Open-handed

by Chris Binchy

  ‘Yes,’ the woman said now. ‘Very beautiful.’ Agnieszka turned to her. The woman smiled again, her face encouraging and open. There was an interruption while the waiter brought the wine and glasses, set an ice-bucket on the table and poured. Agnieszka held up her hand when he came to her. White asked was she sure, and she shook her head.

  When the waiter left it was Julia who spoke. ‘A girl with the skills you have, the type of girl you are, you could make a very good living for yourself while you’re here. The reason that Luke asked me to come in and meet you is that he thought I might be able to put some work your way.’

  ‘Right,’ Agnieszka said. She didn’t say anything else. From her bag she thought she could hear her phone ringing but it was hard to tell.

  ‘I run an agency and we’re always looking for bright, well-educated, presentable women.’

  Agnieszka felt her stomach contracting. She didn’t say anything.

  ‘The work would be something that might be of interest to you, given your personality. It involves meeting people and going out with them. Talking to them. Most of our clients are professionals looking for a bit of company.’

  Agnieszka watched her as she spoke. There was nothing to indicate that she felt uncomfortable or uncertain as she said these words.

  ‘It’s a very upmarket operation, very well organized, and we look after our girls. There are some fellows, but it’s mostly girls. We take good care of them. You’ll always feel safe and you will never feel any pressure to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. And the money is really excellent. In one night you could easily make what you’re earning in a week. If it suited you. It’s not for everyone. But a girl like you I think would be very popular and would do very well.’

  ‘There’s no pressure here,’ White said. ‘Just I thought you seemed like someone who would be very good if you were interested. And I could cut back your shifts at the bar. If things worked out well for you, you could give it up altogether. It would be a much easier life, choosing when you want to work and not having to answer to anyone.’

  ‘Might it be something you’d be interested in?’ the woman asked.

  The sickness Agnieszka had been feeling had faded. She’d known already from weeks ago. The first time she’d seen him. She shook her head. Get on with it now. Be done with it. ‘Maybe,’ she said.

  ‘You know what we’re talking about here?’ White asked, his voice sharp, perhaps to punish her for the delay.

  ‘Yes,’ she said, without looking at him.

  ‘Would I be right in saying that you’ve done this sort of thing before?’ he said then.

  She wondered if he cared what her answer would be, and realized it was of no importance to him at all. ‘No,’ she said.

  ‘No,’ Julia said, benign and relaxed, almost motherly. ‘No. But that’s not a problem at all. We can talk to you about everything. Let you know how it works, and if you’re still keen we can get you started.’

  ‘And I’ll sort it out that your shifts in the bar get covered if you’re busy,’ White said. ‘Assuming you want to hold on to the job.’

  ‘Yes,’ Agnieszka said.

  ‘That’s wonderful,’ Julia said. ‘I’ll give you a call over the next few days to talk to you properly. I’m so happy you came here tonight to meet me. Thank you very much.’

  Out on the street Agnieszka took out her phone. There was no missed call. As she passed the bar it rang in her hand and she saw that it was Victor.

  ‘Are you finished?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes. Just now.’

  38

  The phone call was from a country man, bright-sounding. He told Sylvester he’d got his name from David O’Donnell. He and his colleagues had a bit of money to invest and wanted to talk to Sylvester about maybe putting it in property somewhere in Eastern Europe.

  They arranged to meet in a hotel on the outskirts, close to the motorways heading south and west. The man was going home afterwards, he said, and he didn’t want to spend half the night in Dublin traffic.

  It was a hot afternoon. In the lobby of the hotel it was all business, twos and threes sitting close to each other at low tables, and groups gathering for sales meetings and seminars to be held in function rooms with antiquated English names listed on an electronic display board in red lights. The smell of a thousand carvery lunches, stale beer and burned coffee trapped in the soft furnishings, strangely comforting in its familiarity.

  Sylvester looked around the lobby for his man, then turned to find someone coming towards him, smiling broadly, hand outstretched. ‘Mr Kelly?’

  ‘Mr Breen.’

  ‘I recognized you from your picture on the Internet.’

  ‘You’re not a detective, are you? Am I in trouble?’

  ‘Far from it. You’re safe enough.’ They chuckled at each other. Big open face and a firm, manly handshake. Good cut to the suit, a modern style that made more of a statement than he might have intended.

  ‘It’s good of you to come out and meet me,’ Breen said to him. ‘I’m sure you’ve a lot going on.’

  ‘Happy to do it,’ Sylvester said. ‘Will we sit?’ They found a table and sat at right angles to each other. Breen waved a waitress over and they ordered tea.

  ‘Something to eat?’ he asked Sylvester. ‘Would you have a sandwich? I’m going to.’

  ‘I would,’ Sylvester said. The girl took the order and left.

  ‘So, David O’Donnell speaks highly of you,’ Breen said, when she was gone.

  ‘That’s good to hear. We’ve known each other a long time. He was one of my first clients when I was setting the business up a couple of years ago. I recommended a couple of places that have done very well for him. I think he was happy with how things worked out.’

  ‘I wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t,’ Breen said. ‘Dave’s a super guy. A super guy.’ Sylvester nodded. ‘A great fellow,’ Breen said then, a little sadly. In the moment of silence the conversations around them seemed easier and more interesting.

  Sylvester tried to sound breezy. ‘So, what can I do for you?’

  ‘Basically, what it is, a few years ago myself and six friends got together and bought a horse. It wasn’t a money thing, more for the fun of it. We’d all be betting men and a few of them would be more into it than I would. They’d have known what they were doing. A couple of us had sold houses around that time and paid off mortgages with a bit of cash left knocking around. We put a few quid together, a few grand each, and bought this horse. Do you know anything about horses?’

  ‘Not a lot.’

  ‘Meaning?’

  Sylvester smiled. ‘Nothing, really.’

  ‘Doesn’t matter. So we got him into a good yard and he did well for us. Ran all over Ireland and then we got invited to England and Europe as well. Flat racing. Five wins and a few places. That’s a good horse. We made a bit out of him. By the time we’d paid everything and divided it up it wasn’t a lot, but it was something and we were hooked. We did it again, bought two more. They weren’t so good but they did all right for us. And there’s money to be made in this. If you’re on the scene and talking to people you get a good insight. It doesn’t always work out but even with the bad days it’s still an enjoyable thing to be doing.

  ‘So we had a fund and wanted to put it into something a bit more secure. We took some of the money and put it into apartments on the dock in Athlone a few years ago and that worked out well. Sold them on. We were involved in building a hotel up near Carrick and in a golf course in Portugal. But we were interested in doing something in Eastern Europe, and I met Dave not long ago and he said you’d be a good man to talk to.’

  ‘Right.’

  ‘Because I was saying, you know, I thought we might have missed the boat there.’

  ‘A lot of people think that. It’s far from the reality.’

  ‘That’s what he was saying. I was talking about China or Vietnam, maybe, but we’d prefer to be a bit closer to home. Somewhere in Europe, within the EU even
. If it’s not too late.’

  ‘No. Believe me. There are a lot of cities that haven’t even come close to where they’re going over the next five years. And even the more mature places are hitting a second boom now. If you’re realistic and patient, these markets make for very good investments.’

  ‘We’re not interested in a quick buck. When you’re used to winning and losing over the course of three minutes, a long-term investment has a lot of appeal. Security is important to us.’

  ‘That’s good. I think what we have would suit you.’

  ‘So, what do you have?’

  ‘Well, I’m sure you have your own financial people to advise you on anything you might be interested in, and in most areas they will serve you well, but when it comes to an area like this you do need to get someone more specialized. Because there are, frankly speaking, thousands of crooks and fly-by-night merchants willing to tell people what they want to hear.’

  ‘I know all this,’ Breen said. ‘I’m aware of the world and how it operates.’

  ‘So I’ve known David O’Donnell for a long time, from when I was working as a city councillor. As I’m sure you understand, he is a man who would expect the highest standards in everything he gets involved in. The fact that he would recommend me to you is greatly appreciated, particularly in that light. If things had not worked out as he wanted he would not have been shy about making his feelings known.’

  ‘He might have thrown you off a building.’

  Sylvester smiled politely. ‘He wouldn’t have been happy. But he was. And here’s why. We have very good on-the-ground local knowledge that is totally independent. That’s all. Most of the companies involved in this business claim to be independent but aren’t. They’re on kickbacks from developers, or are actually fronts for the builders themselves. People buy into a development being told that the price they’re paying is typical and that their rent is guaranteed for the first year, but don’t realize that they’re the ones paying their own rent. My Czech partner, Marek Soldán, is an extremely good lawyer and an investor himself in property all across Central and Eastern Europe for the past fifteen years. We don’t deal in the kind of new, low-quality apartment blocks that most of the others are interested in. Why are they getting involved in that end of things? Because it’s easy. They bring people over and show them beautiful apartments that seem to be in an okay part of town and tell them that a thousand-square-metre two-bedroom place in an up-and-coming area in Brno is good value at a hundred and fifty thousand euro. But is it? Is it?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Breen said. ‘How would I?’

  ‘Exactly. You understand that even if it sounds good it doesn’t mean anything. But for others, for people with just a bit to invest, they believe because they want to believe. They want to invest in anything and that kind of environment brings sharks. There’s been nothing in Dublin for so long. There have been no hidden gems, nothing undervalued, nothing sneaking through under the radar. Everything here is known and it’s over now. So these people who have a bit of money have to go further afield. And what they really want to hear is that they’re getting in early, ahead of the crowd, and that they can double their money in five years. And there are plenty of people willing to take their money and tell them everything they want to hear.

  ‘But it’s basically all lies. Some people may do well. I can accept that. And the intentions of many of the people involved may be straight enough. I’m sure they hope that everybody does well. But by the time it all becomes clear they’ll have moved on.’

  He looked up. The waitress was standing above them with the tray, waiting for a break in his speech. ‘Hello,’ Sylvester said.

  ‘Sorry,’ she said.

  ‘You put the man off his stride,’ Breen said, and laughed.

  ‘I am sorry,’ the girl said, as she unloaded cups and saucers and plates on to the table in front of them.

  ‘It’s no problem,’ Sylvester said, lifting the bill and handing her a note. ‘That’s fine, thank you.’

  ‘You don’t need change?’

  ‘I don’t.’

  ‘Thank you,’ the girl said. ‘I won’t interrupt you again.’

  ‘You were saying,’ Breen said, sandwich in hand, smiling at him.

  ‘I hope you’re impressed by this,’ Sylvester said. ‘I was saying that while others deal in cheap apartments sold at a premium we only deal in high-value spaces. Offices and luxury apartments in good areas. Places with proper transport links, areas that have actual proper plans for development. There are places that suit speculators and places that suit investors. Our places are for investors. You will make money with us over ten years. Maybe earlier than that. But you will spend more up front. If you want to buy a one-bed apartment in Bucharest for fifty thousand I can’t help you. But if you’re looking for something more solid and long-term we can help you. Marek has a small team of people with whom he consults and he personally checks out every place we recommend. The quality of the information we provide about our properties is of a totally different quality from anyone else’s. It’s a small business and you will get a more personal service that will suit your needs better than any of the bigger operators. I would absolutely understand if a syndicate like yourselves, people who are looking to build up a portfolio of investments, decided to go with one of the big companies. There is a security in that and they won’t lead you too far wrong if you don’t let them. I’m sure you wouldn’t.

  ‘But I can tell you that if you decide to go with us, you will not regret it. This is a good company. We have had excellent results and I can provide you with any documentation you might need and testimonials from every customer we have ever dealt with. Every customer has something positive to say. We keep the number of clients small and the level of attention high.

  ‘That’s what we’re about. If you decided that you were interested in investing with us, I can show you some brochures for properties that we have at the moment. We would talk about how much you were looking to invest, the kind of timescale you would be thinking of and which countries you might prefer. Whether or not you want to take out mortgages or to invest fully. We generally recommend that clients travel and view the various properties in a given area before making any decisions.’

  ‘Right,’ Breen said. ‘I get the idea. Thank you for that. Let me tell you something more specific about what we’re looking to do. A few facts and figures and see how they sit with you.’

  He spoke for only a few minutes. He talked about numbers, amounts of money to be invested. How if things went well initially there would be more to follow, and then more after that. He said he would need to discuss it with his partners but he thought it would probably be useful to make a trip and to meet Marek. To see what was available.

  Nothing had been decided yet: this was only a first meeting and nothing would be agreed until names were on contracts, but Sylvester thanked God that this man had been brought to him. It could be the beginning of something new and bright. As all this was going on inside him, he kept eye contact with Paddy Breen and from time to time nodded as if everything he was saying would be possible.

  39

  Dessie started the car when he saw Sylvester coming. ‘You were a while,’ he said to him, as he got in.

  ‘Start moving,’ Sylvester said. ‘I want to get as far away from that fellow as quickly as possible.’

  ‘What happened?’

  ‘Nothing. Just before he changes his mind.’ Dessie put the car in gear and they took off out of the car-park and zipped through the roundabout, then down the ramp into an un-moving block of traffic that snaked off, red lights blinking, into the distance ahead.

  ‘We’ll be here a while,’ Dessie said.

  ‘That’s okay. He’s going the other way. Gives me time to think about this.’

  ‘About what?’

  Sylvester told him. He talked about horses and syndicates and country people with more money than they could spend. He gave him numbers and percentages and plans
over five-year periods and ten-year periods. Seven people ready to go and look at what Sylvester would show them.

  ‘So what happens now?’ Dessie asked.

  ‘We get on the phone to Marek and we set up the trip. We’re going to hit these guys with everything. Put them up in the Four Seasons. Show them every building Marek knows about. Take them out, get them drunk and anything else they want.’

  ‘Very good.’

  Dessie watched him in the mirror as he stared out the side window at a girl in the car beside him. ‘Oh, dear Jesus, do not let me mess this one up,’ Sylvester said, as if to her.

  ‘You won’t mess it up,’ Dessie said.

  ‘I hope not.’ He was fiddling with the window, putting it up and down a couple of inches. The car beside moved ahead.

  ‘The air-conditioning is on. Will you close that?’

  ‘It’s my car,’ Sylvester said.

  ‘Not when I’m driving.’

  ‘So this will probably be in the next week or two. We need to start thinking about flights.’

  Dessie nodded. ‘I’m not sure,’ he said then.

  ‘Sure of what?’

  ‘I can’t be going off to Prague next week.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Her mother’s sick.’

  Sylvester laughed at first. ‘What? Just now?’

  It didn’t annoy Dessie: he understood that it was a mistake. But he didn’t smile or say anything to lessen Sylvester’s discomfort. ‘No. She’s been bad for a while. In hospital.’

  ‘I didn’t know. How sick is she?’

  ‘Not good.’

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me before?’

  ‘You’ve enough to be thinking about.’

  ‘I should know these things, though, Dessie.’

  ‘You know now. So I don’t want to leave Anne at the moment. She doesn’t like being on her own.’

  Sylvester nodded. ‘But she’s got Yvonne, hasn’t she?’ he said.

  ‘She’s in college now.’ Neither of them said anything for a moment. Finding their positions, Dessie thought.

  ‘Believe me,’ Sylvester said, ‘I understand your reluctance and I wouldn’t ask normally but this one is important. I don’t know if you realize how tight things have been.’