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I took a taxi back to my house on the affluent side of Liverpool. Half a bottle of gin had put me to sleep quickly enough, but fifteen years of heavy drinking had hardened my liver and I didn’t feel the after effects too badly. After a cold shower, a vat of coffee, and an Indian take-away, I felt ready to take on the problem of Charles.
I filled a plate with the remains of my take-away and strolled upstairs to the study. I’d considered redecorating it into my style a few months previously, but never got around to it.
The room overlooked the curved driveway, whose white pebbles weaved through the immaculate lawn from the security gates to the front door. The study had large windows, each with a mini-balcony, and in between was a desk. A blue carpet matched the light-grey walls. An egg-shaped hammock chair hung from a ceiling hook in the room's corner.
I chewed on a chunk of chicken pakora smothered in spicy red sauce and contemplated the room. “If I ever get out of this mess, this is the next room I’ll redo,” I said to myself.
I reclined in the hammock chair, my head buried in the fluffy walls of the cocoon, and swung like a pendulum. I scrolled through my phone contacts and dialled Lexi Baryshev’s number.
“Lexi, thanks for picking up. It’s Peter.”
“Pe’er, what a surprise. Are you back in Glasgow?” said Lexi.
“No, I’m still in Liverpool.” I briefly wondered whether I’d ever go back to Glasgow, and whether I even wanted to.
“Pity, I hoped you were calling to take me out for the night at the 29 Club.” She mentioned one of Glasgow’s more exclusive private clubs. I heard her take a long suck on a cigar, no doubt a Davidoff Long Panatela. “Last time we spoke, you promised to call next time you visited.”
“Sadly, I’ve not been back to Glasgow since we spoke. There’s a lot going on here. That’s what I’m calling about.”
“So what do I owe the pleasure of your call? Have you terminated Cassandra and want to send me her ashes as a keep-sake?”
I chuckled. “Nothing like that. I’m looking to get a job done and I think your syndicate could do it.”
“Ah, this is just a business call. How sad.” She sighed and took another suck on her cigar. “What are the details?”
“We’re working on a job that’s scamming the government out of seventy-five million pounds. One senior civil servant, the programme director, is taking too close an interest in what we do. I need him dealt with.”
She tutted. “No Pe’er, I can’t do that. Assassinations are not my specialism, no-no. I outsource all that. You want to speak to someone like the Tigress. I used her the other week to terminate a corrupt central banker in Brussels who was going to sell me out.” Breezily, she added, “She makes poetry out of assassinations.”
“No Lexi, you’ve misunderstood, I don’t want him killed.”
“But you said you wanted him dealt with. You need to explain clearer, Pe’er, my dear.”
“I simply need him distracted from his job long enough for us to clean up some loose ends he’s taking an interest in.”
“Ah, I understand now. Something like an integrity assassination. Yes, this I can do. One of my girls did an exceptional job for the Italian opposition party last month. She infected one of their rivals’ computers with some suspicious files.” She giggled like a school girl sharing a bottle of stolen vodka with her friends. “Wow, I can’t tell you what drama it caused. That guy will never work in politics again!”
I smiled. “That’s what I need.”
“Very easy job for me. I’ll give you a good price, Pe’er, what you call mates rates. Just send me his name, phone number, and where he works. I’ll do the rest.”
“You’re an angel, Lexi. How fast can you do it?”
“This sort of job we can do quickly—it’ll just take a few days.”
“Thanks. The next time I’m in Glasgow, I’ll take you out for a night to remember.”
With that, she rang off. That was Charles dealt with.
Now for Adam. I brought his number up on the phone. My finger lingered over the dial button for a few seconds. My breathing got faster, palpitations accelerated in my chest, and a clamminess enveloped my palms. I turned my phone off, not trusting myself to speak to him without giving the game away.
I shut my eyes and swung in the hammock chair, my feet only just touching the ground. The downy cocoon caressed my face as I worked out a plan. Fifteen minutes later, I had it. He and I had spoken on the phone this morning, so I couldn’t arrange another meeting so soon. But if I met him seemingly by chance, he wouldn’t suspect a thing.