Chapter 31
Ore
It was game on. She had no time to mess around anymore. Henry hadn’t been forceful on the phone but he had made himself clear. No article, no staff job. She’d let herself get distracted by Daniel, and where his loyalties lay, as though it wasn’t damned obvious that they resided firmly with the billionaire paying his wages. She needed to stop trying to be everyone’s friend and buckle up. He could report back to Chuck if he wanted; she’d deal with that when the time came.
‘So, Carlos, thanks for speaking to me. First of all are you happy to go on the record or is this on background?’
Carlos shrugged, opened his mouth to say something then seemed to decide better of it and instead said, ‘Let’s play it safe and say on background.’
It was to be expected, thought Ore. ‘Right, OK, well let’s start nice and easy. How did you end up working for Chuck?’
‘It’s a very long story …’ Carlos began, and he was right, it was. It started with his childhood in Beirut and ended with him living hand to mouth as a private chef in Paris. That was where he happened across one particularly rich-seeming guest.
‘What do you mean by “rich-seeming”?’ Ore probed, having surmised that he was talking about Chuck.
‘Oh you know, he was dressed terribly, and in Paris if you’re being invited to those kinds of private functions, and you turn up wearing cargo shorts, you must have the bank account to compensate, you know. And then there was the fact that he was an American, and everyone around the table was French, but speaking in English, just for him! Imagine!’ Carlos was so animated, Ore couldn’t help but giggle.
‘And so after dinner, while the Parisians were on the balcony smoking, I went and spoke to Mr Regas, and he complimented me on the food, and well, as you say, the rest is history.’
‘And what do you think of Mr Regas now? Is he a good boss?’ Ore held her pen poised over her notebook, anxious that Carlos was about to clam up, as the others had done.
‘He is a fine boss – like most rich people he can afford to be nice, most of the time, you know what I mean?’ Carlos paused, his question not rhetorical, it seemed.
‘Not really …’ Ore wanted to know more.
Carlos rolled his eyes at what he saw as Ore’s naivety. ‘He does not need to shout at people to get them to do what he wants. Everyone understands the power of money implicitly. It is like the cargo shorts, you see – he has nothing to prove, because the billions in his bank account do the talking.’ Carlos leant back, seemingly very pleased with his insight.
Ore furrowed her brow and waited for him to feel the need to further explain himself. He took the bait.
‘So for example, the other captain, Mr Regas never asked her to give Mr Claude a private tour. Claude said he would like a tour and then Captain Annie, she offered, and Mr Regas only said that that was very thoughtful of her, but I am sure he knew that Mr Claude is a … a pushy man.’
Ore tried to keep her expression composed, as though Carlos had not just said out loud what everyone else seemed to have been whispering behind her back since she arrived on the boat. Maybe it was the cramped quarters but she was sure she could feel Daniel tense up behind her. She soldiered on before Carlos caught on that he was overstepping.
With an even tone she asked, ‘And what happened to Captain Annie in the end?’ Without Vicky in the room, Ore was determined to make the most of Carlos’ loose lips.
‘Well she had to go. Claude is one of the biggest investors for Mr Regas as you know.’ Ore nodded as if she did; she didn’t want to spook Carlos, as she furiously took notes. ‘So when he tried it on, I think Annie had a bit of a … uh … struggle on her hands.’ Carlos looked down as he said this, visibly upset. Ore felt bad for digging, but that was the job, so she leant forward, laid a hand softly on his and waited for him to recover himself.
‘She ran down to the mess actually and Vicky was there, and then Dudley and myself got there too. Then she went straight to report it to Agatha. I think Annie thought that she could speak woman to woman.’ Carlos huffed indignantly at the memory. ‘Of course Agatha went straight to Mr Regas.’
Daniel coughed loudly from behind Ore, and she knew that her time was running short. ‘And then what happened?’
‘Oh well, she was made to sign a DNA … no … what do you call it … damn …’
Carlos waved his hands around agitatedly and Ore interrupted impatiently. ‘An NDA?’
Carlos clapped his hands excitedly, the sound reverberating around the cramped space and making Ore jump. ‘Aha! Yesthat is it, an NDA, and then twenty-four hours later she was flown off the boat.’ He shrugged and then his expression dulled and he suddenly looked sad.
Ore had one more question: ‘Thanks for sharing that with me, Carlos. I just have one more question for you, doesKlaupartenmean anything to you?’ For the first time during the interview Carlos looked wary. He shot a look over Ore’s shoulder in Daniel’s direction but whatever response he got seemed to reassure him.
‘I am not totally sure, but from what I can gather … and this is off of the record as you say?’ Carlos was getting nervy.
Ore nodded emphatically.
‘It is the name of Claude’s company, although I am not sure what it is. It seems to make him very much money. That is all I can say. I really must be getting on now!’
And with that the interview was over, but Ore was buzzing. It was the most headway she’d made since she got on the boat. ‘Thank you so much, Carlos, I really appreciate it.’
‘Yes, yes no problem. I will show you out; I have prep to do.’ Carlos ushered them out of the office and back through the kitchen. Once they were standing in the corridor with the door still swinging, Daniel turned to Ore.
