CHAPTER 25
“You were taken unwell?” she said, doubt in her voice.
“That's right, Isobel,” I replied, my voice still shaky despite a night's sleep. “Please extend my apologies to the rest of the consortium.”
“Ms Liu...” There was momentary back chatter over the line. “We already understood you were forced away from the ground because of the protests.”
I hesitated.
“Your receptionist communicated this fact to us yesterday.”
“Yes.” Shit. “There was trouble.” Fuck. “But nothing I couldn't handle.”
“Ms Liu, I'm going to be frank with you.”
“Of course, Isobel.”
“You come with something of a reputation... For dishonesty. This is not a positive development, not at all. I'll have to communicate this with the rest of the group. They may wish to reconsider their generous offer to buy the club.”
I steeled my teeth together. Generous?
“Ms Liu, do you have anything to say?”
“Perhaps we can re-arrange the meeting, Isobel?” I needed to capitalise on their sudden reluctance, to delay them until Dex could give me the answers I needed. “Say for in a few days' time?” I just didn't want to force them to walk away altogether.
“A few days, Ms Liu?”
“Yes, I assume that'd that suit?”
There was more indecipherable chatter.
I waited, admiring my fingernails.
“Ms Liu, the consortium wishes for me to convey to you that this is very much a time sensitive offer. They wanted to do everything but dot the I's and cross the T's on the deal yesterday. Plans were in place to install the new directors tomorrow.”
And I knew how much the value of the club hinged on the outcome of the play-offs.
“Ideally, we'd need to meet today.”
I took a deep breath. “I'm afraid that won't be possible, Isobel.”
“Why not, Ms Liu?”
“I will not go into the personal details of my health with you,” I said. “But let me assure you I'm quite simply unavailable today.”
“I implore you to reconsider, Ms Liu.”
“I cannot, Isobel.”
“Ms Liu, I fear the rest of the consortium will vote to withdraw the takeover offer if you do not meet with us today.”
I faked a cough.
“This is most unprofessional, Ms Liu. May I ask if there's any reason you're deliberately delaying this deal?”
“Certainly not, Isobel. Perhaps we should speak again tomorrow?”
“Ms Liu, I can assure you if you aren't willing to meet us today-”
“I'm not able.”
“I repeat, Ms Liu, if you're not willing to meet us today, let me be adamant that you must meet us tomorrow.”
I'd no guarantee tomorrow would give Dex enough time. “I'm sure that'll be fine, Isobel.”
“If not, the offer will most certainly be withdrawn.”
“I understand, Isobel.”
“And no one in Broxburgh wants this takeover to fall through, Ms Liu. I'm sure you, of all people, can attest to that.”
I threw the phone across the kitchen the second she hung up.
I was reluctantly sat in a taxi, travelling to his home address and knowing my safest bet was to leave my conspicuous Porsche behind. It hadn't stopped me wearing my favourite statement diamonds, however, and I nervously toyed with them in the back of the car.
The country roads soon gave way to the suburban setting of Broxburgh's outskirts and the terraced houses to either side of the first street the taxi turned into told me we'd almost arrived.
“What was the number of the house again, love?” the driver asked.
I answered him.
His eyes momentarily studied mine in the rear-view mirror. “Nae problem.”
I felt the taxi slow to a stop outside my destination.
“That's you,” he said.
I tapped my mobile to pay.
“Cheers, love, have a good night.”
I'd little doubt he knew exactly who I was – and perhaps the significance of where he'd left me, and with whom I was hoping to meet.
The taxi drove off.
I approached the front door, raised my hand to knock and watched in surprise as the front door opened.
“Sasha Liu, I thought that was you,” he said, glancing behind me. “I must say I'm surprised to see you, isn't this a little late in the day? The article was published yesterday. I made every effort to contact you for comm-”
“Mr Hamilton, I'm not here for a fight,” I interrupted.
“Glad to hear it.”
“More like information... May I come in?”
I listened to the kettle near the boil, then broke my calm. “It was a coffee I asked for, Angus.”
“I remember, Sasha,” he replied.
I watched the steam emanate from the spout, irritated by my pet hate of people who added boiling water to coffee and burned the beans.
He poured boiling water into my coffee cup, then into his cup. “And a little tea for me.”
I was huddled over a small table in a tiny kitchen, my diamonds in stark contrast to his poorer surroundings. “Thank you,” I lied, as he set down my cup and joined me at the table.
“I hope you haven't come here to complain about my article, Sasha.” He gently blew over his cup.
“Not at all. If anything, I feel I owe you an apology for not returning your calls.”
He nodded. “We didn't get off to the best start, did we?”
“No, Angus.”
The sole gas light in the kitchen flickered.
“Angus, you made some very serious allegations in your article.”
“And I verified my information, Sasha. It was all factual.”
I drummed my fingers on the table. “That's what I was afraid of.”
He cocked an eyebrow.
“And that's what my gut instinct's been telling me for a while, Angus. You said elements within the club were conspiring to bring me down.”
“That's right, Sasha.”
“Who in the club, Angus?”
“Sasha, I can't betray my informants.”
“Informants?” I asked. “So there's more than one person leaking you information?”
“I believe I used the term elements in the article, so yes, there's more than one person working against you.”
That wasn't what I'd asked. “I really need to know who, Angus.”
“I won't tell you. It'd be unethical of me.”
I rubbed under my left eye.
“I'm a serious journalist.”
My frustration wasn't helped by the singed scent of coffee beans in front of me.
“Perhaps you could give me some information, Sasha, maybe in part-exchange for some of what I have?”
So much for his ethics. “Such as?”
“How are things with you and DeShaun Wilkesboro?”
I glared at him.
“Because I got a tip he was drunk in the hotel bar last night...”
I felt my heart sink.
“Saying something about a broken heart.”
“Angus, I know you tried to speak to him before you published the article. Did he tell you I planned to accept the takeover bid?”
“Is that really the information you want to trade for, Sasha?”
I clasped the coffee cup. “No, I wanna know what Drew Heseltine's involvement is.”
“Then tell me about you and DeShaun, Sasha.”
Anxiety anchored itself in the depth of my stomach.
“You know it'll come out eventually... Why not get ahead of the story now, through me?”
I'd made so many mistakes when it came to DeShaun already.
“Have you split up? Why?”
“What about Kyle Guernsey?” I asked. “Is he the leak?”
Angus was stone-faced as he watched me.
“Or was it Drew?”
“Sasha, the way this is gonna work is you have to give me information before I'll share information.
I already have a lot to go on when it comes to you and DeShaun.
I'll get to the bottom of it, with or without your help.
Can you say you'll find out anything about those working against you without me?”
“We're having time apart,” I snapped.
“Time apart?”
“Okay, we split up. Happy now?”
“Why?”
“Because he was the only person I told I was selling the club, and then you published the information in Saturday's paper. I can't trust him... And I can't love a man I don't trust.”
Angus sipped his tea.
“Now, tell me.”
“What do you want to know?”
I tried to think before I spoke.
“Sasha, I can tell you something about Drew Heseltine, something damning I haven't published yet.”
“Tell me!”
“He played a pivotal role in organising the protests against you from the very beginning... And now you have him in an assistant manager's role at your club.”
“How do you know?” I demanded.
“I have an informant among the protesters. Don't ask me for a name, I won't tell you. But this person has shared group texts going back months which demonstrate Drew as chief amongst the organisers.”
“Angus, if this is true, why haven't you published it?”
“I'm finalising the story as we speak.”
“Can you show me the group chat?”
“I'm afraid not, Sasha, not now.”
I scowled. “Is there a connection between Drew and the consortium?”
“I cannot confirm.”
“But you're looking into it?”
Angus hesitated, then nodded. “I've good reason to suspect so.”
“What about Kyle? Is he involved with them too?”
“Involved with who?”
“For Christ sake, Angus, the consortium. Is Kyle involved too?”
“Not with the consortium, no. Not that I know of, at least.”
I narrowed my eyes on his, realising he'd just let something else slip. “Not the consortium? Wait, is Kyle in that group chat too? Is he with the protesters as well?”
Angus pursed his lips.
I pounded my little fist on the table. “Tell me!”
“I've been looking into it, but so far I can't prove it.”
I stared at him.
“However...”
My eyes widened.
“Sasha, the only thing I'm really able to tell you right now about Kyle is I've received a tip he was the person who put a brick through your window several months ago.”
My jaw dropped.
“I'll let that sink in for a second,” he said.
“It was Kyle?” I sipped my coffee, ignoring the taste. “Why would he do that?”
Angus offered nothing.
“I don't understand. What've I ever done to him?”
Angus shrugged.
“Who told you?”
“Sasha, please, I wouldn't reveal my sources... Even if I did know them. The tip was anonymous.”
“If it was anonymous, it might not be true... Right?”
“It's true, Sasha... I just need to do more digging before I can put it in print, legally speaking.”
“How do you know it's true? Please, Angus, these are the men managing my club. We've only two matches left-”
“Sasha, you'll just have to wait for the article to come out-”
“I can't!”
“You'll have to.”
“And what about DeShaun? Did he tell you I was going to sell?”
“I've given you enough information already, Sasha. If you want me to answer that, you'll have to give me more information.”
“I don't have any more information, Angus!”