The Business

I squeezed his hand gently. 'No need.'

'Yes, there is.  They asked me which way you'd jump, Kate, how you'd react.  They asked me not to say anything to you.  I agreed not to.  Should have.'

'Was this just Dessous and Hazleton, or did the Prince take part in these discussions?'

'Just those two, and Tommy Cholongai when they brought him in later.  They were only hoping Suvinder would pop the question; dropped a few hints, maybe.  But I should have said something to you, Kate.'

'Uncle Freddy, it's all right.'

'They're worried, Kate.  They thought they had this all tied up, but then they realised that they were relying on Suvinder's word or, more to the point, on his greed.  And it gradually dawned on them he wasn't actually as selfish as they'd assumed.  Not like them, I suppose.'

'A cultural thing, maybe.'

'Hmm.  Perhaps.  But either way, they thought if they could get you in there they'd be going some way to guaranteeing the deal.'

'I bet they did.'

'I expect they'll still go ahead.  With the whole thing.  Do you think so?'

'I have no idea.'

'I think they wanted to know how…Damn, I don't know what the word is.  Mind's going.  I don't know.'

'Take your time.'

'Oh, I don't think so.  I don't think I've… Well, anyway.  They wanted to know how you might react to the place, to the country, to the people, I suppose.  Would that maybe persuade you, if Suvinder himself didn't?  You see?'

'I think so.'

'Take it their fiendish plan didn't work, then?'

'Oh, I don't know.  I suppose I did kind of fall in love with the place.  But I can't marry the country.'

He blinked a few times and looked oddly surprised. 'Have you met Maeve?'

'What?  Mrs Watkins?  Yes.'

'Not bad, don't you think?' He winked with a sort of feeble lasciviousness.

'Pretty good, for an old codger like you,' I agreed, smiling. 'I haven't really had a chance to talk to her, but she seems very nice.'

'Very dear to me, Kate.  Very dear.'

'Good.  That's nice.  Have you known her long?'

'Oh, absolute yonks, but we've only been, you know, involved, for about a year.' He sighed. 'Lovely place, Scarborough.  You ever been?'

'No.'

'Worth a visit.  Road's not really that tricky, either.  Just impatient, I suppose.  Don't think Maeve thinks it…' He seemed to lose the thread somewhat, then shook himself out of it. 'The Prince.  Was he upset?  I mean, at you turning him down.'

'A little, but still okay about it.  More sad than anything else.  The ironic thing is I like him a lot more now.  I mean, I don't love him, but…Oh, it's all so complicated, isn't it, Freddy?  It's like you just never get the one you want.'

'Or you do, at long last, but then you go and crash your car on the way to see her and end up in somewhere like this.'

'Well, you'll just have to get better, won't you?  Though I think we'll have to get you a chauffeur after this.'

'You reckon?'

'I reckon.'

'I think a chauffeuse, don't you?'

'No, Uncle Freddy.  I think a chauffeur.'

'I don't know, Kate,' he said, looking away. 'I don't think I'll be leaving here alive.'

'Oh, come on, now, just stop that.  You'll —'

'I'm being honest with you, Kate,' he said softly. 'Can't you be honest with me?'

'I am, Uncle Freddy.  They thought you were going to go belly up until last night.  Now they think you might just make it.  But, then, they don't know you the way I do.  In fact, I'm going to warn them that they better surround you with male nurses from now on, or at least make sure no female ones bend over within striking distance.'

He coughed and wheezed again.  I dabbed at his eyes. 'I'm sure you are.'

'Well, look, if you —' I said, making getting-ready-to-go movements.

'Don't go.  Stay a bit.  I have more to say, Kate.'

'Okay, but they don't want me to stay too long.'

'Listen, dear girl, there's something going on.'

'You mean, apart from trying to marry me off to Suvinder?'

'Yes.  That bugger Hazleton's up to something.'

'Busy man, isn't he?' I said, thinking of the DVD disc.

'Kate, I didn't get you into any trouble, did I?  I mean, by agreeing to invite you to Blysecrag for the weekend.  It was Miss H who told me.  They had people watching you and that American chap, Buzetski, while you were there.'

'Did they now?'

'Well, I wasn't sure whether to say anything or not.  They didn't, I mean they didn't, umm, discover anything, or, or…'

'There was nothing to discover.'

'You're pretty attached to the fellow, aren't you?  Even I could see that.  Didn't need to be told.'

'Pretty.  But sadly it isn't mutual.'

'I'm sorry.'

'Me too.  But, then, he is married.'

'Yes, I gathered that.  That's why I was worried.'

'How?'

'That they might, oh, I don't know, find something that they could use against you, or him, or both of you.  Only it was a bit late by the time I found out.  Again, though, I could still have said something.  I feel bad, Kate.  I should have been more open with you.'

'Well, nothing happened, Freddy.  I threw myself at the man but he pushed me away, politely.  The most sensual we got was me watching him swim and him giving me a peck on the cheek.  No blackmail material, if that's what you mean.'

(This was ignoring the fact I'd asked Stephen to take me in no uncertain terms, words any decent parabolic mike or something planted in his suit could have picked up with ease, but apart from causing me a little embarrassment at sounding so desperate, so what?)

'Ah, well, no harm done, then.'

'Well…'

'What?'

'See this?' I pulled the DVD out of my pocket.

'CD, isn't it?'

'Digital video disc.  It does have blackmail material on it.  Not of me, not of Stephen Buzetski, but of somebody co

'Crafty beggar, isn't he?'

'Yes, he is.'

'God, I worry for Suvinder, Kate.'

'What do you mean?  Why?'

'Because they've got the boy, his nephew.  In school in Switzerland.  Oh, I don't know, Kate, they might be exaggerating, but they seem to think he's theirs.  Willing to do whatever they suggest.  Greedy, the way they'd like him to be.  If that's true, Suvinder had better watch himself.'

This took a moment to sink in. 'You think they might have Suvinder killed?'

'Wouldn't put it past the blighters, Kate.  They're very serious about this, you know.  Lot of money involved.'

'I know.  Lot of people involved, too, in Thulahn.'

'I don't think they care about the people there, Kate, except as obstacles.'

'I think you're right.'

'Oh.' Uncle Freddy sighed, with surprising force.  He blinked up at the ceiling a few times.

'You're looking tired, Freddy.  I'd better go.'

'No!  No.  Just in case.  You have to listen.' He clutched at my hand, suddenly strong. 'It's this Silex thing.'

'Silex?' I had to think.  The chip factory near Glasgow.  It seemed like a long while ago. 'What about it?'

'They nobbled our chap.  The fellow we had transferred from Brussels.'

'What do you mean, "nobbled"?'

'He's been bought off, turned, whatever you want to call it.  Doesn't matter how I know, but I do.  He's saying it's all above board up there.  Bugger's lying.  And I think it's Hazleton again.'

'Are you sure?' Uncle Freddy was starting to sound paranoid, developing a Hazleton fixation.  Next, he'd be the one who'd forced him to have the crash.

'No, no, not sure.  But his people were there, at the Silex plant.  At least one of them.' He winked at me.  I had never seen the movement of an eyelid look so laboured and so difficult. 'I had somebody else there.  Somebody I knew I could trust.  Said that Poudenhaut fellow had been there.  Our Brussels chap met him at the factory but didn't mention it.  That's how I know.'