The Business

'I'm being honest with you, Kate,' he said softly. 'Can't you be honest with me?'

'I am, Uncle Freddy.  They thought you were going to go belly up until last night.  Now they think you might just make it.  But, then, they don't know you the way I do.  In fact, I'm going to warn them that they better surround you with male nurses from now on, or at least make sure no female ones bend over within striking distance.'

He coughed and wheezed again.  I dabbed at his eyes. 'I'm sure you are.'

'Well, look, if you —' I said, making getting-ready-to-go movements.

'Don't go.  Stay a bit.  I have more to say, Kate.'

'Okay, but they don't want me to stay too long.'

'Listen, dear girl, there's something going on.'

'You mean, apart from trying to marry me off to Suvinder?'

'Yes.  That bugger Hazleton's up to something.'

'Busy man, isn't he?' I said, thinking of the DVD disc.

'Kate, I didn't get you into any trouble, did I?  I mean, by agreeing to invite you to Blysecrag for the weekend.  It was Miss H who told me.  They had people watching you and that American chap, Buzetski, while you were there.'

'Did they now?'

'Well, I wasn't sure whether to say anything or not.  They didn't, I mean they didn't, umm, discover anything, or, or…'

'There was nothing to discover.'

'You're pretty attached to the fellow, aren't you?  Even I could see that.  Didn't need to be told.'

'Pretty.  But sadly it isn't mutual.'

'I'm sorry.'

'Me too.  But, then, he is married.'

'Yes, I gathered that.  That's why I was worried.'

'How?'

'That they might, oh, I don't know, find something that they could use against you, or him, or both of you.  Only it was a bit late by the time I found out.  Again, though, I could still have said something.  I feel bad, Kate.  I should have been more open with you.'

'Well, nothing happened, Freddy.  I threw myself at the man but he pushed me away, politely.  The most sensual we got was me watching him swim and him giving me a peck on the cheek.  No blackmail material, if that's what you mean.'

(This was ignoring the fact I'd asked Stephen to take me in no uncertain terms, words any decent parabolic mike or something planted in his suit could have picked up with ease, but apart from causing me a little embarrassment at sounding so desperate, so what?)

'Ah, well, no harm done, then.'

'Well…'

'What?'

'See this?' I pulled the DVD out of my pocket.

'CD, isn't it?'

'Digital video disc.  It does have blackmail material on it.  Not of me, not of Stephen Buzetski, but of somebody connected.  Hazleton made sure I got this.  Thinking that I might use it to get myself something I want, in which case Hazleton hopes I'll feel beholden to him.'

'Crafty beggar, isn't he?'

'Yes, he is.'

'God, I worry for Suvinder, Kate.'

'What do you mean?  Why?'

'Because they've got the boy, his nephew.  In school in Switzerland.  Oh, I don't know, Kate, they might be exaggerating, but they seem to think he's theirs.  Willing to do whatever they suggest.  Greedy, the way they'd like him to be.  If that's true, Suvinder had better watch himself.'

This took a moment to sink in. 'You think they might have Suvinder killed?'

'Wouldn't put it past the blighters, Kate.  They're very serious about this, you know.  Lot of money involved.'

'I know.  Lot of people involved, too, in Thulahn.'

'I don't think they care about the people there, Kate, except as obstacles.'

'I think you're right.'

'Oh.' Uncle Freddy sighed, with surprising force.  He blinked up at the ceiling a few times.

'You're looking tired, Freddy.  I'd better go.'

'No!  No.  Just in case.  You have to listen.' He clutched at my hand, suddenly strong. 'It's this Silex thing.'

'Silex?' I had to think.  The chip factory near Glasgow.  It seemed like a long while ago. 'What about it?'

'They nobbled our chap.  The fellow we had transferred from Brussels.'

'What do you mean, "nobbled"?'

'He's been bought off, turned, whatever you want to call it.  Doesn't matter how I know, but I do.  He's saying it's all above board up there.  Bugger's lying.  And I think it's Hazleton again.'

'Are you sure?' Uncle Freddy was starting to sound paranoid, developing a Hazleton fixation.  Next, he'd be the one who'd forced him to have the crash.

'No, no, not sure.  But his people were there, at the Silex plant.  At least one of them.' He winked at me.  I had never seen the movement of an eyelid look so laboured and so difficult. 'I had somebody else there.  Somebody I knew I could trust.  Said that Poudenhaut fellow had been there.  Our Brussels chap met him at the factory but didn't mention it.  That's how I know.'

I closed my eyes briefly. 'This is getting too complicated, Uncle Freddy.  I'll have to think about it later.  Come on, you look pretty washed out.  I really think I'd better go.'

'Kate.' He kept hold of my hand.

'What, Freddy?'

'Blysecrag.'

'What about it?'

'Oh, Kate, I don't know what to do.' He started to cry; not sobbing, but just crying quietly, tears rolling down his cheeks.

'Freddy, what is it?  Come on, don't upset yourself.' I dabbed at his eyes again.

'I'd left it to you, Kate.'

'You did what?'

'I'd left it to you, then I changed my will to leave it to the National Trust, because I didn't want to give you an added reason to stay in this country if you might be moving to Thulahn.  But…' His voice sounded thin and desperate. 'But now I don't know what to do.  I can change the will back again if you want the dreadful old pile.  I mean, I don't know.  You could call in Miss thing, Miss Craston, the lawyer.  I could do it now—'

'Hey, hey, hey.  Uncle Freddy.  Look, I'm honoured you even thought of willing it to me.  But what would I do with a huge place like Blysecrag anyway?'

'Look after it, Kate, that's all I've ever done.'

'Well, then, I'm sure the National Trust will do a much better job than I could.  But you've got to stop talking like this, Freddy.  You're not dead yet.  Come on, now.'

I had no idea if this pull-yourself-together-old-bean stuff would work with Uncle F.  I felt awkward with it, but then how else are you going to feel when you're with somebody who might be dying and who seems convinced they are, or are about to?  Especially when he's already crying and you feel you might be about to.

'I'll be all right,' he said, falteringly and unconvincingly. ' Are you sure you don't want it?'

'Positive.  I'd just get lost.  Look, you're not going to die yet, but I take it you have provided for Miss Heggies, for when the time does come?'

'Oh, yes.  Her flat is hers.  And there's money.'

'Then there's nothing to worry about.  Stop distressing yourself.  Good grief, give it a few weeks and you'll be back there yourself, trying to get the damn catapult to work again.'

'Yes.'

'Look at you.  You can't even keep your eyes open.  Get some sleep.'

'Yes.' He stopped fighting it and let his eyes close. 'Sleep,' he said groggily.

'I'll see you tomorrow,' I said, rising.  I let go of his hand and let it rest on the pale green disposable sheet.

'Tomorrow,' he whispered.

'I don't believe this!  You're making this up!  A fucking for-real prince offers to marry you and you turn him down and take the next jet out of town, then barely a day later an uncle on his deathbed wants to give you some vast estate in England with a house the size of the fucking Pentagon and you turn your nose up at that as well! Are you crazy?'

'Oh, right.  This from the woman who claims to believe sisters should do things for themselves.  And Freddy is not on his deathbed.'

'Look, there's nothing unsisterly in letting somebody will you enormous amounts of realty.  Especially when it's an old man on his deathbed.  I mean, that's perfect.  If he ever did expect you to put out in return, he sounds far too weak to do anything about it now!  Even if you were prepared to drop your precious self-righteousness, and your pantyhose, which I doubt.'