Wild Fiction

Genevieve picked up a large handbag next to her chair, pulled out an A4 manila envelope, and dropped it on the table in front of him. He opened it and pulled out a single sheet of paper. Retir traced one of his long fingers along the edge of the sample bearer bond that they had brought.
‘And you have the rest of these?’ he looked from one to the other, sucking his lips in and hiding his mouth among the hair on his face.
They nodded in unison before Rebecca remembered that Ogilvie had told them that he wanted everything recorded and no signs. ‘We have the others, they’re safe but we’ve hidden them so nobody else can find them.’
‘Are they hidden in the house?’
‘No, we didn’t feel that’d be safe there.’
‘Then where are they?’
‘As I said, we’ll show you when you’re ready to come. We want your guarantee that you’re going to use part of the proceeds to get us published and promote us in a best seller.’
‘You have my word,’ Retir said.
‘How do you plan on doing it?’ Rebecca asked.
Retir’s eyes flicked from the window to hers. ‘What do you mean “plan?” I’ve already told you, I’m writing a block buster novel and you’ll be it.’
‘How do we know that you’re any good? You’ve never been published, have you?’
‘With the money, I can hire as many ghostwriters as I need and together we’ll put together a world-winning masterpiece. That’s my guarantee, all right?’ he stared at her.
Rebecca nodded and then out of the corner of her eye caught a glimpse of the white van in the street outside the restaurant.
‘Yes,’ she said. She pulled her shoulders back stretching them and felt the microphone pull on the tape between her breasts.
‘Let’s go and get the other bonds,’ Retir said after a pause.
‘We haven’t ordered anything,’ Genevieve said. ‘Won’t it look a bit stupid if we just leave without ordering something?’
‘Don’t be stupid,’ Retir continued to watch out the window as he pushed the wrought iron chair back across the slate tile floor. ‘Move it,’ he said.