William doesn’t need to knock, he has a key. So does Calum. So does the next-door neighbour. At one point they had to tell their mother to stop handing out keys to all and sundry. She’s a very trusting woman. Right now, that’s a good thing and a bad thing. Good that she might just believe the cock-and-bull story William’s about to throw at her. Bad that she might just spread the word around. Calum’s convinced this is a bad idea. Told William so. Told him in no uncertain terms. Put on that cold and angry face he does. It obviously intimidates other people, but it doesn’t work with William. When you’ve seen someone running around the house with no clothes on as a child, the intimidation factor dims.
‘She’ll tell her friends,’ Calum was saying before William left the flat. ‘She’ll tell them, and they’ll tell their families, and word will eventually get back to Jamieson. I’m telling you, it will.’
He has a point. This city is a village, when it comes to gossip. Three degrees of separation, at the most. Their mother gossips to a friend, who gossips to a friend, who gossips to someone working for Jamieson. Inevitable that it gets back to him.
‘Would be better if you just didn’t tell her anything,’ Calum said.
‘Better for you, not better for her,’ William answered. Putting his foot down on this one. Playing the role of big brother. It’s okay for Calum, he’ll be long gone. Doesn’t seem to have occurred to him that William will be the last person left to look after their mother. Their father dead; Calum running. All the responsibility falling to William. He’ll accept that. Do his duty as a son. But he’s not going to make this any harder for their mother than he has to. Thank goodness she’s trusting. More willing to believe a positive lie than face the negative truth.
‘Hey, Ma. It’s William,’ he’s shouting. She’s a woman of routine. He knows she’ll be at home. Wednesday morning she does some old ladies’ dance class. Friday morning she does her weekly shop. Thursday morning, she’s at home. She tells Calum and William all about her life when they go round to visit. They nod along in all the right places, and forget what they heard the minute they leave the house.
‘William,’ she’s saying with a wary smile. ‘What brings you here?’ She’s alert to a problem. Not expecting her eldest at half past ten on a midweek morning. Not expecting an unannounced visit. William’s always been the one she suspected of being up to no good. She loves him. He’s a charmer. But he was in trouble at school, and his mouth has always been too big. She worries that he hangs around with the wrong people. Calum, on the other hand, was the quiet one. Never any bother.
‘That’s a charming greeting, that is,’ William’s grinning. ‘A guy can’t even come round and visit his decrepit old Ma any more.’
‘Less of that,’ she’s saying. Her guard down a little now. William seems to be in a good mood, but that’s never been a great indicator of anything with him. She still wants to know what he’s doing at the house at this hour of the morning.
‘Och, Ma, you’re so suspicious. I was picking up a car, coming past this way on my way back to the garage. I thought I’d come round and see you. See how you’re getting along. Am I invited round for lunch this Sunday?’
She’s smiling. He has such a charming way of scrounging. Got that from his father, God rest him. ‘You’re invited, if you want to come. You’re always welcome, my boy. Invite your little brother round as well. It’ll be nice to have us all together.’
That’s what he expected to hear from her. She always wants them all together. He wanted her to introduce Calum into the conversation. It’ll seem like less of a big deal that way.
‘Ah, well, Calum won’t be here this Sunday,’ he’s saying, forcing his cheekiest smile. ‘But I can’t tell you why.’
‘You can’t tell me why? There isn’t anything wrong, is there?’ A mother’s reaction.
William’s laughing. ‘No, Ma, there’s nothing wrong. Listen, if I tell you, you have to promise not to let on to Calum when you see him next. Okay? Keep this between you and me.’
‘Okay.’
‘Calum’s down in London just now. Going to be down there for a few more days, at least. Thing is, he’s got himself a wee girlfriend. She’s from here, but she got a job down there. And, like a lovesick puppy, my wee brother went running off after her.’
Oh, she likes that. William knew she would. It’s been a big concern for her that neither of her boys is married. She thought William would get married to that nice Morven and give her grandchildren, but it all fell apart. She still doesn’t know why. How can you spend six years with a woman and not marry her? And there’s been no sign at all of Calum settling down with a nice girl. She’s clapped her hands together and she’s grinning.
‘He’s away off after her? So it must be serious then? Who is she? What job does she have down there?’
‘Whoa, slow down. I’ve only met the woman a couple of times. Not for long, either time,’ he’s saying with a smile. ‘Seems pretty enough. I don’t know. More his type than mine.’
‘I don’t mean what does she look like. You’re such a man. I mean what sort of girl is she? Is she respectable?’
Questions about the girl means she accepts that the girl exists. She won’t dig too deep. Not as long as she’s hearing what she wants to hear. Which means William has to come up with some convincing detail.
‘Her name’s Emma,’ he’s saying, conjuring up an image from the recent past. That little brunette who came to the garage to call him a liar. Correctly, but still… ‘She has a degree,’ he’s saying, knowing that that will impress their mother. ‘She got a job with a research company down in London. Not like scientific research–you know, the good kind. Nah, it’s political research, whatever that is. Probably those people that phone up and want to ask you how you voted. Bloody annoying. She’s been down in London for a few weeks. Calum’s been itching to get down there and see her. I don’t know, seems like he’s taking it seriously. I haven’t seen him this serious before anyway.’
‘Now that is fantastic,’ she’s saying. She likes the idea of a respectable daughter-in-law. ‘Is she from a good family?’ She can be strangely snobbish when she wants to be, their mother. Not sure why.
‘I don’t know her family at all,’ he’s saying with a smile and a shrug. William never thought his family had much to be snobbish about.
He’s been here half an hour now. Long enough. Made casual chit-chat, the conversation constantly coming back to Calum.
‘I don’t suppose you’ll be hearing from him for a while anyway,’ William’s saying. ‘Not just because of the girl, either, although she’s got most of his attention. Us plebs are off the radar. I had to bloody chase him up just to say hello. But he won’t be calling. Lost his phone–idiot!’
‘Now, don’t call him that. He’s no idiot. Is it one of the little mobile phones he lost?’
‘Yep. It got real mobile on him. He’ll have to get another one. Put all the new numbers on it. He was complaining about it. Anyway, I’d best be off to the garage. I’ll be round about midday on Sunday.’
‘Well, I’m pleased about Calum. Although if she’s going to be staying down there, I suppose there’s a chance that he might stay there with her. I wouldn’t want to see him leave the city, but I want him to be happy. You know, William, it’s a sign. If your little brother has a girlfriend, then don’t you think it’s about time you do too?’
He’s made a rod for his own back with this lie. She’s been on at him about getting a girlfriend for a while. Keeps reminding him that he’s not as young as he used to be. Like he’s ancient at thirty-two. He’s back at the flat now. Calum’s sitting where William left him. Still looking lost in thought.
‘She bought it. When you get in touch with her, tell her your girlfriend’s name is Emma. Tell her she has a degree and that she works for a political research company. Other than that, you can say whatever the hell you want.’
‘Very original,’ Calum’s smiling wryly. ‘However did you think of that?’
‘Aye well, you’ll have to call her eventually. Give it a few weeks. Then let her know you’re okay and not coming back.’
Calum’s nodding. That’s not the problem. Once he’s settled somewhere, he can call. Might have another new identity by then. He can get a cheap pay-as-you-go phone just to use for calls to his mother.
The problem is Jamieson and Young. He’s worried about how far they’ll go. They will want to find out what happened to him. Nobody likes a mystery. Not in this industry. They will go to great lengths to find out what they want to know. If they find out that Calum’s mother is talking about her son as though he’s alive and well and living in London, then they will send someone round to talk to her. They’ll try to be subtle at first, but only at first. When the time comes for them to demand information, they will demand it from anyone. An old widow included. They’re not above knocking her around.
‘I still think it would be better if she thought I was dead. Or just didn’t know what happened to me.’
William’s shaking his head. ‘They’re not going to do anything to her,’ he’s saying quietly. Sitting opposite his brother and looking him in the eye. ‘Let’s say they do go round and talk to her. They’ll sweet-talk her. Find out that I know more than she does. Then they’ll come to me. I’m the one taking the risk here, not her.’
And Calum’s nodding, because he knows that as well. William is taking the risk, and it’s a dangerous one. They’ll turn nasty a lot quicker with William than they will with their mother.