work for you then? Help Hadley get some fucking work?’
‘Don’t be stupid. I asked for your help because I needed it. I respect what you are.’
‘What I was , Jess.’
They regarded each other silently for a moment, Hadley finally dropping his gaze to the table top as if he’d spotted something of great importance there next to the gouges in the wood and the rings left by the glasses.
‘I was talking to a friend of yours the other day,’ Jess told him, finally.
Hadley raised his eyebrows quizzically.
‘Clive Garston,’ she told him.
‘Cunt,’ Hadley said, shaking his head. ‘What the fuck was he going on about?’
‘Like you really care?’
‘Just asking.’
‘He was talking about you. Well, he mentioned you.’ She shrugged and smiled.
Hadley sipped his drink.
‘Why were you talking about me?’ he asked.
‘I just mentioned that I’d seen you,’ Jess informed him.
‘You didn’t tell him anything else did you? He doesn’t know about me, about my … situation?’
Jess shook her head.
‘So what if he does, Alex?’ she said, defiantly. ‘Fuck him.’
‘I don’t want him or anyone else to know,’ Hadley snapped. ‘It’s fucking humiliating.’ He looked down into the bottom of his glass.
‘You’re a better journalist then he’ll ever be.’
‘I was better. Not any more.’
‘For fuck’s sake, Alex,’ Jess snapped. ‘Stop this will you?’
‘Stop feeling sorry for myself? Is that what you were going to say?’ he countered. ‘I’m not feeling sorry for myself, Jess I’m just trying to face the fucking situation I’m in. I’m finished as a journalist. I have been for over a year now. I’m nearly fucking broke and in about a month I’ll be homeless unless some work comes in and that doesn’t look very likely.’ He looked at her angrily. ‘This is nothing to do with self-pity. This is all about reality.’
‘Then help me with this story,’ she retorted. ‘Help me, Alex and help yourself too.’
TWENTY-FIVE
Brian Dunham was about to step into the waiting lift when he heard his name being called from further back down the corridor behind him.
He turned to see Adrian Murray approaching at something slightly quicker than a walk and guessed from the speed of his companion’s pace that it must be reasonably important. Murray rarely, if ever, moved faster than walking pace and even then that speed seemed to be something of an effort. Dunham turned, nodding politely to the two other occupants of the lift. The two women nodded back and one of them pressed the ‘Door close’ button inside and the two doors slid shut.
‘Have you got a minute?’ Murray asked. ‘I thought this was best between just the two of us.’
Dunham raised his eyebrows and nodded.
‘Why the need for secrecy, Adrian?’ he asked, smiling. ‘What have we got to talk about that we should keep from our colleagues?’
Murray glanced up and down the corridor conspiratorially then ushered Dunham towards one of the nearest offices, pushing open the door to ensure that no one was already inside. Once he saw that the room was empty he walked in, ushered Dunham in too and closed the door behind them.
‘It’s this business with Andrei Voronov,’ Murray began. ‘The planning permission for the new hotel he wants to build.’
‘What about it?’ Dunham asked.
‘I wondered how long we were going to withhold planning permission,’ Murray said.
‘I don’t think I’m with you, Adrian,’ Dunham said. ‘We decided to advise against granting planning permission for Mr Voronov’s latest venture. I thought we were all agreed on that.’
‘We advised against granting permission for the building of the Crystal Tower to begin with,’ Murray reminded him.
‘This is a much bigger project as far as logistics are concerned. There’s more potential for problems.’
‘There were problems with the Crystal Tower too.’ Murray sighed. ‘Come on, Brian, you know what I’m getting at. We
‘Don’t be stupid. I asked for your help because I needed it. I respect what you are.’
‘What I was , Jess.’
They regarded each other silently for a moment, Hadley finally dropping his gaze to the table top as if he’d spotted something of great importance there next to the gouges in the wood and the rings left by the glasses.
‘I was talking to a friend of yours the other day,’ Jess told him, finally.
Hadley raised his eyebrows quizzically.
‘Clive Garston,’ she told him.
‘Cunt,’ Hadley said, shaking his head. ‘What the fuck was he going on about?’
‘Like you really care?’
‘Just asking.’
‘He was talking about you. Well, he mentioned you.’ She shrugged and smiled.
Hadley sipped his drink.
‘Why were you talking about me?’ he asked.
‘I just mentioned that I’d seen you,’ Jess informed him.
‘You didn’t tell him anything else did you? He doesn’t know about me, about my … situation?’
Jess shook her head.
‘So what if he does, Alex?’ she said, defiantly. ‘Fuck him.’
‘I don’t want him or anyone else to know,’ Hadley snapped. ‘It’s fucking humiliating.’ He looked down into the bottom of his glass.
‘You’re a better journalist then he’ll ever be.’
‘I was better. Not any more.’
‘For fuck’s sake, Alex,’ Jess snapped. ‘Stop this will you?’
‘Stop feeling sorry for myself? Is that what you were going to say?’ he countered. ‘I’m not feeling sorry for myself, Jess I’m just trying to face the fucking situation I’m in. I’m finished as a journalist. I have been for over a year now. I’m nearly fucking broke and in about a month I’ll be homeless unless some work comes in and that doesn’t look very likely.’ He looked at her angrily. ‘This is nothing to do with self-pity. This is all about reality.’
‘Then help me with this story,’ she retorted. ‘Help me, Alex and help yourself too.’
TWENTY-FIVE
Brian Dunham was about to step into the waiting lift when he heard his name being called from further back down the corridor behind him.
He turned to see Adrian Murray approaching at something slightly quicker than a walk and guessed from the speed of his companion’s pace that it must be reasonably important. Murray rarely, if ever, moved faster than walking pace and even then that speed seemed to be something of an effort. Dunham turned, nodding politely to the two other occupants of the lift. The two women nodded back and one of them pressed the ‘Door close’ button inside and the two doors slid shut.
‘Have you got a minute?’ Murray asked. ‘I thought this was best between just the two of us.’
Dunham raised his eyebrows and nodded.
‘Why the need for secrecy, Adrian?’ he asked, smiling. ‘What have we got to talk about that we should keep from our colleagues?’
Murray glanced up and down the corridor conspiratorially then ushered Dunham towards one of the nearest offices, pushing open the door to ensure that no one was already inside. Once he saw that the room was empty he walked in, ushered Dunham in too and closed the door behind them.
‘It’s this business with Andrei Voronov,’ Murray began. ‘The planning permission for the new hotel he wants to build.’
‘What about it?’ Dunham asked.
‘I wondered how long we were going to withhold planning permission,’ Murray said.
‘I don’t think I’m with you, Adrian,’ Dunham said. ‘We decided to advise against granting planning permission for Mr Voronov’s latest venture. I thought we were all agreed on that.’
‘We advised against granting permission for the building of the Crystal Tower to begin with,’ Murray reminded him.
‘This is a much bigger project as far as logistics are concerned. There’s more potential for problems.’
‘There were problems with the Crystal Tower too.’ Murray sighed. ‘Come on, Brian, you know what I’m getting at. We
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