Page 92 of Cover Story

‘Yeah, that’s what I thought,’ Bel said, shaking her head, curls bouncing, and Connor felt significant disquiet. It turned out a conscience was a heavy burden even in make-believe.

Bel looked downcast and Connor added: ‘Ghosting them full stop feels slimy.’

‘It really does,’ Bel said. ‘But we went up in a hot air balloon of lies and now we have to get down again without breaking our legs.’

‘And if they’ve seen the awards photos?’ he said.

‘You’ve been helping a business writer at the MEN out, he wangled you an invite. They miscaptioned you.’

‘That feels a stretch, to be honest.’

‘I’ll jump in with lots ofooh could see you as a reporter, the Clark Kent look nnnngggand you say something slighting about the wages and I reckon we’ll paddle to dry land.’

‘Hmm. Can I say I’m glad this is our last outing?’

‘Agreed.’ Bel tipped her white wine to clink his lager.

‘Connor,’ Bel said, after a loaded pause: ‘I’m going to take it. The iPad. It’s not going to happen otherwise.’

‘What? You can’t,’ he said.

‘It’ll be nothing to do with you. We’ll say we hid it and uploaded on site.’

‘But we made it clear that was impossible?’

‘No,theysaid it was possible, we didn’t. If Toby wasn’t super-hot on the “How” before, he’s not going to ask for an in-depthpost-mortem once we’ve got the goods. We hid it behind a cushion. If the worst comes to the absolute worst and it comes to light, I’ll make it clear you had no idea and I went rogue. I’ll take the full rap if the bosses ever find out, but they won’t.’

‘Bel, you could end up not only losing your job but with a criminal conviction. Making you much less hireable in future. Don’t be a dick. You’re not doing this under your own name on a podcast. This is a “bringing into disrepute”, gross misconduct situation for a national newspaper.’

‘I don’t believe for a second the Kendricks would pursue someoneovernight borrowingan iPad that far. Why bring attention over so little? Plus, if we’ve found what we think we’re going to, then none of it matters.’

‘The problem here is you’re saying A will happen, then B and C. It won’t. A big unexpected is coming, because it always does, and then you’re going to be left holding a stolen tablet you were clearly told you couldn’t steal. You don’t have the protection of the paper to do this.’

‘I know this. Call it my Aunt Tamara’s DNA. Fortune favours the brave. Or call it my rich kid golden parachute DNA, you can’t offend me.’

‘I was going to say. Much as I don’t want to revisit why I value employment …’

‘Look, go now,’ Bel said. ‘I could say we’ve split up already. That might work, actually: if I go in being teary, it’s a distraction …’

‘Absolutely not,’ Connor said.

‘Why?’

‘I’m not leaving you to do this alone.’

‘Connor, you are an immensely good and honourable person …’ Bel looked him in the eye as she said this.

They both knew it was from the heart, and a newly held position on the matter. ‘And I thank you so much for it. But you don’t owe me this.’

Connor swallowed a lump in his throat.

‘Nevertheless. I decline to bail. I just don’t want to spectate the premature end to your shining career, either. Or sit down to a banquet of consequences with you.’

‘… I’m going to pretend to get completely smashed. That should give me enhanced eccentric roaming rights. Then I’ll go back first thing tomorrow and say I took the iPad when I didn’t know what I was doing. I’m going to tell Amber I’m hideously embarrassed but I have this light-fingered habit when under the influence. It’s a real thing, Tim’s grandad used to nick random items constantly. He didn’t have a mental condition or anything, he just loved half-inching stuff.’

‘It is a mental condition. It’s called kleptomania.’

‘My point is, “whoops, sorry, here’s your thing back” within hours of it going missing is hardly something you’re going to call Greater Manchester Police about. Especially if it’s a device you don’t want them looking at. You can hide the fact we uploaded Ring video memory, right?’

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