The Namedropper

Nine

‘B eing followed!’ Lesley Corbin frowned but smiled very slightly as well. The combination made her nose wrinkle.

‘I believe so,’ said Jordan, discomfited by her doubting expression.

‘When, how, did you come to believe that?’

‘Three nights ago. I’d been gambling, in Mayfair. When I came out of the club I saw a man, waiting in his car. He’d been in every room in which I’d played, during the evening.’

‘Watching you?’

‘I hadn’t been aware inside. I only recognized him outside, in the car.’

‘What else?’

‘That’s it,’ said Jordan, further discomfited by the emptiness of what he was saying. He had abandoned the intention to go to Hans Crescent and that night returned to the same Mayfair club, where he’d lost almost?5,000. He didn’t see the man in the club or isolate anyone waiting in a car when he’d left to take the same route to Park Lane for a taxi.

The woman wasn’t frowning any more but the smile was hovering. ‘You haven’t thought you’ve been followed since?’

‘I haven’t been aware of it,’ qualified Jordan. ‘They watched me pretty effectively in France without my suspecting it, don’t forget. Do you think they’ve begun some sort of surveillance here?’

Lesley humped her shoulders. ‘They could have, although I would have thought they’ve already got all they need for their case as far as the adultery is concerned.’

‘So I’m becoming paranoid?’

The smile widened. ‘I didn’t say that. Or think it. They might have decided it’s necessary, now that Dan’s got involved and confirmed you’re going to contest the accusations.’

‘Could you ask him what he thinks? I don’t like the idea of my every move being watched.’

She hunched her shoulders again. ‘There’s nothing we can really do about it, if they are.’

‘It’s an unsettling feeling.’ He’d have to check Hans Crescent tomorrow, Jordan realized. By now there’d probably be something from his new City bank if nothing else in the name of Paul Maculloch.

‘It’s not actually against the law, although if you could prove it we could apply for a harassment order. Proving it would be a problem. And attract publicity to the case in America, which we don’t really want, do we?’

‘We’ll leave it,’ decided Jordan.

‘That’s probably best,’ agreed the lawyer. ‘I’ve got more from Dan. And I’ve got the medical report and the photographs.’

‘And I very definitely want to talk about Preston!’ declared Jordan.

‘I want to talk about Preston, too,’ said Lesley. ‘You’d better listen to me first.’

‘You first, about everything,’ agreed Jordan. He saw that Lesley Corbin had several, separated sets of paper arranged in front of her on her desk.

She selected the smallest of the files. ‘Dan’s emails. There’ll definitely need to be what he calls a financial lodgement, in view of what you do for a living. He’s talking of an initial tranche of $100,000, which I’ve roughly converted to around?55,000.’ She looked up. ‘Is that all right?’

‘If you mean can I provide that much in cash, the answer’s yes, but on the understanding we reached earlier.’ Not just a trip to Hans Crescent, Jordan thought: he’d need to get more out of the safe deposits at the Royston and Jones bank. What was set aside in Marylebone was gambling stake money. And at the moment it amounted to less than he’d started out with. His resentment against Alfred Appleton was building by the day.

‘I talked personally with Dan,’ said the woman. ‘Our understanding is acceptable as far as he’s concerned. But he stressed it’s only an initial tranche.’

‘What if I’m not found to be responsible for the marriage collapse?’

‘Again, roughly as we thought. An American judge would have discretion but we’re not denying that you slept with Alyce Appleton. It comes down to whether or not you – or rather Dan – can satisfy the judge you’re not a marriage wrecker. Dan thinks he can, on our exchanges so far.’

‘So 55,000 might be sufficient?’

‘Initial was the word Dan used,’ insisted Lesley. ‘How long the hearing lasts – as far as you are concerned – will again depend upon the judge’s view of your personal responsibility and culpability. I think at this stage Dan’s going to try to argue you out of the case at the beginning, in chambers if possible. But if the judge, who hasn’t been selected yet, won’t agree that schedule and wants to hear the actual divorce evidence first, you’ll go to the back of the queue. In that event, it could last the month, maybe longer.’

‘If I made the initial deposit?75,000 I would have some living and travelling money too, wouldn’t I?’

‘I’m not sure that would come within the acceptible provisions of the arrangement.’

‘Can you ask?’

‘Of course.’

‘What about publicity?’ asked Jordan, inevitably coming to his overriding concern.

Lesley Corbin extended her hands, palm upwards, in a ‘who knows?’ gesture. ‘If you’re dismissed from the case before it starts, in a chambers hearing, Dan doubts there’ll be any: you’re no more than a name. Dan hasn’t got as far as any detailed exchange papers, to discover if any other men are being cited, as well as you. Or, if there are, whether they’re contesting the allegations as well. Whether or not there is any publicity is really dependent upon Appleton and the sort of case his side intends. And what the judge permits.’

‘So we’re not much further forward?’

‘The main purpose of this meeting is to fix when you can go out for your first meeting in New York,’ announced Lesley.

‘As soon as possible, to get it all over as quickly as I can,’ said Jordan at once. ‘I thought I’d made that clear!’

‘I needed to check with your first,’ she said, detecting the irritation in Jordan’s voice. ‘Give me a day.’

‘I’ll fly out on Saturday, give myself Sunday to get over the jet lag and see Dan on Monday.’ That gave him the rest of the week to check Hans Crescent, get at least?75,000 from the new Leadenhall Street bank and hand it over to Lesley Corbin.

‘That sounds good. I’ll check with Dan. Fix a time for Monday.’

‘Tell me about Preston,’ demanded Jordan.

Lesley went to the pile on her left. ‘Your blood pressure’s 160 over 90, which he says is too high. And your cholesterol level is 7: it should be well under 4. You should get treatment for both, according to him. On the plus side, you’re not HIV positive. Nor are you suffering any sexual disease.’ She looked up expectantly. ‘And he’s invoked medico/legal consultation rates and put in a bill for ?1,550.’

‘ What!’

‘That’s in line with what’s charged by medical experts for legal cases. He’s claiming he should have been told by me: got a price agreed.’

‘He’s a robbing, conning bastard!’ said Jordan, the hypocrisy never occurring to him. ‘He wasn’t asked and didn’t need to carry out such an examination!’

‘It does appear you’ve got some medical problems you should get treated, however. I’ll argue with him about the fee, of course: get it reduced.’

‘Reduced a hell of a lot,’ insisted Jordan.

‘And here’s the photographs,’ she said, offering an envelope across the desk.

Jordan had always kept any type of identifying document to an absolute minimum and in his judgement these photos approached a dangerous level of identification. His immediate decision was very definitely to stick with the pictures in his current passport, of which he still had a substantial supply, which were already three years old and would hopefully misrepresent him further when it needed renewal in another seven years. If he were dismissed from the American case he’d do whatever he could to get Beckwith to recover these current images for him to destroy. The short, schoolboy-cut, sandy blond hair, normally so easy to gel into a different style for various identities, here was too recognizable, and the contact lenses he’d uncomfortably used to accentuate the blueness of his eyes were too blue, making him starrey-eyed, He didn’t, either, consider he’d sufficiently distorted his mouth by sucking back his top and bottom lip, as he had in his previous photographs.

‘I think they could have been better,’ criticised the lawyer.

So do I, better at disguising my features, thought Jordan. ‘Did you ask Dan why photographs were necessary?’

‘We left it for you to ask him yourself,’ she reminded. ‘As I said, it’s got to be for comparison against photographs of you and Alyce in France.’

‘I would have thought my being in court was a good enough comparison.’

‘Prior exchange of documents,’ Lesley said.

‘I need to hand over the?75,000 deposit.’

‘Yes, you do,’ she agreed.

‘I’ll have it ready by Friday.’

Lesley Corbin looked at her open diary, on the far left of the desk. ‘Three thirty?’

‘Three thirty’s fine.’

‘What are you going to do about the blood pressure and the cholesterol?’

‘Nothing.’

‘You sure that’s wise?’

‘Believing anything that that bastard says isn’t wise.’

‘Anything else – any uncertainty – still on your mind?’

‘If I think of anything I’ll mention it on Friday.’

There were, in fact, more uncertainties on Jordan’s mind, more than he could count and most of which he couldn’t talk about to Lesley Corbin. Or anybody else. He was straightjacketed: by frustration and impotence and… and by no longer being in charge of himself and whatever was happening to him. He wanted immediately – now – to hit back. Fight back. Cause Alfred Jerome fucking Appleton as much and as many problems as Alfred Jerome Appleton was causing him. No, Jordan contradicted himself at once. More problems. Far more. He wanted to fuck Appleton in every way but physically, far worse and far more painfully than he’d ever been screwed before. Worse, even, than the retribution he exacted against the man who’d stolen his own company and in effect destroyed his marriage. Abruptly – anxiously – Jordan wanted to see a photograph of the man: ingrain every line and feature of his face, of everything about the man, as he ingrained every detail about his victims before embarking upon another identity-stealing operation.

For the first time since being overwhelmed by so much he didn’t understand and couldn’t control, Harvey Jordan smiled, decisions clearing in his otherwise cluttered mind. He didn’t understand everything and couldn’t anticipate how anything could or would turn out. Not yet. But he would eventually, as he always did. And when he did – as soon as he did – Alfred Jerome Appleton would learn what an implacable, unrelenting enemy he’d made.

What about Alyce Louise Appleton? came the abrupt, prodding question. Jordan couldn’t believe – didn’t want to believe – that Alyce was the promiscuous part of some conspiracy. Jordan, a professional himself, was sure he would have recognized it: picked up the alarm-sounding clue, which he hadn’t. But he couldn’t be sure, he accepted, objectively. He had to keep an open – but not a vindictive, revengeful – mind until he got to New York and learned a great deal more.

Which he would. He’d search and probe and discover everything, and when he had he’d reach his own verdict and exact his own punishment upon everyone who’d decided Harvey Jordan was a ripe, easy-to-pluck victim.

It had taken a long time – too long – for him to flesh out the decision. Now that he had he felt encouraged, confident, sure he could win, whatever it took. That night Harvey Jordan won slightly over ?11,000 and finished the evening feeling even more confident. Alert as he permanently was, he didn’t pick out anyone, either inside or outside the casino, whom he suspected of watching him, either. Maybe he had been paranoid after all.