Worthless Remains by Peter Helton Read Free Book Online Page A

though I had offered him maggots. ‘We had a working lunch there and then we all went on to our destinations. Some of the archaeology guys are already camping at the location.’ He tapped the side of his nose. ‘Still a secret. So anyone could have got at my bag. I had it with me at the table.’
    â€˜Not just Cy then.’
    â€˜No, but he’s the one going on about my drinking. I had one drink of that last night and felt myself slipping away.’
    â€˜Perhaps sleeping tablets then. How are you feeling now?’
    â€˜A bit slow but not too bad. Splitting headache but I took some painkillers. If I can keep the coffee down I’ll get through it. How do I look? That’s much more important.’
    Actors. ‘Nothing five minutes in make-up won’t cure,’ I said truthfully. ‘You said two thoughts occurred to you last night, what was the other one?’
    â€˜The other one,’ Middleton said as he slipped on his jacket, ‘was that since it was a thirty-six-year-old Glenfiddich and I’d paid nearly a grand for it ten years ago when I could still afford such things, I was going to try it sooner or later anyway.’
    â€˜Whoever is doing this has a fine sense of humour. Because they probably knew you would try it anyway.’
    â€˜What they wanted was to make me feel stupid. Which they succeeded in doing.’
    â€˜And they wanted you to miss a morning’s filming.’
    â€˜Which they failed to do. I’m ready. Let’s go.’ Middleton strode from his suite, head held high. I poured the biscuits into my jacket pocket and followed him.
    I drove towards the Roman Baths as fast as traffic would allow. ‘What would Cy have to gain by spiking your drink? Surely it would ruin his day as well.’
    â€˜He wants to find a good enough reason to get rid of me. He’s not exactly coy about wanting me gone; he thinks the show needs a younger presenter and preferably one with better tits. This stuff goes out in the States and the network over there put that particular flea in his ear. He’s got a few fleas of his own, naturally, like all those kids brought up on computer games.’
    â€˜Can’t he get rid of you in a legitimate way?’
    â€˜My contract is watertight. As long as I continue to deliver there’s no way they can replace me.’
    â€˜Anyone else who might like to see you gone?’
    â€˜No idea. Finding out is
your
job.’
    Was it? I was beginning to wish I had read through the contract before I signed it.
    The same monosyllabic guard let us in and I led the way downstairs. ‘Have you been here before?’ I asked Guy.
    â€˜Only as a very small kid. I barely remember it. I’ve seen it on telly though. Warm in here, isn’t it?’ The projected Romans still spooked wordlessly on walls and in niches.
    It happened just as we approached the spotlit golden head of Sulis Minerva in its narrow glass vitrine. Out went the lights with a distant bang, plunging us into total darkness. Behind me Guy sounded panicked. ‘Shit, what’s happened? Oh shit, shit, shit. Honeysett, where are you?’ He suddenly sounded very small. His groping hand found me and grabbed my leg.
    â€˜I’m here, hang on.’ I dug around in my leather jacket and laid my hands on my tiny Maglite. I pointed the feeble beam behind me. Middleton was crouching on the floor against the Plexiglas edging of the walkway. He looked genuinely scared. ‘You all right?’
    He stood up now, letting out a long breath. ‘Yes. Yes, I’m fine now, just don’t go anywhere with that torch. Terrified of dark places, is all. Always have been. Not always easy in this job. Dark outside – fine. Dark inside – panic.’
    â€˜Yes, I can see that could be a bit tricky.’
    â€˜They shoehorned me into some dark and evil Roman sewers up in York once so I could talk about Roman poo. I had nightmares for