"Thompson," he said again. He opened his eyes and stared. "I'd like to see Pete Thompson."
"Ah." Shortarse's head bobbed up and down. "Mr Thompson." His lips pulled tight and his jaws clenched and he said, "Got an appointment?" Pearce said nothing and the little man continued nodding his head. "You need an appointment to see Mr Thompson."
Pearce clipped his mobile onto his belt. A muscle tugged at his cheek.
"An appointment." Shortarse nodded hard and fast.
"Mind your head," Pearce told him. "All that shaking, it's liable to snap off."
Shortarse's face paled and his eyebrows lifted. His head was motionless as he picked up the phone on the desk, pressed a couple of numbers and said, "Tony, we got a funny boy out here." He dropped the receiver. It bounced out of the cradle and clattered onto the desk. Shortarse muttered as the dialling tone moaned at him from the upturned phone and he was picking it up again as a door at the rear of the corridor sprang open and a man burst out, stiff-armed and heavy.
The big man glowered at Pearce, twisting the knuckles of one hand against the palm of the other as he plodded along the short corridor. "Can I help you?" He was much taller than Pearce. Much wider, too. His jacket strangled his swaying arms. He stopped a couple of feet away and straightened his tie. Flat nose. Cauliflower ears. He looked nothing like the photograph of Ailsa's boyfriend.
"You must be Tony," Pearce said. "Nice to meet you."
"Never mind who I am. Who are you?"
"I'm looking for Pete."
"I didn't ask who you were looking for. I asked who you were."
"Five minutes. That's all."
Tony changed hands, twisting his knuckles as if he was sharpening them against the grindstone of his flattened palm. " Pete doesn't want to see you."
Pearce flexed his fingers. "I might have to insist."
Tony chuckled. "Okay," he said. "Insist."
Pearce said, "You're a bodybuilder, right?"
"Yeah."
"Which means if I stood still, you could probably pick me up."
Tony gave him an appraising look. "With one hand."
"Good," Pearce said. "Now, here's your problem."
Tony moved his weight from one foot to the other. After a while he said, "Go on."
"I don't intend standing still."
Tony sighed. "So why don't you walk right on past me, if you're such a hard man."
"I will," Pearce said. "But there's something I have to ask you first. I'm puzzled, you see." He gripped the lip of the reception desk with both hands. "Pete doesn't know who I am, right?" He let go of the desk and turned. "So how does he know he doesn't want to see me?"
"Not my place to ask."
"Five minutes." Pearce slapped his hand on the desk.
"Don't hit the furniture."
"Five minutes," Pearce said, smacking the desk again.
"You hard of hearing?" Tony eyeballed Pearce. "Or are you just dim?"
"Everybody thinks I'm thick today. That's what Ailsa Lillie said."
"You know Ailsa?" Tony's eyes narrowed.
"She's why I'm here."
"Why didn't you say so?"
"I was having fun," Pearce said. "Actually, I have a message from Ailsa for Pete."
"I'll pass it on."
"I have to deliver it in person."
Tony shook his head and stopped rubbing his hands together. He turned and retraced his steps. The office door closed behind him with a bang.
Pearce looked at Shortarse. "Something amusing you?"
The little man cocked his head. His mouth was stretched into a definite grin. "What if it is?" he said.
The door opened again. Tony said, "You got your five minutes."
Pearce walked down the red-carpeted corridor and entered Thompson's office. Ailsa's boyfriend sat behind a huge desk fingering his moustache. He didn't get up to greet Pearce. Didn't even look at him.
Pearce followed Thompson's gaze. Opposite his desk a bank of monitors silently relayed the events taking place in some of the sauna's private rooms. Four of the screens were blank, but, despite the early hour, two others showed signs of activity. Bottom left, a topless masseuse churned the fleshy lower back of an anonymous customer
"Ah." Shortarse's head bobbed up and down. "Mr Thompson." His lips pulled tight and his jaws clenched and he said, "Got an appointment?" Pearce said nothing and the little man continued nodding his head. "You need an appointment to see Mr Thompson."
Pearce clipped his mobile onto his belt. A muscle tugged at his cheek.
"An appointment." Shortarse nodded hard and fast.
"Mind your head," Pearce told him. "All that shaking, it's liable to snap off."
Shortarse's face paled and his eyebrows lifted. His head was motionless as he picked up the phone on the desk, pressed a couple of numbers and said, "Tony, we got a funny boy out here." He dropped the receiver. It bounced out of the cradle and clattered onto the desk. Shortarse muttered as the dialling tone moaned at him from the upturned phone and he was picking it up again as a door at the rear of the corridor sprang open and a man burst out, stiff-armed and heavy.
The big man glowered at Pearce, twisting the knuckles of one hand against the palm of the other as he plodded along the short corridor. "Can I help you?" He was much taller than Pearce. Much wider, too. His jacket strangled his swaying arms. He stopped a couple of feet away and straightened his tie. Flat nose. Cauliflower ears. He looked nothing like the photograph of Ailsa's boyfriend.
"You must be Tony," Pearce said. "Nice to meet you."
"Never mind who I am. Who are you?"
"I'm looking for Pete."
"I didn't ask who you were looking for. I asked who you were."
"Five minutes. That's all."
Tony changed hands, twisting his knuckles as if he was sharpening them against the grindstone of his flattened palm. " Pete doesn't want to see you."
Pearce flexed his fingers. "I might have to insist."
Tony chuckled. "Okay," he said. "Insist."
Pearce said, "You're a bodybuilder, right?"
"Yeah."
"Which means if I stood still, you could probably pick me up."
Tony gave him an appraising look. "With one hand."
"Good," Pearce said. "Now, here's your problem."
Tony moved his weight from one foot to the other. After a while he said, "Go on."
"I don't intend standing still."
Tony sighed. "So why don't you walk right on past me, if you're such a hard man."
"I will," Pearce said. "But there's something I have to ask you first. I'm puzzled, you see." He gripped the lip of the reception desk with both hands. "Pete doesn't know who I am, right?" He let go of the desk and turned. "So how does he know he doesn't want to see me?"
"Not my place to ask."
"Five minutes." Pearce slapped his hand on the desk.
"Don't hit the furniture."
"Five minutes," Pearce said, smacking the desk again.
"You hard of hearing?" Tony eyeballed Pearce. "Or are you just dim?"
"Everybody thinks I'm thick today. That's what Ailsa Lillie said."
"You know Ailsa?" Tony's eyes narrowed.
"She's why I'm here."
"Why didn't you say so?"
"I was having fun," Pearce said. "Actually, I have a message from Ailsa for Pete."
"I'll pass it on."
"I have to deliver it in person."
Tony shook his head and stopped rubbing his hands together. He turned and retraced his steps. The office door closed behind him with a bang.
Pearce looked at Shortarse. "Something amusing you?"
The little man cocked his head. His mouth was stretched into a definite grin. "What if it is?" he said.
The door opened again. Tony said, "You got your five minutes."
Pearce walked down the red-carpeted corridor and entered Thompson's office. Ailsa's boyfriend sat behind a huge desk fingering his moustache. He didn't get up to greet Pearce. Didn't even look at him.
Pearce followed Thompson's gaze. Opposite his desk a bank of monitors silently relayed the events taking place in some of the sauna's private rooms. Four of the screens were blank, but, despite the early hour, two others showed signs of activity. Bottom left, a topless masseuse churned the fleshy lower back of an anonymous customer
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