‘This is the square of Ovid, you know of Ovid, the poet?’
Tom had a vague recollection of the name from his schooldays. ‘Yes, I know of Ovid, can’t say I know any of his poetry off by heart though.’
The Israeli laughed. ‘Me neither, just I know there was such a man and he had a connection with this city.’
Ehud ordered a pizza and Tom asked for an omelet. The food arrived quickly and they ate in silence for a while. It was tasty and filling, and they followed it with two coffees. Ehud looked at his watch and pushed back his chair, dropping some notes on the table. ‘Let’s go, we must go to the train now.’
The station was not far away; Tom waited on the platform while his companion bought a ticket at a tiny window. The train pulled in, exactly on time, and Ehud showed him how to read his compartment number and seat number from the small pasteboard slip.
‘We talk soon, Tom, have a good trip. I hope that we make a very successful business together.’
‘I hope so too, Ehud; thanks for all your help.’
CHAPTER TWELVE
‘Tough trip?’
Tom stretched himself back in the front seat of the Mercedes. ‘It was tough, Tania, but thanks for coming out to collect me; I’m too wrecked to queue for a taxi.’
‘You had to go round the houses to get home.’
‘Yes, Bucharest, then Prague and on to Dublin, and I had a three hour train trip from Constanta to Bucharest as well.’
‘Sounds like a long day.’
‘It was, left the hotel at eight this morning Bulgarian time, had a long road trip to Constanta, and the taxi from Bucharest station to the airport took another hour, just made the bloody flight.’
‘You’ll have to plan ahead a bit for the next trip, that’s too much of an ordeal. Anyway, fill me in on the details; I only got the bones of it from you on the phone.’
Tom recanted the details of the arrangements he had made with Ehud and the Bulgarians, and the potential he could see in the project near Sunny Beach. Tania was amazed at the possibilities.
‘I knew that Bulgaria would be good, I just had a feeling about it. If we can do another Kover Amber on it, and with eight hundred apartments, we’ll make a bloody fortune.’
‘I don’t think that will be the end of it either; they have another project in their own backyard, same kind of size, called Kukovo, but the Sunny Beach North job will give us a great start. If any of our competitors try to get in behind us we’ll have a second string to our bow, so we won’t have to worry about product for six months at least.’
Tania drummed her fingertips on the wheel as she waited for the lights to change. ‘Is it wide open out there, could someone like Harry go there and get a break like we got this week?’
‘Are you worried about Harry? I don’t think you have to. I’d be more concerned about some of the others, maybe some small outfit that wants to get big quickly. It’s very difficult to do business there, it seems to be a bit of a mafia setup; I heard some stories of developers killing each other to gain an upper hand.’
‘Killing each other? You mean literally? Dead bodies?’
‘Yes, seems like they are involved in some kind of natural selection process. Only the fittest will survive and all that.’
She pulled up outside Tom’s apartment building. ‘Be careful anyway, Tommy baby, don’t get yourself killed for my shiny things. Are you not inviting me in?’
‘Not tonight, Tania, I’m about ready to drop. See you in the morning; we have a show to run.’
‘Ok, if I’m not wanted. Don’t you want to know about Turkey?’
‘Of course, forgot about that, how did you get on?’
Your contact Omer, he came over and we hammered out a deal; we’ll be selling the villas tomorrow. The site is right next door to the Blue Apart Hotel, and we’ll be doing as you suggested, two years rental guarantee at five percent. He keeps half of any rent on top of that and we get the rest. He seemed happy enough, I think that the project was going very slowly for him, we maybe threw him a lifeline.’
‘Well done, boss, now I’ll leave you and get some sleep.’
Tania was in her office when Tom arrived; he dropped gratefully into the chair across from her desk and peeled open his coffee.
‘Sorry, would have brought you one, didn’t think you’d be in this early.’
‘No problem, Tom, I had some already. No, I had to come in, I’m working on something.’ She pushed back her chair and looked at Tom. ‘I have something I want you to do for me.’
‘Within reason.’
‘You know the way that Murtagh is always on the TV talking about foreign property? He’s something of a pundit I suppose you’d call him.’
Tom nodded. ‘He is because we made him one. That jackass knows nothing about the overseas market; anything he comes out with is what he got from us.’
‘That’s what I’m coming to, we made him what he is; would you agree?’
‘Sure.’ Tom wasn’t clear on what his boss had in her mind. ‘Only because it suits us; he’s out there plugging all the spots we’re doing business in. It’s free advertising for us.’
‘It is, but it’s also free advertising for all our competitors; twenty four at the last count.’
‘I’m sure you’ll get to the point in a minute, Tania.’
‘It’s very simple, Tom, I want to go on TV, not just once but every week if possible. I want to be the choice of all the producers whenever they need an expert on foreign property. I want to be known as the leading foreign property expert in the country.’
Tom didn’t know whether to laugh or say nothing. He looked at his boss; she had a serious look on her face, there was no doubt that she was in deadly earnest about this latest plan. He wasn’t so sure about the wisdom of her idea though; it seemed to him to smack of vanity rather than common sense.
‘I don’t like it, Tania, if they throw questions at you that you can’t answer....’
‘That’s where you come in, Tom; I want you to write me a synopsis of each market and to predict the kinds of questions that might be asked. Also, from today I want you to stop doing the radio slots; I’ll do them from now on as well.’
‘Ok, suits me very well if you can manage it.’
‘Another thing.’ Tania leaned forward across the desk. ‘We need to up the ante a bit, let people know in no uncertain terms that we are the big guns in this business. From now on we don’t do property shows, or property expos; this weekend’s show is advertised as an ‘investment seminar’, that’s what we will call all our shows from now on.’
‘Ok, I go along with that. I like the sound of it actually.’
‘So, get going and prepare me for the TV show tomorrow, I need a briefing document in two hours.’
‘If you think it’s wise, Tania, but I still have my concerns.’
‘Don’t worry about my ability to perform live on air; I’m well able to do that. What other worries have you got?’
‘ Murtagh. If you put him off side, lose him his bit of fame, we’ll make an enemy of him.’
‘ Murtagh will do what he’s told; at the end of the day we spend five grand a week with the Globe group, that’s enough clout for us to call the shots.’
Tom didn’t see it that way; if Murtagh got mad he might start being a journalist, start questioning things. All that they needed was someone to ask a few simple questions and the whole overseas property market would come crashing down around their heads. Still, there was no stopping Tania Sherry when she got the bit between her teeth.
‘So how do you propose getting on the TV? You can’t just ring up the stations and tell them that you’ll be taking over from Murtagh from now on.’
Tania smiled smugly. ‘I didn’t tell you; that’s all sorted. Mickey Macken, the racing guy, he’s promised to get me on the business show tomorrow, and on the property show on Tuesday. I’m going to be billed as Doctor Sherry, the property doctor.’
‘Mickey Macken! That jerk? How
do you know him?’
‘Don’t be so judgemental, Tom, he’s not at all like people think; he’s a lovely man. He was in with me on Wednesday while you were off enjoying yourself in Bulgaria. Can you believe this; he’s going to buy ten apartments from us in our next project? You see, I’m working hard selling apartments here while you’re off on your travels.’
‘I meant to warn you about Macken, Harry and Walter had an episode with him a few weeks ago. I was going to tell you about it at the time but it slipped my mind.’
‘What kind of an episode?’
‘He did the same thing with them; he booked ten apartments and then went off touting them among his hangers-on and cronies. He has to get a grand per apartment of a commission, insists on it, but no sign of a deposit or anything. When Harry pressed him for deposits he got stroppy with him, more or less said that he had lots of power and could make things difficult for Sunspots.’
Tania pondered this new information for a moment; then she brightened. ‘But he’s getting me on TV, that’s something. Anyway, what harm if he doesn’t have customers for the bloody apartments, maybe we can use it to our advantage.’
Tom had the feeling that he was playing catch-up again. ‘I’m sure you have an angle Tania, what are you thinking?’
‘I can wind Macken round my little finger; I suggest we make him the front man for our advertising campaign in Bulgaria, make it look as if he is endorsing the project, or even almost appear as if he’s the developer. That way, people will have a lot more confidence in it, you know, he’s a very famous name in sport and all that.’
‘But how will you persuade him? Harry found him very difficult.’
Tania smiled knowingly. ‘You know that I can get what I want when I want, Tom; I’ll take care of Mickey Macken. After all he used to be a jockey, didn’t he? I’m sure he hasn’t lost the knack.’
The Bulgarian business was going well; for a place that nobody had ever heard of a few weeks before, suddenly everyone was an expert on Bulgaria. The Scorpio team had shifted three hundred apartments to small investors who were excited about the prospect of a guaranteed rental return on their properties, and the newspapers were full of information on this emerging economy. Tom’s contacts within the newspaper business were providing almost all the facts in the marketplace, and Tania was now a regular contributor to a succession of radio and television shows.
He reached for the remote control and turned up the sound. The well-tanned breakfast show presenter was finishing off an interview with a woman who had several elderly greyhounds to re-home; the piece featuring Tania and Mickey Macken was just about due.
‘So, coming up next, we have two experts on the overseas property market and the fantastic opportunities that are to be found for Irish investors in beautiful Bulgaria. Join us after the traffic report when we will be talking to Doctor Tania Sherry and our own Mickey Macken about the superb value that is to be found in that part of the world, and be in with a chance to win a trip to Sunny Beach. See you after the break.’
Tom flicked on the kettle again and made another cup of tea. The traffic was getting worse by the day; the booming economy that was driving the overseas property business was also grinding to a halt as more and more people got jobs and bought more cars to add to the numbers already crowding the roads. It was time to get to the office, but not until he had seen how Macken would handle this slot.
The traffic report finished and the programme returned to the studio where Tania relaxed on the couch as though she owned the place. Macken sat beside her, his short legs dangling over the edge of the brightly coloured sofa. He looked self conscious in his casual attire; Mickey preferred the tweedy look that went with his more usual racecourse environment.
‘So, Doctor Sherry, welcome to the show, and of course Mickey Macken, no stranger to the viewers.’ The presenter was treading carefully; this had the potential to become a serious piece, not what was expected this early in the morning.
Tania gave her broadest smile straight to the camera. ‘Delighted to be here, Anto.’ It seemed to Tom that her breasts had got bigger; she was showing a lot of cleavage and the camera operator was making the most of it.
‘So, Doctor Sherry, you own the largest overseas property company in Ireland, and of course we see Mickey here on our screens a lot, promoting your developments in Bulgaria. Why Bulgaria?’
Tania never stopped smiling. ‘Well, Anto, as you know we sell beautiful properties in Spain, but unfortunately not everyone can afford them, so we had to look for an alternative where Irish investors could get real value for money as well as the fantastic weather that they have come to expect in Spain.’
‘So is Bulgaria similar to Spain, climate wise?’
‘Yes, Anto. Beautiful climate, fabulous weather, and of course when they join the EU all the property will double in price. It really is too good an opportunity to miss, and investors have been voting with their feet for the last few weeks since we launched our project at Sunny Beach North. This is the only game in town, Anto, when it comes to investment overseas; welcome to the New Spain as we say.’
So, Mickey, would you say that Bulgaria is a good bet? It is a good each way shot, great weather and great investment?’
Macken grinned at the camera. ‘Better than a safe bet, Anto; you get your money back and lots more with it, and a guaranteed return of five percent for the first two years after completion. This is the bet that never loses, Anto. No fallers or non-runners here, Anto.’
‘Excellent. That’s the kind of news that we love to bring to our breakfast viewers. Looks like everyone who can scrape up a few bob should get to your investment seminar at the weekend. And if you want to win a trip to Sunny Beach, text your name followed by the word Scorpio to the number on the top of the screen right now. Calls cost one euro per text, network charges may vary.’
The camera zoomed out to show Tania and Macken on the couch, Tania was still smiling broadly and Macken swung his short legs to and fro. The presenter leaned towards Tania; Tom had a terrible moment when he thought that she would let him have a piece of her mind for staring at her cleavage, but her smile never wavered.
‘So, Doctor Sherry, thanks for coming in this morning, and we’ll see you at your investment seminar at the weekend, details in all the national press?’
‘Thank you, Anto, anyone who wants to make some money from foreign property needs to be well informed; we have an investment seminar every weekend, get there early for the best choices and before prices get too high.’
‘We’re having a lovely week here this week, nobody would ever go abroad if we had weather like this, but of course we don’t, so that’s where you come in. So, what’s the weather like in Bulgaria right now; is it as nice as here?’
Tania looked flustered; she glanced down at her notes. The smile never wavered but it was beginning to look strained. The silence seemed to Tom to go on for ever, but eventually she looked straight at the presenter. ‘It’s like here right now, but nicer.’
Tom was leaving the car park when he got the first call of the day. He clicked the phone into the cradle and answered on hands-free.
‘Good performance, Tania.’
‘Fuck you, Tom, you left me out on a limb there, you know I’ve never been to bloody Bulgaria. Why didn’t you brief me about the weather, the stupid prick nearly caught me out.’
‘Come on, Tania, how was I supposed to predict a low ball like that? Anyway you finessed it ok, nobody noticed that you were lost for words for a second.’
‘Not good enough, Tom, you’re pulling serious money out of this company every month; I’m not paying you that kind of money to half do a job. I don’t need another slipup like that, ok?’
Tom sighed. ‘Ok, Tania, next time I’ll try to predict the fucking future.’ He punched the phone into silence.
It rang again; Tom swore at the instrument. ‘Fuck off, Tania, I’ve heard enough shit for one morning.’ He pressed the green button.
‘Tom, T
om.’ Ehud’s voice was excited, panicky. ‘Bad news, Tom, big problem for us.’
The tone of the Israeli’s voice startled Tom; there was clearly something badly amiss. He pulled in to the side of the road and plucked the phone from the holder. ‘What’s wrong, Ehud? What’s up?’
The Israeli was slightly breathless, as though he had been running. ‘Sorry to call you so early, but this is very urgent, my friend.’
‘What’s wrong, Ehud?’
‘Is Andon, he is dead. This morning, half hour ago.’
‘Andon, the mayor, the developer?’
‘Yes, Andon.’
‘What happened, was it a car crash?’
‘No crash. One bullet, in the head. He step out on the balcony for cigarette, bang!’
Tom almost dropped the phone. ‘Fuck. How? Who killed him? Why?’
‘Some persons, you know of who I speak, they do not like that we are making so much business so quickly I think. They do not want another big developer in this area. Maybe if we had started with the Kukova project it would have been better.’
‘How did it happen?’
‘They invite us to meeting on their site this morning; they tell us that they want to buy us out of our development, to amalgamate all projects in that area. Andon says no way; we don’t need to make a business with them, we doing ok. He walks out on the balcony for his cigarette, then we heard rifle shot from one of the buildings across the street. He is dead; one shot through the head, looks like was a military person, good shot, very good shot.’
Tom felt sick in his stomach; this was the worst possible outcome. ‘So what happens now? What about the sales we’ve made? Will Petar be able to finish the project?’
‘Sure, Petar will finish, but they will take over the project anyway, we will have to pay them some money to stay in the game.’
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