Read Online The Tooth Tattoo by Peter Lovesey - Free Book Online

exists.’
    ‘What happened?’
    ‘Our violist left.’
    No one added to the bald statement. Mel could hear them breathing.
    ‘Over a disagreement?’
    ‘Not that I’m aware of.’
    Finally Cat said, ‘You don’t have to be so mysterious, Ivan. Harry went missing in Budapest four years ago when we were playing there. Nobody has seen him since. He’s a missing person. We’ve been marking time ever since in the hope he’ll walk in one day. It hasn’t happened so we faced reality and started looking for a replacement.’
    Mel turned to Ivan. ‘And you want to buy more time in case he does turn up?’
    Ivan reddened.
    ‘He won’t,’ Cat said. ‘We would have heard by now. Something final must have happened.’
    ‘Was he acting strangely?’
    ‘We’re all strange, ducky, as you must have worked out for yourself by now. If you want my opinion, Harry was the closest to normal.’
    ‘Was there a disagreement?’
    ‘Disagreements are the stock-in-trade of string quartets. We’re strong-minded people, even Anthony, as you’ll discover. But there was nothing more than the usual to and fro over the score of whichever piece we were playing. We all bring something to the party and it makes for a more exciting performance.’
    ‘Then you haven’t played together for how long?’
    ‘A couple of years, give or take. We tried, but for one reason and another – most of them crap viola players – it hasn’t worked out, so we’ve had to do our own thing – teaching and orchestral work and stuff we wouldn’t want anyone else to know.’
    Ivan said, ‘We haven’t made it public that the quartet stopped appearing. We’ve been fading away.’
    ‘Faded,’ Cat said.
    ‘I’d still like to know the name.’
    ‘The Staccati.’
    Mel’s skin prickled. The Staccati had been an international name. He owned some of their recordings. The only reason he’d overlooked them when he’d racked his brain for likely quartets was that nothing had been heard of them recently. Their great period was five or six years back. They’d been in demand at all the great music festivals across the world. ‘I know about you, of course, but never had the pleasure of hearing you in concert.’
    ‘We do most of our playing abroad,’ Ivan said. ‘You’re able to travel, are you?’
    ‘I enjoy it.’
    ‘You won’t when it seems never-ending, one hotel after the next.’
    ‘The best deal is a residency,’ Cat said. ‘A few paid months in one place. Time to chill out, go shopping, get your hair done and find the hottest clubs in town. Heaven.’
    ‘We give a fixed number of concerts and do some teaching,’ Ivan said. ‘It isn’t all about self-indulgence.’
    ‘Listen to him talking,’ Cat said. ‘Who was always in the park playing chess with the old men?’
    Mel said, ‘How soon would you want me to make a decision?’
    ‘Yesterday isn’t soon enough,’ Cat said. ‘We need to be concert-ready when Doug swings into action and gets us some gigs. Let’s talk about repertoire. Any obvious blind spots?’
    ‘I wish I knew more contemporary music.’
    ‘Put it there, buddy. We stop at Schoenberg.’
    ‘I haven’t specialised in quartet music. I had to work hard at this.’
    ‘You think we were playing off the cuff? I haven’t watched TV all week. You can play. You should have heard some of the others.’
    ‘Your standard is very high.’
    ‘Bollocks.’ She pointed her bow at Ivan. ‘What do you say, Rasputin? Do we give it a whirl with Mel on full membership?’
    A sigh. ‘Very well.’
    ‘Anthony?’
    Anthony managed a nod.
    ‘He’s easy,’ Cat said. ‘Why don’t we call in Doug and start on the salmon sandwiches?’
    The deal was sealed. A verbal agreement would do, Doug said. And, just as Ivan had promised, Mel would earn one-fifth of the profits. The only undertaking he had to give was that the quartet’s engagements had priority over everything short of acute appendicitis.
    ‘And what if the original