Wearing Purple

Chapter 21

I had a brainwave on Monday morning, before I left to meet Everett. I don’t have them very often, but when I do they can be real crackers.

On the stroke of nine, I called Greg McPhillips at his office. I should have known better; he was a partner in the firm after all. However he had arrived when I called back fifteen minutes later.

‘You’re an early bird,’ he said, as he took my call. His voice sounded hoarse and strained.

‘Not especially. What’s up with the throat? Got an infection?’

‘No,’ he croaked. ‘It was effin’ noisy in King Tut’s. I had to shout at the bird all night to make myself heard.’

‘It should have worn off by now.’

‘Aye, but I was at the Garage last night as well.’

‘Poppy likes the bands, eh.’

‘This wasn’t Poppy, it was Hayley.’ A busy boy, is our Greg.

‘I did have a chance to watch you on telly, though,’ he went on. ‘Big Everett didn’t half level that bloke at the end, after he gubbed him with the guitar. For a minute I thought it was for real.’

‘Daze can be very convincing.’

‘I liked your performance too. Am I on a percentage of this?’

I laughed; I knew Greg well enough to realise that he was half serious. ‘I’ll buy you a big drink; I promise.’

‘Champagne would be nice.’

‘Christ Greg, but you’re a natural born solicitor, aren’t you. Champagne it is.’

‘Krug?’

‘Moet.’

‘Deal.’

I paused to let him stop chortling. ‘Speaking of performances, ’ I said, eventually, ‘after you left the Chip on Saturday night, a bloke came over to our table. He introduced himself as the Assistant Secretary of the Law Society of Scotland, and he told us that he had recognised you.’

There was a grunt from the other end of the line.

‘He asked me as a friend, to have a very friendly word with you on his behalf, to say that if Mr Everett bloody Davis, whose name you shouted all over the restaurant, happened to be a client of yours, then you have a duty of confidentiality towards him, which was surely breached by telling the entire dining population of Byres Road that he has a problem in his office involving dishonesty.

‘He said I should tell you that if anyone made a complaint to the Law Society about behaviour of that sort, it would be liable to come down on you like a ton of bricks. He gave me a list of the things it could do to you, but I expect you know them all. He didn’t mention thumbscrews specifically, but the hint was there.’

I let my words sink in for a few seconds. ‘To tell you the truth, Greg, I wasn’t too happy myself. Glasgow’s a great big village, and word spreads.’

‘All right, all right, all right.’ The last ‘all right’ was distorted beyond recognition into a strange, wheezing squeak. ‘Thanks for the tip, Oz. I was a bit pissed, as you’d have realised. I just hope the guy doesn’t phone my old man.’

‘I asked him not to, and he said that he wouldn’t this time, if I passed the word on.’

‘Maybe I should phone him.’

Here, Blackstone, a voice whispered in my head. You really should have been an actor. ‘No,’ I said, emphatically. ‘The best thing you can do is keep your mouth tight shut about the whole business from now on.’

‘Aye, maybe so,’ Greg agreed, painfully.

‘How did you land that job anyway?’ he asked.

‘I was in the right place at the right time, that’s all. It’s great fun. We’re off to Barcelona this weekend.’

‘Lucky bastard! And how about the pilfering? Have you sorted that out yet?’

‘We’re on to someone. This very morning, in fact. Keep that to yourself, mind.’

‘Don’t worry,’ he croaked. ‘I will.’