Michael Ridpath - Free To Trade

'I'll call Rudy Geer. I want to see how he is getting on in Curacao. With this information, we might be able to crack Tremont Capital in the Netherlands Antilles. I had better get out there again soon.'

'There is one thing I don't understand.'

'What's that?'

I told Hamilton about the questions I still had about Debbie's death.

'Yes, I see what you mean,' said Hamilton, his voice thoughtful. 'There is still a lot we need to find out. But maybe if we find the money, it will lead us to Debbie's killer.'

'OK,' I said, 'what's next?'

Hamilton's response was clear. 'I get hold of Rudy Geer. I go to Curacao again. And I do some thinking.'

'What about me?' I said.

'Don't worry, laddie, you've done enough. Put down the main points of what you have just told me on a fax, and send it over. Then just enjoy yourself, and I'll see you in the office on Monday.'

As I put the phone down, I reflected that Hamilton must be pleased with me if he told me to enjoy myself. And frankly, I was pretty pleased with myself. There was no doubt that I had impressed him.

I scribbled my findings on a couple of sheets of paper, and went down to the hotel 'business centre' to send the fax. Not surprisingly, the Tahiti was kitted out with all sorts of sophisticated computers, photocopiers and fax machines, as well as two secretaries who were available to type copy for the hotel's customers at any time of day or night. I declined their services, and insisted on sending the fax through to Hamilton myself.

It only took a couple of minutes. I strolled back to the bank of elevators, wending my way through the grass-skirted beauties who worked for the hotel, and the overweight punters who were its customers. Cathy was waiting in one of the lifts.

'Hallo,' I said, as I jumped in just before the doors closed. 'Did you get my message last night? Do you fancy exploring the town later on?'

She bit her lip and looked down at the floor of the lift. 'No, I think I should like an early night.'

'Oh, OK. Do you want to meet up for supper?'

'No, I'd better not. I promised I would eat with Cash and Dick. This is my floor.' With barely a glance at me, she stepped out of the lift.

I frowned. What was all that about? And since when was Cathy so eager to have dinner with 'the poisonous frog'? Odd. I walked down the landing to my room feeling distinctly uncomfortable.

The more I thought about it, the surer I was that her aloofness was deliberate. She had decided to avoid me, to put me off. There was no other explanation, I couldn't hide from that conclusion.

But why?

I lay on my back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. I had no idea why. I couldn't think of anything I had said that might have put her off me. I lay there puzzled and afraid. It would hurt if I lost Cathy. It would hurt a lot.

I was damned if I was just going to let her drift away with a series of banal excuses about how she was too busy to see me. If she wanted to avoid me, I had a right to know why.

I dialled her room number. The phone rang five times. No reply. Even though it was obvious she was not there, I let it ring and ring, just in case.

Eventually I hung up. I leapt off the bed and paced around the room. I had to find out what was wrong. I had to.

I decided to wander round the hotel. There was a chance I might bump into her, and even if I didn't, at least I wouldn't be moping in my room any more.

She wasn't in the lobby. I looked in all the bars and coffee shops, wound my way through the palm trees, the islands and the machines. I walked slowly, to increase the chances of finding her.

This was ridiculous. I had no idea where she was. She had probably gone downtown or to one of the other casinos on the Strip. I gave up my loitering inside the building, and strolled round the gardens outside. Turf, shrubs and palm trees had been transplanted on to what two months before had been a building site, and sprinklers were on constantly. The foliage was a deep green, interspersed with flashes of purple. It all seemed unnatural in the desert climate.

I trudged around the gardens for half an hour, and then made my way back inside. As I walked through the lobby, I looked left and right on the off chance that I might see her. And I did. She was crossing the vast atrium, heading out of the hotel. I hurried after her. I caught her up on one of the bridges between islands.

'Hallo,' I said.

'Hallo,' she said, and quickened her pace.

'I want to talk to you.'

'I'm afraid I don't have time right now. I'm in a hurry. Perhaps later.'

I lengthened my stride and placed myself in front of her. 'Look,' I said, 'I have to talk to you. And I'm going to talk to you sometime. So you may as well get it over with now. Otherwise you won't get rid of me. OK?'

Cathy looked at me, frowning. She nodded. 'OK.'

We were standing on a small islet with some chairs and a table. We sat down.

'All I need is to understand,' I said. 'I felt I was getting to know you over the last few days. Getting to know you well. And the more I got to know you, the more I liked what I saw. You and I fit. I know that, and I think you know that. So I need to understand.'

Cathy was staring straight ahead. 'Understand what?'

'Understand what's wrong. Understand why you wanted to avoid me this morning. Why you don't want to talk to me now.'

Cathy reddened slightly. 'I'm not trying to avoid you. I had just agreed to do something else, that's all.' She saw the look on my face. I waited. Finally she sighed. 'You're right. You do deserve an explanation.'

She still wasn't looking at me, but rather staring at a transplanted palm tree ahead of her. 'I have grown to like your company. It's fun to be with you. When you are not around, I find myself looking forward to the next time I might bump into you.'

I smiled at her. She still didn't meet my eyes. 'I feel the same way,' I said. 'So what's the problem?'

'On the aeroplane coming here, I sat next to Waigel. We had a chat. About you.' She clasped and unclasped her hands, and resolutely looked away from me. 'He said he thought that there was something going on between you and me. He said he didn't like it. He said it was unprofessional, bad for my career.'

My anger was rising. 'Waigel hates me, you know that. What does it matter what he thinks?'

Cathy went on in a low voice. 'He said if it carried on I would be fired.'

I exploded. 'That's crazy. He can't fire you.'

'Oh yes, he can. He and Cash are old friends, remember? He said he would check with Cash to make sure I wasn't seeing you. He said that there was some doubt about my future at the firm, and some prompting from him and Cash would be all it would take to get them to sack me.'

'He's bluffing.'

Cathy turned towards me, anger in her eyes. 'No, he's not. You are quite right, he doesn't like you at all. In fact he hates you. And he will go to great lengths to get his way.'

'But with what he's said and done to you, you could get him fired.'

Cathy gave a shallow laugh. 'You would have to be crazy to bring a sexual harassment suit against Bloomfield Weiss. Even if I won it, I would be finished.'

'Well, then screw Bloomfield Weiss. After all, you hate the firm. You said it yourself. So screw them.'

From Cathy's reaction, I realised immediately I shouldn't have said this. 'That's easy for you to say,' she said. 'It's my career we are talking about. You know how difficult it is being a woman in this business. People don't treat you seriously. Men like Waigel assume you are a bimbo whose job it is to seduce clients for the firm. Well, I refuse to prove Waigel right. I have put a lot into this job. I have fought hard to achieve what I have achieved, and I'm just not going to let all that go to waste.'

'OK, OK, I'm sorry,' I said. 'But you've got to mould your job to your life, not your life to your job.'