Page 30 of Cover Story

And moreover, he foretold he was going to be begged to withhold it from their employers. In their Didsbury encounter, Bel had seemed off duty as fuck. While Aaron teased her about Investigations being a racket, Connor hadn’t thought it might be until he saw her looking super tarted-up and swilling champagne.

My cover.Hmmmm. It was a very convincing one, yes.

To add to the cynicism, Aaron told him Bel was from wealth. He’d not anticipated this with all the careless scruffiness, but of course that’s precisely what should’ve alerted him.

‘Oh aye. Bohemian left-wing types where they don’t put their heating on and have paintings worth as much as a car.’ ‘She told you this?’ ‘Got a pal at theYorkshire Post.’

Of course Aaron was doing background checks on Bel, Connor thought. His unreciprocated crush on Bel was so poorly concealed, it was like Slimer inGhostbusterspinging off the walls in excitement and leaving the office furniture coatedin phantasmagorical goo. He sensed, on Bel’s side, her alliance with Aaron was pure pragmatism.

‘Why would she work here?’ Connor scanned their dungeon in disbelief.

Aaron shrugged. ‘Maybe she felt a calling? I’d be feeling a calling to a poolside cabana in the Dominican Republic.’

The awkward concept of ‘successful podcaster’ made more sense to Connor in light of this.

He checked Google Maps and Bel’s Share My Location, and as he raised his eyes to the horizon, he saw her waving at him from under a tree.

He noticed on approach that she’d brought a checked waterproof picnic blanket and rucksack, the sight of which made Connor uncomfortable. Exactly how long was she anticipating they were going to talk for?

If this was to launch some convoluted manipulation that no one could know she skived on occasion, complete with beseeching doe eyes to make him feel too bad to refuse her to her face, get it over with. Let’s not pretend either of us want to split a Thermos of Pimms.

‘Afternoon,’ Connor said, deciding he’d not take his shades off. Bel was in bug-like ones herself, and navy dungashorts that seemed better suited to people of an age to attend after-school clubs.

Her legs were outstretched and, as he sat down next to her, Connor’s eyes were drawn by her small, pale feet, lost in clunky Doc Martens sandals. Her toenails were decorated with squares of sky-blue polish that had obviously been applied long enough ago that they were now floating oblongs, like a Rothko painting.

Jen insisted any colour other than a caramel-pink she called ‘nude’ on nails was irredeemably vulgar.I don’t know why grown, professional women think it’s a good look to be at the Barry M neons. They’re for shoplifting while playing truant.

He felt sure Jen wouldn’t like Bel, and wondered what Bel would think of her.

‘I’m sorry to drag you out here on your weekend. This is a story where, if it leaks out that we’re poking around, it vanishes,’ Bel said.

It belatedly occurred to Connor that it wasn’t WhatsApp she mistrusted, it was him.

‘I will keep this as brief as I can, I know I’m eating into your free time,’ she continued.

To his surprise, Bel went on to describe a pretty intriguing sting on the Manchester Mayor, who was apparently a secret sleaze, consorting with crooks. He recalled Bel’s campaigning wins and considered he should have given her a bit more credit before leaping to the most jaundiced conclusion. It was possibly somewhat dismissive and even sexist that he’d so readily thought she might be a frivolous lass on the sesh.

‘It’s a … sort of grey zone Me Too with added conflict of interest?’ Connor said.

‘Exactly,’ Bel said, looking impressed he’d got it in one.

‘Toby knows about this?’

‘I’d not risk undercover without sign-off.’

‘What does the Airbnb listing look like?’

‘As Ian said, smart Victorian four-bed, supposedly sleeps ten if you’re gullible or want a bargain. Welcomes parties. I noticed it has very little availability which means either it’s mad popular, or they aren’t renting it to the public for some of the time.’

Connor turned it over in his mind.

‘What’s the daughter called again? So Amber is in Didsbury, running this bar. That’s what, four, five miles from here? What are you going to do if she bumps into you in your other life? Like I did?’

‘I don’t know many people here yet. If Amber catches me on a coffee run on a journalist day, I’ll still be Bella. Aaron lives in Bury with his parents and goes straight home from work most of the time. Platzki’s won’t happen again until the next intern arrives.’ She paused. ‘This isn’t going to work because I’ve eliminated all risk. It’stakinga risk and hoping it pays off.’

‘And now I’m involved,’ Connor said, a statement and a question.

‘Afraid so.’

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