The Tangling of the Web (15 page)

‘No. Know something? Dora’s got it right. There comes a time when you have to admit to yourself that you’re past the rough and tumble of the front line and move up into management.’

‘That right?’

‘Aye, and Dora does it so well. She has fifteen lassies working full-time in the house at Danube Street and when there is more work than they can handle she calls in another five part-timers. And do ye ken they aw hae to sign up to her strict employment conditions?’

‘Like what?’

‘Ooh. Like, they have to put so much of their earnings away for the days that they’re no able to lie down on the job. And if they are caught sharing their earnings with a pimp then they’re dismissed immediately on the grounds of gross misconduct.’

Sally, helpless with laughter, began to wonder if she was having a nightmare and concluded that she was when Nancy went on, ‘And see, when them up in the High Street decided to try and close Dora doon, she called a press meeting in the North British Hotel, and dressed in her mandatory half-mink jacket with matching hat she slowly drawled, “My clients come from all walks of life, from the top echelons to the bottom of society, and up till now I have always been discreet – very discreet. But you know something, the busiest time of the year for me is when the Church of Scotland General Assembly meet!” Evidently Sally,’ Nancy went on, ‘the queue’s right up the street then.’ Nancy, who had enjoyed uttering every word, sniffed and rubbed under her nose with her hand before gleefully continuing, ‘And the result of that wee press meeting is – not one single God-praising soul is spouting that she should ever be closed down!’

Before Sally could comment, the door opened and in swept an elegant, statuesque black woman who was also dressed in the mandatory clothing of successful Edinburgh business ladies – a fur jacket with matching jaunty hat and at least six diamond rings glinting on her fingers. ‘I’m here to meet …’

Nancy quickly sprung to her feet and offered the lady her hand. ‘Me. I’m Nancy, the Ports Madam.’ Nancy now turned to Sally. ‘Sally, be a pal and change my order to two plates of broth. My friend here will be dining with me.’

Still unable to control her merriment, Sally had to dive into the kitchen.

‘Good you’ve come in. Did I hear right that Nancy wants soup for herself and her pal?’ exclaimed Rita.

‘Aye.’

‘But there’s only enough left for one.’

‘Don’t worry. These ladies have gone so far up in the world they’ll no notice that you’ve doctored the soup by …’

‘But how will I do that?’ Rita quickly interrupted.

‘Just add some water to it – like you do to the whisky when I’m not looking – and also fling in an Oxo cube and they’ll think they’re consuming consommé,’ Sally chirped before going over to the blackboard and rubbing out ‘broth’ and writing ‘consommé’.

Once Nancy’s luncheon friend had left, Sally sidled over to a crestfallen Nancy. ‘What’s the score then?’ she asked, lifting up the empty soup plates.

Nancy sighed. ‘It seems that a certain American ship that has been oot for weeks on manoeuvres in the Baltic – trying to put the frighteners up the Russians or something like that – is coming into Leith docks. Teeming with sex-starved sailors it is. So that means the fifteen resident lassies in Danube Street will no be able to cope.’

‘Aye, but she has others she can usually call on.’

‘So she has. But just like the thing – one of our cod war ships that’s been oot for months terrorising the Icelandic fishing fleet has just docked in Liverpool and the lassies are away there. Too good a chance to miss, that is.’

‘Oh, so she wants you and some of your pals to help out at Danube Street?’

‘No exactly,’ huffed Nancy. ‘She wants me to ask some of the
young
ones if they would like the chance. Of course, they would need to go to the Family Planning Clinic and have a health check first. But they would be well paid and their grub and bed would be thrown in.’

Sally took a long, hard look at Nancy.
It’s strange,
she thought,
that three years ago I would never have considered starting up a friendship with a woman who – well – sold her favours.
Even although she did not allow Nancy to solicit in the Four Marys, she was always pleased to see her and pass the time of day with her. Six months ago their friendship had grown so strong that Sally had the temerity to ask Nancy, who had a complimentary double gin and tonic complete with ice and lemon in front of her, ‘How can you do it, Nancy? Some of these men you … well …’

Nancy lifted the glass to her mouth and swallowed a good gulp. Then, swilling the glass, she began, ‘If it wasn’t for good old Gordon’s here, I couldn’t.’ She took another swig. ‘To be truthful, Sally, I wish I hadn’t started. I was young and …’ She rose and looked in the mirror. ‘… good-looking, very good looking. My supposedly loving father told me it was easy money.’ She cackled. ‘When we lived in Ferrier Street he brought men up from the pub for my sister and me …’ Nancy shook her head. ‘Only ten and twelve we were, Sally. Just bits o’ bairns.’

‘You have a sister?’

‘Had. You see, my Bertha couldnae cope with life on the streets, or at hame either, so her … ashes are scattered in Seafield’s remembrance gardens. Now do you think she would want to remember?’ Nancy sighed before adding, ‘Ken something, Sally, sometimes I think I should follow her example because what else is there for me now?’

Before Sally could respond, the door opened and in flounced Ginny. As usual she was dressed in her soft-beige mink jacket and her hands were adorned with several diamond rings.

‘Is it not closing time?’ Ginny asked, whilst looking at the jewel-encrusted face of her watch.

‘Right enough,’ Sally agreed, looking up at the clock that she kept ten minutes fast before signalling to Rita to close the door.

Turning her attention to Nancy, Ginny quietly suggested, ‘That’ll be you off.’

Nancy nodded and proceeded out of the door.

Sally wasn’t happy at Nancy being dismissed like that, but Ginny was the licensee and she had been good to her, so it was not in Sally’s interest to pick a fight with the hand that had not only fed her but had given her all her responsibilities as well.

‘Before you go, Rita, be a sweetheart and make Sally and me a cup of tea. We have a lot to discuss.’

Sally had forgotten it was the end of the month and Ginny always came in around then to have a management update.

Once Rita had departed, Ginny removed her fur jacket and Sally poured up the tea. ‘Business is good, Ginny. We are up on last month’s takings and there’s been no real trouble,’ Sally was delighted to report.

‘Good,’ replied Ginny, lazily stirring her tea. ‘Now, Sally, I wish to take you into my confidence and make one or two proposals. Firstly, I’ve bought a hotel up in Coates Crescent. You see …’ Ginny now studied the diamond ring on her left hand, ‘… the big money I require for the like of this …’ she raised her hand so that the gemstone winked at Sally, ‘… is made between the sheets.’

Sally was aghast.
Surely,
she thought,
Ginny, whom I always thought was shrewd but an upright businesswoman, isn’t saying she’s going into opposition with Dora Noyce! This can’t be. This shouldn’t be.

Unaware of Sally’s disapproval, Ginny went on, ‘You see, my dear, the festival has taught me that hundreds, even thousands, of tourists, especially now that air travel is becoming cheaper and more frequent, will be coming to visit the Athens of the North – our Edinburgh – and I want to get in at the beginning of this boom. So it is my intention to start with one small hotel and build up from there.’

‘Hotels,’ exclaimed Sally, relaxing.

‘Yes, tourist hotels. Full of people who’ll wish to see the sights, visit the festival.’

Ginny now realised because Sally was laughing so loudly that she had thought that Ginny was going into the sex trade and she laughed too. ‘Not in a thousand years would I ever consider that! But I’m going to put all my energies into the bed and breakfast trade. By the way, my smart hotel has a bar, but I won’t be doing meals. No. No. Just a few well salted crisps and nuts on the tables to make my customers drouthie. Anyway, I have digressed, what all this means is I am going to give up being the licensee for my three pubs.’

Sally’s face fell again.

‘So what I am suggesting is …’ Ginny deliberately allowed herself a long pause, ‘… that I take you up to the brewers, McEwan’s, and suggest to them that they let you take over the tenancy.’

‘Me – take over in here? Become the landlady!’

‘Yes. And I’m going to speak to Mona about taking over in the King’s Wark. Both of you have worked hard. You’ve changed these pubs from jungles to respectable watering holes. And the bonus is you have made more profit than was ever envisaged.’

‘Well, I don’t know. I do fancy working for myself, but will I need collateral?’

‘If you mean the money up front for the stock, then I’m afraid you do.’

‘That’s a pity because I’d just got a deposit together for a flat in Gladstone Place, but I suppose …’

‘In two years’ times you’ll have pocketed enough profit to buy a Gladstone Place flat outright.’

Five minutes passed by without either woman saying a word but thinking plenty.

Eventually Ginny, weighing every word before uttering it, spoke. ‘I know there is no problem with you and Mona, but I, in all honesty, cannot recommend Carl to the brewers.’

‘Are you saying you can’t suggest that your manager in the Royal Stuart is fit to take over from you?’

‘That I am.’ Ginny stopped to ponder before confiding to Sally, ‘You see, the upstart thinks my head buttons up the back and that I don’t know that he’s been ripping me off for years.’

‘What?’

‘He’s a gambler, Sally. And he’s been keeping McIntyre the bookies in Easter Road in luxury with the rake-off from my bar. So, here is my second proposition. How about I ask the brewers – and they will act on my recommendation – that you become their tenant there?’

‘But how could I run two places?’

‘Easy. You do what I did when I took you on. Train up someone who needs a job and their gratitude will keep them loyal to you. You already have an added bonus in that you have several very capable members of your family.’

‘Oh Ginny, you have been so good to me. You picked me up when I was down and because of you I am able to let both Bobby and Helen stay on at school. And Helen has been accepted for teacher training at Moray House and next year Bobby will be applying to do law at Edinburgh University. He needs that. Not physically strong is my Bobby.’

Ginny had to hold her tongue. What she wanted to say was that Bobby was the strongest of her children, but he was expert at having Sally feel he needed her. Ginny liked Bobby too and she wished him well in his chosen career, and she also thought there might come a time when she needed a friendly lawyer at a discount price.

The clock on the wall told Sally it was nearly four o’clock. She was just thinking she should continue to sit here comfortably in the Four Marys rather than run home for a rest when an insistent thumping on the outside door alerted her. Jumping to her feet to answer the impatient summons, Sally called out, ‘Just a minute. I’m no exactly Jack Flash.’

‘Glad about that,’ newly appointed Chief Inspector David Stock chortled when the door was opened to him.

Sally blushed. These days she not only felt like a love-struck teenager when she saw David Stock but also when she thought about him. So it had come as a relief to her that when he was promoted that he had been transferred to ‘B’ Division, whose headquarters were up in Gayfield Square. This meant he was no longer doing the rounds of the pubs in Leith and she wouldn’t be bumping into him in the streets around the Shore.

Inviting David into the pub with a nod of her head and closing the door behind him, Sally asked, ‘Is this a business call?’

Before answering, David took off his hat and sat down. ‘Hmmm. Not really. You see, there was an attempted suicide …’

‘If you are going to tell me about my brother Luke …’

David looked puzzled. ‘Your brother Luke tried to commit suicide? Never. He’s one of the best officers I have ever had under my command.’

‘No. He didn’t try to commit suicide; he saved Irish, who … Oh, never mind,’ Sally said, waving her hand. ‘Just get on with your story.’

‘It was a woman. She was going to jump off the Scott Monument, but as she had been acting suspiciously a young cop followed her up and he managed to persuade her not to jump.’

‘Persuaded her not to jump?’

‘Well, okay – he had to punch her unconscious or she would not only have leapt but as he was holding onto her she could have dragged him over as well. Confined space at the top, that is.’

‘It certainly looks it from the ground.’

‘Aye, and it makes such a mess in the gardens below when someone does land from a height, and it’s also bad for tourism.’

Sally smiled. She knew the police had to have this warped sense of humour when dealing with the macabre or they would never get through.

‘Anyway,’ David continued. ‘When we got her down, an ambulance took her to the Royal Infirmary and she’s now in a locked ward. Spoke to her I did before the vehicle took off and she said …’ David now took out his notebook from his top jacket pocket and began to read aloud, ‘… “I know you know Sally Stuart, so when you next see her tell her I’m sorry. Up till now I wasn’t aware of how much grief I had caused her. And I am so pleased that she’s stronger than me and never considered ending it all. Couldn’t have lived with her doing that, no I couldn’t.” I hope you can work out from what I’ve told you who the lady is; because of confidentiality you know I cannot give you her name.’

‘That’s okay. I’ve worked it out for myself. Poor idiot.’ Sally, whose feelings were mixed with anger, sadness and betrayal, paused briefly before saying, ‘Suppose most will laugh at her and consider justice has been done and she has reaped what she sowed.’

‘Will you go and visit her?’

‘No.’ Sally paused and chuckled. ‘Do you know, David, this has been some blooming day for surprises.’

David nodded before standing up. ‘I suppose I should be getting along,’ he mumbled, ‘but before …’