1953 - The Things Men Do Page 6

  "Terrific isn't it? He must be rolling in money."

  She moved to the window and peered into the garage.

  "Don't let them see you."

  "He's rather flash-looking, Harry."

  "He's an American. You know how Americans look."

  "I wish he didn't look quite so flashy. Who's the other man?"

  "One of his pals, I think. His name's Berry. I don't know anything more about him."

  Ann moved away from the window. She now looked worried.

  "Are you quite sure they're all right?"

  I stared at her.

  "What do you mean?"

  "Well, there's something about them . . ."

  "For goodness' sake! Of course they're all right. Now look, be a dear and leave this to me. There's no point in you meeting them. As a matter of fact, I'm not anxious to get too friendly with them. It's much to keep this on a business footing."

  She gave me a puzzled look.

  "All right, Harry, but don't rush into anything. Let's discuss it before you commit yourself."

  I pushed her towards the door, leading to the stairs.

  "Run along, Ann. You talk as if they were a couple of crooks."

  When she had gone, I went to the window and watched Dix and Berry as they stood in the entrance to the garage, looking across the street.

  I didn't want to admit it to Ann, but these two made me also uneasy. I thought of the four girls I had met at Gloria's party. I was pretty sure they were no good, perhaps not exactly prostitutes, but not much better. Why on earth was Gloria associating with such women? Maybe Dix had brought them along with the other three men, and Gloria hadn't known they were coming. How friendly was Gloria with Dix? The way he had slapped her that night pointed to a familiarity between them that disconcerted me.

  Just then Dix came walking quickly down the garage towards me, leaving Berry at the entrance. I opened the door of the office.

  "Come on in."

  He stood in the doorway, looking around.

  "Hell, this is no better than a rabbit hutch."

  "It doesn't have to be," I said, suddenly annoyed by his criticism. "It's big enough for me to keep a set of books in, so why should I want it any bigger?"

  He gave me a sideways glance, then grinned.

  "Take it easy, pally; maybe you're right at that."

  I pushed a chair towards him and he sat astride it, pushing his hat to the back of his head, his fingers dipping into his waistcoat pocket for a packet of cigarettes. He offered me one, lit it for me and then his.

  "What do you think of it?" I asked impatiently.

  "It's okay. Park your fanny. I want to talk to you."

  I sat down, my heart beginning to bump against my ribs.

  If the garage was all right, then there was nothing to stop us going ahead, I thought Fifty pounds a week! My mind began to race over the things I could buy with that money.

  "Maybe I gave you a wrong impression on Saturday night," Dix said, his small bright eyes on my face. "I think I said something about starting an agency here for spare parts. Right?"

  I stiffened to attention.

  "Why, yes: that's what you said."

  "Yeah, I thought I did." He gave me his lazy, insolent grin. "Well, that's the general idea, of course, but it may take nine months to a year before we're in the position to supply spare parts."

  "You didn't say that on Saturday."

  "I know I didn't. I wanted to see this dump first. The fact is, pally, we're only in the experimental stage as yet. Our set is going to revolutionize the trade. Until we get it going properly, we're keeping it a secret. The less people talk about it the better for us. I had to mislead you on Saturday until I was sure this was the place I was looking for."

  "I see. Well, that's a bit of a letdown. I was banking on starting right away."

  He shook his head.

  "Can't do that. The set isn't working right yet."

  "Then we don't do business? The agency's off?"

  "No, it's not off. In a year, maybe less, it'll be very much on."

  "By that time, I shan't be here."

  "You won't?"

  "My business is shot to hell. I was hoping the agency would pull me out of the red. I can't wait a year."

  "I'm not asking you to wait a year." He leaned forward too flick ash into the top of a tin I keep on my desk for that purpose. "I'm prepared to rent a piece of this garage for fifteen quid a week. That any good to you?"

  I stand at him.

  "Why do you want to rent it if you're not starting the agency for a year?"

  "It's like this. Our works is at Maidenhead. I'm fed-up with going backwards and forwards to Maidenhead every day. Too much of a waste of time. My idea, until the agency starts up, is to set a small experimental station here. It'll save me time and it'll help you hang on until we get going. Would fifteen quid a week hold you?"

  "Well, it would help. How much space would you want?"

  "Come outside and I'll show you."

  We walked down the garage to the entrance.

  "I want the whole of this side, including the window, back to thirty feet."

  "It would be more convenient for you to have the rear end of the garage. If cars came in for service, they'll disturb you, and besides, you'll be in my way here."

  Dix shook his head.

  "I want to be as near to the traffic as I can get. Our set aims to cut out all traffic interference, and that's why I pinked on Eagle Street. The traffic's more or less continuous, and if we can put up a performance here, we can put a performance anywhere. Fifteen quid a week's not bad considering you can't pay much more than five for the whole of this dump."

  He wasn't far out. My actual rent was just under five pounds, plus rates.

  Well, it was certainly a letdown after expecting fifty pounds a week, but fifteen was better than nothing: a lot better.

  "Would you want me to do anything?"

  Dix shook his head.

  "This is an expert's job. Berry and Louis will be working on it. They've been doing the experimental work at Maidenhead."

  I stared at him, an uneasy feeling of suspicion running through me. No one would ever convince me that Berry and Louis were radio experts: especially Louis.

  Dix was quick to see my expression of disbelief.

  "Look, pally, you needn't go ahead if you don't want to. I'm offering you seventy-five pounds in cash for a month's rent, but I don't want you looking at me like that. This is my business, not yours. All you're doing is renting me a piece of this dump. Do you want to make the deal or don't you?"

  Seventy-five pounds! I could repay Bill half what I owed him and still have enough to square the more pressing accounts. As he said, it wasn't my business if his story sounded a little thin. Anyway, I could always watch Berry and Louis, and if they got up to any tricks, I could call the whole thing off.

  "All right, it's a deal. When do you want to move in?"

  An odd expression jumped into Dix's eyes, a mixture of gloating triumph and excitement.

  "Fine. Before we can move in, I'll have to make a few alterations. I can get things sorted out in the morning. We'll move in on Friday."

  "What alterations are you going to make?"

  "I want privacy. I told you our work is secret. I don't want every Tom, Dick or Harry sticking his nose in where it's not wanted. Then we've got to bring our electrical equipment down here, a work bench and other stuff."

  "Will you use much electricity?"

  He grinned.

  "Scared you're not going to make a profit. Send the bill into me. I'll square it. Want your money now?"

  "Friday will do."

  "Have it now, pally."

  He walked back to the office and I followed him. After I had closed the door, he pulled out a roll of five-pound notes nearly as thick as my fist. He counted fifteen of them on to the desk.

  "I'll make you out a receipt."

  "I don't want one. I never pay a second time so what should
I want a receipt for? Don't be a mug, pally: stick that lot in your pocket and forget to pay tax on it."

  "Well, thanks."

  I walked with him to the entrance where Berry had just got through measuring up the floor space. He had marked the space out with chalk, and looked inquiringly at Dix.

  "That what you want?"

  "Yeah. Be on the job first thing in the morning. I want everything ready by Friday."

  "It'll be ready."

  Dix turned to me.

  "So long, pally. Start counting the days. You'll be running the most prosperous agency in the West End by next year."

  "Let's hope so."

  He climbed into the Cadillac.

  "See you've got Gloria's bus here. Nice job, isn't it?"

  "A cracker."

  He gave me a jeering little grin.

  "Be seeing you."

  I walked slowly back to the office and sat down.

  Something was wrong, I told myself. I was willing to bet none of these three were radio experts. What then was the idea?

  What was behind this business?

  I wondered if Gloria knew, and if she did, whether she would tell me. I slipped my hand into my trousers pocket and fingered the five-pound notes.

  I don't want every Tom, Dick or Harry sticking his nose in where it's not wanted, Dix had said. That was a blunt enough hint I was getting well paid, and it was none of my business.

  I'd better start right now by not sticking my nose where it wasn't wanted.

  Ann came into the office.

  "I saw them go."

  I reached out and pulled her on to my lap.

  "It didn't work out as good as I hoped. The agency isn't going to start for a year."

  "Oh!" Her look of relief irritated me. "Perhaps it's just as well, Harry. I don't like the look of those two."

  "Now wait a minute. It's not as if we're having them to live with us. I don't like them much myself, but they've got money and they're free with it. I can't afford to pass up any opportunity, Ann, and you know it. They're working on a new television set that'll cut out traffic interference. It will revolutionize the trade once it's on the market, but at the moment, they're having a little trouble with it. They've rented a piece of the garage and they're going to turn it into a workshop. As soon as they've perfected the set, it goes on to the market, and the agency will start with me on the ground floor."

  "But that wasn't the original idea, was it? He led you to believe . . ."

  "I know. But he didn't want to tell me about the set until he was sure this was the right place. You've got to be damned careful when you're handling new and important apparatus, Ann. You'd be surprised at the number of people ready to steal ideas."

  I was actually defending Dix, when all the time I was thinking as she was thinking.

  "But surely, Harry, that isn't quite right. They could take out a patent, couldn't they?"

  I began to get irritated.

  "I don't know. Don't bother your brains about it. The fact is he's willing to pay me fifteen pounds a week to rent this space, and that's good enough for me."

  "Fifteen pounds a week?"

  I produced the roll of five-pound notes and dropped it into her lap.

  "There you are: a month's rent in advance, and it needn't go through our books."

  "Harry! Seventy-five pounds!"

  I looked at her, hoping she would be excited, or at least pleased, but I might have known she was too cautious, too shrewd, to be taken in any more than I was being taken in.

  "There's something wrong about those two. Please be sensible, Harry. Please give them back this money and have nothing more to do with them."

  "For heaven's sake! We want the money."

  "No, we don't. Not this kind of money."

  "You're imagining things. Just because Dix wears a flashy tie . . ."

  She got off my lap and faced me.

  "It's not that. Fifteen pounds a week for a small piece of this garage is ridiculous, Harry, and you know it! Why, there's an empty shop at the top of the street going for six pounds a week. Why didn't he take that? Why come here? Why should he pay all this money to rent a tiny space here?"

  I began to get angry.

  "Now look, Ann, I appreciate you don't want me to get into any sort of trouble. I understand that. Well, I'm not a fool, and I'm not getting into any trouble. Maybe these two are fakes, but what harm can they do? I need the money. I need it damned badly. Look at the bills we owe. I don't have to tell you our position. I'm going to keep it so don't let's argue about it anymore."

  "Please, Harry . . ."

  "I'm running this business, Ann. You're running the home. Please don't interfere."

  "But don't you see, darling . . ."

  "Oh, stop it!"

  She looked at me for a long moment, then turned and went slowly out of the office.

  I reached out and picked up the five-pound notes. For a minute or so I sat staring at them.

  I had been a mug long enough, I told myself. I was going to keep this money. It was high time Ann learned to mind her own business, and let me mind mine.

  I sat in the office brooding for some time. No one came near me. At half-past six I decided to call it a day and shut up.

  As I went down to close the doors, Bill walked in from the sorting-office.

  "Hello there."

  "I was just calling it a day. Come on in. How do you like the new job?"

  He helped me close the double doors.

  "The job's all right. Not much doing at the moment, but next week we've got an important consignment to take care of. Keep that under your hat, Harry."

  "I couldn't care less what goes on over there. I'm glad you came over, Bill. I've got some money for you."

  "There's no hurry. I don't want it yet."

  "You're going to have it while I've got it. I've had a bit of luck."

  He gave me a quick, searching look.

  "I'm glad to hear that. It's time you had some luck."

  "Come into the office."

  When we had settled in chairs, I slid five five-pound notes across the desk.

  "I'll let you have the rest of it next month. I've leased a bit of the garage to a radio firm and, believe it or not, they're paying fifteen quid a week for the privilege."

  Bill whistled.

  "Nice going. Sure you won't hang on to this a little longer?"

  "Take it, Bill. I don't like owing you money."

  "Please yourself." He put the notes into his pocket "What was up with you on Saturday night, Harry?"

  I grinned, but I couldn't meet his eyes. I lit a cigarette to cover up my embarrassment.

  "Made a bit of a fool of myself, didn't I? I was just telling Ann. You see I was fixing up this radio deal. They wanted to see me on Saturday night. I didn't want to tell Ann until I was sure it was going through. So I pretended I had a breakdown call. Damn silly come to think of it. Ann spotted I wasn't telling the truth."

  Bill gave me an old-fashioned look.

  "So did I. You're not cut out for those stunts, Harry. You didn't make our evening a very pleasant one. Ann was worried sick: so was I."

  I began to feel irritated.

  "You two fuss too much about me. I just wasn't sure if I was going to pull off the deal. I didn't want Ann to be disappointed."

  "Don't get your shirt off," Bill said and smiled. "Well, you did pull it off. Congratulations. They must be suckers to pay all that money for a piece of this garage. Why, there's an empty shop up the street . . ."

  I was getting fed up hearing about this empty shop.

  "I know. Ann was telling me. It's their business if they want to come here, isn't it?"

  He was quick to spot my irritation.

  "Lucky for you, anyway. By the way, Harry, who are these people? What's the firm's name?"

  I suddenly realized with a sense of shock that I didn't know the name.

  "The chap's name's Dix: Ed Due. The company's making a new kind of T.V. set. It's secret
at the moment. They'll be doing experimental work here."

  "But what do they call themselves?"

  "I don't know." I felt my face redden. "They're a small company: just starting."

  "Doesn't sound as if they'll last long, paying out all that money for a piece of this garage. Well, I suppose they know their own business best. Probably a racket to evade paying excess profits or something like that."

  "That's the way I figured it."

  He stubbed out his cigarette, stroked the side of his blunt nose, and then looked up with an apologetic grin.

  "Sorry if I'm butting it, Harry, but I shouldn't pull that stunt of yours again. Ann was pretty sick about it."

  Again I felt a wave of irritation run through me.

  "Don't drive it into the ground, for goodness' sake. Ann and I have talked it over. You don't have to worry about it."

  "Just thought I'd mention it." He got to his feet. "Well, I'm off home now. Be seeing you, Harry."

  I walked with him to the entrance to the garage.

  He paused by the Jaguar.

  "So she is garaging her car here," he said.

  "That's right." I tried to sound casual, but I knew I wasn't making a job of it.

  He looked at me.

  "Some girl, Harry. The sort of girl that would give any man ideas: she gave me a few myself."

  "Did she?"

  "A girl like that wants watching. Take my tip and watch her."

  "You buzz off, Bill." My smile was fixed and my irritation was fast turning to anger. "Watch her yourself if you want to.

  I've got a business to look after."

  "Did you meet Dix through her, Harry?"

  "What the hell do you mean?" I said, feeling blood rush to my face.

  "It's obvious, isn't it? You don't think you fooled me on Saturday, do you?"

  "Now look, Bill

  "I'm looking and I don't like what I'm seeing. See here, Harry, you're due for a straight talking to. You're shaping to make an ass of yourself over that girl."

  "I don't know what you mean. If you can't talk sense you'd better clear off!"

  "Don't let's get angry about this, Harry. It sticks out a mile. You saw that girl on Saturday, didn't you? Maybe you did see Dix, but she was there too. I know the signs. When a man wants a woman as badly as you want her, he looks the way you looked on Saturday. I'm going to tell you something. You've got to think of Ann before you do anything you'll be ashamed of. If you don't want to keep your self-respect, you've got to make an effort for her sake."