Icejacked

Bad News

Julie had booked us into the same hotel in Brentwood, she said it wasn’t the nearest, but thought we might like a bit of familiarity. I would never have thought of that, but it actually did feel good. We dumped the cases in our rooms and met her in the lounge for coffee and a brief catch-up before she left us to relax.

“Our monthly meeting is on tomorrow. Want to come?” She poured us all coffee from the steaming cafetière.

Leddicus nodded vigorously as he spooned four sugars into his coffee. He had become quite a coffee drinker now due to my constant encouragement, but still balked at drinking it unsweetened.

“Okay,” I said without enthusiasm. “Will you give us a ride, or shall we get a cab?”

“I’ll come and get you. No problem.”

The day dawned clear and sunny, and the traffic was kind to us. We arrived in good time to enjoy the buffet that was provided as a ritual. I was surprised to find that I actually enjoyed the meeting. This Saturday, there was a rock band that was reasonably talented and fun. Something else was going on in me that I could not quite define, some strange emotion, although I was rarely emotional.

Leddicus was in his element, looking happy and relaxed. Halfway through, they asked him to say a few words. I was not happy about that. We had not negotiated a fee. Did they think we were a charity?

Leddicus got up from his seat without hesitation and took the proffered mic. He didn’t give his usual history spiel, but spoke with convincing fluency about finding out that God was still with him. He was quite honest about his situation, saying he didn’t understand what was going on his life and, although his friends from the university were trying to find out, they were no nearer a solution. He said that, although he was separated from his original people of the way friends and his family, he felt at home in this new family. It felt the same, although he couldn’t explain why. He didn’t speak for long, and ended on a light note. “The best part of this strange new existence in which I have found myself is that I can make a lot of noise, use very odd technology, and talk openly without being caught and fed to lions!”

The crowd applauded him enthusiastically as he walked back to his seat. I was encouraged listening to Leddicus. I liked what I heard. He sounded more at home in his new situation than I had heard him before. I grudgingly admitted to myself that I’d had a good time. There was excellent food, a decent band, and quite a few normal people spoke to me afterwards. They seemed genuinely interested in me and appeared to care about what I was doing.

We arrived back at our hotel midafternoon, waved good-bye to Julie, and then settled down for some rest and relaxation. We had no agenda from now until eleven o’clock tomorrow morning when Joe was coming to meet us for brunch. It felt good to be free of any stress, and the thought of a lie-in was a delight.

Leddicus and I ordered burger and chips from the bar and ate it in the lounge.

“Joe is going to discuss the next leg of our tour tomorrow, but don’t worry. I’ll explain that you want to go home.”

Leddicus covered his chips with ketchup and took a sip of Coke. He had certainly taken up some twenty-first century bad habits with a vengeance.

“Julie said she wants to come with us to my home. That’s good, yes?” He said with his mouth full.

Julie had mentioned this in the car on the way home. In her usual inimitable style, she had jumped straight in and invited herself to with us. Just in time, I had remembered that she could see my face in the rearview mirror and forced a smile.

“I guess,” I said to Leddicus. I took a sip of the fine red wine I had treated myself to. It wasn’t really what you should have with a burger, but what the heck.

“You don’t want her to come?” Leddicus was getting to be an expert at reading body language.

“Seems like it’s a done deal to me, Leddicus.” I busied myself with my meal to avoid any more complicated questioning. This evening was all about winding down.

Joe arrived at eleven sharp, and we made our way to our usual table. I didn’t remember inviting Julie, but she came anyway, saying she had given Joe a ride. She pulled up a chair and began making small talk with Leddicus. We all ordered brunch and then Joe kicked off the business session.

“What do you want first, the good news or the bad news?”

“Bad news first,” I said.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a news clipping. e smoothed it out on the table in front of us. I recognised that it was from what the British call “red tops.” A picture of Leddicus was underneath the large headline, “Ice Man Fraud Revealed.” The story continued with an in-depth interview and picture of his family in .

I read out the first line, “Our on-the-spot reporter has found the family of the alleged two thousand-year-old man.”

Leddicus jumped out of his chair. “They’ve found my family! Where?” He screwed up his eyes and studied the newspaper.

“This is your sister and brother.” I tapped one of the pictures.

“But I don’t have a sister, and I have no idea who that man is.”

Julie joined in, “I didn’t think you would. The same people who said the moon landing was done in a film studio wrote this piece.”

Leddicus looked from me, to Julie, and back again in obvious confusion, and I saw a rare hint of irritation.

“Moon? My family is on the moon!”

“No, Leddicus, some astronauts went there in a rocket, but this paper said it was a hoax.”

Leddicus put his hands on his head and sighed loudly. “Julie, what are you talking about? This is not my family. And what’s the moon got to do with it?”

Julie looked wounded at the annoyance that Leddicus displayed, but Joe stepped in swiftly to rescue the situation. “This article is obviously rubbish, and Julie will be writing a very stiff letter to the paper refuting their claims, won’t you, Julie?”

Julie nodded dutifully.

“We will also be making a complaint to the press association about this glaring lie that’s been printed. Once the situation has been investigated and we are, of course, proved right, the paper will be writing a tiny apology. Then life will continue for us as usual.” He folded the paper back up and tucked it away. “But I have no doubt that other papers will quiz Gerhardt about this in the next day or so. Julie, as well as the letter to this paper, please work on a press response that we can use for any enquiries that come in Gerhardt’s direction.”

Julie nodded again, but she was looking at Leddicus with ill-concealed annoyance.

“Why would they do this?” Leddicus shot back at Joe. Concern filled his face.

“To sell more papers,” said Joe. “They print all kinds of wild accusations in the hope that they won’t be sued. You’re big news currently, a celebrity, so, of course, you’ll get singled out.”

I reached out and squeezed Leddicus shoulder. “And the good news?”

“It’s more than good. I have a full two-month tour booked for the States, the same style as you have been doing in the , colleges and universities, but the best thing is that they are paying even more than their British counterparts.”

“That is good news, marvellous in fact.” I said. The disappointment at the negative press was receding rapidly.

“You fly to early next week, and Julie will accompany you, at least for the first few days before the tour commences.”

“She will!” I was stunned.

“She will! A reputable publisher has offered us an advance for a book, and I’m reviewing the contract before we sign up, plus I’m sorting out the last details that will confirm the deal for a documentary. The film offer is still on the table, although not finalised. They are waiting to see how the book takes off, but it’s looking positive. With all of this in the offing, I need an avid note taker, and Julie is that person.”

I leaned back in my chair and gasped. “This thing is getting bigger than I ever expected!” I said to no one in particular.

Leddicus, who had been listening dispassionately while Joe briefed us, woke up and asked, “What’s getting bigger?”

“You are,” I said to him. “These are all money-making deals, and you are right in the middle of them. Are you willing to do it all?”

“Sure, I will come to this with you, and then you will all come home with me. Is that the deal?”

“Well, yes, sort of,” I said, “but, as well as the trip to the States, there is also a documentary, a book, and a film.”

Leddicus shrugged and gave a half-smile. “Okay.” His earlier irritation was forgotten.

Joe laughed aloud and patted Leddicus on the back. “So far, so good. You fly on Tuesday!” He stood up and gathered up his briefcase and phone. “I suggest you have some time out today and tomorrow. I’ll be in touch within twenty-four hours with the new contracts.” He turned to Julie. “Okay to get a ride home?”

“Sure, no problem.” She picked up her bag. “Do you want to have dinner with me tomorrow evening?” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Leddicus snapping at her, was, for some strange reason, still troubling her.

“Yes, of course,” Leddicus responded immediately, speaking as usual for both of us when it came to anything to do with Julie. If he had noticed her emotional distance, which I suspect he had, he made no mention of it.

Left alone with Leddicus, I asked, “What do you fancy doing for the rest of the day?”

“I would like to go for a walk.”

“Okay, where shall we go?”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to go alone. I need to do some thinking.” He stood up, leaving me in no doubt that he was determined to do this, said good-bye, and headed out.

I sat back and closed my eyes. My brain was whirling at the success that was visiting me. What was happening was beyond my wildest dreams. After a while, I decided to go back to my room, get the most expensive meal on the room service menu, watch a couple of films, raid the minibar, and then get an early night.

***

The e-mail read:

All in place. She will obtain the information in the next few weeks that will fill in the gaps you mentioned. We must discuss how you will obtain the material. Call me at 23:30 tomorrow night. J.

The next night Eduardo was in his usual spot, perched on his large leather office chair and hunched over his computer. His mobile, on silent, skittered slowly across the desk as it vibrated with an incoming call.

“Joseph, you are working miracles.”

“Thank you. I hope so. I have a plan on how to get the manuscript to you once it is in note form. She does not commit immediately to electronic means. She is rather old-fashioned, preferring a notebook in the early stages. Once the notes are typed up, then we must obtain them. I have just the person to get hold of them and transport them to you. All I need from you is a meeting point. The items will come to you by special courier.”

“I will work something out and let you know. Once I have the material, I am probably only a month from completion.” Eduardo hesitated. “You are sure about the contracts?”

“Trust me, my friend, have I ever let you down before?”

“Indeed no, but you know I like to get everything locked down. I like this life. I do not want any upstarts stealing it away from me.”

Joseph gave a low chuckle. “You and me both, and I am making every effort to ensure that does not happen.”

“By the way, I have changed my e-mail address and the server encryption provider. The new address is [email protected].”

“What was wrong with your old system? Have you had any breaches?”

“None, but I hear on the grapevine that some good hackers are out there. I suggest you follow suit,” Eduardo explained.

“Brilliant hackers are out there. What has this to do with you?”

“When I say good, I do not mean clever. I mean moral. They are working with law enforcers.”

“Ah, I get your drift. Right, I will look into it.”

“I suggest we go through this exercise regularly. Not a good idea to leave a trail. Now I must get on if I am to meet my self-imposed deadline. Yes, my friend, we will have dinner soon. It will be quite a celebration.”

Eduardo gently placed his phone on the desk and changed his mind about working tonight. He was not tired, his energy never seemed to abate, he decided to go for a walk. Walking in the middle of the night was comforting and peaceful, when there were no people or children, whom he found even more intolerable than adults.