Wearing Purple

Chapter 7

When I stepped back into our suite just after seven o’clock, Jan was sitting at a small table, working on a file of accounts which she had slipped into our case.

‘I see you’re enjoying Newcastle, then,’ I said.

‘Saves me having to do it tomorrow. So how did it go? Have you spotted the saboteur yet?’

‘I’ve spotted a room full of them. It could be anyone. . other than Everett. I met a nice lady wrestler, though,’ I added as an afterthought.

My wife smiled. ‘Ah, but is she as good as me?’

‘Couldn’t say. Try some holds on me and I might be able to tell you.’

‘Best of three falls?’

I closed the folder on the table. ‘Or a submission. .’

We wound up being five minutes late for dinner, but it didn’t seem to matter. When we found the reception room that had been set aside for us, the afternoon’s cast of characters was milling around, talking shop. There was a free bar set up against the wall. As we made our way towards it, I noticed that all the wrestlers seemed to be on soft drinks.

Happily, it wasn’t compulsory. I helped myself to a Holsten, and poured a glass of white wine for Jan. As I was handing it to her, Everett came wandering across. Although we stood a little distant from the rest, he still spoke quietly. ‘Any thoughts, Oz, now you’ve seen the operation?’

‘I don’t like that bastard Liam,’ I said. ‘How’s that for starters?’

The big man grinned. ‘Not many do. I only hired him because he has some of the best moves in the business. No, I meant. .’

‘I know what you meant. It’s too early for me to get a handle on anything yet. I’ve been getting to know the wrestlers as best I can, but I thought it best to start off talking to the road crew. I had a chat with that big bloke, Gary O’Rourke.’

‘The new guy?’

My eyebrows rose. ‘New, is he?’

Everett chuckled. ‘Well, maybe four months ain’t so new. He’s a good worker, that’s for sure. Earned himself a pay rise after three months. Did he say anything of interest?’

‘Only that he likes his job. You’re a popular guy with the roadies. . which cuts across the notion that one of them might have been behind your two incidents.’

‘Maybe so.’ He fell silent and his eyes dropped for a few moments. I looked over my shoulder, and noticed that Jan. . looking absolutely sensational, I thought, in her white blouse and close-fitting grey skirt. . had drifted off, to strike up a conversation with Sally Crockett and one of the American women wrestlers.

‘Hell Oz,’ Everett continued. ‘I don’t see any of the road crew being involved in this. Tony Reilly would be far more likely to do a deal with someone in the ring team. “Shut down GWA and I’ll give you a top man contract with CWI.” That’s the offer he would make.

‘You come across anything odd this afternoon?’

I looked up at him, and shook my head. ‘To be honest, nothing. I don’t know how much I’m going to be able to help you here.’

‘You’re helping me already, man,’ he retorted. ‘Just being my eyes and ears on the shop floor. One special thing you can do for me tomorrow night too.’

‘What’s that?’ I asked, a shade apprehensively.

‘I want you to keep an eye on the prop that Darius and Liam are going to use in that last scene, the aluminum crush barrier. Your seat during the bouts will be alongside the guy who rings the bell. That special barrier will be a few feet from you.

‘There’ll be action outside the ring in a few of the earlier bouts. I want you to make sure that no one moves the damn thing in the confusion, like switches it for the one next to it. If Darius came down from that height on a real steel barrier, it could finish him. And after what happened with that damn chair, I’m taking no chances.’

‘I won’t take my eyes off it, I promise. Even when I’m announcing.’

‘That’s good.’ Everett paused. ‘Say, I got another announcement for you to make tomorrow. We got a special guest in the audience, thanks to Jack Gantry. Remember those tickets I gave to your buddy Dylan? He and Susie won’t be able to come after all, so Jack’s persuaded the Lord Mayor of Newcastle to come along with him.

‘We invited him, of course, but his office turned us down. An invitation from Mr Glasgow, though, that’s different.’ He grinned. ‘It always helps to have influential friends, don’t it. I want you to introduce him at the start of the show. Okay?’

‘Sure. Just give me the details tomorrow.’

As Everett nodded I looked back towards Jan. Sally and the other woman had moved to join another group, but Liam Matthews had taken their place. She flashed me a quick look over his shoulder, a ‘get over here’ look.

‘Hello honey,’ I said, as casually as I could manage as I moved towards her. ‘Sorry about that.’

Matthews looked over his shoulder. ‘Well, well,’ he said. ‘Sure and if it isn’t little Ozzie.’ I kept the smile fixed on my face.

The Irishman stepped sideways, his shoulder blocking my path to Jan’s side. ‘Now Ozzie, you wouldn’t be about to do anything as stupid as to come between the Man and this lovely lady? You wouldn’t, would you?’

There was a swaggering menace about him; I felt this unfamiliar swelling in my chest and realised, to my surprise, that it was anger. ‘This lovely lady is my wife, Liam,’ I said, as evenly as I could.

He laughed, out loud. ‘She never is! Your wife?’ As he turned back to Jan I stepped past him and stood by her side. ‘My God, you poor darlin’. How lucky it is for you that Liam’s come along to show you what you’ve been missing. Why don’t you ditch Mr Skinny here for the weekend? Why take an inch when you can have a whole foot?’ He leered suggestively at her and scratched his crotch, like a Spanish crooner.

Maybe I shouldn’t have done it while his hand was busy, but I couldn’t stop myself.

In extreme circumstances, I once kicked a bloke in the balls, but in all my life I had never actually thumped anyone, until that moment. I didn’t really know how to do it, but it seemed to come quite naturally. I bunched my right fist into a tight ball and threw it as hard and as fast as I could with all my weight behind it, at the centre of the Irishman’s smug, grinning face. It was first time lucky: my punch caught him square on the nose, sending him reeling backwards.

As he straightened up, looking at me with complete astonishment, the blood came spurting out, flowing freely over his chin, staining his white, frilled shirt. It was at that point that I began to question the wisdom of choosing the GWA Transcontinental Champion as the target for my first-ever right-hander.

Matthews’ face twisted into a snarl. Jan tried to pull me away, but he launched himself at me. I, of course, was all punched out. I have no idea what would have happened if a huge black hand hadn’t appeared out of nowhere, catching the Irishman by the throat and lifting him clear off his feet.

His face turned bright red in an instant, as his hands grasped Daze’s wrist, and his feet kicked in mid-air. I looked round and up at the giant; the expression of sheer fury on his face scared me far more than Liam ever could have.

‘This lady is my guest.’ He ground out the words as the Transcontinental Champ’s face began to turn blue. ‘I don’t know what you said to make Oz slug you, but I can guess. You ever say anything like it again, or you give Oz trouble over this, then however good you might be, you are fired from this organisation. Understood?’

Somehow Matthews managed to nod. Everett dropped him, like something nasty he’d been obliged to hold against his better instincts. ‘That’s good. Don’t forget it now — I meant every word. Go get yourself cleaned up.’

The bloody, purple Irishman shot me a glance full of hatred, turned on his heel, and headed for the door.

‘I’m sorry about that SoB, Jan,’ said Everett, his anger giving way to embarrassment.

Diane had come to her husband’s side. Surprisingly she looked shaken by the sudden violence. ‘Most of the people in this industry are gentlemen,’ she said, in a soft accent which I thought might have been Southern States or even Californian. ‘That one certainly is not.’

‘That’s all right,’ Jan grinned. ‘He’s lucky I didn’t hit him, instead of Oz.’ She slipped her arm around my waist. ‘He doesn’t always do that, you know. Only when he’s hungry.’

The big man laughed. ‘We better go eat then!’ He stood back, ushering Jan towards the buffet table through the gathering, which was gradually recovering its assembled voice. ‘I reckon he got the message, Oz,’ Everett whispered, as we followed her, and as Diane appeared at his side. ‘But just in case, don’t turn your back on the bastard tomorrow.’

That was something I had decided already for myself.