Free Blood Never Dies by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles Page A

he looks a bit startled and says, “First time what?” and I says, “Going for an audition, are you?” And he stares a minute like he might be going to say he didn’t know what I was talking about. Then he sort of relaxes and laughs, rueful like, and says, “Yeah, I don’t know whether to hope I get the job or not.” So I says, “They pay good money, from what I hear.” And he says yes, but a bit distracted like, as if he’s thinking o’ something else. Well, that’s all the conversation we has till I drop him off. He pays me, and while I’m putting the money away I see him go in out the corner of my eye, and that’s all I know about it, sir,’ he concluded with something like satisfaction, sitting square and upright on his seat with his cap on his lap and his faded blue eyes looking expectantly at Slider through the lenses of his specs.
    There didn’t seem to be anything else to ask, except, ‘Can you remember any more exactly when this was?’
    ‘Like I said, a while ago.’
    ‘Was it before Easter or after?’
    He thought a moment. ‘Got to be after. When did we have that bit o’ nice weather? Beginning of May, wasn’t it? Might have been then, because it was a warm day, I remember that. He was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, no jacket. And when I see he was nervous, he was sweating on his upper lip, and I wondered meself if it was the heat or the nerves, you get me?’
    ‘Yes, I follow. Well, you’ve certainly given us something to follow up. Thank you very much for coming in.’
    ‘Just doing me jooty,’ Barnes said, pleased.
    ‘Ransom Publications,’ Atherton read from the printout, ‘is the publisher of soft-core porn films, their most famous titles being the
Office Orgy
series, which now number thirteen and have acquired cult status. Not with me, they haven’t,’ he interpolated.
    ‘I’ve heard of ’em,’ Connolly said. ‘Me sister Sheila’s boyfriend and his mates were into that stuff. There was another series before that called
College Orgy.
That got up to
College Orgy Ten
.’
    ‘It mentions that here,’ said Atherton. ‘And
Hospital Orgy
and – what’s this? Can it be? Yes,
Shopping Mall Orgy
.’
    ‘Great titles!’ said Connolly. ‘I’m guessing here, but would you say imagination’s not their mighty strength?’
    ‘You don’t need imagination,’ Mackay said. ‘It’s all there on the screen.’
    ‘Yeah,’ McLaren growled, and they exchanged a glance. It hardly surprised Slider to learn that tying one on and then watching a blue movie was the way some of his firm relaxed off duty from time to time.
    ‘There was this one,
Office Orgy Three
I think it was – classic!’ said Mackay. ‘This bloke comes in to mend the photocopier and there’s this couple having it off on top of it, and he says, “You could damage the paper feed like that”. I mean, brilliant or what!’
    ‘Hurr,’ McLaren agreed, with as much machismo as could be expected from a man who has had all the bacon sandwiches in his bloodstream exchanged for yogurt.
    ‘If I may continue?’ Atherton said patiently. ‘Ransom Publications is a branch of the Marylebone Group. And the Marylebone is a property development and management group, with its registered address conveniently in Cyprus.’
    ‘Conveniently?’ Slider queried. It meant they couldn’t make enquiries about it at Companies House.
    ‘Convenient for them, not for us,’ said Atherton. ‘So three months ago our victim waxes his legs – and who knows what else besides – gets himself two tattoos, and about two weeks after that—’
    ‘He’d have to wait for ’em to heal,’ Connolly said. ‘First they bleed, then they weep, then they scab and peel—’
    ‘Thank you,’ Atherton interrupted hastily. ‘Two weeks or so later he goes for an audition at a porn-film firm. That’s nearly a tongue twister.’
    ‘I wonder what they have to do in an audition,’ Fathom mused.
    ‘Don’t,’ said Swilley sharply. ‘Boss, we