Read Online The Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Marian Keyes
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effect on me.
‘Ooh, Mr Jay!’ Infanta drew the giddy whirling to a halt. ‘Mr John Joseph waiting for you in receiving room.’
‘You must meet my friend. This is Helen Walsh,’ Jay said, breathless and flushed from the high jinks.
Infanta regarded me with reverence. ‘We all love Jay Parker. You are lucky girl, be his friend,’ she said.
‘He’s not my friend,’ I said, and Infanta stepped back in evident shock.
‘Nice,’ Jay said. ‘Embarrass the poor woman.’
‘But you’re not my friend.’ I swung my gaze from his to hers. ‘Infanta, I’m sorry, but he’s not my friend.’
‘Is okay,’ she said, in a near whisper.
I had to go deep inside me to find the steel bar that was in danger of being slightly bent out of shape. I held on to it and let it infuse me with strength. It would take more than Infanta’s wounded little face to make me, Helen Walsh, feel guilty.
The so-called receiving room was
massive
. You could barely see John Joseph at the far end. He was standing at the fireplace and resting his elbow up on it, but it looked like a bit of a stretch for him. Granted, it wasn’t a small fireplace, but all the same.
The interiors look he’d been going for was (I think)Medieval Nobleman’s Hall. Lots of carved wood panelling and wall tapestries and a ginormous three-layered chandelier made from the antlers of some sort of prehistoric beast. Two Irish wolfhounds slunk around the fireplace and candlelight flickered from lead wall sconces.
‘Jay!’ John Joseph bounded down the room towards us – for a moment I thought he was going to gallop on one of the wolfhounds – and despite him being a bit of a national joke, I couldn’t help but be star struck. Up close, he was like an elderly sprite. The doe-eyed face that had worked so well for a nineteen-year-old was a bit shrunken-headed and Gollum-y now that he was thirty-seven.
‘You must be Helen Walsh.’ He offered me a warm, firm handshake. ‘Thanks for coming on board so quickly. Sit down. What can I get you to drink?’
I have a habit of taking instant dislikes to people. Simply because it saves time. Also I can’t abide people who say ‘coming on board’, unless they’re sailors, but of course they never are. However, I wasn’t so sure about John Joseph.
He was friendly and pleasant and had an air of being in control. There were shrewd flickers going on behind the eyes and he ran his gaze up and down me, but not in a creepy way, just taking it all in. Definitely not the eejit I’d expected him to be.
He was short. Not much taller than me and I’m five two, but shortness is no bar to being effective, even terrifying, or so I’m told.
A Diet Coke appeared from somewhere even though I had no memory of asking for it and a coffee was put in front of Parker. A well-run machine, the Hartley household. John Joseph sat next to me on one of the four very long couches.
‘Let’s go,’ he said.
‘Okay. First things first,’ I said. ‘Was Wayne into drugs? Or borrowing money from dodgy people?’
‘Not at all. He’s not a bit like that.’
‘You’ve known him how long?’
‘At least fifteen years. More like twenty. We were in Laddz together.’
‘I believe he does some work for you?’
‘A lot. Usually on the production end of things. We do most of our stuff in Turkey, Egypt and Lebanon.’
‘Assuming Wayne’s using ATMs or credit cards, the fastest way to find him would be to get into his computer. Any idea what his password might be?’
John Joseph put his head to one side and assumed a dreamy, staring-off-into-the-distance face. ‘I
am
actually thinking,’ he said. ‘It’s just the Botox that Jay made me have that makes me look like I’m brain dead. I’d furrow my brow if I could.’
It wasn’t enough to make me smile but I
was
amused.
After a short while he shook his head. ‘No. No idea. Sorry.’
‘It’s really important. If you think of anything, let me know. I’ll give you my card.’
I
‘Ooh, Mr Jay!’ Infanta drew the giddy whirling to a halt. ‘Mr John Joseph waiting for you in receiving room.’
‘You must meet my friend. This is Helen Walsh,’ Jay said, breathless and flushed from the high jinks.
Infanta regarded me with reverence. ‘We all love Jay Parker. You are lucky girl, be his friend,’ she said.
‘He’s not my friend,’ I said, and Infanta stepped back in evident shock.
‘Nice,’ Jay said. ‘Embarrass the poor woman.’
‘But you’re not my friend.’ I swung my gaze from his to hers. ‘Infanta, I’m sorry, but he’s not my friend.’
‘Is okay,’ she said, in a near whisper.
I had to go deep inside me to find the steel bar that was in danger of being slightly bent out of shape. I held on to it and let it infuse me with strength. It would take more than Infanta’s wounded little face to make me, Helen Walsh, feel guilty.
The so-called receiving room was
massive
. You could barely see John Joseph at the far end. He was standing at the fireplace and resting his elbow up on it, but it looked like a bit of a stretch for him. Granted, it wasn’t a small fireplace, but all the same.
The interiors look he’d been going for was (I think)Medieval Nobleman’s Hall. Lots of carved wood panelling and wall tapestries and a ginormous three-layered chandelier made from the antlers of some sort of prehistoric beast. Two Irish wolfhounds slunk around the fireplace and candlelight flickered from lead wall sconces.
‘Jay!’ John Joseph bounded down the room towards us – for a moment I thought he was going to gallop on one of the wolfhounds – and despite him being a bit of a national joke, I couldn’t help but be star struck. Up close, he was like an elderly sprite. The doe-eyed face that had worked so well for a nineteen-year-old was a bit shrunken-headed and Gollum-y now that he was thirty-seven.
‘You must be Helen Walsh.’ He offered me a warm, firm handshake. ‘Thanks for coming on board so quickly. Sit down. What can I get you to drink?’
I have a habit of taking instant dislikes to people. Simply because it saves time. Also I can’t abide people who say ‘coming on board’, unless they’re sailors, but of course they never are. However, I wasn’t so sure about John Joseph.
He was friendly and pleasant and had an air of being in control. There were shrewd flickers going on behind the eyes and he ran his gaze up and down me, but not in a creepy way, just taking it all in. Definitely not the eejit I’d expected him to be.
He was short. Not much taller than me and I’m five two, but shortness is no bar to being effective, even terrifying, or so I’m told.
A Diet Coke appeared from somewhere even though I had no memory of asking for it and a coffee was put in front of Parker. A well-run machine, the Hartley household. John Joseph sat next to me on one of the four very long couches.
‘Let’s go,’ he said.
‘Okay. First things first,’ I said. ‘Was Wayne into drugs? Or borrowing money from dodgy people?’
‘Not at all. He’s not a bit like that.’
‘You’ve known him how long?’
‘At least fifteen years. More like twenty. We were in Laddz together.’
‘I believe he does some work for you?’
‘A lot. Usually on the production end of things. We do most of our stuff in Turkey, Egypt and Lebanon.’
‘Assuming Wayne’s using ATMs or credit cards, the fastest way to find him would be to get into his computer. Any idea what his password might be?’
John Joseph put his head to one side and assumed a dreamy, staring-off-into-the-distance face. ‘I
am
actually thinking,’ he said. ‘It’s just the Botox that Jay made me have that makes me look like I’m brain dead. I’d furrow my brow if I could.’
It wasn’t enough to make me smile but I
was
amused.
After a short while he shook his head. ‘No. No idea. Sorry.’
‘It’s really important. If you think of anything, let me know. I’ll give you my card.’
I
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