‘Jesus!’ said Alix.
‘I know! So I fire my clothes back on...’
‘You—’
‘Joke... And because it’s at the top of the house there’s no other way out, so I run out after her until I’m at the top of the stairs and the front door is already opening and he’s coming in and I now know he’s an ex-paramilitary so I’m not wanting to tangle with him so I just fire along the hall past the other girls and I dive into the first bedroom I come to... Fortunately it’s empty, and I’m across to the window, pull it up and scramble out... first floor, but there’s a drainpipe there and I just about get hold of it and shimmy down it... well, half–shimmy, I fell most of the way... but it wasn’t that much of a drop so just a couple of grazed knees at worst... and here we are...’
Alix was looking at him with her mouth half open. ‘Bloody hell,’ she said.
‘I know,’ said Rob, ‘I feel like lying down in a dark room.’
‘So do I,’ said Sean. ‘Sorry! I can’t help it! But well done! Really, seriously. You survived, you escaped by the skin of your teeth, and I’ve the photos to prove it!’
‘I’m not sure I want to see those,’ said Rob.
‘Why do you think she reacted like—?’ Alix asked.
‘Well – in the ten seconds I’ve had to think about it: maybe we forgot to check if her English is up to scratch?’
‘God,’ said Alix, ‘I never thought – because Marja’s is so good I just presumed—’
‘Or it could be something else. Maybe he’s got her so traumatized she panicked, because she knows she’ll get a battering if he thinks she’s part of it...’
‘Either way it’s a screw-up, and we’ve possibly made it worse for Anya as well... and it’s my fault because I came up with the stupid bloody master plan in the first place.’
‘No,’ said Rob, ‘well... yes, but there was always a chance of it going wrong, and it was as much me just not communicating with her properly.’ He rubbed both of his hands hard across his face, as if he was chiselling off a topcoat of grime. ‘Christ, what was I thinking? What am I always saying?’
‘Don’t get involved,’ said Alix.
‘Don’t get involved. I should have stuck to my guns.’
‘No, don’t say that. We were trying to do something good. You went in there and you did it, and many’s a man wouldn’t have even tried, so well done you. And you forget one thing, Rob.’ She raised an eyebrow.
‘What’s that?’
‘There’s always Plan B.’
‘Yeh-heh,’ said Sean from the back.
*
Rob had asked Alix and Sean to keep his escapade at the brothel on a need-to-know basis – it was an ongoing story that needed to be protected, and clearly nothing to do with the fact that he was deeply embarrassed at basically falling out of a first-floor window and being chased by a pimp with artificial knees. Yes, indeed, as Pete quickly revealed when they returned to the office, several years previously Rory McBride had been shot in both knees by his paramilitary chums for ripping his own comrades off in a drug deal, and now walked with some difficulty, and could hardly run at all. But it became clear the next morning when Rob sauntered into work that his need-to-know basis clearly extended to everyone who worked there, including the cleaner.
‘A brothel just round the corner from us,’ said Gerry, standing with Pete and Janine, looking in at Rob as he sorted the mail. ‘Who knew?!’
Janine gave him a look.
‘I really didn’t,’ said Gerry.
‘I don’t think that’s what you want your editor doing,’ said Pete, ‘diving out of a brothel window with his pants down...’
‘I don’t think he actually—’
‘I’m imagining him with his pants down,’ said Janine.
‘Please,’ said Gerry, ‘that’s not an image I want in my head.’
‘Oh I don’t know,’ said Janine, ‘there is something quite cute about him, in a dishevelled, slovenly kind of way.’
‘You always did like the dishevelled slovenly look,’ said Gerry.
‘Not in your case,’ said Janine.
He gave her a look. She gave him one back. They had history. Modern history that Pete suspected was quite possibly ongoing. Their flirting, and it was definitely flirting, made him feel awkward, so he was quietly relieved when he saw Rob indicating through the glass for him to come in.
‘So word continues to spread...’ Rob said without looking up.
‘Oh yeah, I saw it on Facebook...’
‘You—’
‘Joking.’ He took a seat in front of Rob and crossed his legs. Then he flicked at imaginary dust on his trouser leg and did his usual good job of avoiding direct eye contact. His eyes roved about, as if he was looking for something to be unhappy about. ‘But yeah, the general consensus seems to be that you were supposed to make your excuses and leave before she took her clothes—’
‘I was in the act of it when she whipped them off.’
‘And that’s what I’ve been telling people, but you know what they’re like. Wouldn’t it be terrible if she turned out to be underage as well?’
‘You what...?’
‘I heard she looked really young. If she’s just a kid, and she was naked with you, that puts a whole different slant on it, that’s the kind of thing you don’t recover from...’
‘I didn’t do—’
‘I know you didn’t, I’m just saying, people get hold of the wrong end of the stick, and before you know it it’s the gospel truth and you’re on the sex offenders’ register.’
Rob gave an exasperated sigh. ‘Nothing happened,’ he said, ‘and she’s over age. Anyway – have you been able to turn anything else up about Rory McBride? If anyone has to worry about bloody underage, then he’s...’ Rob trailed off. He knew Pete was just winding him up, but it was hard not to get riled. He was mortified. He’d gone from life-saving hero to knockabout clown in the space of a few hours.
‘Well,’ said Pete, ‘besides his mobility issues, he has various convictions for violence, so he’s not to be treated lightly. It’s unlikely he’s working alone, so if he’s maybe not the fittest, I’m sure he can call on guys who are. You don’t think he clocked who you were?’
‘Didn’t seem to...’
‘Well, it’s a small town and people talk...’
‘Really...’
‘So I’d watch your back for a while. I take it we’re letting this one slip now? Let the old order return – the police do what they do, and we report on it.’
‘Well,’ said Rob, ‘actually, we may be having another crack at it. I think it’s an important story and—’
‘Yes, it is. Doesn’t mean we have to put ourselves into it...’
‘Well, I’ll decide that.’
Pete finally focused on Rob, and he looked at him for what felt like a long time before he said, ‘You’re the boss.’
‘Yes, I am.’ Pete unfolded his legs and began to stand. Rob said, ‘Oh – and while you’re here, just wanted to say – best of luck.’
‘Luck?’
‘Aye – you know, about the redundancy?’
‘You what...?’
‘Oh sorry – I don’t mean it’s you, I’ve no idea who it is – I thought you would have heard. You normally have your ear so close to the ground...’
‘No, I—’
‘Sorry if I’ve put my foot in it...’
‘No, you... why, what’s happening...?’
Rob lowered his voice, ‘I’m not supposed to say anything, but I want everyone to have a fair chance.’ He leaned forward on his desk. Pete leaned in too. ‘I’ve to lose someone from editorial. It’s not down to me, it’s Gerry who’ll make the call. But I’ve an idea how he’s thinking – listen, Pete, I know you and I maybe didn’t get off on the right foot, but I hope we’re fine now...’ Pete nodded. ‘...and I think you’re indispensable, but Gerry, well, we both know he doesn’t really have much of a clue about journalism, or how this place tick
s. He’s a businessman, what he’ll be looking at is the bottom line. Michael and Sean, I don’t think they’ve much to worry about, they’re trainees and they’re not costing that much; he’s already told me I’m staying, so that leaves you and Alix. Now, you’re the senior man, you cost a little bit more, and that might be a problem. See, Alix, she’s good too, but she costs less, and... I hate to say this, and I’m not for one moment saying it’s right, but we both know Gerry has an eye for a pretty face and a well turned ankle. I’m just saying.’ Rob raised an eyebrow. Pete sat back, looking like he’d been punched in the stomach. ‘You’re a backroom guy, an unsung hero, maybe – maybe for the next few days, the more you stand out, the more you throw yourself into things, the better Gerry will appreciate what you do. He’ll see you’re not just a one-trick pony – know what I mean?’
‘I... sort of...’
Rob looked beyond Pete and saw that Gerry was just approaching the door. ‘Oh-oh,’ he said quickly, ‘speak of the Devil.’
Pete glanced back, then he quickly jumped to his feet.
Rob gave him a wink. ‘Talk to you later,’ he said.
Gerry stepped back to allow Pete out. Then he came in and closed the door. He thumbed after Pete. ‘God, the face on him.’
‘Gerry, that’s his normal face.’
Gerry sat where Pete had been sitting. ‘Well, he should do something about it, last thing we need is more misery around here. So, anyway, you were wanting to talk to me?’
‘Yes, I was. I need two hundred quid to hire a prostitute, and permission to use the company credit card to book a hotel room to bring her to.’
‘O-kay,’ said Gerry. ‘Do you want four hundred and you can hire two?’
‘Gerry, I’m serious.’
‘Rob, is there something you want to tell me? Are you getting addicted to—?’
‘Gerry, we’re going to get Anya. Lure her to a hotel room, then smuggle her out.’
Gerry nodded. ‘Who’s Anya?’
Rob sighed. ‘Anya is Marja’s friend.’
‘And Marja is...?’
‘Do you listen to nothing?’
‘Of course I do. But names... not my strong point. I take it these are the two hookers.’
‘These are the two girls who were being held against their will, and forced to sell themselves for sex. This is a major story, right on our doorstep, and I need you to okay the money.’
‘Why? As I understand it you took the first lot from petty cash without so much as a by-your-leave.’
‘You were out of the office... and that’s not what we’re talking about...’
‘It’s what I’m talking about. You can’t just go around spending my money on prostitutes, willy-nilly, so to speak.’
‘Gerry...’
‘Tell you what, you can have the money and the credit card if you tell me who you’ve selected for redundancy.’
‘I haven’t selected anyone, it’s not going to happen. Gerry, think of the bigger picture – this is not only going to be a great story for us, but if we pull it off, the nationals are going to be all over it, TV as well. That means money, quite a lot of money.’
‘Well, why didn’t you say? But still, to be honest, what I’m mainly still hearing is if we pull this off. What if you don’t? What if it all goes pear-shaped and you get battered or the girl gets hurt? This isn’t the sort of thing you can get insurance for, not to mention the fact that the way we are at the moment we’re struggling to pay for third party, fire and theft. But what if?’
‘It will work,’ said Rob.
‘I like a confident man,’ said Gerry, ‘but I also like a back-up plan.’
‘This is the back-up plan.’
‘No, I mean to safeguard my investment. Tell you what, put my money where your mouth is – I’ll spring for the girl and the hotel, but if I don’t see an immediate return on my investment, then you agree to what I’ve asked, you get rid of one of your reporters.’ Gerry extended his hand. ‘Deal?’
Rob took it. ‘Deal,’ he said.
Gerry smiled widely. ‘Now this at least makes it interesting. Good man you are.’ He got up and went out. Alix, just passing, said, ‘What’s he so happy about?’ from the doorway.
‘He thinks he’s making one of you redundant.’
‘And is he?’
‘Over my dead body. Would you call the rest of them in? We have a plan to discuss.’
Alix went to gather them.
Sean was the first to saunter in. He said, ‘Is it true someone’s getting the chop?’
‘Don’t you worry about it,’ said Rob, ‘it’s just Gerry trying to cut costs. The free coffee may not be free anymore, but that’s about the extent of it.’
Janine, perched on her desk, drinking some of that free coffee, watched the team troop in, then turned to Gerry, who, with nothing else to do, had begun to water the over-watered office plants.
‘Editorial meeting at this time on a Tuesday?’ Janine asked. ‘What’s up?’
‘Rob’s hiring another hooker. But this time he’s looking for a volunteer to take her to a hotel.’
‘Same old, same old,’ said Janine.
*
The Royal Hotel was literally just around the corner from Rory McBride’s brothel on Victoria Road. Like many of the buildings opposite the promenade on Queen’s Parade, it had taken a battering both from the sea air and the failing economy and as a result it was looking a little the worse for wear. But it remained defiantly open. Businessmen of a certain age preferred it to the nearby Marine Court Hotel because it was cheaper and friendlier, even if it didn’t have many, or indeed, any of the mod cons associated with the newer establishment. Even the fact that they used an outmoded term like mod cons fitted with the Royal’s customer profile, not that they would ever have countenanced such a thing. Rob or Alix, given the choice, would have chosen to stay at the Marine Court. Gerry would have stayed at the Marine Court – but he would drink at the Royal. Janine wouldn’t have been seen dead at either of them. Pete had the Royal written all over him. So this was where he booked himself in, and Forty-three was the number of the room he gave to Rory McBride when he called to book a prostitute for an out-call visit.
Everyone was stunned when Pete volunteered for the mission.
‘You?’ said Alix, and then for emphasis added: ‘You?’
‘Why not?’ said Pete. ‘You forget, I was doing stories like this before you were even born.’
‘Was this before or after the war?’ Sean asked.
‘First or Second?’ asked Michael.
‘Were you actually in the war?’ Sean asked.
‘First or Second?’ asked Michael.
Pete made a face. He wasn’t actually that old. He maybe had a couple of years on Rob, but he was the kind of man who had always looked older than he was, and his natural conservatism in style and dress and attitude aged him as well. Pete was comfortable and dependable, a worker, a toiler behind the scenes, he believed in family and the church and a quiet life, none of which prevented him from being a two-faced shit-stirrer with a bitter streak; but nobody’s perfect. He was definitely the least likely of all of them to volunteer to lure a prostitute to a hotel room, although when they discussed it later, when he was out of the room, Rob said, ‘Well, who knows? Maybe he does it all the time. Isn’t it usually the quiet ones you have to watch?’ Rob was only joking, but they all nodded solemnly.
Pete made the call to Rory from his desk. Rob tried to shepherd the rest of the team away so he could have some privacy, but Pete wasn’t the least bit bothered. He spoke with his usual calm efficiency. He asked Rory what girls he had available that evening and took his time before deciding on the one whose description most closely matched what he knew about Anna. Rory then confirmed her name, and as they concluded the details of the coming transaction Pete gave the rest of the team the thumbs-up.
By nine o’clock that night Rob and Alix were in one vehicle, sitting in the car park opposite the Royal – which also
gave them a view of Victoria Road, along which Anya and presumably Rory would walk to the appointment, it being only a matter of a few hundred yards away from the brothel. Sean was in one of the few parking spaces immediately in front of the hotel, with his camera surreptitiously mounted on the dash to capture the comings and goings. Gerry, who had nothing to do with any of it, but was nevertheless fascinated by the cloak-and-dagger nature of it, had positioned himself in the hotel bar much earlier than was either necessary or advisable, and was quite drunk by the time Rory and Anya entered through the revolving front doors. He had already seen Sean’s photos of Rory, and recognized him immediately, while also having a vague notion that he’d previously noted him as a character about town; Anya, if it was indeed her, was no Pretty Woman. There was nothing glamorous about her: she was thin and looked sickly; she was dressed as if she was on a work placement in an accountancy firm rather than for seduction, but maybe that was what was required to blend in. They both looked slightly dishevelled from the sea wind howling outside. Gerry, now on his fourth pint, wondered why the woman on the reception desk, which he had a clear view of, didn’t challenge them when they went straight for the lift. It was a small enough hotel, and not exactly busy, so she must have had a good idea who was staying there; instead she exchanged a bored nod with Rory as he waited for the lift to arrive, which made Gerry think that maybe she knew exactly what was going on and that it happened regularly. Small, quiet, seaside town like this.
Out in the car, Rob phoned Pete.
‘They’re on their way up.’
‘Okay.’
‘No need to be nervous.’
‘I’m not nervous. We need rid of scumbags like Rory McBride.’
‘That’s the spirit. Good luck.’
Pete cut the line. Of course he was nervous. He stood facing the door. He was wearing his office shirt and tie, open at the collar. His jacket was lying on the bed beside a briefcase he’d brought from home. Pete had been married to Edna for seventeen years. It wasn’t a happy marriage. It had sucked the life out of him and made him sour. He was aware of it but couldn’t help it.
There was a knock on the door. On a bigger paper there might have been hidden cameras, or a crew listening to every- thing in the next room, ready to pounce and confront. Pete had a notebook and a pen. The pen was mightier than the sword, though right at that moment it didn’t quite feel like it. He’d opened a bottle of beer and poured half of it down the sink, but now he lifted it, took a swallow and went to the door, for all the world the stressed businessman looking for some R&R after a hard day of negotiation.
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