Vacuum by Bill James Page A

stated, then, that your gesture worked very well, Desmond,’ Upton said.
    â€˜I think I can claim to have rung with due force,’ Iles said, ‘though I’m not here to claim that if someone else had pressed the bell, matters would have been different. Just the one, long, plain-speaking ding, however – without subsequent fiddly additions. No need for any special, pre-agreed warning signal, was there, sir?’
    â€˜No, indeed,’ Upton said.
    â€˜What would I wish to warn him of?’ Iles replied.
    â€˜Quite,’ Upton said. ‘Oh, quite. Now, I can, of course, see that Ember’s prompt appearance in day attire might not be totally exceptional, because he is a club owner and no doubt is kept late on some special nights there.’
    â€˜He does have occasional trouble persuading people to quit The Monty, despite the sty that it is,’ Iles said. ‘I rather like the French word for doorman or bouncer – it’s videur , as you probably know, sir. A chucker-out. An emptier! Often, Ralph could do with a couple of those.’
    Upton said: ‘And then we have your introductory words to him, Desmond, as reported by Francis Garland just now. I wrote these as: “Ralph, here’s a treat!”’
    â€˜It might well have been a cry of that sort,’ Iles said. ‘Something matey and exuberant to take away a little of the shock and unpleasantness of our arrival pre-breakfast.’
    â€˜And yet it does not appear to have been a shock at all, does it?’ Upton said. ‘In a sense, anti-shock, flagrantly non-shock, since he was totally prepared.’
    â€˜One couldn’t have forecast that,’ Iles said.
    â€˜Possibly not,’ Upton said. ‘Possibly not. First-name terms?’
    â€˜It’s how it is with people like Ember,’ Iles said.
    â€˜â€œPeople like Ember” being?’ Upton said.
    â€˜That’s quite a tricky one, sir. Ember is very various,’ Iles said. ‘I think most here would agree with this.’
    â€˜People like Ember are rare, thank God,’ Upton said. His voice became steely and purposeful. ‘They are shameless, large-scale, ruthless, moneyed traders in illegal substances, and most likely parties to all types of criminal violence connected with their business, including the murder of a woman and child. They mix what they call “bash” with the cocaine they trade – traditionally uncostly stuff like baby milk powder or caffeine, but now potentially dangerous pharmaceutical products such as benzocaine – to fool customers and hugely increase profits.’
    â€˜We’re working on the murders, sir,’ Iles said.
    â€˜But it’s Ember’s answer to your greeting that surely is bound to stand out, Desmond,’ Upton said. ‘“I’d heard you’d be calling at around this time today.” I have this right, too?’
    â€˜That’s how he responded, yes, sir,’ Iles said.
    â€˜Yes,’ Garland said.
    â€˜â€œI’d heard,” he says. But how could he have heard?’ Upton asked. ‘Not simply that there would be a raid, but the time and date. Had there been gossip outside the team?’
    â€˜I’d ordered complete silence. My people would understand that need,’ Garland said. ‘We do this sort of unheralded visit as virtually standard. And the confidentiality is standard, also.’
    â€˜The blatant and complete failure of that confidentiality here must make for some uneasiness, mustn’t it?’ the Chief said.
    â€˜Unquestionably,’ Iles replied at once.
    â€˜And Mr Harpur expressed uneasiness at once, didn’t he?’ Upton said.
    â€˜That kind of directness, meat-and-potatoes frankness, is typical of Col,’ Iles replied. ‘It’s not necessarily naive.’
    â€˜I make it that he raised the matter three times,’ Upton said, looking again at his