Stephen Leather - Take Two

‘I want to work in television, Peter. Or film. I want to act.’

‘I could probably get you on Countdown. And Have I Got News For You. Might be able to push you for Loose Women.’

‘That’s not acting, Peter. I’m an actress, not a TV personality.’

‘You can make the transition,’ he said. ‘Look at Ulrika Jonsson on Shooting Stars. That really raised her profile.’

‘A panel game? Be serious, Peter. What about film? Could you put me up for roles?’

‘I could, yes,’ he said. ‘But the age thing is the bugbear.’

Carolyn’s eyes narrowed. ‘The age thing?’

‘You’re at the awkward age. You know you are. You’re too old for the sex kitten roles and you’re not old enough for the character roles. If you were thirty I’d be putting you for every film that’s being greenlit, if you were over sixty you’d be spoilt for choice. But forty-five…’ He shrugged. ‘It’s a tough sell, I won’t lie to you. Look at Sharon Stone. The work just dried up. It always does.’

‘Forty four, Peter. I’m forty four.’ Carolyn took a sip of wine, then gulped down half of her glass. ‘So my options aren’t great, that’s what you’re saying?’

‘I’m saying if you want to work in television, you’ve pretty much got the best job going. My advice to you would be to do whatever is necessary to safeguard what you have.’ He put down his spoon. ‘You’re worried they’re going to write you out? Is that it? Because that won’t happen.’

‘You don’t know that, Peter.’

‘I know we have a contract that has four more months to run. So they’re hardly going to stop using you. That wouldn’t make any financial sense.’

‘I suppose so.’

‘There’s no “suppose” about it. Your contract is rock solid. They have to pay you whether or not they use you so, of course, they’ll use you. And four months is a long time in TV Land. Half the suits on the show will have moved on by then.’

‘They could reduce my role.’

‘Again, why would they? They pay the same whether you’re on screen for twenty minutes or twenty seconds. And, again, four months is a long time. Even if they did, the viewers would howl and they’d go back to the status quo.’ He picked up his spoon again. ‘You’re worrying about nothing,’ he said. He smiled confidently. ‘Trust me.’

A portly man in a flat cap waddled over to one of the trucks in the car park, holding a Thermos flask and a pale blue Tupperware container. ‘That’s him,’ said Halpin. ‘Reg McKenzie.’

‘You’re sure?’ asked Richards. They were both sitting in the Bentley, across the road from the trucking firm. There were five trucks parked a short distance away from a Portakabin that served as the transport company’s office.

‘The drivers always have the same trucks,’ said Halpin.

Richards opened the door. ‘Come on then,’ he said.

‘We’re going to do it here?’

‘Strike while the iron’s hot,’ said Richards.

Halpin got out of the car and the two men walked through the metal gates and into the car park. ‘Mr McKenzie!’ called Richards. ‘We’d like a word, please.’

McKenzie had been about to climb into the cab of his truck but he stopped and dropped back to the ground. He frowned at the two men, holding his Thermos and sandwiches to his chest.

‘Not D.O.T are you?’ asked McKenzie. ‘I keep getting the tachograph checked, it’s not my bloody fault.’

‘We’re not Department of Transport, we just want a chat about the woman you picked up on Friday night.’

‘Bloody hell, she was in the middle of nowhere, I could hardly leave her there could I? You’ve not told the boss have you?’

‘No need to bother your boss with this, Reg. No need to bother anyone.’

McKenzie frowned and squinted at the two men. ‘What is this? Who are you?’

‘We just need to know who she was, that’s all.’

‘What’s it to you?’

Halpin stepped forward menacingly but Richards held up his hand. ‘It’s all right, Mick, Reg just wants to know where he stands and that’s fair enough. Why did she say she was out in the middle of nowhere, Reg?’

‘Her car broke down, that’s what she said.’

‘Well now, you see, Reg, that’s not strictly speaking the truth. She hit my car, that’s what happened. Damn near wrote it off. I’d parked outside a mate’s house and she ran into the back of it. Buggered up both cars. She must have legged it and flagged you down.’

McKenzie nodded slowly. ‘That makes sense,’ he said. ‘She’d been drinking, that much I know.’

‘And no shoes, did you notice that?’

McKenzie laughed. ‘Yeah, that was funny. So she smashed your motor, did she?’

‘That’s right.’

‘Why not just call the cops? They’ll trace her.’

Richards pulled a face. ‘I’ve a bit of a problem with my insurance, Reg. I don’t have her details. You know how it is. The last thing I want is the cops sticking their nose in. I’ve got her car. If I can just talk to her, I’m sure she’ll understand that the best thing to do is for her just to make good the damage. Let’s face it, if she’d been drinking, then she’s not going to want the cops involved, is she?’

‘Bloody right,’ said McKenzie. ‘Not with her being famous and all.’

‘What do you mean?’ asked Richards.

McKenzie lowered his voice. ‘Carolyn Castle, that’s who she is,’ he said. ‘She’s on that show, Rags To Riches. My wife loves it.’

‘You’re not serious?’ said Halpin.

‘God’s truth,’ said McKenzie. ‘She’s sending me a signed photo for the wife. Lovely lady.’ He frowned. ‘Not the sort to run away from an accident,’ he said.

‘Who is this Carolyn Castle?” asked Richards.

‘She’s a soap opera star,’ said Halpin. ‘Rags To Riches, the show about the fashion business.’

Richards shrugged. ‘Never seen it.’

‘It’s big,’ said Halpin.

‘Look, I don’t want to get her into trouble,’ said McKenzie. ‘She was lovely. A real lady.’

‘No one’s going to get into trouble, Reg,’ said Richards. ‘The insurance companies will handle it. I’m insured and I’m sure she is. We just need to exchange details. It’s not as if anyone got hurt. So where did you drop her, Reg, that night?’

‘Took her home, I did. Notting Hill Gate. Big house with one of those Japanese cherry blossom things in front of it. Must have cost her millions.’ He looked at his watch. ‘Look, I’ve got to go. Traffic’s a bitch on the M1 and I have to be in Brum by two.’

Richards patted him on the shoulder. ‘No problem, Reg, thanks for your time. And you drive carefully.’

As McKenzie walked to his truck, Richards took his cigar case from his jacket pocket. He bit off the end and spat it to the floor as Halpin fumbled in his pocket for a box of matches.

‘So you know this Carolyn Castle?’ asked Richards.

‘Sure, I watch the show all the time.’

‘You’re winding me up, right? Since when have you been a soap opera fan?’

Halpin struck a match and lit the cigar for Richards. ‘There’s some fit birds on it. Okay, not all the time but if I’m in and it’s on I’ll watch it.’

‘And it was her, right? Her that you chased?’

‘I only saw the back of her but, yeah, I’d say it was her.’

‘She’s famous, yeah?’

‘Yeah, she’s always on the cover of one magazine or another. She’s forty-odd, but I’d give her one.’

‘That’s good to know,’ said Richards. He headed back to his Bentley and Halpin followed.

‘One of the actors on the show is a regular at the club,’ said Halpin.

‘Is he now?’