Skinner's rules

62

Martin found Harvand Systems Ltd in a refurbished factory unit in Wardpark, one of Cumbernauld’s older industrial estates. He located the building after a few wrong turns.

He announced himself in the neat, well-furnished reception area; the girl behind the reception desk was very young. ‘YTS,’ Martin thought to himself.

The woman who appeared within a minute was a complete contrast. She flowed through a security door with hand outstretched. For a second he was unsure whether it was meant to be shaken or kissed.

‘Hello, I’m Joy Harvey, Andrew’s wife. I’m a sort of director cum general manager. I’ll take you through to Andrew. He’s just finishing a telephone call.’

She keyed a code into the panel beside the door and led him through into a narrow poorly-lit corridor. She walked ahead of him, tall, slim, elegant and lightly tanned. Her auburn hair shone with vitality, even under the poor neon lighting, and her body language shouted confidence. As she walked, she explained her role.

‘My job in Harvand is to make it run profitably, allowing Andrew and his people to concentrate on creative work without the hassle of day-today domestic things like accounting, paperclips and all that.’

At the end of the corridor was a door, half-glazed with an opaque panel. Joy opened it without knocking and held it ajar for Martin.

Andrew Harvey was short, fat and bald. His gold-rimmed spectacles, with their round lenses, gave him an owlish look. As he moved from behind a huge desk to shake Martin’s hand, he seemed to radiate diffidence, but then he looked directly at the policeman, who found that first impression contradicted by the strange intensity of the grey eyes.

‘Take a seat, please, Chief Inspector.’ The complexity of the man was compounded by a high-pitched, slightly highly strung voice, and a muted Lanarkshire accent. He led them to a conference table, just as his wife reappeared with a tray, bearing a cafetière and three mugs, each with the company logo emblazoned upon it. Martin kept his eyes on the little man at the head of the table.

‘First of all, Mr Harvey, thank you for seeing me on what’s really a personal matter. I belong to Glasgow University Graduates’ Association. I’ve been asked to run a seminar on police work at a careers conference which the Uni. is running during this term. I don’t know how I was talked into it, but I was. Having agreed to do it, I want to get it right.

‘Henry Wills, at Edinburgh University, is a friend of mine. I asked him for ideas. He suggested that I should talk to someone who had run one of these things, and he said you do it better than anyone else he knows. Sorry to be so mysterious over the telephone, but to tell you the truth, I’m a bit overawed by the thing. It isn’t exactly my line of country.’

The ingenuousness of the admission seemed to relax the little man. From the comer of his eye Martin thought that he also detected his wife’s body posture relax. Something to hide, the policeman’s instinct said to him, but the moment passed.

Harvey, assured now, smiled in Joy’s direction. ‘Just as well my wife’s here. She can tell you a lot more than I can. She’s a business psychologist by training. She plans my seminars, writes my script, designs the visual aid package, coaches me in delivery and all that.’

‘Visual aids! God, does it get that sophisticated?’

Joy replied for her husband. ‘No, it needn’t. It really all depends upon the ability of the lecturer and in his level of confidence. Now Andrew is, by nature, a shy man. It takes a lot of personal courage for him to stand up in front of an audience. The package I put together for him is a sort of crutch to help him stay up there.

‘On the other hand, you are a very assertive man by nature, for all your expression of diffidence here.’

For a second, Martin froze. Had he blown it? But he was reassured as Joy went on.

‘It isn’t insecurity that has brought you here. It’s a desire for perfection; even if you don’t know it.’

Martin smiled at her. ‘Maybe I do.’

Suddenly a fragment of memory from the past tugged at him. ‘You know, Mrs Harvey, it occurs to me that we must all be about the same age. I knew quite a few Edinburgh people when I was at Glasgow. Which university were you at? You weren’t at Gilmorehill too were you?’

‘No. I was at Strathclyde, from 1979 to 1983.’

‘We overlapped, then. Did you socialise much when you were there?

‘Union dances. Daft Friday, that sort of thing. You do remember Daft Friday, don’t you.’ A tone of laughter crept into her honeyed voice.

‘Sure do. A collection of kids in evening dress taking a long time to get plastered.’

‘That’s just how it was!’

‘We’ll all have changed a bit since then. I remember two girls called Joy. What was your maiden name?’

‘Granger. What was your first name, again?’

‘Same as your husband. May I be indelicate and ask, were you a blonde then?’ It was an inspired guess. In fact, Martin’s student vanity had been incompatible with the spectacles which he had needed then for close range vision. The faces of the girls with whom he had danced had always been blurred.

Joy beamed. ‘I have to admit it. I’m sure I remember you too. You played rugby didn’t you? Always bumped or bruised.’

Martin nodded, surprised.

‘We were at the same party together once, out in Thornliebank.’

Martin searched his memory. Oh Lord, there was a distant night after a rugby international. Dimly, he recalled winding up in bed, for only a little while, but long enough, with a randy blonde; only of course, she hadn’t really been a blonde. Could this be her? Something in her eyes told him that she was.

‘After a rugby match. That’s right. We had a drink together. I was on Guinness then, and you knew where it was hidden.’

Quickly, he took the opportunity to switch the conversation.

‘How about you, Mr Harvey, were you at that party?’ Christ, I hope not, he thought.

‘No,’ said the little round man. Martin could not decide whether he was amused or bemused by the conversation. ‘I never got through to Glasgow in those days. I didn’t meet Joy till after we both graduated. At a business seminar, actually.’

Figures, Martin thought again.

‘As I said, I got around a bit. Maybe you knew some of my rugby pals there; Al Reid, Johnny Hall? Do they mean anything?’

Harvey shook his head. It was hardly surprising. The names were fictitious.

‘I had a thing with a girl through there once. What was her name? Marjorie. Marjorie Porteous, that was it. Clever, but a bit of an airhead at the same time. Then there was that Arab who was always hanging around. What the hell was his name again?’

He paused. He realised, quite suddenly that the figures on either side of him had frozen, as if they were hanging on his next word. It was the sort of tension which shows itself through a mass holding of breath. For two or three long seconds, Martin drank it in.

‘Ali something; like Ali Tarbrush. Ali Tarfaz. That was it. An Iraqi bloke.’ Both Harveys exhaled quietly and relaxed again, imperceptibly. ‘I remember; the Glasgow team used to call him Ali Macleod. He really hated that.’

Harvey looked puzzled. Martin tried an explanation. ‘Ali Macleod. Ally Macleod — 1978 World Cup, Scotland team manager. Gettit? No? Never mind.’

Joy broke into a laugh which sounded slightly forced. ‘Ali Macleod. That’s terrible. Do you remember any of these people, Andrew?’

‘I’m afraid not. None of them. But then I was very serious in those days.’

Martin decided that the time for reminiscence was over. He turned towards Joy. ‘Anyway, back to this seminar of mine. Any tips?’

She nodded. ‘Prepare a script so that you know exactly what you intend to say, but speak from brief notes if you can. Take a few slides along, even a short video if you have one. I’m sure the police will have one. Allocate at least fifty per cent of your time to discussion. And at the end of the session, make sure you leave behind an information pack, summarising what you said, with suitable leaflets.

‘Oh yes, and if there are women in the audience, flash those green eyes at them and you can’t go wrong.’ She laughed. Her husband did not.

Martin stood up to leave, and thanked them both. Joy led him back to reception, and walked with him to the front door.

As he turned to take his leave, she said quietly, ‘Thanks for your discretion. I remember that party pretty well now, and I remember you, Andy, very well indeed.’ As they shook hands, she slipped him a business card. ‘If you fancy a replay sometime, give me a call.’

He smiled at her. ‘I may just do that.’

Joy laughed. ‘Goodbye then. And good luck with your seminar.’