboard gleamed in the twilight with the polished glossy lustre of professional valet services.
Black considered Richard warily.
‘We’re going in the same direction, aren’t we?’ Richard reminded him. ‘I figured you could give me a lift.’
Black said nothing. It was obvious that he didn’t want to give Richard a lift and the air of animosity between them was set for the remainder of the evening. They sat on opposite sides of an intimate table each working through their meal as though they were dining alone.
Black was devouring a large rack of ribs whilst Richard, unhappy with the taste of the previous evening’s steak, had ordered the haddock. The meal was a slight improvement on the previous night’s fare, but it still wasn’t spectacular. Lost in the introspection of his thoughts he glanced out through the window onto the courtyard.
The fountain looked pretty in the fading evening’s twilight. There was no one standing there yet but he wasn’t expecting Chloe to arrive early. He picked unhappily at the batter on his haddock and then ordered a bottle of white to accompany the dish.
Black glanced up from his ribs. ‘You look like you’re coping with your grief.’
‘I’ve been fortunate that I’ve been allowed the privacy to grieve,’ Richard said, coolly. ‘I think that’s helped.’
It was a comment that managed to kill the conversation.
He sipped at his wine when it arrived and continued to pick disinterestedly at his food. Two tables across he could see Geoff sitting alone in front of an unappetising steak. The previous evening it had surprised Richard to discover that Geoff and Nicola were in a relationship. He had thought they were platonic friends in the same way he had always tried to convince everyone that he and Cindy were platonic friends.
Did that mean that Tony and Becky were also fucking? Was everyone in the offices of Raven and Skull involved with someone else from the offices? If that was the case, why was he even pretending that he hadn’t been involved with someone else? Surely Black must have known that all his staff had the lascivious needs of rutting animals? He wondered if he could shape those thoughts into a question for his dinner companion.
Movement near the fountain caught his attention. It was Chloe. She was alone. He tried not to react too hastily, counted to twelve, and then stood up. It was time to talk with her.
‘Have you finished?’ Black asked.
‘I’m going to the toilet.’
‘I think I’ll come with you,’ Black grinned.
Richard tried to keep his features indifferent. ‘I had no idea your surveillance was going to be this close.’
He waited for Black to climb from his chair and then followed the squat man to the gents. After they had both visited the urinals Richard washed his hands and waited for Black.
It was as they were making their way back to the restaurant that Richard clutched his stomach and pulled
a face. ‘Excuse me,’ he grimaced. ‘I think I need to go back there.’
Black considered him doubtfully.
‘Dodgy fish,’ Richard explained.
Black continued to hold his gaze for an instant and then nodded.
Richard walked back to the toilets. He glanced back over his shoulder to confirm that Black was no longer watching him. Then he hurried further down the corridor to the doorway that led to the courtyard.
Outside, the evening was clear and cool and liberating after the oppressive mood of spending time in the company of Roger Black. Chloe stood beside the fountain holding a small box.
She looked bored.
She was not particularly attractive, he thought. With her features hidden by too much make-up, and wearing clothes that were intended for someone slimmer, she looked like a fat ugly girl trying too hard to impress.
‘Chloe,’ he began. His voice dripped with forced good cheer. ‘Thank you for coming here on such short notice. It’s much appreciated.’
‘This better be good,’ Chloe said.
She passed him the box and he could see it contained the cheap mobile phone he’d requested. It was nothing special but he reasoned it would do to get a single message through to Cindy. He mumbled heartfelt thanks.
She brushed his gratitude aside. ‘This better be good. I had a weekend planned with my bloke. We were going to spend our Sunday night in Birmingham but your message to Nicola fucked that.’
He flashed a grin that he hoped she would interpret as an apology.
‘Has Roger Black been in touch with you yet?’
‘Black from the office? No. Why would he be in touch with me?’
‘Black’s trying to find out if I’ve been screwing anyone in the office,’ Richard explained. ‘If he asked you I was worried you might have misinterpreted that time you saw me in the office with Cindy.’
‘Misinterpreted?’ Chloe scoffed. ‘She was tugging you off and you had a finger in her. What was there to misinterpret?’
His jaw worked soundlessly for a moment. He could imagine Chloe saying those exact words to Roger Black. An icy finger traced down his spine. He forced himself to take a deep breath, stop trembling and regain his composure. His smile was fixed into a rictus.
‘I can see how it might have looked like that,’ he admitted. ‘But there was nothing sexual in that contact.’
Cindy raised a sceptical eyebrow. Her over-painted lips smirked.
‘So,’ Richard went on. His cheeks were turning crimson. He could feel the weight of her stare boring into him. ‘So, if Roger Black was ever to ask you about my friendships in the office, you’d say that I wasn’t romantically involved with anyone, wouldn’t you?’
‘How much is that answer worth?’
He stared at her in amazement. ‘You want money?’
‘You’re asking me to lie to Roger Black. Of course I want money. He’s a scary fucker.’
Before Richard could express his outrage further he was grabbed by the shoulder and thrown to the ground. He closed his eyes and prepared for the beating that he knew Black would inflict. When he opened his eyes, instead of seeing his employer, he saw a burly biker in a leather jacket. The man towered over him.
‘Kevin!’ shrieked Chloe. The boredom she’d been displaying was now gone. ‘This isn’t what it looks like,’ she said hotly. ‘Don’t hit him.’
‘Who the fuck is he?’ Kevin demanded.
‘This is just some guy from the office.’
‘What the hell are you doing with some guy from the office?’ As he asked the question, Kevin slammed one meaty fist into the palm of his hand. The impact made a wet smacking sound.
Richard flinched as though he had been struck.
Kevin’s brow was furrowed. His eyes sparkled with a mean and wicked intent as he turned to glare at Chloe. When he flexed his fingers, the knuckles made a sound like the cracking of thick bonfire twigs.
He’s going to kill her, Richard thought.
The thought was not distressing. Considering the way Chloe had demanded a bribe and looked ready to sell him out to Black, Richard thought he might be safer if she was dead or seriously injured. The idea came to him immediately.
‘There’s no need for violence,’ he told Kevin.
The biker glared at him.
Richard pulled himself from the floor and spread his hands in a gesture of appeasement. ‘I’m done with the bitch,’ he admitted. He glanced at Chloe, fixed her with an innocent smile and said, ‘I’ve had my money’s worth this evening. If you want to go in there for sloppy seconds I’d say you should go for it before her real boyfriend gets back.’
Kevin drew back his fist and aimed at punch at Richard.
Richard wondered if he would be able to get out of the range of the blow before it inflicted too much damage. It looked like it would cause a formidable amount of pain when it connected. He suspected he was going to have a broken nose, a missing tooth or two, and maybe a fractured jaw. He refused to let his eyes close. He wanted to see the blow when it landed.
Chloe leapt on Kevin’s back. She tried to pull his arm downwards.
‘Don’t listen to him, you stupid bastard,’ Chloe insisted.
Richard glanced at the restaurant windows surrounding the courtyard. Their entanglement was already capturing a lot of interest. He saw that Geoff was no longer sitting alone. The smooth bastard had been joined by a very attractive blonde. Roger Black was still methodically attacking his rack of lamb ribs and seemed oblivious to the fact that Richard was in the courtyard with Chloe and her psychotic boyfriend.
‘I’ll kill the fucking pair of you,’ Kevin bellowed.
‘He’s only saying this shit to wind you up,’ Chloe told him. ‘You know you’re the only person in my life. I thought you’d always known that.’
Kevin hurled her to the floor. She landed heavily with a crunch of bones that sounded uncomfortable. He glowered down at her.
Richard took the opportunity to scoot out of the courtyard and back into the restaurant. He didn’t care what happened between Kevin and Chloe now. He had hoped he would be able to politely ask her to lie to Black. But, since she’d tried to blackmail him, he now figured she wouldn’t be able to say anything against him without her animosity coming through.
He paused before returning to Black and sent a short text to Cindy.
DONT CALL BK. IM USIN A DSPOSBLE MOB TO SND THIS MSG. DONT FONE OR CALL. ILL B N TOUCH AS SOON AS THE HEATS DIED DOWN. RICH XX
Chloe moaned. He was close enough to the courtyard’s doorway to hear her miserable wail. The sound was cut off by what sounded like the impact from a powerful fist.
Richard swallowed. Smiling tightly to himself, he absently dropped the disposable mobile into the fountain where he’d dropped his own phone the previous night. Sitting back down at the table, contemplating the cold and unappetising remnants of his fish, he swigged from the glass of house white and topped his drink up with the last of the bottle.
‘Is your stomach any better?’ asked Black.
‘Better?’ Richard had to think about the question for a moment before he remembered he had pretended to need the lavatory. ‘Oh! Yeah. Much better.’
He replenished his drink and then downed another swig. It was a light and fruity white with undertones of apples and pears. He could also detect some sort of chemical flavour that he didn’t think had been there before.
The room seemed to be swaying. ‘This is strong stuff.’
He glanced out of the restaurant window and saw that Kevin was standing over Chloe’s motionless body. On the nearby table, Geoff and his blonde dining partner were staring at the scene with frightened wonder.
The woman kissed Geoff and then rushed out of the restaurant.
She reminded Richard of Black’s former secretary, Fiona.
He glanced at Black, ready to ask him what had happened to Fiona. Black was glaring at him. He seemed more interested in watching Richard swig wine. It struck Richard as unlikely that
he would want to share the excitement of the apparent homicide that had occurred in the courtyard or reminisce about his former secretary. The conversational gambit Richard had been about to make disappeared as he took another swig of wine, licked his lips, and said, ‘This really is strong stuff.’
‘Strong stuff indeed,’ Black agreed. ‘Although, I suspect the tranquiliser I put in your wine has added to its potency.’
It was the last thing Richard heard him say before passing out.
52
Richard rubbed fingers against the itch of a beard. How long had it been since he shaved? He remembered using his electric razor on the Sunday evening, prior to going out for a meal with Black. That was the evening, he remembered, when he’d sent Cindy a text message and argued with Chloe. He remembered seeing Chloe’s prostrate body with Kevin the biker towering over her. He remembered hearing that final wet punch that had probably ended her life. With a guilty flush he recalled that he had been the cause of their argument. He was the one who exacerbated the situation by intimating that he’d paid Chloe for sex.
That memory of his involvement was enough to make him sit up in bed.
The sudden movement sparked a furious pounding in his temples.
Hangover? Sickness? He couldn’t decide. Whatever it was, it was strong enough to make his stomach churn. His bladder was a huge swollen ball that needed emptying. His muscles ached as though he had flu.
He groaned.
‘You’re awake?’ Roger Black observed.
Black sat in an armchair at the foot of the bed. His profile was lit by the lamp from Melissa’s bedside cabinet. Black looked composed with a tablet on the arm of his chair and a stylus that he was tapping against the screen. His grin was the predatory leer of a starving vulture.
Richard did not like waking up to find Black in his bedroom. Involuntarily, he clenched his buttocks, hoping that the man hadn’t chosen to violate him whilst he was unconscious. Everything felt normal down there and he sighed with gratitude. But he still didn’t like waking to find the man so close to him. Warily, he shifted up in the bed.
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