Cath Staincliffe - Looking for Trouble

‘Tea, please.’

She filled an electric kettle, spooned instant tea into matching red mugs. ‘I’ve had to have the oven on, try and thaw out a bit. It’s not just me. The stock needs to be kept at a reasonable temperature. Doesn’t like extremes, apparently.’

‘What sort of thing?’

‘Tapes, computer software, video training programmes. All high tech. Moderate temperatures, keep the dust down. Sugar?’

I shook my head. She handed me a mug, sat on another of the plastic seats – red to match the mugs, no doubt – and cradled her own drink. I got out my notepad and pen.

‘What’s this research, then?’

‘I’m doing a profile of small businesses; work patterns, effects of the recession, that sort of thing.’ Pretty vague, but she didn’t seem bothered.

‘Fire away.’

‘You deal in videos?’

‘A little bit. They’re training things, most of ‘em. But that’s only a little part, really. I’d say ninety per cent of the business was the computer software stuff.’

‘And how many staff work here?’

‘Well, just me,’

I marked my paper. ‘What sort of market are you catering for?’

She screwed up her nose. ‘I don’t know, really.’

‘Entertainment, adults only, educational?’

She burst out laughing. ‘They’re not that sort of video – good God, I wish they were. Give us something to watch when it’s slack. Look, I’ll show you.’ She went out of a door at the end of the long narrow kitchen and re-emerged with a couple of magazines. Computer magazines. She pointed out a couple of the small ads for training packages and software. The titles didn’t even use words I’d heard of. They certainly weren’t the porno movies I’d been expecting. That didn’t mean that everything here was all it seemed but, judging by her mirth, I reckoned this was all she knew about the business.

‘It’s mail order, see.’ She pointed to the advert. ‘I get these in and send the stock out by post. Everything’s entered on a computer and it tells me when to re-order stuff.’

‘So how about the recession; have there been any lay-offs, redundancies, short-time?’

‘Hell, no. There’s only me here, anyway.’

‘But it’s not your business?’

She snorted and kicked up her feet. ‘You kidding, or what? The boss comes in most days to check things out. He deals with the suppliers, any changes to the ads and that. I’m just the office girl. If he sacked me, he’d have to do all the work himself and I don’t think he’d be over the moon about that.’

Sounds at the front door interrupted our cosy chat. ‘Now, maybe that’s the heating.’ She flip-flopped briskly out to see.

There wasn’t much point in pursuing my ‘research’. It all seemed above-board. Anything that wasn’t was well hidden. If Kincoma Products was being used as a cover for some porn merchandising, the evidence could be anywhere in those huge stacks of boxes.

I put my pen and paper away as I heard her coming back from the main door. She came into the room, followed by a man. A man I’d seen before. Short, thickset, hair cut like a pudding bowl. The man I’d seen with the others at Barney’s. The third man. My heart kick-started. ‘Now, here’s the one you want to talk to,’ trilled the woman. ‘The man himself. It’s market research she’s doing. I didn’t get your name. This is Mr Kenton.’

He made a slight bowing motion. My mouth went dry and my palms clammy.

‘Janice,’ I heard myself saying. Why pick that? Of all the stupid bloody…‘Smith,’ I added.

If he’d any inkling, his rounded eyes didn’t betray it. But his fingers clutched his car keys so hard that the flesh strained white.

‘And who are you doing this research for, Janice?’ He had the husky voice of a heavy smoker. He’d brought the peppery smell of nicotine, mingled with some sweet aftershave, into the room.

‘Myself, really.’ I laughed and shifted in the chair. ‘For college – it’s part of my course. Business studies; we’re doing marketing and research. We have to go round and talk to small businesses.’

‘And what brings you to this neck of the woods?’ He adjusted his pristine shirt cuffs as I began to answer. Even on a summer’s day like today, he wore a business suit. An expensive one. The gold chunks on his fingers and the sickly aftershave undermined the effect a bit.

‘Chance,’ I said. ‘It was the first industrial estate I passed. Thought I’d start here.’ I smiled. I was damned if I was going to give away my real interest.

‘Tea, Eddie?’ the woman asked, blissfully unaware of the prickly atmosphere between us. He gave a faint nod in response.

‘Bit risky isn’t it? Sending students off on their own like that? Could get into some nasty situations, couldn’t you, Janice?’ It was a threat delivered in a tone of concern.

I said nothing. If he knew I was an impostor, there wasn’t much point in carrying on the charade. And if he didn’t, he was behaving like a shit and I wanted out. I stood up, clasped my bag in front of me.

‘I’ll see Miss Smith out, Moya.’

I walked quickly ahead of him to the front door, turned the Yale and stepped out. The brilliant sunshine was blinding. I fumbled for my car keys. I sensed he was right behind me. I stooped to unlock the car door.

‘I don’t know what you’re playing at, girlie,’ he murmured, ‘but you’re gonna land yourself in big trouble.’

The key finally turned. I slid in and shoved it into the ignition. The plastic seat burnt the back of my legs. There was a weight pressing on my chest, buzzing in my ears; it was hard to get my breath.

I reversed out of my parking space and swung the Mini round. I allowed myself a brief revenge fantasy ploughing into the white Mercedes that Eddie Kenton stood next to. As I drove off, I saw him in my rearview mirror. Summer suit and crisp, white shirt; that boyish haircut. He was smiling. Least I think that’s what it was.

I got home with reeking armpits and a knot the size of an apple in my shoulder. I stripped off and stood under the shower, letting the water smooth away the worst of the tension and rinse away all of that sharp smell.

Eddie Kenton had sussed out I wasn’t a student, but did he know who I was? Was there any reason he should? He’d not seen me at Barney’s and, although I’d called on his friend Fraser Mackinlay, I hadn’t given my name or my profession away. As far as I knew, Fraser thought I was a friend of Martin’s, so it was hardly likely he’d mention me to Kenton. The more I dwelt on it, the more certain I became that Kenton couldn’t know who I was and that his hostility was more general; he was suspicious of my research story. He’d probably notched me up as an investigative journalist or a media hack – someone in the know about his past record, digging for dirt.

I pulled on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and set off early enough to walk to school. Do my bit for the planet. Maddie was churlish at the prospect of walking but soon brightened up as we played don’t-step-on-the-cracks. Once we’d collected Tom, we made a detour to the shops for ice-creams. There was still a shadow of anxiety in my stomach but playing happy families helped to take my mind off it.

I was aware that I still hadn’t heard from Nina, but there was little point in ringing her now. It was too late to go round there and, even if Fraser had been at work, he’d be heading back for his tea anytime. I’d ring Nina tomorrow.

I was washing up when Ray arrived back from his Mum’s. He’d been helping her put up some new kitchen units. ‘I see they’ve got someone for that murder, then,’ he said.

‘What? Which murder?’

‘The woman that came to you – Janice Brookes. Haven’t you seen the paper? Front page. Here.’