Wearing Purple

Chapter 23

‘Jesus, Oz, this is tremendous, you can see the whole city from up here.’ For once Mike Dylan meant exactly what he said. There wasn’t a trace of his customary flippancy in his voice as he stared out of the window into the evening, down towards the Kingston Bridge.

‘What’s that bright light over to the west?’ he asked.

‘That’s Ibrox. Rangers have a UEFA Cup tie tonight. I thought the whole city knew that.’

‘Not me. I’m a rugby man.’

‘Ah,’ I said. ‘An atheist.’

‘Who did the conversion of this building?’ he asked.

‘Need you ask?’ Susie interrupted in her high, brittle voice, from the kitchen doorway. ‘This is one of Gantry Developments’ finest achievements. Six years ago we won a Saltire Society award for this project.’

‘How come you live in a semi-detached in Clarkston, then?’ Dylan shot back at her.

She laughed. ‘I couldn’t afford one of these at the time. But we’ve got another big conversion on the drawing board at the moment, a big redundant church at the top of St Vincent Street. It’s grade A listed, but it’s derelict. If we get planning permission, I’m having the best of those.’

‘If you get planning permission. .’ I didn’t try to hide my incredulity.

‘Come on, Oz. My dad can’t pull any strings for his own company, or we’d get crucified. But we’ve consulted the City planning officials, and the Historic Scotland people about all the things we’d need to do for the conversion to be acceptable. We think we can meet all their conditions and still have a viable development.’

‘Make sure you put a lift in it, will you?’ said Jan, emerging from the kitchen with a tray loaded with plates of toast and pate, our first course. ‘That’s the one drawback about this place.’

Susie nodded. ‘I know.We couldn’t do that in here because of the layout of the building. This is listed too. But in the new one, we’ll be able to build a lift-shaft inside the main tower without the machinery being seen from outside.’ She took her seat at the table, facing Dylan. ‘I’ll show you the plans next time you’re in the office. When will that be?’

‘I’ve got other things to do tomorrow afternoon and Thursday, standing commitments to other clients,’ Jan replied, ‘and I want to work here on Friday. I could come in to see you tomorrow morning.’

‘Can’t do morning, I’m afraid. I’m doing my Lady Provost act, accompanying my dad to an official opening, and there’s a lunch afterwards.’

‘Oh well, I’ll just have to hold on to my patience until Monday.’ She shot our guest a sudden, meaningful glance. ‘I can barely wait, I tell you.’

Susie’s eyebrows shot up in one of her classic nervous gestures. ‘What! Are you on to something?’ she burst out.

‘Could well be,’ said my wife, pausing before biting into a piece of toast, layered thick with pate. ‘I’m looking into the health care division, the last on my list, and I’ve found something which is beginning to look very interesting. I’ll need to go over it again, and then I’ll need to consult a few people.’

‘What is it?’ Susie demanded, eagerly.

‘I don’t want to say just across the dinner table, so please don’t press me.’ Dylan was attacking his starter, so he didn’t notice her quick gesture, the tiny nod of her head in his direction. But Susie and I did. ‘I expect to be absolutely sure of my ground by Monday. After that, you’ll have to decide where we go.’

‘Anything I can do in the meantime?’

Jan nodded. ‘You could look out the personnel files of everyone employed at management level in that part of the business. Now please, don’t let’s discuss it any more.’

Dylan reached across and tapped me on the arm. ‘Let’s talk about you then, Oz. What the hell’s all this wrestling stuff about? How did you get into it? All that big Davis said at the City Chambers was that a mutual friend introduced you.’

I decided that the tall grass of the truth was my best hiding place. ‘That’s right. Greg McPhillips, an old university mate. He’s Everett’s lawyer.’

‘But why did he put you in the frame for that job? You’re a detective, for Christ’s sake, not a fairground barker.’

The tall grass was on fire. I found fresh cover in a total fabrication. ‘When we were at university, Greg and I worked on Sundays for a guy who had a market stall. I was good at it; when Everett told him about the announcing job, Greg remembered that.’

I looked him in the eye and waited for his comeback line. There was always one with him. He gave me a big, slow, cheesy grin. ‘What did you sell, then?’

‘Lucky knickers.’

All three, Mike, Susie and Jan, stopped eating and looked at me, wide-eyed.

‘Lucky knickers?’ said Dylan.

‘That’s right,’ I shot back, hitting him between the eyes with the appalling punch line. ‘Every girl who bought them got done.’