Aubrey rose as Faye came over to take the vacated seat. When she sat down, he took his seat on the other side of the small table.
From the corner of the hall, Marcus gave a snort of derision.
‘There’s no harm in some manners, Marcus. I’m sure Lydia would appreciate seeing a few more from you.’
Faye drew in a surprised breath – that was not how an employee spoke to his boss’s son, especially when that son was running one of the most powerful companies in England.
Faye stared at Marcus, waiting for his reaction, for him to give Aubrey his marching orders and fire him on the spot.
‘I know.’ Marcus dropped his eyes and scuffed his foot on Jake’s rug. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘I should think so.’
Faye stared at Mr Jones.Who on earth is this guy?she wondered. Whoever he was, he was an enigma, holding a gun in one breath, and then waiting for her to take a seat, like anabsolute gentleman, in the next. Faye was even more confused than she had been before.
‘Now, Ms Ames, where were we?’
‘On the stage, I think.’ Faye stole a glance at Marcus, who was still looking at the floor like a scolded child.
‘Ah, yes. But there’s no money on the stage. I tried to get into moving pictures, but I wasn’t exactly the Marlon Brando or James Dean of my generation.’ Aubrey looked down at his wiry frame.
‘More the James Stewart type,’ Faye suggested, warming to his obvious charm, but still keeping a wary eye on this deceptive man.
‘Why, yes!’ Aubrey seemed pleased with the remark. ‘I suppose I am. I was born in the wrong era, you see; too mannered. I was never the rebel, more the gentleman.’ He sighed. ‘My name up in lights was never to be.’ He brightened. ‘So, I decided to use my talents in a more lucrative line of work.’
‘Being a bodyguard?’ Faye couldn’t imagine there being a whole lot of money in that.
‘A bodyguard,’ Aubrey repeated, shaking his head. ‘I don’t think the term does anything for me, do you?’
‘No. Not at all,’ Faye readily agreed, but not entirely for reasons of his physique. He was too old, certainly, but that wasn’t it. He seemed too educated for that line of work; more suited to the boardroom than the streets. But then, as Aubrey had already cleverly demonstrated, appearances could be deceptive.
‘I like to keep up with the times,’ said Aubrey. ‘In fact, I like to think of myself as being in the information business.’
‘Information?’ Faye couldn’t see what that had to do with tailing Jake all day.
‘Yes. I rather enjoy using my acting ability to gather information.’ He glanced at his briefcase. ‘Far more than othermethods of persuasion.’
‘Persuasion?’ Faye didn’t like the inference.
‘Have you heard the old adage, sticks and stones may break your bones?’
Faye nodded, adding, ‘But names will never hurt you.’
‘Well, it doesn’t work in the playground,’ he said cheerfully. He leaned across the table and spoke in a hushed voice. ‘And the truth is, in my experience, names hurt very much indeed. They can damage a reputation. And with some – no, most – things, reputation is everything.’
Faye was interested to know just what experience he was referring to. Her mind began to throw up some distinctly unsavoury possibilities – like blackmail.
Aubrey elaborated. ‘You don’t need guns to protect and defend. If the police were in the information business, then maybe they’d have some real power out there on the streets.’
Faye looked at him, perplexed.
‘Sticks and stones,’ he said. ‘Sticks and stones. What I do know is that by staying ahead of the game, it’s surprising what resources you can have at your disposal – if and when the time comes.’
It sounded ominous.
Faye sat back in her chair and regarded the old gentleman sitting opposite her. For a moment, she decided she had him sussed. He was an old, retired family friend with an overactive imagination and nothing to do all day but mope around the house until someone had had a bright idea. Why don’t we give him something to do? Make him feel useful. Let him keep an eye on Jake – at a discreet distance of course – taking notes, keeping logs, even carrying a gun. What harm could it do?
But she didn’t feel convinced by this more than plausible, if rather stupid, scenario. Aubrey Jones was clearly no fool, and he didn’t give the impression he needed somebody else to tellhim what to do with his time. In fact, he appeared very much in control. Faye glanced over at Marcus, who was standing by the door, avoiding Aubrey, still waiting for his cab.
