Full of Money (7 page)

We? She spoke as if they had a partnership task to transform Rupe. ‘Oh, I don't see it like that.'

‘Are you . . . are you, well,
scared
of something?' she asked.

‘Scared?'
Wouldn't most people be scared to hear Pellotte and Dean had been data delving in the BMW around Bell Close, and specifically 19a there?

‘Does Rupert have special pressures?'

‘Just the usual. We want a good show. A lot of good shows.'

‘And I'm sure you will get one, get a lot.'

So fucking well behave yourself.
‘I know you'll contribute effectively and memorably to the programme's reputation.'

‘Honoured,' she said. No hiccup.

It had been time for the studio. All taking part went downstairs then. Edgehill left Sachev to tidy up the Suite and prepare for their return, post gig.

Five

Bumped into that group of slumming drinkers again, this time in the Dragon on Temperate Acres. They're friendly, treat me as if I'm one of them, but I don't like it, and if I ever write them up must do it cool. They talk too loud, draw attention, possibly antagonize. They're middle-class, professional/artistic/media, I think. I try to avoid. But they do occasionally come up with good information – good enough to dig further into. NB – non-attributable information, of course. Very. And NB further – some of what they relay as fact is rumour, buzz, gossip that they've picked up on their jaunts. Starting points only for real investigation.

This opened another set of the journalist, Tasker's, laptop notes. Esther reread them. Later, she'd get on to the summarizing transcripts of the interviews with Pellotte's Dean Feston and Gabrielle Barter Cornish, when they were pulled in on suspicion of the murder.

Esther knew her husband would watch
A Week in Review
tonight. She'd have to watch
with
him. The programme was almost sure to put Gerald into a loud, farcical, possibly violent rage. Most likely this would begin before the show actually came on. She decided to stay for a while, peaceful in her office, dawdling through the notes.

Of course, Gerald's rages could be fun, but when defending herself and/or retaliating she had to be careful she didn't hurt his hands or mouth in case this messed up his bassoon playing.

There might be a big concert due with Gerald soloing. Betty Grable insured her legs, and Esther often told him to do the same for his lips because her left lacked the absolute accuracy to avoid them always. Her right, better. Her right usually chinned. From somewhere in his genes, Gerald had an ironish chin, and rarely went down, although he might stagger about dazed and bleating for a while. She'd get him into a chair and fan him with a music score while humming some Bach, to make sure he stayed evil, so they could continue it. A fat lip, or lips, caused by knuckles slackened grip on the bassoon mouthpiece and Gerald wind that should have produced accurate music got wastefully blown into the open air. Some notes would sound dodgy – frail.

Gerald was certain to regard
A Week in Review
as intellectually decrepit, pretentious: lightweight but deadweight. His notion that getting invited to take part constituted an insult would be strengthened. Of course, he meant to accept the invitation if it came and knew he did. His fury arose from the tumult inside him: contempt for the show, and frenzied determination to get on to it. Esther would never accuse Gerald of being uncomplex or rational. He could hold one position and its opposite at the same time. Gerald gloried in the contrariness of this, thought it proved freedom of spirit, but also knew it was mad; and the two-way tug caused his twitchy, idiotic anger. Above all, Esther hated to see froth-spit on one of his already loathsome bow ties. She thought she'd go home just in time for the programme, so she wouldn't have to witness Gerald working himself up into a pathetic, all-round passion ready for it. He'd expect her to be with him for the actual show, and she did occasionally feel obligations to Gerald. If you'd often nearly felled someone with old one-two punches, and been eye-gouged and nearly felled yourself, it set up quite a little helpmeet bond, a sort of mutuality.

Definitions as given to me:

(a) Chairman: Overall control, biggest earner.

(b) Joint deputies: Split duties: Camby, street and rave trade, Watmough high quality clientele. Amicable arrangement???

(c) Head of buying: bulk deals with importers. Much travel.

(d) Personnel director: recruitment, discipline.

(e) Collector: responsible for company income from pushers.

(f) Legal liaison: organizes defence lawyers and general support when staff charged with supplying and/or violence.

(g) Security: armourer and press relations. Protection of firm's leadership and maintenance of battle readiness in case of Whitsun or other attack. Suppression of inconvenient publicity.

(8) Management structure of Happy Gardening Solutions, Whitsun firm:

(a) Chairman: Adrian Pellotte

(b) Multi-role assistant: Dean Feston

(c) Live on Whitsun in adjoining houses 21, 22 and 23 Hawthorn close. Pellotte has had 21 and 22 knocked into one.

(d) Tone of firm unflamboyant and super-muted. No further information available.