“A long time ago, Sam. A very long time ago.”
Sam exhales sharply and walks a few paces off, as though trying to calm himself. I’m watching, agog, not daring even to breathe.
“So you side with them,” he says at last.
“It’s not a question of siding. You know my affection for Nick.” She’s looking more and more uncomfortable. “But this is a modern business. Not some quirky family firm. We owe it to our backers, our clients, our staff—”
“Jesus Christ, Vicks. Listen to yourself.”
There’s a sharp silence. Neither of them is looking at the other. Vicks’s face is creased and troubled-looking. Sam’s hair is more rumpled than ever, and he looks absolutely furious.
I feel a bit stunned by the intensity in the room. I always thought being in PR sounded like a fun job. I had no idea it was like this.
“Vicks.” The unmistakable drawl of Justin Cole hits the air, and a moment later he’s in the room, wafting Fahrenheit and satisfaction. “Got this under control, have you?”
“The lawyers are on it. We’re just drafting a press statement.” She gives him a tight smile.
“Because, for the sake of the company, we need to be careful that none of the other directors are tainted with these unfortunate … views. You know what I’m saying?”
“It’s all in hand, Justin.”
From Vicks’s sharp tone, I’m guessing she doesn’t like Justin any more than Sam does.77
“Great. Of course, very unfortunate for Sir Nicholas. Great shame.” Justin looks delighted. “Still, he is getting on now—
“He is not getting on.” Sam scowls at Justin. “You really are an arrogant little shit.”
“Temper, temper!” Justin says pleasantly. “Oh, tell you what, Sam. Let’s send him an e-card.”
“Fuck you.”
“Guys!” Vicks sounds close to the edge.
I can totally understand now why Sam was talking about victories and camps. The aggression between these two is brutal. They’re like those stags who fight every fall until they wrench each other’s antlers off.
Justin shakes his head pityingly—his expression changing briefly to surprise as he clocks me in the corner—then saunters out again.
“That memo is a smear,” Sam says in a low, furious voice. “It’s planted. Justin Cole knows it and he’s behind it.”
“What?” Vicks sounds at the end of her tether. “Sam Roxton, you do not go around saying things like that! You’ll sound like a conspiracy nutter.”
“It was a Different. Fucking. Memo.” Sam sounds like he’s beyond exasperation with the whole world. “I saw the original version. Malcolm saw it. There was no talk of bribes. Now it’s disappeared from the whole computer system. No trace. Explain that and then call me a conspiracy nutter.”
“I can’t explain it,” says Vicks after a pause. “And I’m not even going to try. I’m going to do my job.”
“Someone did this. You know it. You’re playing right into their hands, Vicks. They’re smearing Nick and you’re letting them.”
“No. No. Stop.” Vicks is shaking her head. “I’m not playing this game. I don’t get involved.” She walks over to the wastepaper basket, retrieves the crumpled statement, and spreads it out.
“I can change a detail or two,” she says. “But I’ve spoken to Bruce and we have to go with this.” She holds out a pen. “You want to make any small amendments? Because Julian is on his way right now to approve it.”
Sam ignores the pen.
“What if we find the original memo? What if we can prove this one is a fake?”
“Great!” There’s a sudden edge to her voice. “Then we release it, Nick’s integrity is saved, and we throw a party. Believe me, Sam, I would like nothing more than that. But we have to work with what we have. Which, right now, is a damaging memo we can’t explain away.” Vicks rubs her face, then screws her fists in her eyes. “This morning I was trying to cover up that embarrassment with the drunken post-guy,” she mutters, almost to herself. “I was worried about that. ”
She really shouldn’t do that. She’s giving herself bags under her eyes.
“When does the statement go out?” says Sam at length. All his tempestuous energy seems to have dissipated. His shoulders have slumped and he sounds so low I almost want to go and give him a hug.
“That’s the one bright ray.” Vicks’s voice is softer now, as though she wants to treat him gently in his defeat. “They’re keeping it for the ten o’clock, so we have a good six hours or so to play with.”
“A lot can happen in six hours,” I volunteer timidly, and both of them jump as though scalded.
“ She’s still here?”
“Poppy.” Even Sam looks taken aback. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea you’d still be here—”
“She heard all that?” Vicks looks like she wants to hit someone. “Sam, are you out of your mind ?”
“I won’t say anything!” I say hurriedly. “Promise.”
“OK.” Sam breathes out. “My mistake. Poppy, this isn’t your fault; I was the one who invited you. I’ll find someone to escort you out.” He leans his head out of his office door. “Stephanie? Borrow you a sec?”
A few moments later a pleasant-looking girl with long blond hair arrives at the office.