The Hand of the Devil Read Free Page A

Gina said, patting me on the back. She slipped off the desk and started to walk away.
    ‘Right.’ I looked towards Derek’s office to see if he was on the phone. ‘But listen,’ I called out to Gina’s retreating back, ‘if he does turn out to be a nutter, I’m blaming you.’
    ‘Would I ever lead you astray?’ She sat down at her desk and began leafing through a pile of photographs.
    ‘No, I suppose not,’ I replied, getting to my feet. I went and knocked on Derek’s door.
    I might have known how he would react. He preferred the sort of story that could be researched and written in a couple of hours. This one was likely to take up the rest of that day and quite possibly the next. When I walked in he was looking out of the window, and seemed lost in thought.
    ‘Hi, Derek.’
    ‘What? Oh,’ he said, turning to me. ‘Sorry. I was . . .’
    ‘Are you OK?’ I closed the door behind me.
    ‘Yes, I’m fine. I’m just concerned about a friend of mine. We worked on a magazine together years ago. He’s been missing since last week. It’s a bit worrying.’
    ‘Oh, I hope he’s all right.’
    ‘Yes, me too.’ He sat down behind his cluttered desk. ‘Anyway,’ he said, putting the matter aside, ‘what can I do for you?’
    I showed him the letter. When he’d finished reading it he asked me a few questions about what sort of article I could make out of it. He often did this, just to make sure I was already thinking ahead. ‘Is it really worth the trip though?’
    I had the feeling that he’d already answered this question himself. Nevertheless, I tried to assure him of the story’s potential.
    ‘This guy,’ he said, his eyebrows arched in doubt, ‘he sounds like a scientist or something. Has he written in before.’
    ‘Not to my knowledge, but he sounds like he’s on the level, which makes a nice change. He doesn’t say what his profession is in the letter.’
    ‘Hmm. Well, if you want to do it, I guess it’s OK.’
    ‘Great.’ I turned to leave.
    Derek stood and went back over to the window. ‘But,’ he added, ‘even if it turns out to be another fool’s errand, bring something back, OK?’
    I looked at him for a few seconds, puzzled by what he’d said. ‘What do you mean “bring something back”?’
    ‘You know – make sure the time isn’t completely wasted. You should know by now that it’s bad practice to return to the office empty-handed, Ashley. Take some photographs of something. Fake them if you have to – just get something we can use.’
    ‘You’re not serious?’ I wasn’t sure if he was joking or not. It was hard to tell with Derek. ‘You’re the one who’s always moaning about hoaxers and time-wasters!’
    ‘I despair,’ he said, shaking his head but smiling. ‘You’re supposed to have an imagination.’
    ‘Imagination? What about integrity?’
    He just laughed. ‘Integrity, my arse. Go on, get out of my sight.’
    ‘I will. Oh – wait,’ I added, turning back. ‘Speaking of pictures, could I borrow Gina if she isn’t busy?’
    ‘No you can’t. And don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to.’
    ‘What do you mean? I’m not up to anything.’
    ‘Oh come on, I’m not blind, for God’s sake,’ he said, grinning mischievously. ‘Sorry, but I can’t spare her at the moment. You’ll have to take your own photographs.’ He sniggered as I left his office, and I couldn’t help wondering who else knew about my crush on Gina.
    It made little sense to hang around the office so I quickly typed up an urgent article that had to be finished, then made a couple of phone calls to get train times for the journey. As I left the office I passed Gina, who was on the phone. She mouthed ‘Good luck’ at me. I wished she’d been able to come too. At the very least she would have been good company.
    As I waited at the bus stop, I wondered if I should have had a look on the Internet for information on the Ganges Red. Still, Mr Mather was likely to be the