15
Drops of Blood
Martin Caldwell was all in a dither. It was almost as if he’d sensed Vince was walking down the corridor past his office. He flung his door open wide and called out.
‘Vince, come here!’
Vince thought the worst. ‘What is it, Mr Caldwell?’
‘Have you seen Monica this morning?’
He shook his head. Not seeing Monica was classed as lucky, in his book. ‘No, sorry.’
‘Damn her hide!’ he said. ‘She’s not turned up and she knows there’s a ton to do this week, what with the refurbishment stuff. I’ve got paperwork coming out of my ears.’ He rubbed his tired eyes. Tired and it was only ten o’clock in the morning. ‘Well, when you see the woman you tell her to get her lazy arse in here at once.’
‘Maybe she’s sick,’ Vince offered.
‘Sick?’ He rolled his eyes. ‘Yeah, I should say she’s sick.’ The phone on his office desk was ringing insistently and they weren’t about to hang up. ‘Get out of here, Vince, and do something you’re paid to do.’ Vince turned to leave and Caldwell called to him again. ‘Been meaning to ask you - where’s my f*cking Oscar? Have you seen it?’
‘Monica threw it in the waste bin. It’s probably been taken out to the bins.’
‘Go dig it out for me.’
‘The bin men have already been and collected the trash. Sorry.’
‘The bitch!’ he said, going into his office and slamming the door shut. He lifted the phone. ‘What?’ he said, rather brusquely.
‘Hi, Martin. You’re sounding on edge this morning. Caught you at a bad time?’
‘What the f*ck are you doing bothering me, Felix? I told you I don’t want anything more to do with you or your schemes.’
‘Kat sends her love,’ he said. ‘We were only talking about you the other day. You know, we can’t thank you enough for pointing us in Laura Leach’s direction.’
‘Like I had a choice,’ Caldwell said. ‘Don’t expect anything else. You’ve had all you’re going to get from me. I’ve told you, I’ve finished with that game. I’ve moved on.’
‘Good for you. Some of us haven’t. I just need to ask you a few things, that’s all. No need to be uncivil.’
‘Like what?’
‘That cleaner woman, the one that worked at Devereux Towers, gave you the heads up on Laura…’
‘Monica? What about her?’
‘She ever tell you about a locked room at Devereux Towers, one that Laura’s particularly precious about? A blue door?’
‘Not once, why?’
‘You’re not keeping anything from me, are you, Martin? I wouldn’t take too kindly to that.’
‘Go f*ck yourself, Felix. I wouldn’t tell you even if I knew, which I don’t.’
The man gave a chuckle. ‘Bit touchy today, aren’t we, Martin? Something preying on your mind?’
‘Always, and you’re not making it any easier. Now when I put this phone down I don’t ever want to pick it up and hear your voice at the other end. I also don’t want to see you hanging around the Empire, even at a distance, you hear?’
‘That a threat, Martin? Well listen up, wanker, I’ve not finished with you yet. If you think you can ditch me that easily you’re dumber than I thought.’
‘What is it you want? I don’t know any more rich birds for you and Kat to screw over. There are precious few of those in Langbridge. Take yourself elsewhere, like f*cking America. It’s full of them; you’ll have a field day,’ he said, making no attempt to hide the derision.
‘I reckon the Empire turns over a few bob these days, since you took over.’
Martin Caldwell began to sweat, wiped his forehead on his sleeve. ‘What’re you getting at?’
‘Seems to me you might be able to cream a little off the profits, send it my way in return.’
‘In return for what?’
‘In return for me keeping quiet about aspects of your past you’d very much like to keep quiet. Kat has been so – what’s the word? – informative.’
‘That’s blackmail,’ he said.
‘You know, you’re probably right, Martin.’
‘You’ll only bring yourself down with me. You’re not exactly clean, are you?’
‘Think about it, Martin. Me, the most I’d get is a few years for fraud. What’s the going rate for murder?’
Caldwell swallowed hard. ‘You don’t have proof.’
‘Want to risk that? Look, be sensible, you’ve a lot more to lose than me. Nice wife, nice house, nice car, cushy new job in the country. Do you really want to risk all that?’
Caldwell slammed the phone down and stared hard and unforgiving at it. He sank down into his office chair, shaking, seeing his world unravel before him and unable to do anything about it.
He’d watched out for her every evening but she’d not turned up. He’d go down to the auditorium and check out the back row but always he’d climb the stairs to the projection booth bitterly disappointed.
Vince had expected this evening to be exactly the same. He’d left the projector running and descended from the booth with little hope in his heart. The cinema was only half-full tonight. Martin Caldwell, even more on edge than usual, had commented upon it, saying that they really had to get more people inside or the place would sink into its own shit. It’s only a weekday, explained Vince in order to try and buoy the man up; Wednesday, half-day closing in Langbridge. Nobody ever did anything on Wednesday afternoons. It was like having half a Sunday in the middle of the week. But that failed to appease Caldwell who did what he usually did and hid away from sight in his office.
Vince wasn’t prepared for seeing Laura Leach on the back row. His heart almost popped with excitement when he saw she was sitting on her own again, same seat, quietly watching the film.
Do it, he thought. Go over to her, say hello. What, interrupt her during the film? Say you’re checking things out, that’s all. Tell her you’re the projectionist – no, the Chief Projectionist – and you’re checking to see if everything’s OK. Like a f*cking survey? She’d love that, you idiot! Think of something else, quick, because you’ll have to get back to your box soon. Don’t screw up your chance. Think, man!
Except he didn’t have to worry at all. There wasn’t any point. The man – that same man – was here. He’d been down to the kiosk to get her something and was making his way down the line of seats holding out a bag of Minstrels for her. He bent, he kissed, he coiled his arms around her shoulders, did all those things that caused Vince’s heart to freeze stone cold with loathing and hatred and every nasty bit of emotion he could dredge up from the deepest, blackest parts of his soul.
Vince’s insides collapsed. The bastard, he thought! The two-timing skunk! He was seeing two women, cheating on them both, but most importantly cheating on Laura. The slimeball!
He envisaged going up to them, telling him how wrong that was and he must be a real low-life to do that to someone as lovely and as perfect as Laura. He’d tell her he loved her more than this scumbag who couldn’t control the insides of his underpants. They’d fight, naturally, and it didn’t matter if he lost because he’d come out of it looking good whichever way it went.
But of course he didn’t do any of that. He slipped quietly away, back to his projection booth to allow his anger to ferment.
‘The name’s Casper Younge tonight,’ he said.
Martin Caldwell had obviously been drinking again. His face was flushed and there was a slight wobble to his head. He sat in his desk chair, arms folded. ‘I don’t care what f*cking name you’re using. I told you never to contact me again. You shouldn’t be here. Who showed you my office?’
‘One of the ladies from the kiosk. Charm, Martin. Works every time.’
‘Get the f*ck out of my office. Out of my life.’
‘Now, now, Martin, no need to act like that. Let’s sort this amicably.’
‘There’s nothing to sort, Felix. Look, you saw how many people were in the cinema tonight. The takings in this place are piss-poor. It’s barely hanging on. I’m not making enough to hide even a little top-slicing. So you’re wasting your time. You and Kat can go and f*ck yourselves, because I can’t help you. Now take the hint and leave me alone. Go back to taking that poor bint for a ride. It’s what you do best.’
Felix smiled. ‘I’ll take that as a compliment, particularly as it comes from an old master. You don’t know what you’re missing, Martin. We’re screwing Laura for twenty-thousand pounds.’
Martin’s eyes widened. ‘You’re pissing up my back!’
‘No pissing. She’s all over me like a rash, believes everything I tell her. She’s waiting for me, out in the car. I said I’d lost my wallet, had to come in and find it. Gives me time to talk things over with you.’
‘You’re taking her for all that money and yet you’re bothering trying to cream a few measly quid from the Empire’s takings? Why is that, Felix?’
‘Because I can,’ he said matter-of-factly, checking his manicured nails, picking out a smidgen of dirt.
‘Well you can bugger off, because I’m not playing ball.’
‘You’ll regret it, Martin.’
Caldwell leant forward, his fists on the desk. His face twisted into angry lines. ‘Don’t f*ck with me, Felix, or you’re dead!’
Felix raised an eyebrow. ‘Would you believe it – the little dog has got teeth!’ He grabbed Caldwell by the tie, yanked him forward. ‘Say that once more, Martin, and you’ll be the one who’s f*cking dead!’ He released him, flinging him back as he did so. ‘You’ve got until the end of the week to come to your senses.’
He smoothed his jacket, passed Caldwell a last, lingering look, and then left the office. He made his way down to the foyer. Everyone had left the cinema now, apart from Edith who was stowing away ice-cream trays and sweets behind the kiosk; and Vince, who had just said goodnight to the ticket lady and was preparing to lock up the cinema doors for the night. He was taken aback at seeing Felix descending the stairs, fastening his coat. He glanced at Vince as he approached. Vince was still boiling inside, a great, intolerable pressure that was building up like a head of steam as Felix strolled up to him. As they drew level with one another Vince casually closed the plate-glass doors.
‘I need to get out,’ said Felix, eyeing the young man. ‘Open the door.’
‘I know you,’ said Vince. He was aware of Edith looking curiously at him.
‘Really? Well I don’t know you,’ said Felix. ‘Open the f*cking door.’
‘I saw you up on Glastonbury Tor kissing that woman.’
Felix’s eyes narrowed, then recognition flooded in. ‘The runt, yeah, I remember you. So what?’
‘So you shouldn’t be seeing both her and Miss Leach at the same time. It’s not right, and it’s not fair on Laura.’
Felix studied him coldly. ‘Are you telling me what I should or should not be f*cking doing?’ He smiled and shook his head. ‘Get out of my f*cking way.’
‘If Laura found out about you and that other woman…’
‘She won’t find out, will she?’ said Felix, his voice low and menacing.
‘I’m going to tell her. She has a right to know.’
In a flash, Felix had Vince by the collar. He tumbled him backwards and he almost fell over with the force. Felix pounded a hefty, balled fist into his stomach and Vince doubled over, winded and in pain. Then he was punched squarely in the face and Vince crashed against the popcorn cabinet. Edith screamed and ran from behind the counter.
‘Leave him alone, you brute!’ she said.
Felix bent down to Vince, who dabbed at a bloody nose. His cheek and mouth were beginning to throb terribly. ‘Listen to me, you f*cking shite; don’t you tell Laura anything and don’t tell me what to do. Nobody tells me what to do. One more word from you, one tiny little squeak, and I’ll f*cking kill you. Do you understand?’ Vince moaned softly, drops of blood splashing on the tiles. Felix slapped him hard across the cheek. ‘I said, do you understand, moron?’
Vince nodded weakly and Felix rose, straightened his coat and casting a meaningful, smouldering look towards Edith who had her tiny hand in her mouth. As soon as he’d left the cinema she ran over to Vince who was struggling to get up.
‘My God! Who was that horrible man? Shall I call the police?’ She saw the blood streaming down Vince’s nose. ‘Oh, Vince – you’ve been wounded!’
Well that didn’t go according to the plan he had in his head, thought Vince, allowing Edith to help him to his feet.
‘I told you to forget that Laura,’ she said, taking her handkerchief to staunch the blood. ‘She’s nothing but trouble.’
‘I don’t need reminding,’ he said shakily. ‘Not tonight.’
* * * *