his world one name served as well as another. ‘The girls have commandeered our only dressing room, but there’s a few cubby holes on offer if you need to change or,’ he paused, smiling, ‘fix your makeup.’
‘Are you trying to tell me my mascara’s run?’ He gave me a quick sharp look, then laughed. ‘I’d appreciate somewhere to go through my props.’
Bill showed me into a shabby bedroom equipped with two single beds draped with orange and brown floral covers and polyester valances that had long lost their bounce. He leant against the doorjamb. Leaning in doorways seemed to be Bill’s thing. He watched as I laid the suitcase on one of the beds and unfastened its clasp.
‘You based in London, Mr Wilson?’
‘Ealing.’
‘Travel much?’
‘When required.’ Bill might just be making casual conversation or he might be looking for a travelling man to deliver a parcel or two. I set a pack of playing cards on the bed and changed the subject. ‘So how’s business? Club keeping you busy?’
‘Busy enough. Keeps me out of mischief. Speaking of which,’ he turned to go, ‘anything I can get you before I start mingling with the invited guests?’
‘I could manage a white wine.’ I slapped my stomach. ‘I’m on a bit of a health kick.’
Bill smiled.
‘I’ll have a bottle sent up.’
I turned back to my case. In truth there was nothing I needed to do to prepare, but Bill still lingered in the doorway.
‘A word of warning on tonight.’ I looked back at him. ‘These guys are here for the booze and the girls, for most of them you’re an unexpected bonus.’
‘Nice to know you think I can improve on booze and girls.’
Bill’s smile looked like a threat.
‘The inspector who’s retiring is nicknamed the Magician. I think you’re more in the way of an in-joke.’
‘Good to be in.’
‘Just remember this isn’t a kid’s birthday party. If I were you I’d keep it short and snappy.’
‘Don’t worry, I know my place.’
‘Good, always best to make sure everyone understands each other. I reckon they’ll be ready in about half an hour, so take all the time you need.’
‘As long as it’s short of thirty minutes.’
Bill smiled.
‘We don’t want people getting impatient.’
I’d expected the door girl to bring up the wine, but when the knock came it brought a familiar face.
‘Sam?’
‘The one and only.’ Sam rosenswest smiled. He slid himself and a tray holding two glasses, a corkscrew and a bottle of white wine into the room. ‘How you doing?’
‘Great.’ I got to my feet and slapped him on the back. ‘Good to see you, man.’
‘Hey!’ Sam raised the tray in the air, like a ship’s waiter serving through a squall. ‘Watch the merchandise.’
I pushed the lamp on the small bedside table to one side and Sam settled the tray in the gap. ‘So how are you?’
Sam started to work the corkscrew into the bottle’s cork and grinned.
‘Never better.’
‘Nice threads.’
He glanced at his suit.
‘Yeah well,’ Sam pulled the cork from the bottle and poured us each a glass. ‘When in Rome.’ He handed me my drink. ‘How about you, William? Still a slave to the gee-gees?’
‘You know me, always the animal lover.’
He shook his head.
‘I’m not sure following form quite qualifies you as St Francis. Won’t keep you warm at night neither. You want to quit all that and get yourself hooked up with a nice bird.’
‘That’s good advice coming from you.’
Sam grinned.
‘You know what I mean. How’s old Fagin? You seen him lately?’
‘He set me up with tonight.’
‘Aha.’ He sat down on the single bed opposite me and took a sip of his drink. ‘That’s where you’re wrong. You’ve got old Sam-I-Am to thank for this particular box of tricks.’
‘Yeah?’ I tried to look grateful. ‘Rich didn’t say anything.’
‘Well he wouldn’t would he? Wants to make sure of his 10 per cent, greedy sod.’
‘Cheers, Sam.’ I raised my glass in a toast, then put it to my lips and took a sip. Its cheap sourness cut through the chill. ‘Thanks.’
‘No worries, you and me go way back.’
‘And…?’
Sam laughed.
‘You may not be a whizz with girls and horses…’
‘You can add dogs to that.’
‘Ah, William.’ Sam shook his head, looking like a priest caught between sorrow at the sin and the satisfaction of being able to squeeze a few more ‘Our Fathers’ from the sinner. ‘Despite all your weaknesses, when it comes down to it, there’s no flies on you. OK there might be a bit more to tonight than meets the eye. But you just sit tight and it’ll all come out cushty.’
Sam was a young comic who had also been under Rich’s tough love care. We’d spent a long summer season together until he’d decided he could do better under new management. I’d not seen him for a year, maybe longer. In that time he’d grown leaner, but in a sleek way. He chinked my glass and knocked back the last of his wine.
‘I’d better shift myself. Bill’s got a jealous streak. He’s already suspicious about why I suggested you.’
‘You mean you and him…?’
‘Yeah,’ Sam’s face lit up. ‘You wouldn’t think it to look at him would you?’
‘No, you wouldn’t.’
‘Yep, he’s a mean queen-killing machine. For me to so much as look at a bloke is to condemn him to a cement overcoat.’
‘Maybe you should open the door then, let him see there’s nothing to worry about.’
Sam laughed.
‘Your face, William. Don’t worry. I’m just having you on. Now he’s seen you he won’t be worried.’
‘What do you mean?’
Sam got to his feet and moved to the door.
‘That’s what I love about you William, always able to laugh at yourself. I’ll catch you after the show eh? Bill likes me to stay in the wings when he’s got business on, but we’ll grab a drink, the three of us, when you’ve done your set.’ He gave me a last grin and I thought I could see a new, tougher Sam beneath the comic I’d known. It was hard to imagine this new shiny version bothering to parry some of the heckling I’d seen the old Sam spar with. He said, ‘Don’t let me down. I gave you a big build.’ Then shut the door gently behind him.
I sat for a moment, after Sam’s footsteps had faded down the stairs, wondering what I had got myself into. Then I took the bottle by the neck, slipped into the hallway and tapped at the door of the girls’ dressing room. A female voice said, ‘Oh, for fuck’s sake!’
There was the sound of another woman laughing then the Asian girl opened the door. I held up the bottle