Reginald Hill - The roar of butterflies

"Joe, you forget about that for the time being," she commanded. "And don't look so downhearted. What you got to ask yourself is this. If you're getting nowhere with proving the cheating was a set-up, why are they so keen to get you off the job? I mean, why not just let you go bumbling around in full view of everyone so they can say, Look at how Christian Porphyry even smuggled a private detective into the club to try to find a way out of his trouble, but what did he come up with? Nothing! No. Trying to bounce you off the case one way or another was a bad move, an unnecessary move, but they still did it. So you gotta ask, Why?"

"I'm asking, I'm asking," said Joe. "What do you think I'm doing here?"

"Don't know what you call it, but you did it well enough for me to wonder where you're getting the practice. Listen, Joe, it's obvious. You go to the Hoo to meet Christian. Those three guys-what did you call them…?"

"The Bermuda Triangle."

"Right. The Triangle's waiting for you. They chat you up, check you out, probably decide you're no problem…"

"Hold on. How did they know I was coming?"

"Sir Monty," she said in exasperation. "You said Merv was shooting his mouth off at the Supporters', right? And Sir Monty took an interest. Don't matter if he knows the cheating is a set-up or not, he'd be straight on the phone to King Rat asking, What's going off here? This going to make any difference to our deal? The Rat says, No way. Be still. I'll sort it, and gets on to this Latimer guy and warns him to look out for you. Not that you were going to be hard to spot. But Porphyry might have got away with it if it hadn't been for Merv's mouth. I mean, no one's going to think Christian's so stupid as to hire a black PI who knows nothing about golf to go undercover at the Hoo!" She laughed so heartily at the notion that her breast joggled interestingly beneath his hand. But he forced himself to concentrate on what she was saying. "So you have an iced coffee with them, and they have a bit of a laugh with you. Then you go on a walkabout with Chris. You visit the guy with the pool…" "Jimmy Postgate." "No trouble there. Either he knows nothing or they've got him all tied up." Joe shook his head. "Knows nothing, I'd say," he said. "That's what makes the case so strong. He's such a big admirer of Chris, for him to give evidence against him is a real big strike." "Whatever. So nothing here to make them worry. But there was something else during your visit, wasn't there?" "Was there?" "Yes, you told me!" she cried in exasperation. "You talked to this greenkeeper, Davie." "Chris did most of the talking," said Joe. "Yes, and what about? He was asking about the lad who'd gone missing, Steve Waring, right? Then you say when you got back on the terrace, Christian actually mentioned him to one of the Triangle…" "Rowe, yeah, he's in charge of the Greens Committee or something." "Never mind that stuff. Did you say anything about him then?" "Might have done. Just protecting my cover."

"Cover!" She snorted. "Then while Chip, the assistant pro, changed your wheel, you talked to him too about Waring, right?"

"Just passing the time," said Joe.

"Yeah, and someone probably passed the time with Chip after you'd gone and heard what you'd been saying and reminded the boy he should be discreet when talking about club matters with non-members."

Joe nodded and said, "Rowe came into the car park to make a call from his car phone while Chip was changing the wheel. Went off with him later. That could explain why Chip got so uptight with Eloise about me coming to the Hole."

"Good! You do have a brain as well as… other things. So someone, probably this Rowe, passed all this on to King Rat and he thought, This guy's a no-hoper but better not to take chances, let's get him out of town for a few days. So he calls you in and makes you an offer you couldn't refuse. And if Jurassic George hadn't got the wrong idea about you and that Eloise-it was the wrong idea, wasn't it, Joe…?"

Her grip tightened on a part of his body which put him in mind of Hardman's assault that morning.

"Yeah, definitely wrong."

"Good. But if George hadn't got so jealous, you'd have been sipping pina coladas in sunny Spain with that Mimi this moment, and Christian would be facing them Four Just Men with no help pending."

"Oh yeah. Jesus, the poor bastard. I said I'd see him at the club before the meeting… but what can I tell him, Beryl?"

Now she did give a painful tug and said, "Joe Six- smith, don't you listen? You ask questions about this kid, Waring. You've no idea why you're asking questions, but they don't know how stupid you are. So they decided to ship you off to Spain. Only you don't go. Instead you go round to Waring's lodgings and ask questions there…"

"Hold on. How they know that?"

"You said this Rowe's car was pulling away as you arrived. That old tank of yours is going to get you recognized, isn't it?"

Joe was hurt by old tank, but couldn't fault her logic.

"Yeah, right."

"So now they decide to break your legs or something. Only George gets in the way again. Look, it's obvious. This is what's bothering them. You being interested in Steve Waring!"

"Yeah, yeah, I've got that," said Joe. "But what I haven't got is why? You're so clever, tell me that, why don't you?"

This was less gracious than a man in his position who'd just received such favors both physical and detective ought to have been, but the playful twist she'd given him had been more painful than she realized. And besides, for all her admittedly clever analysis he didn't feel any further forward.

She said, "Way I see it from what you told me, Waring must have seen something."

"Like what?"

"Maybe he'd been working round there somewhere and heard Christian's ball clatter among the trees. Goes to look for it and next thing he sees this Rowe guy placing a ball nice and handy on the edge of the fairway."

"Wouldn't he have said something?"

"To one member helping another out? None of his business. He'd tiptoe away and forget all about it till later he hears that his friend Mr. Porphyry has been accused of cheating on that selfsame hole. Now he's interested. He buttonholes Rowe and asks him what's going on. Rowe realizes the whole scheme could unravel completely if Waring starts talking to anyone else. He doesn't know what to do. So he tells Waring to hang around a couple of minutes and he'll explain everything. Then he goes off and rings King Rat."

"Who says what?"

"What do you think? This is the Rat we're talking about. Everyone's got his price. Bribe him. Rowe says it may not work, he knows how much Waring respects Porphyry. So Rowe goes to plan B. If money doesn't get what you want, add a bit of sheer bloody terror. But he knows that's probably beyond Rowe so he sends reinforcements."

"Hardman."

"I'd bet on it. Rowe offers young Steve a ride home. Somewhere en route, this hard case Stephen is standing by the roadside. Rowe pulls over to give him a lift. Young Steve's probably already made it clear he's not interested in money. One look at Stephen tells him that this is something else and he decides that getting things out in the open is the safest option so he tries to ring Christian. When the hard man realizes what he's doing he takes the phone off him."

"And then?"

"I don't know, do I?" said Beryl. "I'm just making up a story here. Maybe they really did make young Steve an offer he couldn't refuse. He's just a kid, right. OK, he wasn't about to accept money to keep quiet about something that would affect Christian, but when the hard man made it clear that the alternative was several months in traction, he thought, What the hell. Grab the money and run. So next morning that's what he did: got up, ate his breakfast, and took off. Didn't need to take anything with him 'cos he had enough money coming to buy him all he needed brand new." "Couldn't buy his Frank Lampard picture," said Joe. "Sorry?" "Doesn't matter. Beryl, I gotta go. Thanks a bundle. You've been a great help." "That what you call the best lay you've ever had, a great help?" said Beryl, pouting. Pouting lips are made to be kissed and Joe obliged. "You know what I mean. As for the other, some things go way beyond thanks." "Tell me about it," she said invitingly. "Oh, I will, I will. But not now." He dressed quickly before he could change his mind. As he left, she called after him, "Joe, don't know what you're going to do, but it will be the right thing. Be sure you come back and tell me about that too." His heart was singing as he drove away. Suddenly he had a feeling it was all going to be all right.