Quintin Jardine - Wearing Purple

‘As a matter of fact she does, but I reckon it’s best this way, till we get things sorted.’ My heart sank once more.

‘Any news on those copy documents?’

He nodded. ‘Yes. The boy was working late again this evening, so she couldn’t do anything. But the good news is that he always plays football on a Wednesday, so she’ll be able to do it tomorrow night for sure.’

‘Aye,’ I countered. ‘If we can both still see after tomorrow night. I tell you, boy, if those flares of Daze’s don’t blind you, then his wife’s cossie will!’

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!’

Everett was less than delighted by Dylan’s news, but he didn’t make an issue of it; he was becoming completely absorbed in the BattleGround Special , so much so that he accepted Mike’s offer of a lift back to the Ingliston arena without stopping to wonder whether he would fit into his car.

Fortunately, it was a Saab, fairly high in the back, and so, by lying a little sideways, he made it.

He had barely straightened his back after getting out, when the security team chief came marching up to him. The man, in his late twenties, wore an immaculate black uniform with a peaked cap. There was something about his bearing which made me think that sixty years earlier he would have fitted well into a similar suit with SS flashes on its lapels.

‘The arena is clear, sir,’ he said. ‘Cleared and secured. We put sniffer dogs in, the lot.’

Everett glanced at his watch. ‘That’s good. We open the doors to the public in fifteen minutes; that gives my road crew time to load the special effects flares. From opening to the start of the show, the only people from my staff allowed inside the main arena are those with these orange badges.’ He waved a plastic photographic pass at the man. ‘That’s the television people, the match commentators, road crew, Oz, here, and me.’

‘Yes sir, I was aware of that and my men are all briefed accordingly.’ He glanced at Dylan. ‘What about this gentleman, sir?’

Mike produced his warrant card and held it up. ‘This is my floor pass,’ he said with a grin. ‘I’m the fuckin’ polis, son. I go where I like; so do my sergeant and my detective constable. They should be at the main entrance right now.’

‘Very good, sir,’ the security man snapped.

‘Okay,’ Everett boomed. ‘Let’s go with that.’ He turned and looked over my shoulder, and the GWA troupe who were disembarking from the transfer bus.

‘Gary,’ he called across to the foreman roadie. ‘The hall’s secure; you can load those whiz-bangs now. Make sure you tell Alex Kruger when they’re in place, so he doesn’t go pressing any buttons on his console.’

He turned back to me. ‘Oz, do me a favour, will you. We’ve got a hospitality room designated for special guests; they’re a couple of local radio disc jockeys who’ve been plugging the show for weeks, plus a couple of old Scottish rugby stars, and the managers and captains of the Hearts and Hibs football sides.

‘Barbara’s setting it up now. Could you go and make sure everything’s okay, and be there to greet guests, just in case they arrive early. Diane and I will join you there, just as soon as I’ve had a chance to give a final pep-talk to the wrestlers.’

I nodded. ‘Sure I will. But with Hearts and Hibs both coming, don’t you need two hospitality rooms?’

I was in the main entrance area, about to open a door labelled ‘GWA guests’ when my mobile phone rang. I took it out, puzzled. ‘Yup?’

‘Oz? It’s me.’ Primavera.

‘It’s your big night, isn’t it? I just thought I’d give you a ring to wish you luck. . and to see how you’re doing; how you’re coping.’

I couldn’t help it; my hackles rose of their own accord. ‘Prim, my dear, I can say this to you because I know you’ll understand, but over the last few weeks I have grown to hate the word “coping”. People who ask me that mean well, but, I don’t know, it just makes me feel demeaned. Somehow, they make it sound as if I’m having to learn to wipe my own arse.’ I paused, sorry now for having let go. ‘Or am I being hypersensitive?’ I said in a doomed attempt to turn my irritation into humour.