Page 48 of The Hallmarked Man (Cormoran Strike #8)

‘Not “had to”, I wasn’t going to say that,’ said Albie, still red in the face. ‘He just – you know, with that drug dealer and everything. He didn’t want Decima targeted as well.’

‘Albie, that’s a nice story,’ said Robin, ‘but why would he break all contact with her, if he was doing it to protect her? And why steal the nef from her father, if he cared about her? That caused her trouble too, didn’t it?’

‘The nef wasn’t – he didn’t – you don’t know what went on,’ said Albie.

‘I’m here to find out what went on,’ said Robin.

Albie took a deep breath, then said in a low voice,

‘Look – Mr Longcaster’s a bully. He hardly likes anyone except his daughter Cosima, and that’s only because she’s thin and blonde and good-looking.

Even Valentine’s scared of his father. Mr Longcaster was a shit to Decima, even though she came to help him out at the club, and she’s talented, she really is, she’s a good chef.

But it’s all surface with Mr Longcaster, you’ve got to look right, it’s all about being beautiful and stylish – being a bit plump or whatever, or not knowing how to dress, that’s, like, I dunno, a – a sin.

And Decima and Rupe, they don’t look the way Mr Longcaster wants people in his club and his family to look.

You think I’m exaggerating, but that’s how he lives, everything’s got to be perfect, the way the napkins are folded, how chilled the cocktails are, how thin the waitresses are – I’m not kidding – he finds a way of forcing girls out if he decides they don’t look right.

He wants to live in this – this completely controlled world…

Rupe burned his hand really badly in the kitchen, a couple of days before he left, and Mr Longcaster was just angry.

Said he didn’t want his waiters wearing bandages, that they didn’t look smart.

‘And he used to call Rupe “the jellyfish”. Any time he did anything wrong – and Rupe’s a hard worker, it was only small mistakes – he’d call him the jellyfish and he worked up a comedy bit about it.

’ Albie looked truly angry now. ‘“Blob of brainless, semi-sentient matter”, stuff like that. “Invasive species, fundamentally pointless.” And he talked about Rupe’s father. ’

‘What did he say?’

‘That Rupe was just like him. “A drip off the old blob”, that was his favourite. And once, Rupe was serving Mr Longcaster and his friends a private dinner in Dostoevsky – that’s one of the rooms, they’re all named after famous gamblers – and Mr Longcaster pointed out the nef to one of his friends in front of Rupert, and said he’d won it off his waiter’s father, and then he said Peter Fleetwood was “even worse at backgammon than he was at skiing”.

And that’s how Rupe’s parents died ,’ said Albie, and he was no longer red, but rather white. ‘Skiing.’

‘That sounds incredibly cruel,’ said Robin.

‘I’m not even giving you all of it,’ said Albie in a low voice.

‘Being a shit to Rupe was like his new hobby. And then Mr Longcaster found out about Rupe and Decima – I think Valentine noticed something was up, and told his father – and it was open season on both of them. Rupe just cracked. That’s what the nef was about.

One day, he saw red, and he took the nef, and left for good. ’

‘When was the last time you saw him, Albie?’

‘Well… then. When he took the nef. That day. Earlier that day.’

‘You haven’t seen him since?’

‘No.’

‘But you were clearly good friends.’

‘Yeah,’ said Albie.

‘You really haven’t seen him since the day he took the nef?’

‘No.’

Robin was certain he was lying. The fluency with which he’d discussed Dino Longcaster’s bullying had been replaced by a distinct shiftiness.

‘Has he called or texted you?’

‘Er… maybe a couple of times.’

‘How recently?’

‘Probably… not recently. Like, a few days after he left Dino’s. Nothing since then.’

Just as Strike had with Jim Todd, Robin now felt to the full the disadvantage of having no official power to demand sight of Albie’s texts, to compel his cooperation. Albie’s plate was nearly empty; Robin knew her time was almost up.

‘Were you aware that the silver shop where the body was found – the body that Decima thinks was Rupert – is masonic?’ she asked.

‘Er… yeah, I think I saw that,’ he said.

‘Was Rupert interested in the Freemasons? Did he have any connection with them?’

‘No,’ said Albie. ‘I never heard him say anything about masons.’

‘Did Rupert know a man called Osgood, or “Oz”?’

‘I don’t think so,’ said Albie.

‘Aren’t you worried about him?’ Robin asked.

‘Who – Rupert? Why would I be worried?’ said Albie, now sounding slightly scared.

‘Well, he was under a huge amount of stress, wasn’t he? He had the police and a drug dealer after him, no family support – and maybe other things that were panicking him, that he didn’t feel able to cope with?’

It was the closest Robin dared go on the subject of Decima’s baby.

‘Rupe wouldn’t’ve killed himself,’ Albie said. ‘He’d never have done that. I’m sure he’s fine. I need to go, I’m meeting some people.’

‘I’ll get the bill,’ said Robin, and as she’d hoped, Albie’s good manners held him in his seat while she raised her hand for the waiter. ‘Why did you leave Dino’s?’ she asked, having mimed writing in mid-air.

‘I’d had enough, after how Mr Longcaster treated Rupe. I didn’t want to stay any more. A few other people said they were going to leave because of it, as well, but they didn’t,’ Albie said scathingly. ‘It was easier to stay. The money’s good.’

Five minutes later, the bill paid, they emerged together onto the crowded pavement, where drinkers were thronged.

‘Thanks for talking to me, Albie,’ said Robin. ‘I do appreciate it.’

She held out her hand, but when Albie shook it, she didn’t release it.

‘I think you know more than you’re telling me. I think you know where Rupert is.’

‘I don’t!’ said Albie. ‘Seriously, I don’t!’

‘Then you’re in touch with him.’

Albie pulled his hand free.

‘I’m not!’

She expected him to turn and hurry away, but now that she wasn’t physically restraining him, he seemed pinned to the spot by his own good nature.

‘Look,’ he said, ‘tell Decima – tell her he really loved her.’

Even in the darkness, Robin could see that Albie had turned pink again.

‘If he loved her, why would he walk out and leave her without a word?’

‘Maybe he had no choice,’ said Albie.

‘What does that mean?’

‘I mean, he must’ve had no choice,’ said Albie quickly, ‘because he really did love her. It wasn’t for her money or anything, whatever Valentine thought. Rupe was really… he was mad about her.’

‘Why are you talking in the past tense?’ said Robin. ‘What changed?’

‘Nothing. I mean – he must’ve just decided it wouldn’t work. She’s a lot older and – and everything.’

‘Albie, I think you know more than you’re telling me.’

‘Sometimes you’re better off not knowing things,’ blurted Albie, as though the words had been wrung from him. ‘I’ve got to go. Thanks for the burger.’

He turned and strode away on his long legs, vanishing into the crowds.

Robin watched him disappear, then glanced nervously around. Nobody was watching her; there were no men lurking in the shadows, ready to spring.

She set off in the opposite direction from Albie, keeping an eye out for a vacant taxi, thinking about all Albie had just said, but also checking regularly over her shoulder.