Dying to Live

Chapter 37 - Lucky for Some

"First name and surname," I press.

"Brian Douglas. Simon Matthews. Terry Barnes. Arnold Green. Can I stop now?"

"Maybe you should make the calls. You're a better liar than me."

"I always was," he says as he pours out tea for two. "But I'd get rumbled when it came to talking about the diamonds. You're the gem expert."

"Yeah. I just need to get my cover story straight... before I call."

"I wonder how Kevin's getting on?" says Marty.

Kevin went back to work at MIB this morning, after his week's 'holiday'. He had to act as if nothing happened, pretend he'd just had a normal week off. The question was, would Richard break cover and confront him or would Richard want to distance himself as far as possible from the scam? As far as Richard knew, Kevin had no idea about the relationship between Hazel and her boss, so he might want to leave it that way. It was going to be a tough day for Kevin but hanging around waiting for news made it a tough day for us as well.

"We seem to spend a lot of time waiting to hear what happening with Kevin," says Marty, echoing my thoughts.

"Yeah, and I need to get the name of the dealer they met in Rio before I make any more calls."

"Text him."

Why hadn't I thought of that? I get out my phone and start thumbing a message – 'How goes it? Who was the dealer you met in Rio? D.'

"Done," I say sipping my tea. "What time did you arrange to meet Tommy?"

Marty looks at his watch. "In a bit over an hour."

"I'll be glad to get started on framing Richard. It'll put some heat on him and maybe divert MIB's attention. Anyway, the bastard deserves everything he gets."

For the next forty minutes, we discuss the ways we can frame Richard and bring him to the attention of MIB. We want to keep Kevin out of it as much as possible but he'll be the one who'll have to plant the drugs in Richard's office. Planning revisited and polished, we head off to the Iron Duke.

"Do you ever wonder if you and Brenda will get back together someday?" I ask.

"Do you ever wonder if you and Sarah will get back together someday?"

That's his way of saying he doesn't want to talk about his wife. He knows I hate talking about mine, so a question about Sarah will always shut me up.

"Sorry," I say, "I'm just interested because it was my fault you split up."

"And why did you and Sarah split?"

Fair point, in the sense that it's a total conversation stopper. I never talk about Sarah and that wanker of an estate agent... not sober anyway. A change of subject is required, and hopefully it'll change into something a little bit more comfortable.

"Tommy sounded as if he was still on board," says Marty.

"He wants his other sixteen grand, that's why."

"Sixteen and a half," says the master mathematician.

"Yeah right, and his love of money will keep him on board."

"Don't care what the reason is as long as he's on our side."

We have time to buy a pint, well three actually, one for me and Marty, and a spare for Tommy who arrives about ten minutes late.

"All right, guys?" he says before he takes his seat and swallows the first big slug of his beer.

"We're good, Tommy," I say. "We're ready to start the downfall of Richard Foster."