The Cold Jungle by Gavin Black

Author:Gavin Black [GAVIN BLACK]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781780020259
Publisher: The Langtail Press Ltd

I have always respected bartenders. The good ones have a function which goes a long way beyond the drinks they serve. Customers across a polished counter are there to enjoy one of the few relaxation points in a tight day, and it is surprising how often relaxation means indiscretion. There is a man in Singapore who is famous for the way he mixes a John Collins, but is also deeply appreciated for his knowledge of what is happening in the city at any given moment. And he makes the largest part of his income discreetly selling this information to a selected list of customers. He’s had a retainer from me for years, and when he comes to Kuala Lumpur to see his half-Siamese ex-wife, which is about every six weeks … they still have a happy relation even though he has remarried … the bartender drops in for a chat. It keeps me in touch with my old home town down there on the island.

The man in the bar at Tobermory was called Willie. I hadn’t, in my brief visit, established a drinking right to call him that, but I’d heard the holidaymakers doing it. And when I arrived, much too late for dinner, it was Willie who got me a plate of ham sandwiches from the kitchen.

Hotel reception, which was just closing when I showed up, may have been slightly surprised to see again a man who had paid his bill that morning, but my room hadn’t been taken and they let me have it for another night, no questions asked.

The questions came from Willie. It was near closing time and there wasn’t a single other guest making a night of it, apparently because the sun had shone all day and everyone had gone off to bed early coated with soothing lotions on suddenly acquired pink burn over large areas. It had been, in fact, the day for which my new Australian had suggested I wait, with all the outer islands set precisely where the map said they were out there on a glittering sea. Only the hotel staff had stayed pale.

Willie was polishing glasses. I wasn’t immediately aware of being interrogated, perhaps from being tired after Glasgow, and the technique used was subtle, a succession of leading questions neatly tucked in amongst irrelevancies. And when I did realise what was happening I fed him answers carefully and got the trained responses, none of which showed more than casual curiosity. Willie knew his job. In the winters he worked either in Edinburgh or London.

“Be here for a bit now, will you?” he asked, working on a lager glass.

“I’m not sure. Depends on the weather.”

He laughed.

“Out here that means you could be moving again after breakfast. I’ll have to be closing in a few minutes, Mr. Harris. Like another whisky?”

“Please.”

He came round the counter with the glass. My tip was generous, but nothing like enough to buy him over to my side. He went back to his bottles again, and put in time arranging them.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.