Read Online A Cry from the Dark by Robert Barnard - Free Book Online

whatever relationship they might manage to achieve.
    Nevertheless the notion came up again the next day, when her agent, Clare Tuckett, paid her one of her occasional breezy visits. She steamed in, waving little envelopes.
    â€œTickets, darling. And in particular tickets for Covent Garden—and for the Golden Pair singing in Tosca . I can tell you I had to use every ounce of nous, influence, skullduggery—you name it, I’ve had to use it. Officially you’ll—or rather we’ ll—be part of a corporate booking from British Gas, so we’ll be surrounded by people who are either asleep or talking. I felt I had to go along, after all the strings I’d pulled.”
    â€œI’ll pay of—”
    â€œOf course. Have you got a cigarette, darling? Thanks. Light? Oh yes, now I got tickets for Colin Davis and the LSO, for the Royal Shakespeare in Julius Caesar, South Pacific at the National—can’t think what’s national about South Pacific, can you?—and a big, vulgar concert of lollipops at the Albert Hall. So that takes care of five evenings. Anything else is up to you.”
    Bettina was, as usual, flabbergasted but grateful at having her responsibilities and choices preempted for her by her agent.
    â€œClare, I didn’t expect you to do anything other than the Covent Garden—”
    â€œAll part of the service, darling. These cigarettes are vile —why do you smoke them?” She stubbed hers out and absentmindedly took another from the packet. “Apart from Covent Garden I got three tickets for everything. I didn’t think your nephew Mark would be trailing along, from your account of him.”
    â€œOh no, Mark won’t be with us. Quite apart from anything else, he’s a would-be actor, and taking him to the National or the Royal Shakespeare might suggest reasons why he’s not getting any work.”
    â€œBitch,” said Clare approvingly. “He sounds wonderfully stupid. If he’s in some general plan to murder you I can’t see him staying out of police hands for long.”
    â€œThat is a comfort. Anyway it’s not a plan to murder me, just to get my money.”
    â€œSince you’re much too sharp to be swindled out of it, the one thing suggests the other. Have you got your will all in order and as you’d like it to be?”
    â€œWell, not really. It’s years old, and some have died—”
    Clare cast her a piercing glance tinged with contempt, then marched over to the phone, dialed, and arranged a meeting with her solicitor for that afternoon.
    â€œWe’ll want it finalized, and signed and witnessed on the spot. It probably won’t be a final one, but it’s urgent that it’s done, and is valid.”
    She banged down the phone.
    â€œClare, it really isn’t that urgent.”
    â€œOf course it’s urgent. Leaving aside Hughie’s scare-mongering, you’re eighty.” A thought struck her. “Oh, by the way, I can’t get any rumors that Hughie is in financial low waters. It’s probably just senile suspiciousness. Now, Bettina, you’ve got till three o’clock to decide what you’re going to do with what you have. Write it down if you can, so we can just tear through it. Oh—that reminds me: you’re dictating things these days, aren’t you?”
    â€œYes. I bought myself a tape recorder.”
    â€œHmmm. Not the safest of records.”
    â€œWhy not? You hear of people who’ve lost thousands of words from their computers.”
    â€œThat was long ago, darling. Everyone has backup discs nowadays. Have you had what you’ve done already transcribed?”
    â€œOh, I don’t know that it’s really ready for that yet, but I have got the name of a very good person who—”
    â€œSo the answer is no. Give me all the tapes so far, and I’ll have them duplicated.”
    â€œClare, I’m sure