Simon Beckett - Fine Lines

I left him standing there, enjoying the bemused expression on his face. I went into my study, to the small wall safe I kept there. I opened it and took out a large brown envelope. I was about to play my trump card.

V Zeppo was sitting down when I returned. He had refilled his glass, I noticed. I thought, not without satisfaction, that he would need it. I handed him the envelope and sat down opposite him.

He looked at it. “What’s this?”

“Open it and see.”

I watched as he put down his glass and slid out the photographs. He looked at the first one and stiffened. Then, with studied casualness he flicked through the rest.

“Where did you get these?” He set them down beside him. His voice was calm, but not reassuringly so.

“From a business associate. He specialises in rather more, shall we say ‘rarified’, types of art than most dealers. I was surprised to see these there. Normally he doesn’t deal with photographic material, but I suppose the strong classical themes of these helped sway him. And they are quite well done. I daresay you could justifiably call them art instead of pornography, although I’m not sure everyone would agree.”

“How long have you had them?”

I picked them up and replaced them in the envelope. “Quite a while. I actually saw them months ago, long before I had any inkling that I would be needing your services. I recognised you straight away, of course. That’s one disadvantage of having such a memorable face. Not that I thought anything of it at the time. You were just someone I’d bumped into at a couple of dinner parties, and since I’m not particularly interested in photography, whatever the subject matter, I was only mildly amused. In fact I forgot all about it until I decided I needed help with Anna and Marty. Then you seemed like the ideal candidate. So I went back to my associate, and as luck would have it, he still had them.”

Zeppo was looking at me coolly. “What are you planning to do with them?”

“Do with them?” I shrugged. “Nothing at all. But I thought this was as good a time as any to let you know I had them. Particularly since several of them show you engaged in the sort of activity we’re discussing now.”

“Listen, you old bastard, don’t try and blackmail me. You wouldn’t like it.”

“I’m sure neither of us would. Although if copies of these were circulated to certain people, I’m certain you’d like it even less. I

don’t imagine this sort of thing does anyone’s career much good. But you needn’t worry about anything like that from me. We have a perfectly good business relationship, and I wouldn’t dream of spoiling it. No, I simply wanted to remind you that I’m not suggesting anything you haven’t done before, that’s all.”

“That was different. It was a long time ago, and I needed the money.”

“Zeppo, you don’t have to justify yourself to me. I’m merely pointing out that what you’ve done once for money, you can do again. And for considerably more, this time.”

“What’s to stop me from taking these with me?”

“Nothing at all. In fact you could give some to your friends. I have several copies. In different places, of course.”

He glared at me. For the first time, I realised he was capable of violence. “You fat, smug, pompous old cunt.”

“That sort of talk helps no one. Now, do we have a deal?”

He did not answer at first. Then he gave a short, grudging nod. “All right. But you’re making a mistake.”

I thought he was threatening me. “And why’s that?”

“Because it’s a bad idea.”

“You seem to have suddenly changed your mind. You said a moment ago it was worth a try.”

“Yes, with somebody else. Not with me. What if Anna finds out? I thought the whole point was for me to end up in bed with her. If she finds out I’m trying to screw her boyfriend, she’s not going to be too thrilled about that idea then, is she?”

“If we handle this properly she’ll never know. I can’t imagine Marty telling her about it. Can you?”

He gave a sullen shrug. “Perhaps not. But in that case, what’s to stop her still going to America with him?”

“You are. Once he’s, ah, compromised himself, he’ll be vulnerable and open to persuasion. You’ll be able to manipulate him any way you like. The last thing he’ll want is for Anna to find out he’s had an affair with another man. It’ll be much easier for him to simply cry off and go back alone than admit that. Assuming, of course, that he still even wants to take her.”

Zeppo ignored my gallant attempt at a joke. “It’d be a lot easier just to blackmail him now. This is getting too complicated.”

“Not at all. For one thing, the only item we have to blackmail him with at present is an uncorroborated sighting in a gay nightclub. This way we’ll have him in a stranglehold.”

He was unconvinced. “I still think it’s too risky.”

In retrospect, I realise he was right, and I wonder now if I was not already pushing for the eventual denouement even then. But if I was, I was unconscious of the fact.

“Of course it isn’t,” I said. “You’re just looking for excuses.”

Zeppo sighed and threw his hands up. “Okay. We’ll do it your way. Just don’t blame me if it goes wrong.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say that you’ve lost confidence in yourself. Has Anna made you lose faith in your own abilities?”

“Look, I’ve said I’ll do it. Don’t push your luck.” Without asking, he got up and poured himself another drink. “We’ll have to think of something to get Anna out of the way for a while.”

“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ll take care of that.”

“Amsterdam?”

Anna stared at me. I nodded. “I know it’s asking an awful lot, and if I could think of another way around it, I would. But I can’t.” I looked apologetic. “I do realise I’m springing it on you, and you have got a lot on, but if you could possibly manage it, it would be helping me out enormously. If you can’t, though, you must say. I don’t want to force it on you.”

She seemed completely taken aback. “No, no, of course. It’s just, well, it is rather short notice. And I’ve never bid at an auction before.”

I nodded. “I realise that, and if you can’t go, then that’s quite all right. Quite all right. I’ll think of something else.”

“I’m not saying I can’t,” she said, hurriedly. “You’ve just caught me by surprise, that’s all.” She bit her lip. “Look, you don’t need to know right now, do you? Can I tell you this afternoon? I’m meeting Marty for lunch, and that’ll give me a chance to work out what I’ve got to do and talk it over with him. Is that all right?”

“Of course it is! I don’t want to rush you. I’m sorry to have to ask you at all, but there’s no way I can go myself, so...” I brushed it away. “You have a chat with Marty, and let me know this afternoon. Whatever you decide will be fine by me.”

It was two days after my meeting with Zeppo. It had taken me that long to think of a way to remove Anna from the scene. I had found it in the list of forthcoming auctions. Two were being held in Amsterdam the following week, with a day’s gap in between. Neither had anything I was really interested in, but Anna wasn’t to know that. I had invented a visit from an important buyer as the reason why I couldn’t go myself, and if I could persuade her to go on my behalf, that would leave Marty alone for three full days.

She came back from lunch with a smile on her face. “I’ve spoken to Marty. He says there’s no reason why I shouldn’t go. It’s only for a few days, and it’ll be good experience, won’t it?”