[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.‘And what do you think?’A pause.He exhaled into the mouthpiece.‘I think there’s a bad smell hanging around this one.’‘Why do you think so?’‘Just a feeling really.Hard to pin down, you know?’‘Nothing definite then?’‘Nothing definite.’ There was something in his tone that suggested quite the opposite.She felt a beat of excitement.‘Come on, Paul! I need this, I need it badly! I think I have two victims here, maybe more.’‘Look, Daisy, I wish I could tell you – but it’s not that simple.You see, we took a decision to keep this under wraps, at least until we could be sure of protecting our sources.’‘So there is something!’There was a silence interspersed with groans as if he were battling with his better judgement but quite enjoying the process.‘Okay, okay.I’ll tell you this much – there could be hard evidence.’‘What sort of evidence? You mean, more victims? Or – God! – are Morton-Kreiger covering something?’He laughed, but it was only to give himself time.‘Daisy, you’re a one-woman interrogation machine.’‘Can I have this evidence?’‘Whoa, whoa.We ain’t got it yet!’‘When? When will you get it?’‘Daisy, Daisy …’ He was objecting, but not that strongly.‘Ask me again after the thirtieth.’Ten days away.‘You’re not coming over for the PAN conference?’ he asked.‘Maybe I’ll have something by then.’The Pesticide Action Network was a North American umbrella organization with which Catch attempted to keep close contact.Alan had considered sending himself to the conference in Boston but had decided against it, not on the grounds of expense, which did not anyway seem to pose such an insuperable problem where Alan’s foreign trips were concerned, but because of pressure of work, a barb that had been aimed in Daisy’s direction.‘Maybe I will,’ she heard herself say.‘Hey, but I can’t promise anything, Daisy.Don’t come specially, will you? I mean, I might have absolutely nothing.’‘I was thinking of coming anyway,’ she lied, trying to remember what she had in her savings account.‘You were?’ He sounded pleased.‘In the meantime, Daisy, take my advice, don’t leave anything lying around.You know what I mean?’Involuntarily, she glanced around the room.Then, feeling faintly foolish at having caught herself taking the idea so seriously, she shook herself free and in her American-cop voice said: ‘Listen – suspicion’s my middle name.’Chapter 20SUSAN WAITED FOR the hotel doorman to dart across the pavement and set the revolving doors in motion before sweeping through.She was ten minutes late, but since that was exactly how late she’d intended to be, she did not hurry.Nothing, anyway, could add to the considerable flutter of nervousness already dancing in her stomach, a nervousness that was tinged with an odd kind of excitement, like wearing a revealing dress for the first time.The bar was dimly lit in the American style, so that it was impossible to see anything until your eyes had got used to the gloom.She stopped inside the door to get her bearings.Almost immediately the figure of Schenker appeared out of the shadows and taking her lightly by the elbow, guided her to a booth and took her coat.She ordered a glass of champagne.He ordered a mineral water with ice and lemon to add to the one already in front of him.‘Will you change your mind about lunch?’ he asked her smoothly.‘The restaurant does a lovely sole meunière.Or there’s smoked salmon in the bar here.Or club sandwiches.’ He’d been polishing up on his culinary terms and social graces, she observed.The sole meunière was dished up far less obsequiously than before, and with the correct pronunciation.‘I can’t, I’m afraid.’ In fact she had no other lunch appointment, but Schenker was not her idea of a scintillating lunch companion, and she wanted to be away and free of him the moment the business was over.‘Another time perhaps.’He asked her some dutiful questions about Camilla and how family life was surviving Tony’s appointment.Susan kept her answers polite but short.She had no wish to discuss her domestic arrangements with Schenker, and if he had any brains, he’d realize that too.He seemed to cotton on at last because he changed the subject, saying: ‘And how’s the fund-raising going? You’ve been doing great things for Save the Children.’ He probably thought she was on the scrounge for more funds.This year alone she’d asked Morton-Kreiger for sponsorship for a major water project in India and to take fifty seats for a gala concert, and got both.‘You know how it is,’ she said vaguely.‘The Third World’s a bottomless pit.’His small black eyes slid up to her face then away again several times.She could almost see him wondering why she’d asked for the meeting if it wasn’t to beg for funds.He reminded her of a cautious reptile, waiting motionless to catch passing morsels.They progressed unenthusiastically over the economic news, the state of the agrochemical industry and other equally thrilling topics until, unable to bear the sheer frustration any longer, Susan fixed him with her best gaze and said: ‘Listen, something’s come up.And I think you might be able to help.’The raisin-eyes flicked away then back again, looking flattered, wary and curious all at the same time.‘Of course.’ He reached for some nuts from the bowl on the table.‘You know a girl called Angela Kershaw, I believe.’His hand hardly hesitated in its journey from the bowl to his mouth.He also made a pretty good job of hiding the glimmer of alarm that flashed into his eyes – a pretty good job but not a totally successful one, and Susan felt a tremor of satisfaction at the knowledge that she was on the right track.He chewed on the nuts, a rapacious chomping.‘Umm … should I?’‘You and Tony had dinner with her in France.’He made a show of trying to remember.‘Oh? Did we? Sorry – one meets so many people.’Did he think she was going to be taken in by this sort of hot air? He must take her for a total idiot.Her temper rose and ripped away from her with alarming speed.‘Look,’ she hissed, ‘we can play games and pretend we don’t know this woman, or we can get on and save ourselves a lot of trouble.’He stared at her, taken aback, then, recovering, rubbed the salt fastidiously from his fingers.‘If you say so,’ he said cautiously.‘Go on.’‘This woman.She’s seeing Tony.I think she’s causing him problems.’‘Ah.I see,’ he said unevenly.‘I see.’ He was thinking hard, playing for time.‘What sort of problems?’‘I’m not certain.But Tony’s looking very worried
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]