A Servant of the Company

by Alan Cooke

  He returned the smile, but he was worried and didn’t want to show his lack of worldly experience on his first hotel visit as a guest. Looking at previous entries, he almost burst out laughing with relief. There was nothing to it, why had he been so foolish. Quickly writing down the required information he handed the pen back to Mrs. Blandford.

  ‘I’m afraid you will have to carry your own case to your room, you don’t mind do you? My husband has recently been in hospital and can barely move at the moment. If you would follow me we will get you settled in.’ Walking ahead, she soon showed Steve into a very comfortable room on the first floor with its own bathroom. ‘If you wish to have your evening meal here, we serve dinner between seven and eight p.m. Breakfast is from seven o’clock until nine thirty. I have some leaflets here that may interest you. They will give you some idea of the entertainment and sights to see, but like all young people you will soon sort out what you want to do. Anyway, if there is anything we can help you with please ask. Enjoy your stay. I’ll leave you to it.’

  ‘Thank you, I must say you have a very nice hotel and I’m sure I will be very comfortable here.’ He smiled as she left the room, and thought the company certainly knew how to pick places to stay and Mrs. Blandford must be the best looking hotel owner in the country. This was a mini mansion, far better than the big multi storey, four hundred room soulless places he had seen in films. He explored the room, opening drawers and wardrobes, there was even a trouser press. By the side of the bed was a tray with tea, coffee and everything to go with it. ‘This is sheer bloody luxury,’ he quietly assured himself, he had experienced nothing like it. He marvelled at the array of toiletries in the bathroom and the pure white towels resting on the large radiator. Yes this would do nicely. He opened his suitcase and carefully unpacked his belongings depositing them in their new home. If only his mother could see him now he thought. He must ring her and let her know of his new career. She would be disappointed he had left the Army where she had seen an unruly boy turn into a polite, controlled and successful young man, but would surely welcome his rise in the world of business.

  By the time he had unpacked, had a shower and changed into a casual outfit, it was seven o’clock and time for dinner. When he went downstairs to the dining room, he found there were several people already seated and checking the menu. They all looked very middle class, and Steve checked himself in the mirror to be sure he didn’t look out of place. Satisfied, he took his place at one of the tables set for two.

  The meal was excellent and Steve soon relaxed and settled into what had initially felt like alien surroundings to him. He almost felt at home by the time the friendly waitress had finished fussing over him. Recommending the best things on the menu, with a smile indicating she knew what she was talking about. He accepted her choices and when the meal was finished, had thanked her for the advice she had given. From the smile he received, he knew he would be well looked after in the dining room. As he got up to leave, Mrs. Blandford approached the table carrying a large brown envelope.

  ‘I do apologise Mr. Henderson, this arrived for you this morning and it slipped my mind.’ Handing the envelope to Steve, she continued, ‘I hope the delay hasn’t caused you any inconvenience. If you have any further mail, would you like it putting in your room?’

  Steve accepted the envelope glancing at it for clues of the sender. ‘No problem at all, if you don’t mind it would be great if you would have anything put into my room.’ He smiled as he turned to leave the dining room. ‘And by the way, that was a delicious meal.’

  ‘I’m so pleased you liked it.’ Mrs. Blandford did like good manners and appreciation for the efforts she and her staff put in to make their guests stay a pleasurable one. ‘Yes,’ she said to herself, ‘A very nice young man.’

  The envelope seemed to be getting hotter as Steve hurried to his room. It must be his joining instructions, he told himself. Quickly opening the bedroom door, he entered closing it behind him. He was excited, but before opening the letter he quickly checked that the door was locked and that there wasn’t a maid in the bathroom.

  He paused before opening the letter, ‘Henderson you’re getting paranoid, stop acting like a master spy, it’s only a letter. You won’t have to swallow it once you’ve read it.’ It didn’t open easily, or had his fingers suddenly become all thumbs? Eventually he took out the wad of foolscap sheets and settled back on the bed to read them. The first thing he noticed, there was no company letter heading and the doubt he had felt days earlier returned. Once he had re-read the instructions for the third time, he was perspiring although his face had lost all trace of colour.

  The words came from his lips as a question which he knew he couldn’t answer. ‘What the bloody hell have I let myself in for?’ He looked around the elegant room, thought of the meal in the dining room and wondered how the tasks he had been set could possibly relate to his present situation. He had promised to telephone Anthea, but dreaded it. What could he say about the job? He couldn’t say anything, the contents of the letter were so worrying that the slightest hint could bring retribution, not only against him but possibly against Anthea too. He hadn’t been asked to swallow the letter once it was read and understood, but he had to tear into small pieces and dispose of it down the lavatory. He would ring her, tell her about the hotel and its location and about the marvellous meal. Then he would leave it at that. He wouldn’t arrange for her to visit until he had sorted himself out, there was a lot to do and he had no idea how he could cope with it but cope he would have to until he could come up with a solution.

  Before ringing Anthea, he read the instructions for the fourth time. Five sheets he tore up, the fifth was a map of his ‘area of influence’, the term used in his instructions. Folding it he put it into his wallet. Once he had visited the area and knew it intimately, this sheet would then follow the same route as the others. Gathering the pieces together he carried them to the bathroom carefully dropping them into the lavatory bowl. Checking that none had fallen on the way, he carried out his instruction. He had to flush the lavatory three times before the last piece of paper finally disappeared. This small action gave him a feeling of relief. It was as though his hands had been suddenly cleansed. The perspiration on his temple indicated his awareness that the feeling would be temporary.

  Returning to the bedroom he glanced out of the window, imagining the different worlds that existed within a mile from the hotel, something he hadn’t given much thought about before. The seamier side of life certainly wasn’t new to him, he had lived it and there were very few things which would shock him. But having experienced a lot of one and a little of the other, he had to decide where his future lay. It was not a difficult decision. He would go along with the instructions, but was determined that the end result would not be that required by the Company. The plot would have to be made up as he went along, at this stage he didn’t have enough information. That would only come when his own input triggered a response. He couldn’t go to the Police. That idea had crossed his mind but there had been cases where police officers had been in the pay of criminal gangs, and his company was certainly that. He couldn’t take the risk. He would accept the pay and lifestyle, but tailor his own agenda.

  Lying on the bed he reached for the mobile phone that Anthea had given him as a present before he left. Taking a deep breath he connected to her home number. As soon as the ringing stopped, he said, ‘Hi Anthea, it’s me on a very smart and attractive mobile phone that was given to me by a young lady of exceptional taste. How are you?’ He tried to sound cheerful and hoped that Anthea would not see through his bluff. With his mind still in turmoil, this was going to be a very difficult conversation, unless he could keep her off ‘The Company.’

  ‘Hello Steve, lovely to hear from you. Was it only this morning that you left? It seems like a lifetime. I have missed you and can’t wait until I can drive up to see you. How are things going?’ The pleasure she got hearing his voice was incredible. If it hadn’t been for that kis
s, she might never have heard from him again. But that was not going to happen, she knew it and she knew that he knew it.

  Steve imagined Anthea sitting next to her telephone and saw her beautiful face and natural grace and suddenly felt a bit more relaxed. ‘Awful journey, but I’m in a very nice hotel. Very olde worlde, lots of antiques, polished wood and shining copper. Flowers everywhere, you would love it. The food is great too, I can see myself putting on a lot of weight if I’m here for long. I wish you could be here with me, we do have a lot to say to each other don’t we?’

  Her fingers were tingling, he had just confirmed her feelings, and a warm glow filled her whole body, but it didn’t last. How could it be possible to be so happy yet so miserable at the same time? Why couldn’t he be coming home to her tonight and not miles away? Both her hands were now around her telephone grasping it as though letting go would see Steve slipping away from her. ‘Oh! Steve, I think I’ve fallen in love with you, you just don’t know how it makes me feel when you are so far away.’

  ‘Darling Anthea, I feel exactly the same. Don’t worry we’ll be together very soon. This job is just a stepping stone. Once I get some experience, I’ll be back I promise.’ He laughed as he said, ‘And don’t you try to stop me. We have some wonderful times ahead of us, I just have to be patient for a couple of weeks.’ The thought of holding her was foremost in his mind and with their next meeting, he would see them consummate the feelings that they had for each other. ‘I don’t think I’ve told you that I love you too, well I do. On that damned train journey the thought of you was the only thing that kept me going.’ She still hadn’t mentioned the job, so maybe he would get away with it tonight. It was not to be.

  ‘Any news from your company yet Steve or do just have to sit it out until they contact you?’ There was a problem here, she was certain. Maybe he would tell her some news which would dispel the doubt. She had decided to mention it just this once and then let the matter drop. It was unfair to put pressure on him, he would tell her when the time was right, but the odd question kept things in the open. If he needed help, he would see that she was not only a female, but strong and determined to go with it.

  There was no way he could divulge his instructions so the best thing he reasoned was to lie. ‘Nothing yet Anthea, I might hear something tomorrow with a bit of luck.’ He would have to face up to it sometime, but tonight wasn’t it. ‘Will you be in tomorrow night?’

  ‘Home at six as usual. But to an empty house this time unfortunately. If I said that I didn’t want you sleeping in the spare room any more, would that get you back to me a bit sooner?’ She couldn’t believe she had said it but was pleased that she had. It had been on her mind for some time and now she had given him the invitation.

  Steve realised how slow he had been in his relationship with Anthea reasoning that she was far too good for him, came from a far better background and would probably have rejected him. Now she had made the move and he loved her for it. ‘I think I’ve just missed the last train, or I would have been on it,’ he laughed. ‘Darling, I can’t wait to see you again. It’s going to be a very long week and you’re going to be permanently on my mind.’ As he spoke, he came to the conclusion that he was in denial of the reality of his situation. He felt as strongly for Anthea as she did for him, but before they met again there was some serious work to do. Work he could never discuss.

  Anthea felt the tears coming, it wouldn’t take long before they were flowing down her cheeks. The cocktail of happiness and misery was very upsetting and before he could sense her pain she had to get off the phone. ‘Steve, please ring me tomorrow night, I’ll just wait in for your call.’ She couldn’t say any more, her hand was over her mouth to stop the sound of her sobs reaching the man she loved.

  ‘I’ll give you time to have something to eat before I ring, but the time is going to drag for me. I love you Anth. Speak to you then.’

  It took all of her composure to say, ‘Love you, bye.’ As she put the telephone down the tears came. She needed him but felt that he needed her just as much, if not more. All was not well with Steve, she just knew it.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Everything was going to plan, all he needed to do now was prepare the final induction package. He smiled as he thought of Carol Barcroft, wondering whether it would have been better to have tried a personal approach to get her to Paris for the weekend rather than recruiting her into the Organisation. It was too late now, she was one of the team and he never mixed business with pleasure of the sexual kind. Although she was the final recruit, he would never stop accruing information when it presented itself, it may never be used but was there should the need arise. He was therefore pleased to allow himself just one token. It was this final thought which brought his mind back to creating Carol’s guidelines.

  As he set up the computer he wasn’t sure whether he was sad about this last throw or happy that he had reached the culmination of his art without discovery, and with a large fortune for the Organisation in an assortment of banks under an assortment of names. This project had been on his mind for some time as an excellent prospect for profit, all it needed was the right final ingredient, and then he had found Carol Barcroft.

  Before he knew it the light was fading and he had to put on the desk lamp to see the keyboard properly. He had been working continuously for six hours and had just one final paragraph to add before the plan was complete. Twenty minutes later he had finished reading through all that had been written. It might be the last one he would ever have to write, but he considered it his best. Every eventuality had been covered, right down to the safety of the girls yet to be recruited. Satisfied, he switched on the printer setting it for two copies. One for the safe, the other for Miss Barcroft. He had tried to comprehend the feelings he got when his efforts had reached this final stage when everything was under control, but it still remained an enjoyable mystery.

  Hotel accommodation had been arranged for Carol Barcroft. At six p.m. tomorrow he would telephone and give her the start date and hotel details. The briefing notes he would send to the hotel for her collection.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Simon Colbourne was looking forward to his journey to Cardiff where he would be visiting a company which supplied high quality antique reproduction metalwork for the family furniture business. It was just a P.R. exercise but one which might secure him another extremely attractive bed mate. On an earlier visit he had noticed a girl working in an office adjacent to the managing director and had been captivated by her looks. She was honey blond and had either just returned from a holiday in the sun or been a frequent visitor to a sun bed centre. He favoured the former, her colouring was perfect. The yellow silk blouse and camel coloured skirt reflected the girl’s excellent dress sense. He had only a brief chance to speak to her, but from their eye contact his experience told him she was interested in him. And he was certainly interested in her. Listening to the M.D. talking to her, he learned her name was Glenys, this he filed away in his memory for the future. Tomorrow he would see her again, he closed his eyes and let his memory of her flow through his mind. A quick courtesy call to the factory in Cardiff confirming his visit then he would have a relaxing evening.

  ‘That wouldn’t be Glenys would it?’ he asked, hoping he hadn’t been mistaken. If he was right this might be the hoped for opener for a more intimate relationship. Picturing the blonde girl at the other end of the telephone, he waited expectantly for her answer.

  ‘Yes it is Mr. Colbourne, how on earth did you know?’ She was pleased he had remembered her voice and her name. She had recognised his voice as soon as she had answered the call. ‘This is quite remarkable, I was just about to call you on behalf of Mr. Davis.’ The thought went through her mind that he might be interested in her, he had certainly looked deeply into her eyes on his last visit and it was the memory of that moment that had prompted her to volunteer to call him. She was pleased there was no-one else in the office otherwise her call would have been on a strictly bus
iness basis with Mr. Colbourne. As it was, her voice had displayed pleasure. Something that Simon noticed immediately.

  ‘Are you on your own Glenys?’ he asked in a conspiratorial way. This could be the time, the intonations in her voice were right and if she was alone, the game would be on. ‘And please, do call me Simon. Although we have only met briefly somehow I feel as though I know you. Strange isn’t it. Do you ever get that feeling?’ It was fishing again, he had cast his line and he would be watching the float carefully and when the time was right the fish wouldn’t be landed on the river bank but the girl would be landed in his bed.

  ‘Yes Simon I am on my own. The reason for the call was to invite you to a party the company is having to celebrate our twenty-fifth year in business. It’s to be held on the 20th of next month at the Hilton Hotel here in Cardiff. I do hope you can come. Partners are being invited but I will be on my own.’ She held her breath, would he be expecting her to say this? What would he think of her, would he give her the cold shoulder?

  Glenys need not have worried, it was an open invitation to Simon and he knew just the way to accept it graciously without saying, ‘My room number is 203 and I’ll be in bed when you come up.’ He paused before answering because suddenly he reappraised Glenys. Maybe she was as good a fisherman as he was. Not only had the invitation been offered, the unsaid words were in her voice. ‘Clinch the deal Simon,’ he said to himself.

  ‘Would you thank Mr. Davis for his kind invitation, I would be delighted to accept. I must say that seeing you again is probably the best part of it but don’t tell him that.’ He laughed as he said it, and settled down for more of the game before he would end the conversation. ‘Perhaps you would join me for a drink after the party, I would love to get to know you better?’ His voice was warm and encouraging as it usually was at this stage of the proceedings.