Empire of Gold (10 page)
Authors: Andy McDermott
‘It’s really amazing,’ Nina cut in, hoping to forestall an argument. She examined one of the little buildings, a replica of an English country pub. ‘And it’s so detailed!’
‘Detail is everything,’ said Larry. ‘If you want to be successful, you need to cover every last detail, whether you’re doing something yourself or delegating. Like this.’ He swept a hand over the layout. ‘I don’t have the time to make everything myself, but I always make sure that when someone else works for me, they know exactly what I expect from them.’
‘You paid someone to make this for you?’ Eddie said scathingly. ‘Where’s the fun in that? You might as well hire someone to stand here and drive the trains.’
To Nina’s relief, a call came that dinner was almost ready, and they trooped downstairs. Drinks were served, then the meal began. With the addition of the chirpy Julie to the mix, the conversation became less tense. However, halfway through the main course of beef carpaccio with marinated salad, Nina realised she would have to be the designated driver as Eddie, keeping pace with his father, poured himself a third glass of wine. Not even having finished her first glass, she switched to water. ‘I’m no expert on the linguistic ins and outs of England,’ she said to Larry, ‘but I can tell you don’t have the same accent as Eddie. Are you not from Yorkshire originally?’
‘Oh, no,’ he replied. ‘I’m from Bucks.’ Nina gave him a blank look. ‘Buckinghamshire, in the Home Counties. The rich parts around London,’ he clarified. ‘I used to spend a lot of time travelling between the ports at Liverpool and Hull for work, and the M62, the motorway between them, was just being finished. So I picked somewhere to live that was right in the middle. Same reason I moved down here, actually. A lot of my work goes through Southampton, so it made sense to be near the port. Turned out well in both cases. I met Julie down here – she used to be my secretary – and met my first wife in Yorkshire.’
‘You mean
Mum
,’ Eddie rumbled.
Mum
,’ Eddie rumbled.
‘What is your work?’ Nina asked quickly. ‘Eddie said it was something to do with shipping.’ His actual words had been ‘shipping, or some bollocks’, but she kept that to herself.
Larry gestured at a shelf. ‘Julie, there are some of my cards on there – can you get one for Nina?’ Julie stood and retrieved one, and handed it to Nina.
‘Thanks,’ Nina said. A stark, modern logo in deep blue stood out at the card’s top above the company name. ‘Chase International Logistics?’
‘That’s right,’ said Larry with a smug smile. ‘I left the old firm ten years ago and went into business for myself. And it’s worked out rather well.’
‘So what does international logistics entail?’ Not wanting to seem rude by discarding it, she slipped the card into her breast pocket.
‘Getting things from where they are to where they’re wanted as quickly as possible with the minimum of hassle. Including from officials. I go all over the world, getting to know the right people. A word in someone’s ear can mean the difference between a package being held up by red tape for a week or clearing customs in an hour.’
Eddie took another chug of wine. ‘And it’s all totally legal, obviously.’ His voice was full of sarcasm.
‘Everything’s above board, if that’s what you’re implying,’ said Larry, frowning.
‘Well, yeah. After that time you got investigated by Customs and Excise, I suppose you’d want to make sure all the paperwork’s in order.’
Nina and Julie exchanged awkward looks as Larry stabbed his fork into his last piece of beef. ‘That was just a random audit. They do hundreds of them every year.’ He put the meat in his mouth and chewed on it ferociously.
‘But they don’t normally come round to people’s houses and take all their files away, do they?’ It was Eddie’s turn to look smug.
Mouth full, Larry couldn’t reply, but from his scowl it was clear he was planning a retaliatory shot. ‘So, everyone finished?’ Julie said hurriedly. ‘Larry, love, can you help me put the plates in the dishwasher?’
Once they had gone, Nina put her head in her hands. ‘God, Eddie.’
‘What?’ he said, shrugging innocently. ‘Just being nostalgic.’
‘Can you be less
aggressively
nostalgic? Please?’
aggressively
nostalgic? Please?’
Dessert was served, baked peaches stuffed with mascarpone and almonds, both Eddie and Larry washing it down with more wine. Nina was grateful to Julie for steering the conversation away from anything that might spark another round of sniping between father and son. ‘It sounds like you have an amazing life,’ she said to the archaeologist. ‘One great big adventure!’
‘It’s not all adventure,’ Nina assured her. ‘I spend more time than I’d like in an office. But we’re doing some fieldwork at Glastonbury tomorrow, in King Arthur’s tomb.’
‘Wow. And archaeology’s how you met Eddie?’
‘Yes – he’d been hired as my bodyguard. He’s kept me safe from the bad guys since then.’ She smiled and put a hand on his arm.
‘That’s really romantic,’ said Julie, ignoring Larry’s faint but dismissive huff. ‘And exciting, too. Eddie, how many bad guys have you had to deal with?’
‘Oh, a fair few,’ said Eddie, for the first time that evening giving an answer without any snarky undertones. ‘But I used to be in the SAS, so I can handle myself.’ Julie was highly impressed by the revelation, deepening Larry’s irritation. ‘A punch in the face usually sorts ’em out.’
‘Well, that’s one thing you were always good at as a kid,’ said Larry loudly as he took another drink. ‘Hitting people, I mean. What was the name of that boy you used to bully? Peter something – Peter Clackett, that was it. I remember when his parents came round to complain about you beating him up.’
‘Larry . . . ’ Julie implored.
But he was on a roll. ‘Of course, it was the police who started coming round when you got older. Still,’ he continued, addressing Nina, ‘I’m glad he’s finally put his, ah, talent to constructive use.’
‘Well, personally, Larry,’ said Nina defensively, ‘I think Eddie’s a fantastic man, and I wouldn’t change a thing about him.’ That wasn’t entirely true, but she hoped it would divert the discussion down a less argumentative path. Though in truth she was startled to hear that her husband had been a bully as a child – and that he had made no attempt to deny it.
‘Thanks, love,’ said Eddie, to her relief sounding cheery rather than angry. He ate a piece of peach, following it with more wine, then said, ‘Mind you, I might have turned out better as a kid if I’d had a good role model. Not someone who was hardly ever there ’cause he was off giving backhanders to crooked customs men and shagging other women behind his wife’s back.’
Larry banged down his spoon. ‘Oh, God,’ Nina moaned under her breath.
‘But after I left home,’ Eddie went on, ‘the army knocked some sense into me, so I turned out okay in the end. You know, serving my country, saving lives . . . ’
‘Marrying terrorists,’ said Larry, turning to Julie. ‘Did you know his first wife was Sophia Blackwood – the woman who tried to blow up New York?’ Julie was too embarrassed to reply.
‘Still, I managed not to cheat on her,’ Eddie snapped. A sarcastic sneer. ‘So, what contributions to humanity have you been making for the last twenty years? Bit of this, bit of that, makin’ deals . . . playing with your toy trains.’
‘Maybe I
should
have been around more,’ Larry growled. ‘I would have knocked some
respect
into you.’
should
have been around more,’ Larry growled. ‘I would have knocked some
respect
into you.’
‘Oh, you would, would you?’ said Eddie, challenging. ‘Big man, hitting his kid, eh?’
‘I certainly wouldn’t have let you run riot like your mother did.’
Eddie jumped up, jolting the table and knocking over his wine glass as he jabbed a finger at his father. ‘Don’t you fucking
dare
criticise Mum! Not after what you did to her.’
dare
criticise Mum! Not after what you did to her.’
Larry also sprang to his feet. ‘Don’t you swear at me in my own house!’
‘Why, what’re you gonna do? Spank me? Or maybe you’re going to knock some respect into me. Come on, give it a try!’
Both wives stood too, trying to calm their husbands. ‘Eddie,
Eddie
, come on,’ said Nina. ‘We should probably get moving, huh? It’s getting late.’
Eddie
, come on,’ said Nina. ‘We should probably get moving, huh? It’s getting late.’
‘Suits me fine,’ said Eddie. ‘Thanks for dinner, Julie. We’ll see ourselves out.’ He stormed from the room.
Nina shot Larry a disgusted look- he had, after all, been just as responsible as Eddie for the evening’s unpleasant turn – before facing his wife. ‘I’m sorry, Julie.’
‘So am I,’ she replied, equally apologetic. ‘I hope the rest of your stay is . . . better.’
‘Me too. Bye.’ With a sigh, she followed Eddie, who had already donned his leather jacket and was waiting at the door. ‘What the hell was that?’ she hissed as she collected her own jacket. ‘You couldn’t stay civil for two hours?’
Eddie walked out. ‘What? He bloody started it.’
‘You were both as bad as each other,’ she said, catching up. ‘Yes, he was acting like an ass, but you didn’t have to do the same!’
‘I didn’t want to fucking come at all, remember? The whole thing’s your fault for dragging me here.’
‘Oh, right, blame me! That’s really goddamn mature, Eddie.’ They reached the car, Eddie heading for the driver’s side. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Getting in the car, what does it look like?’
‘You’re not driving, not after all that wine.’
He slapped the key on the roof with a clang. ‘Whatever, fucking fine. Maybe I’ll walk back instead.’
‘Don’t tempt me,’ said Nina, tight-lipped. She took the key and unlocked the Mondeo.
Eddie dropped heavily into the passenger seat and slammed his door. ‘Well, if you’re so fucking embarrassed to be seen with me, I’ll save you any social humiliation and not go to Glastonbury tomorrow. You can find your own bloody way there. I’ll spend the day with Nan, like I promised. At least I know there’s one member of my family who appreciates me.’
‘Fine. What-
ever
.’ Teeth clenched, Nina started the engine and, over-revving, powered down the drive.
ever
.’ Teeth clenched, Nina started the engine and, over-revving, powered down the drive.
4
E
ddie departed the hotel the next morning without breakfast or even a word, leaving Nina in a bad mood. She was still mad at him – and Larry – for their sheer
childishness
.
ddie departed the hotel the next morning without breakfast or even a word, leaving Nina in a bad mood. She was still mad at him – and Larry – for their sheer
childishness
.
Her outfit from the previous night was on a chair; she folded the skirt and blouse to return them to her suitcase. The creased business card dropped to the floor. She glowered at it, then found her wallet and slipped it inside. Amongst the phone numbers was Larry’s home; though she had no particular desire to talk to him, she might still want to speak to Julie, if only to apologise again.
But for now she had work to do. Though she had spoken to the trustees of Glastonbury Tor from New York, the hastiness of the arrangements meant she wanted to check that all was in order before setting out. She started making calls.
Half an hour later, everything was confirmed. Nina tied her hair back in a ponytail and was gathering her belongings when her phone rang. Eddie? No, Macy. ‘Hello?’
‘Hi, Nina!’ From the background noise, Macy was apparently in a car, and going at considerable speed.
‘Hey, Macy. Where are you?’
‘On the freeway. M3, I think it’s called. I’m on my way to you.’
‘Did you bring either of the statues?’
‘I’ve got both of them! Mr Penrose persuaded Dr Assad to let the Egyptian one go on vacation, and your friend at Interpol – Mr Jindal? He said yes right away about the other one. Are you still in this Bournemouth place?’
‘Yes, I’m at the hotel.’ Nina gave her the postcode.
‘Okay,’ Macy said after entering it into the satnav, ‘it says I’m seventy-five miles from you. Also says it’ll take an hour twenty-five to get there, but pshht! I can do better than that.’ The engine note rose.
‘There’s no rush, Macy,’ Nina told her. ‘They’re not expecting us there until lunchtime.’
‘No problem. You and Eddie can show me round England first.’
‘Eddie’s not coming today.’
‘No? Huh. Why not?’
‘Personal reasons,’ was the only answer Nina felt like giving. ‘I’ll see you soon.’
‘Where’s Nina today?’ asked Nan.
She and Eddie were on a clifftop road overlooking the sea, Bournemouth’s pier jutting into the English Channel to the west. He was pushing her along in a wheelchair, an oxygen cylinder on its back connected to her breath mask; though unhappy about the enforced helplessness of her situation, for now she had resigned herself to it. ‘She’s gone to Glastonbury, Nan,’ he told her. ‘Some archaeological thing.’
‘Oh, I see. Why haven’t you gone with her?’
He was still simmering from the previous night, but kept it to himself. ‘Because you wanted me to take you out for a walk,’ he said instead. ‘So here I am!’
‘But what if something happens to her?’
‘Like what?’
‘I don’t know, but things always seem to happen to you two. Like the last time you were here, and the Imax got blown up.’ She pointed at a tower crane inshore of the pier, marking the site where a group of Russian mercenaries had come to a fiery end. ‘They had to demolish it, you know. Which was marvellous, it was a hideous building! But I do worry.’
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