Read Online The Price Of Darkness by Graham Hurley - Free Book Online
Authors: Graham Hurley
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conversation.
‘And Mallinder? He was the one who negotiated all these deals?’
‘Yes.’
‘So how many people did he upset?’
‘None.’
‘I don’t believe you.’
‘Fine.’ Benskin shrugged. ‘That’s your privilege. But like I told you before, Jonno never left a meeting without making a friend. The guy was a genius at it. He should have gone into social work. Or the Church.’
Faraday glanced over at Tracy Barber. The brief history of Benskin, Mallinder seemed, on the face of it, all too plain. They sniffed the wind. They stalked their target. They pounced at a time of their choosing. No wonder, in the development game, they’d become such big beasts.
‘Competitors? Rivals?’
‘Everywhere.’ Benskin conceded the point with a smile. ‘When the other guys start bitching, that’s when you know you’ve got it right.’
‘What does bitching mean?’
‘It means snidey articles in the trade press. It means blokes turning their backs in the pub or at some poncy do. It means loads of badmouthing and innuendo. Some of the braver ones even do it to your face.’
‘Names?’
‘You’d be wasting your time.’
‘Why?’
‘Because these people are all talk.’
‘Isn’t that a judgement we should be making?’
‘Of course, and I’m sure you will, but if you’re looking for me to grass these people up then I’m afraid the answer’s no.’
‘Grass up?’
‘Sure. Believe it or not, there’s a kind of protocol here, a code if you like. We fight tooth and nail, of course we do, but at the end of the day it’s just a game. If I thought there was a real problem with any of these guys, then I’d sort it. But there isn’t. Believe me.’
Tracy Barber stirred.
‘I thought you said Mallinder didn’t make enemies?’
‘He didn’t. Not amongst the people he was dealing with. Your mate here was asking about rivals. But even then enemies is too strong. It’s envy. And you know why? Because most of them can’t be arsed to put the effort in. Talent is cheaper than table salt. It’s hard work that makes the difference. You reap what you sow. That’s the secret of getting rich.’
‘Or ending up dead?’
‘Very funny.’
A perceptible chill had settled on the interview. At length, Faraday mentioned the Tipner project. He wanted to know the strength of Benskin, Mallinder’s interest.
‘Tipner was a one-off for us. I never liked it from the start. It was Jonno’s baby, to tell you the truth.’
‘So why the reservation? On your part?’
‘The place is a dump. Literally. It’s been used and abused for years. Horrible stuff, asbestos, heavy metals, you name it. You know the bill for the clean-up? Fifty-three million quid. And that’s before you pour a foot of concrete. And there’s something else, too. We’re off the pace.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘It means we’ve been beaten to it. There’s already a preferred developer in place. They’ve done the heavy lifting. And the fact that they might be in the market for a buyer tells me there can’t be that much profit in it.’
‘So why was Mallinder so keen?’
‘Good question.’
‘You must have asked him.’
‘Of course I did. In fact it became a kind of running joke.’
‘And?’
‘He said it was partly about the city itself. I’ve never been able to pick it up but he said the vibe down here was really good, really promising. Gunwharf. The new Northern Quarter development. The university. The history of the place. The Trafalgar celebrations. All those sexy events on the harbour. Some days, to tell you the truth, I thought he was working for the council.’
‘So there was more to his interest than Tipner? Is that what you’re telling me?’
‘Yes. I think maybe there was.’
‘Are we talking other sites? Or other people?’ It was Barber.
‘Both, probably. But I just don’t know.’
‘But you were close, really close. Or at least that’s what you said.’
‘Sure. And he’d come back with
‘And Mallinder? He was the one who negotiated all these deals?’
‘Yes.’
‘So how many people did he upset?’
‘None.’
‘I don’t believe you.’
‘Fine.’ Benskin shrugged. ‘That’s your privilege. But like I told you before, Jonno never left a meeting without making a friend. The guy was a genius at it. He should have gone into social work. Or the Church.’
Faraday glanced over at Tracy Barber. The brief history of Benskin, Mallinder seemed, on the face of it, all too plain. They sniffed the wind. They stalked their target. They pounced at a time of their choosing. No wonder, in the development game, they’d become such big beasts.
‘Competitors? Rivals?’
‘Everywhere.’ Benskin conceded the point with a smile. ‘When the other guys start bitching, that’s when you know you’ve got it right.’
‘What does bitching mean?’
‘It means snidey articles in the trade press. It means blokes turning their backs in the pub or at some poncy do. It means loads of badmouthing and innuendo. Some of the braver ones even do it to your face.’
‘Names?’
‘You’d be wasting your time.’
‘Why?’
‘Because these people are all talk.’
‘Isn’t that a judgement we should be making?’
‘Of course, and I’m sure you will, but if you’re looking for me to grass these people up then I’m afraid the answer’s no.’
‘Grass up?’
‘Sure. Believe it or not, there’s a kind of protocol here, a code if you like. We fight tooth and nail, of course we do, but at the end of the day it’s just a game. If I thought there was a real problem with any of these guys, then I’d sort it. But there isn’t. Believe me.’
Tracy Barber stirred.
‘I thought you said Mallinder didn’t make enemies?’
‘He didn’t. Not amongst the people he was dealing with. Your mate here was asking about rivals. But even then enemies is too strong. It’s envy. And you know why? Because most of them can’t be arsed to put the effort in. Talent is cheaper than table salt. It’s hard work that makes the difference. You reap what you sow. That’s the secret of getting rich.’
‘Or ending up dead?’
‘Very funny.’
A perceptible chill had settled on the interview. At length, Faraday mentioned the Tipner project. He wanted to know the strength of Benskin, Mallinder’s interest.
‘Tipner was a one-off for us. I never liked it from the start. It was Jonno’s baby, to tell you the truth.’
‘So why the reservation? On your part?’
‘The place is a dump. Literally. It’s been used and abused for years. Horrible stuff, asbestos, heavy metals, you name it. You know the bill for the clean-up? Fifty-three million quid. And that’s before you pour a foot of concrete. And there’s something else, too. We’re off the pace.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘It means we’ve been beaten to it. There’s already a preferred developer in place. They’ve done the heavy lifting. And the fact that they might be in the market for a buyer tells me there can’t be that much profit in it.’
‘So why was Mallinder so keen?’
‘Good question.’
‘You must have asked him.’
‘Of course I did. In fact it became a kind of running joke.’
‘And?’
‘He said it was partly about the city itself. I’ve never been able to pick it up but he said the vibe down here was really good, really promising. Gunwharf. The new Northern Quarter development. The university. The history of the place. The Trafalgar celebrations. All those sexy events on the harbour. Some days, to tell you the truth, I thought he was working for the council.’
‘So there was more to his interest than Tipner? Is that what you’re telling me?’
‘Yes. I think maybe there was.’
‘Are we talking other sites? Or other people?’ It was Barber.
‘Both, probably. But I just don’t know.’
‘But you were close, really close. Or at least that’s what you said.’
‘Sure. And he’d come back with
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