Free THE ORANGE MOON AFFAIR by AFN CLARKE Page A

he held the door open.
    "Have you been here before?" Hamish asked as we walked up the steps.
    "I have but not in a long time. Dad sponsored me for membership when I was eighteen."
    “He was very fond of the club. It is away from all the other more snobby clubs. They've made some very nice changes, I think you'll like it." He was right. The atmosphere was pleasant and reasonably informal, the food and the service good. Our general conversation continued over the meal of smoked salmon, veal marsala and a fresh fruit dessert, washed down with an ample supply of Pietrantonj Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2007 . One of the things I liked about Hamish was that he went to places he enjoyed and not for the status value and ate and drank what he liked, not what was considered suitable.
    When we were finally settled in the lounge with our coffee and brandy, he asked me what he could do.
    "I'm assuming Radley told you about our meeting," I said carefully. He nodded. "I'm concerned there is fraud in connection with the loan for Rathborne Micro-Electronics." I went on to relate all the facts including my fruitless interview with a member of the Fraud Squad. Hamish sat listening intently and I warmed to my subject, telling him of Mary's strange behaviour.
    When I finished he sat for a while, taking it all in. I had no idea what he was thinking, but I hoped that whatever he had to say would be the result of careful analysis of the facts as I had presented them. He was about to reply when a waiter approached.
    "Telephone call for you Mr McDougall.”
    Hamish thanked him, apologised to me and followed the waiter. I finished the rest of my brandy, poured more coffee and waited. It would be easy to relax in this velvet lined quiet trap, but there was an uneasiness that invaded every part of me. The same instinct that used to warn of bombs, or ambushes, and the same instinct I had ignored to my cost those years ago. In this age of mobile phones, why did Hamish have to answer a telephone call on a landline?
    He returned a few minutes smiled briefly and sat down rather stiffly. There was a subtle change in his demeanour, as if he didn't want to be sitting with me, and my uneasiness increased.
    He cleared his throat as if he was about to give a speech. "Now to recap. You feel that an investigation is necessary regarding the Government loan procedures to Rathborne Micro-Electronics, right?”
    “I think it's a no-brainer.”
    “Certainly it would be laudable to protect the public purse, but on the minus side, instigating a full scale investigation is both expensive and time consuming.” He had lapsed into a condescending, patronising and aloof tone.
    “I'm not asking for a full scale investigation, I'm asking for access to the files regarding the loan.”
    Hamish tilted his head on one side pursing his lips. “That's a bit of a problem. You see there are only a limited number of people allowed that access, and unfortunately you are not one of them.”
    “Which is absurd as I own the Gunn Group, of which Rathborne Micro-Electronics is a subsidiary.”
    Hamish placed his fingertips together and touched them to his lips nodding slowly. “I do see your point, but there are procedures and strict rules regarding the distribution of sensitive Government documents, and you don't qualify.”
    “Really,” I said sarcastically. Somebody had reined Hamish in and once again I realised that he had no real authority or power. “I am flying to Belfast on Monday morning to start my own investigation.”
    "If it helps you find peace-of-mind, by all means go. Perhaps I can dig around and see what I come up with.” He smiled, again patronisingly, his eyes narrow and cold. “Listen, if I may give you some advice, Mary has had a very rough time, she needs you, don't do anything that may harm her." He leaned over and patted my forearm. Another patronising gesture as if he was talking to a small boy. "I don't mean to lecture you but it is possible to get so wrapped up