room. While she’s off reorganizing the coat situation I go over to the now deserted reception desk and dial the number of Terri Palin’s establishment. The phone rings for a long time and then the receiver is lifted and this very snotty, very businesslike female voice twangs the wires and says, “Yes?”
“Listen, I’m Jack Carter, and I know who you are as well. So don’t give me the wrong-number crap. I want to speak to Terri straight away, all right?”
“I’m sorry,” says the voice at the other end. “I think you must be mistaken. This is—”
“Oh for fuck’s sake. Tonight I can do without it. If you don’t recognise my voice just get Terri, will you, and she’ll set you straight. Tell her if she doesn’t come to the phone I’ll be round in five minutes flat kicking in windows.”
I hear the receiver rattle as the phone is laid to rest at the other end and while I’m waiting I search my pockets for a cigarette only to find I’m completely out. The foyer is empty so there’s nobody I can burn off and I start to get that stupid uncontrollable need for something I can’t have. And the longer I wait the more I channel the anger caused by my desire at Gerald and Les. What a pair of fucking ponces. What fucking eggs. Out tonking in the candy-floss fantasy world of Terri Palin’s Disneyland. Hosting the Yanks to scenes from an English kindergarten while there’s twenty-five years apiece waiting to be shared out to the stupid bastards. They’re so high on their own reputations they don’t really believe it’s going to happen to them. And the more I think about it the more I get cross with myself for chasing about for them. If it wasn’t for the fact that Jimmy Swann could score me for at least fifteen I’d just walk away from the stupid sods and leave them to sort it themselves.
I start going through my pockets for the third time when Terri Palin’s voice comes over the line.
“Yes?” she says.
“Terri,” I say. “It’s Jack.”
There is a short silence and then there is a sigh that for once isn’t a piece of Terri’s stock in trade.
“Jesus,” she says. “I had this feeling, you know? I’ve had it all week, just this feeling that I’m going to get a visit, that somewhere somebody’s been chewing away at something and something’s going to fall over, with me on it. Even that a tip-off would only be a gesture.”
“What makes you think like that?”
“I don’t know. A feeling. Sometimes the people that come here affect you with what’s going on in their minds. You never get anything more specific, but sometimes you get the shits for no reason at all.”
I’m really dying for that cigarette by now. Terri knows nothing and she never did, but that’s beside the point; I’ve known her to have these fucking stupid feelings before.
“Well,” I say, “relax. This is no useless tip-off. I’m only phoning to jerk Gerald and Les out of whatever scene they’re into.”
The girl called Lesley reappears from the ladies’ room and walks towards me, holding my coat. Now she could do one of two things; she could put the coat on the
reception desk and walk out of the club or she could wait, holding my coat, until I finish my phone call.
“I couldn’t do that, Jack,” Terri says. “You know that.”
“Just try, will you?”
“Impossible. If I was to pull them out of what they’re into at the moment Christ knows what would happen. You should know, Jack.”
I put my fingers to my eyes and close my lids and squeeze my eyeballs about in my sockets. I open my eyes again and the girl is standing by the reception desk, holding my coat. I look at my watch. It’s three o’clock. At least five hours before Gerald and Les get back to the club for a wash and brush-up and their breakfast. Now there is no longer any point in trying to give them the good news. I’ve done all I can. If the filth gets to them before I do there’s nothing I can do about that.
“Oh, well,” I
“Listen, I’m Jack Carter, and I know who you are as well. So don’t give me the wrong-number crap. I want to speak to Terri straight away, all right?”
“I’m sorry,” says the voice at the other end. “I think you must be mistaken. This is—”
“Oh for fuck’s sake. Tonight I can do without it. If you don’t recognise my voice just get Terri, will you, and she’ll set you straight. Tell her if she doesn’t come to the phone I’ll be round in five minutes flat kicking in windows.”
I hear the receiver rattle as the phone is laid to rest at the other end and while I’m waiting I search my pockets for a cigarette only to find I’m completely out. The foyer is empty so there’s nobody I can burn off and I start to get that stupid uncontrollable need for something I can’t have. And the longer I wait the more I channel the anger caused by my desire at Gerald and Les. What a pair of fucking ponces. What fucking eggs. Out tonking in the candy-floss fantasy world of Terri Palin’s Disneyland. Hosting the Yanks to scenes from an English kindergarten while there’s twenty-five years apiece waiting to be shared out to the stupid bastards. They’re so high on their own reputations they don’t really believe it’s going to happen to them. And the more I think about it the more I get cross with myself for chasing about for them. If it wasn’t for the fact that Jimmy Swann could score me for at least fifteen I’d just walk away from the stupid sods and leave them to sort it themselves.
I start going through my pockets for the third time when Terri Palin’s voice comes over the line.
“Yes?” she says.
“Terri,” I say. “It’s Jack.”
There is a short silence and then there is a sigh that for once isn’t a piece of Terri’s stock in trade.
“Jesus,” she says. “I had this feeling, you know? I’ve had it all week, just this feeling that I’m going to get a visit, that somewhere somebody’s been chewing away at something and something’s going to fall over, with me on it. Even that a tip-off would only be a gesture.”
“What makes you think like that?”
“I don’t know. A feeling. Sometimes the people that come here affect you with what’s going on in their minds. You never get anything more specific, but sometimes you get the shits for no reason at all.”
I’m really dying for that cigarette by now. Terri knows nothing and she never did, but that’s beside the point; I’ve known her to have these fucking stupid feelings before.
“Well,” I say, “relax. This is no useless tip-off. I’m only phoning to jerk Gerald and Les out of whatever scene they’re into.”
The girl called Lesley reappears from the ladies’ room and walks towards me, holding my coat. Now she could do one of two things; she could put the coat on the
reception desk and walk out of the club or she could wait, holding my coat, until I finish my phone call.
“I couldn’t do that, Jack,” Terri says. “You know that.”
“Just try, will you?”
“Impossible. If I was to pull them out of what they’re into at the moment Christ knows what would happen. You should know, Jack.”
I put my fingers to my eyes and close my lids and squeeze my eyeballs about in my sockets. I open my eyes again and the girl is standing by the reception desk, holding my coat. I look at my watch. It’s three o’clock. At least five hours before Gerald and Les get back to the club for a wash and brush-up and their breakfast. Now there is no longer any point in trying to give them the good news. I’ve done all I can. If the filth gets to them before I do there’s nothing I can do about that.
“Oh, well,” I
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