Fine Lines - SA (10 page)

"It's not my fault there's a deadline!"

"Perhaps it's just as wel there is. At least it gives you an excuse."

"Don't push it, Donald."

"I'm not. I'm merely stating the obvious. I expected better from you than this."

"Tough shit." This bickering was getting us nowhere. "There must be something we can do!"

He shrugged. "Short of drugging her, I can't think of anything." He looked at me. "That's not a bad idea, come to think of it."

"No!" The thought appal ed me.

"Suit yourself." He tossed back the rest of his drink. "I just wish I'd told the bitch that her precious boyfriend is as bent as a butcher's hook. See how romantic she felt about him then."

I had forgotten al about that. "You didn't say anything about it?" He shook his head. "No, I wish I had. I was so surprised I didn't think about it until afterwards." He looked at me, smiling nastily.

"Mind you, it's not too late, is it?" I took his glass and went to refil it. "Coming from you now, it would only sound like sour grapes."

"So what? It would stil drop Marty in the shit, wouldn't it? I can't see her wanting to rush off to America with him then."

"But what if she already knows? That would finish your chances once and for al ." He took the glass from me. "They're not exactly bril iant anyway, are they?"

"No, but if you antagonise her they'l be even worse." He shrugged. "Okay. I'l get Stevie to do it, then. He's the one who saw him, after al . We can arrange for him to meet them accidental y, and he can drop it into the conversation." I was only half-listening. An idea was starting to form. "I don't like the idea of involving anyone else. It only complicates things."

"So what do you suggest? We've only got a few weeks left. What else can we do?"

"That depends." I spoke slowly. "Perhaps we've been approaching this from the wrong angle."

"What do you mean?"

"We've been concentrating on seducing Anna away from Marty. We might have better luck trying the other way around." He frowned. "You mean work on him again?"

"It's worth a try. And this time, now we know which way his preferences lie, we can try someone more suitable than your femme fatale." Zeppo looked thoughtful. "Yeah, that's not a bad idea. I could have a word with Stevie. It might cost, but I'm sure we could work something out."

I swirled the liquid in my glass, choosing my words careful y. "I wasn't thinking about using him. As I said, I don't want to involve anyone else."

Zeppo stared at me. "You better not mean what I think you do."

"Why not? It seems to make the most sense." An incredulous smile spread across his face. "Hang on a minute. Let's get this straight. Now you want me to try and seduce Marty'? Is that right?"

"In a nutshel , yes." He began to laugh. "I've got to hand it to you, Donald. You don't do things by halves, do you? First you hire me to get Anna into bed, and now you want me to try with her boyfriend! Jesus Christ!"

"I realise you'l probably want a higher fee, of course."

"Oh, that's very decent of you. But there's no need. I'm not doing it."

"I real y think you should reconsider."

"Forget it." His laughter had gone. "What the hel do you think I am?" I made the mistake of trying to be humorous. "To paraphrase an old joke, I think we both know what you are. It's just the price that's in doubt." Zeppo slammed the glass down. "Get fucked, Donald!" He began to walk to the door.

I fol owed him. "I'm sorry if I've offended you, but I real y can't see where the problem is." He turned on me. "Oh, come on! I'm sure even you must have a pretty good idea! She's a girl.

He's a boy. So am I."

"Does that make any difference?"

"Of course it fucking does!"

"Is that your only objection?"

"Christ, isn't that enough?" I stood up. "Wait here." I went past him to the door. "Help yourself to another drink." I left him standing there, enjoying the bemused expression on his face.

I went into my study, to the smal wal safe I kept there. I opened it and took out a large brown envelope. I was about to play my trump card.

V

Zeppo was sitting down when I returned. He had refil ed his glass, I noticed. I thought, not without satisfaction, that he would need it. I handed him the envelope and sat down opposite him.

He looked at it. "What's this?"

"Open it and see." I watched as he put down his glass and slid out the photographs. He looked at the first one and stiffened. Then, with studied casualness he flicked through the rest.

"Where did you get these?" He set them down beside him. His voice was calm, but not reassuringly so.

"From a business associate. He specialises in rather more, shal we say "rarified", types of art than most dealers. I was surprised to see these there. Normal y he doesn't deal with photographic material, but I suppose the strong classical themes of these helped sway him. And they are quite wel done. I daresay you could justifiably cal them art instead of pornography, although I'm not sure everyone would agree."

"How long have you had them?" I picked them up and replaced them in the envelope. "Quite a while. I actual y saw them months ago, long before I had any inkling that I would be needing your services. I recognised you straight away, of course. That's one disadvantage of having such a memorable face. Not that I thought anything of it at the time. You were just someone I'd bumped into at a couple of dinner parties, and since I'm not particularly interested in photography, whatever the subject matter, I was only mildly amused. In fact I forgot al about it until I decided I needed help with Anna and Marty. Then you seemed like the ideal candidate. So I went back to my associate, and as luck would have it, he stil had them."

Zeppo was looking at me cool y. "What are you planning to do with them?"

"Do with them?" I shrugged. "Nothing at al . But I thought this was as good a time as any to let you know I had them. Particularly since several of them show you engaged in the sort of activity we're discussing now."

"Listen, you old bastard, don't try and blackmail me. You wouldn't like it."

"I'm sure neither of us would. Although if copies of these were circulated to certain people, I'm certain you'd like it even less. I don't imagine this sort of thing does anyone's career much good. But you needn't worry about anything like that from me. We have a perfectly good business relationship, and I wouldn't dream of spoiling it. No, I simply wanted to remind you that I'm not suggesting anything you haven't done before, that's al ."

"That was different. It was a long time ago, and I needed the money."

"Zeppo, you don't have to justify yourself to me. I'm merely pointing out that what you've done once for money, you can do again. And for considerably more, this time."

"What's to stop me from taking these with me?"

"Nothing at al . In fact you could give some to your friends. I have several copies. In different places, of course." He glared at me. For the first time, I realised he was capable of violence. "You fat, smug, pompous old cunt."

"That sort of talk helps no one. Now, do we have a deal?" He did not answer at first. Then he gave a short, grudging nod. "Al right. But you're making a mistake." I thought he was threatening me. "And why's that?"

"Because it's a bad idea."

"You seem to have suddenly changed your mind. You said a moment ago it was worth a try."

"Yes, with somebody else. Not with me. What if Anna finds out? I thought the whole point was for me to end up in bed with her. If she finds out I'm trying to screw her boyfriend, she's not going to be too thril ed about that idea then, is she?"

"If we handle this properly she'l never know. I can't imagine Marty tel ing her about it. Can you?" He gave a sul en shrug. "Perhaps not. But in that case, what's to stop her stil going to America with him?"

"You are. Once he's, ah, compromised himself, he'l be vulnerable and open to persuasion. You'l be able to manipulate him any way you like.

The last thing he'l want is for Anna to find out he's had an affair with another man. It'l be much easier for him to simply cry off and go back alone than admit that. Assuming, of course, that he stil even wants to take her." Zeppo ignored my gal ant attempt at a joke. "It'd be a lot easier just to blackmail him now. This is getting too complicated."

"Not at al . For one thing, the only item we have to blackmail

him with at present is an uncorroborated sighting in a gay nightclub.

This way we'l have him in a stranglehold."

He was unconvinced. "I stil think it's too risky." In retrospect, I realise he was right, and I wonder now if I was not already pushing for the eventual denouement even then. But if I was, I was unconscious of the fact.

"Of course it isn't," I said. "You're just looking for excuses." Zeppo sighed and threw his hands up. "Okay. We'l do it your way.

Just don't blame me if it goes wrong."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say that you've lost confidence in yourself. Has Anna made you lose faith in your own abilities?"

"Look, I've said I'l do it. Don't push your luck." Without asking, he got up and poured himself another drink. "We'l have to think of something to get Anna out of the way for a while."

"Don't worry," I said. "I'l take care of that."

"Amsterdam?" Anna stared at me. I nodded. "I know it's asking an awful lot, and if I could think of another way around it, I would. But I can't." I looked apologetic. "I do realise I'm springing it on you, and you have got a lot on, but if you could possibly manage it, it would be helping me out enormously. If you can't, though, you must say. I don't want to force it on you."

She seemed completely taken aback. "No, no, of course. It's just, wel , it is rather short notice. And I've never bid at an auction before." I nodded. "I realise that, and if you can't go, then that's quite al right. Quite al right. I'l think of something else."

"I'm not saying I can't," she said, hurriedly. "You've just caught me by surprise, that's al ." She bit her lip. "Look, you don't need to know right now, do you? Can I tel you this afternoon?

I'm meeting Marty for lunch, and that'l give me a chance to work out what I've got to do and talk it over with him. Is that al right?"

"Of course it is! I don't want to rush you. I'm sorry to have to ask you at al , but there's no way I can go myself, so ..." I brushed it away. "You have a chat with Marty, and let me know this afternoon.

Whatever you decide wil be fine by me." It was two days after my meeting with Zeppo. It had taken me that long to think of a way to remove Anna from the scene. I had found it in the list of forthcoming auctions. Two were being held in Amsterdam the fol owing week, with a day's gap in between. Neither had anything I was real y interested in, but Anna wasn't to know that. I had invented a visit from an important buyer as the reason why I couldn't go myself, and if I could persuade her to go on my behalf, that would leave Marty alone for three ful days.

She came back from lunch with a smile on her face. "I've spoken to Marty. He says there's no reason why I shouldn't go. It's only for a few days, and it'l be good experience, won't it?"

"Excel ent experience," I enthused. "And I'm certain you'l enjoy it.

I can't tel you what a load that's taken off my mind. I real y don't know what else I would have done." Anna was smiling broadly. She was obviously excited by the prospect now she had accepted it. "Don't be too relieved. I've never done anything like this before. I might make a total mess of it."

"My dear, you'l be fine. I have every confidence in you. Just keep putting your hand up until either you've beaten everyone else, or the bidding goes beyond your limit. There's nothing to it."

"Wel , if you're sure you trust me." She laughed. "It's quite exciting, real y. I've always wanted to bid at a big auction."

"In that case I'm glad I've given you the chance before you leave. I can't tel you how grateful I am. So long as you're positive it won't be too much of an inconvenience. You mustn't feel obliged to go."

"I don't, real y. I'm looking forward to it."

"And you're sure Marty doesn't mind?" I found it easy to consider Marty's wishes when I knew they did not interfere with my own.

"Of course not. I dare say he'l be able to survive without me for a few days." Her face suddenly lit up. "In fact, there's nothing to stop him coming with me, is there? We could pay the extra airfare, and the difference for a double room. If you don't mind, obviously." I managed to smile. "Of course I don't mind. But wouldn't it be rather boring for him? Sitting in an auction room isn't everyone's idea of fun." It was no good. "Oh, Marty won't mind that," she said. "And he doesn't have to come to them if he doesn't want to. We can spend the rest of the time together."

"Yes, I suppose so." She looked at her watch. "I'l give him another fifteen minutes, and then I'l phone him. He should be back at the university by then." I could see she was completely taken with the idea. I went to

the office, where I did not have to sustain a facade of enthusiasm. I had not anticipated this. If Marty went with her, I would have gone to al that trouble and considerable expense for nothing. Worse, I would have to try and think of another way to isolate Marty, and there would be precious little time left for that.

I felt a fresh surge of antipathy for him. Even in this he was obstructing me. It was yet another grievance to add to my list.

Brooding on it, I sat and waited.

After a while the office extension pinged as Anna picked up the telephone downstairs. I resisted the temptation to try and eavesdrop.

I had managed it once, by accident. I did not trust my luck to hold a second time.

It seemed a long time before a second chime told me their conversation was over. Steeling myself, I went back downstairs. Anna was stil by the telephone. She looked reassuringly crestfal en, and my spirits immediately lifted.

"I've just spoken to Marty," she said. "He can't come."