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

him. ‘When we rehearse, we take the thing apart, bar by bar, as if we never played it before. We’re all learning together.’
    ‘I didn’t bring any other music.’
    ‘You see that printer over there on Doug’s computer desk? It’s also a photocopier.’
    Not long after, they were back with their instruments. They worked on a Schubert quartet familiar to most chamber musicians. Cat’s reassuring words on a first rehearsal were borne out. The playing was in fragments, every phrase open to analysis. Strong views were voiced, but the arguing was of a different order from the debates on how the group was managed. These were points of interpretation and nuance, each player speaking with the authority of the score. Anthony found his voice and made clear that the term ‘second violin’ is misleading. He was not subordinate to Ivan or anyone else. And Mel, for his part, made sure that the viola was given its due.
    Quite when Doug returned wasn’t clear. By then the concentration was pretty intense. He must have been standing nearby for some minutes waiting for a break. He wasn’t fussed. He was like the cat with the cream.
    ‘Sorry to interrupt. Breaking news, as they say. You askedfor a residency and I may have got one, a university with a substantial endowment for a series of masterclasses and concerts. They are willing to engage us for six months when the new term starts.’
    ‘Who are?’ Ivan said.
    ‘Bath Spa University.’
    ‘Bath.’ Ivan spoke the word as if it were Lubianka Prison.
    Cat overrode him. ‘Not a bad place to spend half a year. Is there enough for us to live on?’
    ‘Approved lodgings, all meals found and twenty grand each plus concert fees.’
    ‘I could survive on that. When do they need to know?’
    ‘I said I’d give them an answer today. It’s a fantastic deal. To sugar the pill I said you’d also make a recording in aid of university funds.’
    Cat looked at the others. ‘Any objections?’
    Anthony said, ‘How many concerts?’
    ‘You’re going to like this,’ Doug said. ‘What they suggest is a series of soirées, fortnightly musical evenings in private houses, chamber music as it was originally performed. The audiences will be limited to the size of the venue and in most cases this will mean twenty-five to thirty at most. There are some beautiful houses around Bath. I can picture you by candlelight in gracious rooms of the sort the composers themselves must have known.’
    ‘By Jesus, you’re a wicked salesman,’ Cat said.
    ‘That’s what you pay me for.’
    ‘I’m in. How about the rest of you?’
    Ivan was straight to where the shoe pinched. ‘Fortnightly, I think I heard you say. With a new programme each time? That’s a tall order.’
    ‘What I’m suggesting is no more than one string quartet per evening, followed by a champagne interval and then some solo pieces. How does that seem?’
    ‘I could endure that,’ Cat said.
    ‘If you like, you can repeat the programmes,’ Doug said. ‘Your audiences will be different each time, I expect.’
    ‘Presumably they pay for the privilege?’ Ivan said.
    ‘The sale of tickets and all profits are handled by the university. They intend to put it towards the sponsorship – which I may say is very generous.’
    ‘So we perform for nothing?’
    ‘It’s all part of the deal, Ivan, as I’ve tried to explain. Personally, I’d be thrilled to play in such surroundings if I had your talent.’
    ‘You think Ivan plays the fiddle well?’ Cat said. ‘His main instrument is the cash register. He’s a virtuoso.’ She turned to Mel. ‘Are you up for it, new boy?’
    Mel was still in a spin from being admitted to the quartet. Right now, he would have agreed to anything.
    Doug asked for a show of hands.
    Nobody objected. Ivan seemed to have changed his mind about Bath.
    ‘I’ll confirm, then,’ Doug said. ‘That was a good sound, by the way. What’s the piece?’
    ‘That’s our manager talking,’ Cat said,