The Designer(31)

‘There’s nothing like that.’

The china-blue eyes widened. ‘You mean he’s not paying the rent, so to speak?’

‘It’s time you left,’ Copper said stiffly.

Pearl pulled down her neckline to show more cleavage, clearly a gesture she used when she wanted to be more appealing. ‘This place is far too big for one woman. I’ve got money.’ She dug in her brassiere and came up with a thick roll of banknotes. ‘See?’

‘Please put your bosom away.’

‘I’ve been saving up for simply ages. I knew I’d need to get away from Petrus before he killed me.’ She waved the bankroll to and fro. ‘Unless your old man has left you a pile of money, you’re going to need this.’

Copper opened her mouth to retort, but the words didn’t come. She now had less than two months before she had to start paying the rent; and after today’s expenses, her little supply of ready cash was even further reduced. The financial aspect certainly made sense.

‘From ear to ear,’ Pearl said in a chilling voice. ‘He says you have to completely sever the jugular vein and the windpipe to be sure. He’s done it before.’

‘Stop it.’

‘He says their heads almost come off. And the blood shoots out like a fountain.’

‘Don’t be crass. I’m not going to be blackmailed like this.’

‘I’m not looking for charity,’ the brunette replied. ‘It’s strictly a business arrangement. And we’ve got things in common. We’ll be great chums.’

‘What could we possibly have in common?’

‘We both wound up with bastards,’ Pearl said succinctly.

‘Except you got your bastard and my bastard.’

‘You’re welcome to mine, but I wouldn’t recommend it.’ Pearl got up to examine the camera equipment spread out on the table. ‘You’re a reporter, aren’t you? Got all the gear, I see.’

‘Don’t touch anything,’ Copper ordered.

‘I’ll model for you, if you like,’ Pearl volunteered. ‘That’s what I am, you know. A photographic model. Artistic, of course. Nothing vulgar.’

‘I’ll bet.’

‘It’s how I met Petrus. Artistic photography. He’s a publisher.’

‘Oh, really? I suppose the men he killed were rival publishers.’

Pearl looked surprised. ‘Yeah, how did you know?’

‘Just a lucky guess.’

Pearl patted her glossy curls. ‘I’m his top model.’

Copper snorted, and then had a thought. ‘Do you know anything about cameras?’

‘Of course. And how to develop film. Nothing to it.’

‘Would you know how to make this flash lamp work?’

Pearl inspected the equipment. ‘You’ll need to put the batteries in. And then you need to plug this bit in to this socket. And you need to screw this bracket on to the bottom of the camera.’ With surprising deftness, Pearl assembled all the pieces. The dented aluminium dome of the flash looked rather imposing, attached to the side of the camera. The whole thing, in fact, had taken on a professional appearance. ‘Go on,’ Pearl said, handing her the camera. ‘Try it out.’ She pushed up her bosom even further and struck an enticing pose. That small mouth could stretch into a smile wide enough to show every one of her white teeth, and the blue eyes could widen like a child’s looking at a birthday cake.

Copper focused the Rolleiflex. She was remembering the old man’s warning that the bulbs ‘sometimes set fire to things’. With any luck, pressing the shutter now would set fire to this annoying Limey and burn her to a cinder, thus eliminating her unwelcome presence. She pressed the shutter.

There was loud pop and a brilliant flash that illuminated Pearl and the entire room behind her. A cloud of metallic-smelling smoke swirled up to the ceiling.

‘There,’ Pearl said, returning to normal and pulling her dress straight. ‘Works perfectly. You’re in business. Wait! Don’t touch it.’

It was too late. Wanting to inspect the burned-out bulb, the exhilarated Copper had tried to remove it. It was hot enough to blister her fingers, making her yelp. She ran to the kitchen to run them under cold water. While she was dancing with the pain, she heard Pearl call out, ‘Blimey. This place is huge.’ The cockney had taken advantage of her absence to explore the apartment.

‘What are you doing? Get out of there.’

‘Oh, I love this room. Small, but perfectly formed. Just like me. I’ll take it.’

‘No, you won’t, damn it.’ Copper hurried out of the kitchen. Pearl had already heaved her suitcase on to the bed in the room next to her own, and was popping the latches open. ‘Out you go.’

Pearl sighed. ‘Be reasonable, sweetheart.’

‘Don’t call me sweetheart. And don’t make me throw you out physically.’

‘You wouldn’t.’

‘I’m bigger than you,’ Copper pointed out meaningfully. ‘And I grew up with four brothers. Three of them turned into firefighters and the little one turned into a union leader.’

‘What more do you want from me?’ Pearl asked plaintively. ‘I’ve said I’m sorry about your old man, haven’t I? I fixed your camera. I’m taking the smallest room, and I’m still paying half the rent. What more do you want?’ She started to sob, blotting her eyes with her handkerchief.