Treble Exposure by Anne Morice

Author:Anne Morice
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dean Street Press
Published: 2021-07-07T00:00:00+00:00

Later that evening Peter Ruskin, an old friend and fellow member of the cast, accompanied me back to the hotel after the performance. He had been trying to get in touch with a television producer, whose private number happened to be in my address book. As there was still half an hour left before closing time, I told him to set us both up with a drink while I went to my room to find it.

When I rejoined him he was sitting at the bar, about a yard away from another man, who was also on his own. So I manoeuvred myself into the gap between them, handed one a slip of paper with the telephone number on it and, turning to the other, wished him good evening.

‘How did it go?’ I asked. ‘Did anyone see the ghost?’

‘No, not one of them, which may have been just as well.’

‘I shouldn’t wonder. Have you met Peter Ruskin? This is Colin Gascoine, Pete, and he’s bringing a party to see us tomorrow night.’

‘Ah, my dear fellow, how perfectly ripping of you!’

‘We’re all looking forward to it. Which reminds me, how did things go for you tonight? Good house?’

‘Not half bad. Almost full, weren’t we, Pete?’

‘Capacity. Standing room only, so I am reliably informed.’

He had a ponderous and emphatic way of uttering even the most commonplace remark, both on and off stage, which had effectively typecast him for headmaster and army officer roles and, since these two professions represented a life-style so far removed from his own somewhat raffish one, I always imagined him to be a particularly happy and fulfilled man. He was also inclined to be absent-minded and I said:

‘You’ve put Jake’s number in a safe place, I trust? Don’t get all the way home and find you’ve lost it.’

‘Safe as the Bank of Switzerland,’ he replied, patting a pocket at random. ‘I intend to make use of it before he leaves the house tomorrow morning.’

‘You’ll need to be up sharpish, in that case. He has a two-hour drive to work and he leaves at dawn.’

‘Oh my God, really? Then it might be more practical to sit up through the watches of the night. However, I shall bid you goodnight now and plod my weary way. Goodnight, sir. I hope you enjoy our little offering and laugh very heartily in all the right places. Goodnight, my darling Tess, see you tomorrow.’

Colin’s glass was also now empty and I said:

‘How about you? You must be feeling pretty whacked too, after all you’ve been through.’

‘Far from it, just beginning to wake up. This is my favourite hour of the day and better than ever this evening, if I may make so bold. In fact, I intend to spin it out by ordering another drink. Can I persuade you to join me?’

‘No, thanks. I’ll make do with this. I don’t mind spinning for another ten minutes, however. I’m another who likes to unwind slowly. Could we move to a table, though? I simply hate being perched up here, with my legs dangling and nowhere to put my bag.

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