The Stranger Came (28 page)

'I
thought
journalists
never
forgot
a
name,'
Monty
Norman
said
with
a
smile.

'You're
thinking
of
fucking
politicians,'
Viv
Law
said,
and
turning
back
to
Sophie
went
on,
'I've
just
come
from
the
Trust
office.
I
had
something
to
hand
in.’

'I
could
take
it,'
Sophie
said
helpfully.
'I'll
give
it
to
May
in
the
morning.
If
that
would
help?'

'Oh,
I
saw
May.
I'd
phoned
her
I
was
bringing
it
in. Only
it
turns
out
there's
a
little
problem.
It's
not
needed.
Who
is
this
shit
Norman
who's
fucking
the
place
up?'

Her
voice
went
up
another
notch
and
the
group
stopped
even
pretending
not
to
listen.
It
was
clear
they
knew
Viv
gave
good
value.

'I'm
that
shit
Norman.’

'Yes.
I
thought
you
might
be.’

'What's
your
problem?'

'I'm
a
busy
woman,'
Viv
Law
said
with
an
unpleasantly
reasonable
air.
'I
don't
like
to
have
my
time
wasted.’

'You
don't
have
to
be
a
woman
to
feel
that,'
Norman said.

'I
knew
I
wasn't
going
to
like
you.’

'If
there's
been
some
kind
of
mistake,'
Sophie
tried
to
intervene,
not
for
Norman's
sake
but
for
the
Trust's
or
rather
for
Maitland's
since
it
was
what
he
might
have
wished
her
to
do.

'Not
by
me,
love.
I
was
asked
to
do
that
circular.
You
know,
to
the
welfare
clubs?
For
the
Christmas
appeal.’

'Well?'
Norman
asked,
but
both
women
had
caught
his involuntary
flicker
of
response.
If
he
didn't
know
before,
Sophie
thought,
he
does
now
what
this
is
about.
She,
however,
was
still
in
the
dark.

'I
took
them
to
the
post
yesterday,'
she
soothed.

'They've
gone
off
in
good
time.’

'Too
fucking
good.
That's
what
I
was
taking
in
today – the
day
I
was
asked
to
bring
it
in
–
the
copy
for
it.
I
spent
last
night
on
it.
It's
only
amateurs
think
you
can
do
these
things
in
five
minutes.
And
that's
what
you've
sent
out,
love – an
amateur's
piece
of
bloody
silly-clever.’

'I
wrote
the
letter,'
Monty
Norman
said.
'That's
part
of my
job.
Nobody
told
me
you'd
been
asked.’

'Don't
give
me
that
crap!
May
Stewart
told
you.’

Sophie
was
startled
by
a
glance
at
her
of
pure
malevolence
from
him.
Did
he
blame
her
for
witnessing
this?

Next
moment
he
was
smiling.
'Let's
not
argue,'
he
said,
'whether
she
did
or
not.
Mostly
she
does
her
job
splendidly.
I've
no
desire
to
cause
trouble
for
her.
I
don't
think I
made
such
a
bad
job
of
the
letter
–
but
I'd
be
glad
of
your
help
with
the
next
one.’

'I'm
a
professional,'
Viv
Law
said.
'Maitland
Ure
asked me
to
do
something.
A
date
came
with
it.
All
right,
I
get
it
done
and
I
get
it
done
on
time.
But
the
other
side
of
that
is
that
I
don't
get
messed
about.’

'I'll
make
you
a
suggestion.
There's
time
enough
before Christmas.’
And
in
an
aside
to
Sophie,
'You
were
a
bit
hasty,
you
know,
getting
them
posted.
We'll
give
it
a
fortnight
and
then
we'll
send
your
letter
out
as
a
follow
up.
Ginger
them
up
a
bit.
That
way
nothing's
wasted.’
He
nodded
up
at
her
with
a
hint
of
complacency.

'Oh,
you're
something,'
she
said
unexpectedly
quietly.

Her
rage
as
she
descended
on
them
had
been
histrionic
and
seemingly
instantaneous.
As
suddenly
as
it
had
blown
up,
it
had
dissipated,
leaving
her
yellow
and
unwell looking.

'That's
such
a
bad
idea
for
so
many
reasons.’
With
a kind
of
resentful
self-consciousness,
she
tucked
back
a
wisp
of
straying
hair.
'No
way
is any letter of mine
going
out
after
that
bloody
shambles
of
yours.
The
only
consolation
is
that
nobody
could
think
it
had
anything
to
do
with
me.
So
let's
not
get
anybody
confused,
just
in
case.
Tell
Maitland
Ure
I
won't
be
writing
anything
else –
not
while
you
work
for
the
Trust.’
Turning
away,
she
added
abruptly,
'Never
mind!
I'll
tell
him
myself.’

'Whatever
you
like.’

Monty
Norman
raised
his
glass
in
an
ironical
toast
to
the
watching
group,
but
that
was
a
mistake.
His
eyes
returned
to
Sophie
too
quickly
for
her
to
change
the
direction
of
her
gaze.
The
amber
liquid
slopped
to
and
fro
in
the
glass
but
instead
of
putting
it
down
he
held
it
while
the
trembling
slowed.
When
it
stopped,
he
held
out
the
glass
with
his
arm
at
full
stretch
and
nodded
at
the
steadiness
of
his
hand.