Going Viral

by Andrew Puckett

  He shrugged. ‘All right.’

  Tim said, ‘Shall I give them a ring to fix it up? It might seem less threatening coming from me.’

  Rebecca nodded. ‘Can you do it now?’

  He got up, hesitated, looked at Herry – ‘Can I have a word later?’

  ‘Sure.’

  ‘Anything relevant?’ Rebecca asked him.

  He shook his head. ‘No.’

  After he’d gone, Herry said, ‘You think this is a real possibility?’

  She hesitated… ‘Well, if it is, I still think it’s being run from down here.’

  ‘Why – just out of interest?’

  ‘Because of the egg, because BTA’s still the most likely charity… and instinct, if you like.’

  ‘D’you actually suspect anyone in BTA?’

  She shook her head. ‘Nothing I can put my finger on. But there’s an atmosphere of… I dunno… suspicion around them. Sometimes I think they’re watching me as much as I’m watching them.’

  ‘Anyone in particular?’

  She started to shake her head again, then said, ‘No, that’s not true – it’s mostly the chairman’s wife…’

  She told him about Hannah.

  ‘Is she the violent one?’

  ‘Yes, but it was a long time ago. Anyway, they’ve asked me to dinner on Saturday, so maybe I’ll find out more then.’

  ‘On your own? Isn’t that a bit risky?’

  She laughed. ‘There’s someone else coming, another man. I wondered if it was a set-up, because he’s been coming-on to me a bit – in fact, I asked Marc, he’s the chairman, and he denied it.’

  ‘Well, he would, wouldn’t he? How sure are you about the come-on?’

  ‘Pretty sure - either he fancies me, or he’s investigating me.’ She told him about the job interview she’d had the day before.

  He said, ‘If he does fancy you, I daresay you’ll find out soon enough.’

  ‘It’s an occupational hazard,’ she agreed.

  He smiled rather sourly – ‘A not uncommon event, then?’ – and the thought flashed across her mind that he was jealous…

  There was a tap on the door and Tim put his head round. ‘Tomorrow afternoon at three.’

  ‘Did they make a fuss?’ Rebecca asked.

  ‘Not a thing.’

  After Tim had gone, she remembered what Brigg had asked her to do.

  She said, ‘The boss told me about your run-in with your father-in-law. And the fact that His Nibs – Sir Colin – found out so quickly about your daughter.’

  Herry said neutrally, ‘We don’t know for sure it was him.’

  ‘Who else would it be?’

  ‘Roland Wade-Stokes, or maybe even both of them.’

  ‘Whichever, it’s pressure you could do without just now.’

  A weak smile – ‘I could do without it at any time.’

  ‘Indeed.’ She looked at him and said carefully, ‘Is it getting to you?’

  His eyes had drifted away; now, he looked sharply back at her. ‘As Team Leader, you mean? Well, it hasn’t so far – if anything, it’s made me more determined to do it.’

  ‘Would it make things easier if we got rid of Wade-Stokes?’

  He gave a short laugh. ‘Undoubtedly – if we had a made to measure replacement.’

  ‘Doesn’t he have a deputy?’

  ‘Yes, but she doesn’t have his experience. And believe it or not, he’s good at his job. It’s a matter of handling him, which I can, and will do.’

  ‘Good,’ she said.

  He went on looking at her… ‘Did Brigg put you up to this?’

  It would insult his intelligence to deny it, so she slowly nodded.

  ‘And have I passed?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Shortly after that, she left and went back to the flat to answer her messages and talk to Brigg.

  *

  In the afternoon, she drove up the motorway to Tiverton to meet Ron. The sky was grey and heavy and looked like snow, although there was no sign of any yet. She turned off and found his house quite easily, a semi rather like Alan’s, although not so big. He greeted her effusively, asked her in and offered her coffee.

  ‘D’you mind if I use the loo while you’re making it?’

  ‘Sure. Up there –’ he pointed to the stairs ‘– second left.’

  She climbed the stairs, waited until she was certain he’d gone to the kitchen, then went through every room.

  His bedroom – tidy… two spares – his sons’, by the look of them… bathroom… and that was all. Nothing suspicious. There was a trap door above the landing, about three feet square… with a cobweb across the crack… she heard him come out of the kitchen, pressed the flush in the loo and went back down.

  ‘Ah, there you are,’ he was holding two mugs. ‘Let’s go in here.’

  She followed him into the living room. He put one of the mugs on the small table in front of the sofa for her and went with the other to an armchair. She glanced quickly around as she sat. The room was tidy, like his bedroom, but hadn’t been redecorated for a while. The pictures on the wall were conventional – one of the Fighting Temeraire, another of Salisbury Cathedral.

  Ron himself was not conventional. This afternoon, he was wearing a loudly checked jacket and a smoking cap, although she was sure he wasn’t actually a smoker. His spectacles dangled from his neck on their chain.

  He fussed a little, asked if her coffee was all right – it was fresh brewed and delicious – whether she’d found his house easily. Then, after a slight pause –

  ‘So Rebecca, our charity shop… You think more could be made of it?’

  ‘Well, I went to see it as you know, and… it seems to me that its main problem is its location. I mean, only a few customers came in while I was there – it’s never going to do much better unless it moves.’

  Ron took a mouthful of coffee, then carefully placed the mug on the floor beside him.

  ‘I did some checking this morning. We only renewed the lease a short while ago, and it’s got another eight months to run. As has our sub-let on the flat above it. Emma and Will, the tenants, are BTA members and I think you’d find the rest of the committee very reluctant to put them out of a home. Especially with a baby.’

  ‘Were they the couple in the front row at the meeting?’

  Ron nodded and she said thoughtfully, ‘I thought they looked worried when I put the idea forward…’

  Ron didn’t say anything. She went on, ‘Are you saying there’s no point in trying to improve anything about it?’

  He shook his head. ‘No, I’m not saying that. Just that moving is out of the question – for the moment, anyway.’

  ‘OK, so what can we do?’

  He said, not in an unfriendly way, ‘What do you think?’

  ‘Well, we could try and improve the quality of the goods and ask some more realistic prices – it’s all chronically underpriced.’

  ‘I’m sure you’re right, but as Hannah said last night, I think we’d put people off by asking any more. Let me show you –’

  He went over to the bookcase, pulled out an A-Z and came and sat beside her.

  ‘Here’s the shop,’ he said, pointing...

  ‘Mm? Oh, yes –’ She’d been distracted by the title of one of the books in the bookcase – The Black Arrow…

  He hadn’t seemed to notice because he went on, ‘Here’s the Totnes Road Housing Estate, and here’s the Abbott’s Way Estate. As you can see, they’ve got us surrounded. I can take you there if you like, and you’ll see for yourself that they’re not the kind of people with money to spare…’

  ‘All right –’ She made herself smile and held up her hands in surrender. ‘I believe you.’

  ‘That’s a pass on the tour then, is it?’ He took the A-Z back to the bookcase, resumed his seat and went on, ‘The sort of nice middle class people who’ll pay three quid for a paperback go to the Oxfam shop in the High Street, where they can buy a nice Fair Trade coffee while
they’re about it.’

  ‘Er, have you thought about moving there yourselves – when the lease runs out, I mean.’

  ‘The rent’s at least four times as much. We probably wouldn’t even cover it – we simply don’t have the same pull as Oxfam.’

  She forced the book to the back of her mind… ‘But we’re doing the same kind of thing as Oxfam, aren’t we, and we’re local – isn’t that worth plugging?’

  ‘Of course it is – that’s what Craig’s trying to do with the MP. Raise our profile. But what you’re talking about would need a coordinator, and believe me, that would be a lot of work. Are you volunteering?’ he asked gently.

  ‘I take your point,’ she said. ‘I haven’t thought it through, have I?’

  His smile made him look better – solemn and serious didn’t really go with long grey hair, bottle-brush sideburns and smoking cap.

  She asked how much the rent was: what they paid the landlord, and what they got from Emma and Will… ‘I ought to know, but I couldn’t find it on either of the discs.’

  ‘I think Hannah deals with it,’ he said. ‘I’m sure she’ll tell you.’

  ‘I wonder why she didn’t say anything about it at the meeting?’

  ‘Probably didn’t want to pour cold water on your ideas.’

  ‘Mm,’ she agreed, not believing for a moment Hannah was in the least bit concerned about that. She went on, ‘I do think raising the profile is something we should be looking at. Maybe we should ask Marc and Craig what they think…’ She smiled suddenly – ‘I keep saying we, although I’ve only just got here. I’ve been a bit pushy, haven’t I?’

  He said gently, ‘Let’s agree on beginner’s enthusiasm, shall we?’

  She laughed, then looking at him, said, ‘Whereas, you really are local, aren’t you?’

  He smiled again slowly and nodded as though he could see through her… ‘I’ve lived round here most of my life.’

  ‘Craig said you’re a teacher?’

  ‘Was a teacher,’ he corrected. ‘Although I still do a bit part time.’

  ‘What d’you teach?’

  ‘History.’

  ‘Locally?’

  ‘Bishop Amery’s. It’s a comprehensive in Tiverton.’

  ‘How long were you – have you been there?’

  ‘Most of my working life.’

  She looked round the room. ‘Have you lived here long, in this house?’

  After a pause, he nodded. ‘It’s the family home. I… stayed after my wife died because the kids like coming back. Also, I like it.’

  ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t know about your wife.’

  ‘No reason why you should.’

  Push it further… ? ‘Have you got much of a garden?’

  ‘Small, but pretty.’

  ‘Can I see it? I love small town gardens, I had one where I lived in London.’ Pause… ‘It was the hardest thing about leaving my partner.’

  ‘All right.’ Again, his slow smile made it seem as though he was reading her mind…

  He got up and she followed him down the passage, through the kitchen and utility room to the back door.

  It was a pretty garden, though not spectacular, and she made what she hoped were the right noises. She’d seen what she wanted, nowhere for a hidden lab downstairs, or in the garden – the shed was much too small.

  She asked him if Malcolm lived in Tiverton as well and he nodded.

  ‘Is he a teacher?’

  ‘No, he’s an engineer as a matter of fact.’ He looked at her quizzically and she realised she had to say something to justify her questions.

  ‘I was impressed by what he said at the meeting, about the difference between BTA and Open Door. I thought he judged it exactly right.’

  ‘Ah,’ Ron said with a sly grin, ‘Well, as I expect you know, he’d been primed.’

  ‘Still a good speech, though.’

  Yes, Malcolm knew what he was talking about, Ron agreed.

  ‘Did he do VSO in Africa as well?’

  Ron nodded. ‘A bit after me. Between jobs.’ Another pause. ‘You’re never quite the same afterwards.’ He looked at her, then up at the sky. ‘I do believe it’s trying to snow…’

  He was right, a few snowflakes were drifting like thistledown…

  ‘In which case, I’d better be on my way,’ she said.

  They went back into the house, where they agreed to think about the shop a bit more, then meet again.

  ‘Drive carefully now,’ he said, and watched as she drove away.

  By the time she got to the motorway, it was snowing more heavily, the flakes flicking past her windscreen…

  She drove slowly, thinking about The Black Arrow – would he have been so stupid as to leave it in full view if he was involved?

  He might, if he’d assumed no one would get this far…

  Or one of the others might have seen it… Alan, Malcolm – any of them…

  Why did he choose to look the way he did, play the fool when he was with a crowd? Was he like it when he was teaching?

  Quite possibly, some teachers were a bit eccentric, she could remember one or two of her own…

  And yet he was obviously no fool – the opposite, even. And eloquent.

  Eccentric? Schizoid?

  But he was a teacher, with a very strong commitment to Africa, as the profiler had suggested, and he was familiar with The Black Arrow…

  Was he also naïve, complacent, pleased with himself?

  She rather thought he might be.

  He wasn’t the messenger, though – the disguise wouldn’t have hidden those sideburns…

  By the time she got back to the flat, the snow had started to settle.

  Chapter 16

  Not long after Rebecca had gone, there was a tap on the door and Tim came in. I sat him down. I wanted to talk to him anyway, about the Bath trip, but I let him go first.

  ‘There’s something I have to tell you,’ he said, not meeting my eyes… ‘Last night, Roland called the three of us – me, Anne and Helen, to an impromptu meeting. He said he was very worried, because of your family problems.’ Now, he did look up. ‘He said he doubted your ability to lead the team effectively in the circumstances and asked us what we thought we should do about it.’

  And that wasn’t all. When Anne had asked him what family problems, he’d apparently told them that my divorce had just got very nasty, with a maintenance battle over my daughter… not to mention an ongoing quarrel with my father-in-law.

  As Tim told me this, I felt my heart pound at my head and the blood flush through my face… I felt so full of bile I thought I’d be sick…

  ‘What was the reaction?’ I managed after a moment.

  ‘We agreed to think about it. When I got home, I phoned the other two and told them I thought it’d been exaggerated. They said they felt the same and we agreed not to do anything until I’d spoken to you.’

  ‘And what is Roland expecting you to do?’

  ‘He said he’d come back to us this evening and if we’d felt as worried as him, we’d have to go to higher authority and tell them we had no confidence in you.’ Another brief pause, then, ‘I’m very sorry to have to be the one telling you this.’

  I nodded slowly. ‘You were right to tell me, so thanks. Did he say what higher authority?’

  Tim shook his head.

  ‘OK, leave it with me.’

  He got to his feet. ‘Will you be able to ride it out?’

  ‘Oh, yes. Depend on it, Tim.’

  He went out, pulling the door gently to behind him.

  I sat and candesced.

  I thought about going to find him now and hitting him as hard as I could… and the thought of him sprawling with nurses and patients looking on gave me a moment’s cheap pleasure…

  No. Find him and tell him we’d manage without him…

  Except that we couldn’t, not if there was an outbreak. What I’d told Rebecca was true, there was no ready replacement for him. Besides which, I
didn’t have the authority to fire him summarily, only Fenella could do that.

  Tell him that if I heard one more peep from him I’d…?

  I’d what? No, it had gone beyond that. God knows I didn’t want to, but I had no choice but to tell Fenella.

  I phoned her straightaway.

  After a short silence, she said, ‘This couldn’t come at a worse time, could it? I won’t forgive Roland for this, but for the moment, the cohesion and effectiveness of the team must come first. Bearing that that in mind, and leaving aside your own feelings, what do you think, Herry? Does he have a case? For the good of the team, do you think you should resign?’

  ‘No,’ I said. ‘What he told the others was a gross exaggeration. I’m the best person to lead the team.’

  ‘That’s what I think. If I dismiss him, is there a replacement?’

  ‘Not like for like, his deputy is new and simply doesn’t have his experience. He’d be better in an outbreak.’

  ‘All right.’ Pause. ‘I think the least bad option is for me to talk to Roland now and tell him that either he agrees to accept your authority – completely – or I will dismiss him forthwith. I’ll phone you back when I’ve spoken to him.’

  I sat at my desk and slowly put the phone down.

  Despite having had no choice but to tell her, I felt acutely self-conscious, like a schoolboy guilty of that most heinous of crimes, snitching to teacher. But as teacher had said, our feelings were an irrelevance compared to the threat we were facing.

  We? Correction – the threat some innocent, anonymous bystanders were facing, and without even knowing it…

  Mary came in with some reports and I realised I’d been sitting there in a trance for nearly half an hour…

  Fenella phoned after lunch, not that I’d had any. She said that Roland had sounded genuinely shocked and claimed that it was his words that had been exaggerated. ‘Is that a possibility, Herry?’

  ‘If so, only marginally.’

  ‘That’s what I thought.’ She’d given him her ultimatum and he’d agreed to everything she’d demanded. I should expect a call from him.

  ‘I think I’ll call him,’ I said, ‘Now.’

  I did so. When he answered, I told him curtly that there was a meeting that evening in my office at six.

  There was a pause… I was about to ask him if he was still there when he said,