to confirm our tentative arrangement that I’d cook dinner at his place that evening, or possibly my dad, who sometimes forgets time zone differences, ringing to tell me once again not to pursue Linton Baillie.
I had not expected it to be Mia Sparkles.
She and I had been in contact during Ignacio’s trial and prosecution, but only out of necessity. The woman was in my life very briefly when I was a teenager, and I do not want her back any more than she has to be. By rights she should have gone to jail along with her son, but by some miracle there had been no evidence to corroborate her admission that she’d helped him dump her mother’s body, and without that the Crown Office had been unable to charge her. As it played out, Cornton Vale Prison’s loss was the Dundee listening public’s gain.
Her voice gave the lie to her radio name; there was nothing twinkling or vivacious about it, instead she sounded tired and rattled.
‘Alex,’ the message began, ‘I’m sorry to be calling so early, but I phoned your father and he said I should. He says he told you about the call I had on air yesterday, from this man Linton. I’ve had another, on my home phone this time. Please call me back.’
Standing naked in my en suite, with perspiration cooling on my body, I chose the recall option on the messenger menu and waited.
‘This is Alex,’ I said, probably a little testily, as soon as she answered.
‘Thanks for calling back.’ Mia sounded calmer than she had a few seconds before. ‘I don’t know what Bob thinks you can do about this, but anything you can will be welcome.’
‘I’m going to be in touch with the institution later,’ I told her. ‘The more I can give them the better. Tell me about this call. When did you receive it?’
‘At seven o’clock,’ she replied. ‘The bastard woke me. My home number’s ex-directory, Alex. How the hell did he get it?’
‘Bribery sounds like a reasonable guess to me. A guy like this has contacts.’
‘A guy like what? Do you know something about him?’
‘Yes, but tell me what he said.’
‘Very little,’ she replied. ‘He didn’t have to tell me who was calling, not after his first few words; I recognised his voice straight off. “You got the message, I take it.” That was how he began. I asked him what exactly that message was, and he said, “I know your whole story: you and Skinner, and your boy. I want to talk to you.”
‘I said, “And I want you to fuck off and leave me alone, or I’ll have you done for harassing me.” He laughed. He laughed at me, Alex! “Do you think Skinner will let you do that?” he asked me. “Does he want it all to come out, and does he want his son identified to every hard kid in Polmont Young Offenders? If he is, he’ll have an arsehole like the Clyde Tunnel by the time he comes out, that’s if he makes it out alive.”
‘Come on, Alex, tell me. Who is this man? He doesn’t know who he’s messing with. He doesn’t realise I’m descended from a line of psychos on my mother’s side.’
This was not Mia Sparkles as her fans know her.
‘Will you calm down,’ I snapped, ‘and cease the hysterical threats. I know who and what he is, but that’s all at the moment; “where” has still to be determined. Obviously he has an agenda, but we have no idea what that is, not yet. I’m dealing with this for Dad, Mia, and keeping Ignacio safe is my first priority. After I’ve done that, I’ll try to answer all the other questions. All I ask of you is that you let me get on with it; I definitely do not want you getting involved.’
I paused to give that time to sink in.
‘Okay,’ she murmured. ‘I’ll trust you, for now. How can I help?’
‘You can begin by telling me how your call ended. Did you agree to meet him?’
‘Hell no. It ended with me slamming the phone down, after I’d promised to rip his scrotum off.’
‘Did you check last caller number on your phone?’
‘No, sorry, I wasn’t thinking
I had not expected it to be Mia Sparkles.
She and I had been in contact during Ignacio’s trial and prosecution, but only out of necessity. The woman was in my life very briefly when I was a teenager, and I do not want her back any more than she has to be. By rights she should have gone to jail along with her son, but by some miracle there had been no evidence to corroborate her admission that she’d helped him dump her mother’s body, and without that the Crown Office had been unable to charge her. As it played out, Cornton Vale Prison’s loss was the Dundee listening public’s gain.
Her voice gave the lie to her radio name; there was nothing twinkling or vivacious about it, instead she sounded tired and rattled.
‘Alex,’ the message began, ‘I’m sorry to be calling so early, but I phoned your father and he said I should. He says he told you about the call I had on air yesterday, from this man Linton. I’ve had another, on my home phone this time. Please call me back.’
Standing naked in my en suite, with perspiration cooling on my body, I chose the recall option on the messenger menu and waited.
‘This is Alex,’ I said, probably a little testily, as soon as she answered.
‘Thanks for calling back.’ Mia sounded calmer than she had a few seconds before. ‘I don’t know what Bob thinks you can do about this, but anything you can will be welcome.’
‘I’m going to be in touch with the institution later,’ I told her. ‘The more I can give them the better. Tell me about this call. When did you receive it?’
‘At seven o’clock,’ she replied. ‘The bastard woke me. My home number’s ex-directory, Alex. How the hell did he get it?’
‘Bribery sounds like a reasonable guess to me. A guy like this has contacts.’
‘A guy like what? Do you know something about him?’
‘Yes, but tell me what he said.’
‘Very little,’ she replied. ‘He didn’t have to tell me who was calling, not after his first few words; I recognised his voice straight off. “You got the message, I take it.” That was how he began. I asked him what exactly that message was, and he said, “I know your whole story: you and Skinner, and your boy. I want to talk to you.”
‘I said, “And I want you to fuck off and leave me alone, or I’ll have you done for harassing me.” He laughed. He laughed at me, Alex! “Do you think Skinner will let you do that?” he asked me. “Does he want it all to come out, and does he want his son identified to every hard kid in Polmont Young Offenders? If he is, he’ll have an arsehole like the Clyde Tunnel by the time he comes out, that’s if he makes it out alive.”
‘Come on, Alex, tell me. Who is this man? He doesn’t know who he’s messing with. He doesn’t realise I’m descended from a line of psychos on my mother’s side.’
This was not Mia Sparkles as her fans know her.
‘Will you calm down,’ I snapped, ‘and cease the hysterical threats. I know who and what he is, but that’s all at the moment; “where” has still to be determined. Obviously he has an agenda, but we have no idea what that is, not yet. I’m dealing with this for Dad, Mia, and keeping Ignacio safe is my first priority. After I’ve done that, I’ll try to answer all the other questions. All I ask of you is that you let me get on with it; I definitely do not want you getting involved.’
I paused to give that time to sink in.
‘Okay,’ she murmured. ‘I’ll trust you, for now. How can I help?’
‘You can begin by telling me how your call ended. Did you agree to meet him?’
‘Hell no. It ended with me slamming the phone down, after I’d promised to rip his scrotum off.’
‘Did you check last caller number on your phone?’
‘No, sorry, I wasn’t thinking
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