Wearing Purple

Chapter 53

The private security firm which Everett had hired were not there to mess about. There were none of those fat, tired, bleary-eyed, middle-aged men, the sort you see sometimes on doorkeeper duty in public buildings, slumped inside ill-fitting uniforms.These guys were all young, fit, sharp-creased and hard, with clear eyes and a bearing which told you they were all ex-servicemen.

I stood beside Daze in the ring. He was in wrestling gear, since we had just completed the final run-through, and in a grim mood; partly because of the sheer tension of the day, and partly, I guessed, because he had lost his argument with Diane.

She had appeared by the Black Angel’s side in her black leather gear. . or what there was of it. . parading round the ring, helping Darius to take off his winged gown and passing it carefully to an attendant. Normally, only the commentators and the television people stopped to watch the dress rehearsal. When Diane was up there in that suit the only sounds to be heard in the arena were the shuffling of Darius’ boots on the mat and a low, strangled moan from somewhere behind my table.

I raised my mike and spoke into it. ‘Listen up, everyone. Stop what you’re doing. The boss has something to say.’ I handed the mike to Everett. He had just been through an energetic rehearsal of his fight with Liam, but he wasn’t even breathing hard.

‘Okay people,’ he began. ‘You’ll have seen we have some extra staff with us this afternoon. This is a very special event that we’re staging tonight; a hell of a lot of families are paying a hell of a lot of money to watch it live on television, so we can’t afford any more “accidents” like those that happened to Liam and to Jerry.

‘I want this whole arena cleared right now, so the security team can begin a complete sweep of the building. After that the hall will be sealed, and no one will be allowed back in unless and until they have business to do.’ He dropped the mike and whispered to me, ‘what time is it, Oz?’

‘Ten past five.’

‘We go on air in under three hours. Doors open to the public at seven fifteen, and I want everyone back on site then. So get changed and get on the bus. It’ll take you along to the airport hotel where there’s a light buffet laid on. We’ll all eat properly after the show.

‘Remember people, this is a big one tonight, our biggest yet; so be fast, be strong, be skilful and most of all. .’ He grinned for the first time that afternoon. ‘. . believable. Thank you all and good luck.’

He switched off the mike. ‘When do the police get here?’

‘Dylan said they’d be here at six. I’ll wait here for him.’

‘Hell no, you come along to the hotel. We’ll leave a message with the security guys; tell them to join us there.

‘You know if that computer’s come up with any result yet?’

‘It hadn’t when I called Mike at midday. Let’s hope he’s bringing a report with him.’

He didn’t, though. ‘There’s heavy demand on the system today,’ he said, as he joined me in the reception room at the Stakis Hotel, ‘and the American checks are taking time. They promised me something by nine pm latest. When does the show begin?’

‘Eight,’ I told him, grimly aware that I had talked up the efficiency of the police for Everett. ‘We run from eight till eleven.’

‘Oh Christ, that’s not too clever. But I’ve left instructions that as soon as it comes in it’s to be biked through to me at the arena.’

‘Fair enough, pal. There’ll probably be nothing in the report to help us, but if there is, let’s just hope that when it gets here, we’re not standing in the midst of the wreckage!’