فصل 38

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Ed

His sister accompanied him to court several weeks later, on a day that woke still and hot. Ed had told his mother not to come. By then they were never sure whether it was a good idea to leave Dad for any length of time. As they crawled across London, his sister leaned forward in her taxi seat, her fingers tapping impatiently on her knee, her jaw set in a tight line. Ed felt perversely relaxed.

The courtroom was nearly empty. Thanks to the unholy combination of a particularly grisly murder at the Old Bailey, a political love scandal, and the public meltdown of a young British actress, the two-day trial had not registered as a big news story, just enough for an agency court reporter and a trainee from the Financial Times. And Ed had already pleaded guilty, against the advice of his legal team.

Deanna Lewiss claims of innocence had been somewhat undermined by the evidence of a friend, a banker, who had apparently informed her in no uncertain terms that what she was about to do was indeed insider trading. The friend was able to produce an e-mail she had sent informing Deanna as much, and one in return from Deanna accusing the friend of being “picky, “annoying, and “frankly a little too involved in my business. Dont you want me to have a chance to move forward?

Ed stood and watched the court reporter scribbling away, and the solicitors leaning in to each other, pointing to bits of paper, and it all felt rather anticlimactic.

“I am minded that you confessed your guilt and that, as far as Ms. Lewis and yourself are concerned, this appears to be isolated criminal behavior, motivated by factors other than money. This cannot be said of Michael Lewis.

The FSA, it turned out, had tracked other “suspicious trades Deannas brother had made, spread bets and options.

“It is necessary, however, that we send a signal that this kind of behavior is completely unacceptable, however it may have come about. It destroys investors confidence in the honest movement in markets, and it weakens the whole structure of our financial system. For that reason I am bound to ensure that the level of punishment is still a clear deterrent to anyone who may believe this to be a victimless crime.

Ed stood in the dock trying to work out what to do with his face and was fined £750,000 and costs, and sentenced to six months imprisonment, suspended for twelve months.

It was over.

Gemma let out a long, shuddering breath and dropped her head into her hands. Ed felt curiously numb. “Thats it? he said quietly, and she looked up at him in disbelief. A clerk opened the door of the dock and ushered him out. Paul Wilkes clapped him on the back as they emerged into the corridor.

“Thank you, Ed said. It seemed like the right thing to say.

He caught sight of Deanna Lewis in the corridor, in animated conversation with a redheaded man. He looked like he was trying to explain something to her and she kept shaking her head, cutting him off. Ed stood staring for a moment, and then, almost without thinking, walked through the throng of people and straight up to her. “I wanted to say Im sorry, he said. “If I had thought for one minute—

She spun round, her eyes widening. “Oh, fuck off, she said, her face puce with fury, and pushed past him. “You fucking loser.

The faces that had swiveled at the sound of her voice took notice of Ed, then turned away in embarrassment. Somebody sniggered. As Ed stood there, his hand still half lifted as if to make a point, he heard a voice in his ear.

“Shes not stupid, you know. She would have known she shouldnt have told her brother.

Ed turned, and there, behind him, stood Ronan. He took in his checked shirt and his thick black glasses, the computer bag slung over his shoulder, and something in him deflated with relief. “You . . . you were here all morning?

“Bit bored at the office. I thought Id come and see what a real-life court case was like.

Ed couldnt stop looking at him. “Overrated.

“Yeah. Thats what I thought.

His sister had been shaking hands with Paul Wilkes. She appeared at his side, straightening her jacket. “Right. Shall we go and ring Mum, give her the good news? She said shed leave her mobile on. If were lucky, shell have remembered to charge it. Hey, Ronan.

He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “Nice to see you, Gemma. Been a long time.

“Too long! Lets go to mine, she said, turning to Ed. “Its ages since you saw the kids. Ive got Spag Bol in the freezer we can have tonight. Hey, Ronan. You can come, too, if you like. Im sure we could add some extra pasta to the pot.

Ronans gaze slid away, as it had when he and Ed were eighteen. He kicked at something on the floor. Ed turned to his sister. “Um . . . Gem . . . would you mind if I left it? Just for today? He tried not to register the way her smile fell. “Ill definitely come another time. I just . . . theres a few things Id really like to talk to Ronan about. Its been . . .

Her gaze flickered between them. “Sure, she said brightly, pushing her fringe from her eyes. “Well. Call me. She hoisted her bag onto her shoulder, and began to make her way toward the stairs.

He yelled across the busy corridor, so that several people looked up from their papers. “Hey! Gem!

She turned, her bag under her arm.

“Thanks. For everything.

She stood there, half facing him.

“Really. I appreciate it.

She nodded, a ghost of a smile. And then she was gone, lost in the crowds on the stairwell.

“So. Um. Fancy a drink? Ed tried not to sound pleading. He wasnt sure he was entirely successful. “Im buying.

Ronan let it hang there. Just for a second. The bastard. “Well, in that case . . .

—

It was Eds mother who had once told him that real friends were the kind where you pick up where youd left off, whether it be a week since youd seen each other or two years. Hed never had enough friends to test it. He and Ronan nursed pints of beer across a wobbling wooden table in the busy pub, a little awkwardly at first, and then increasingly freely, the familiar jokes popping up between them like Whac-a-Moles, targets to be hit, with discreet pleasure. Ed felt as if he had been untethered for months and someone had finally tugged him in to land. He found himself watching his friend surreptitiously his laugh, his enormous feet, the way he slumped over, even at a pub table, as if peering into a screen. And those things he hadnt seen about him before how he laughed more easily his new, designer-framed glasses a kind of quiet confidence. When he opened his wallet to pull out some cash, Ed caught a glimpse of a photograph of a girl, beaming into his credit cards.

“So . . . hows Soup Girl?

“Karen? Shes good. He smiled. “Shes good. Actually, were moving in together.

“Wow. Already?

He looked up almost defiantly. “Its been six months. And with rental prices as they are in London, those not-for-profit soup charities dont exactly make a fortune.

“Thats great, Ed stuttered. “Fantastic news.

“Yeah. Well. Its good. Shes great. Im really happy.

They sat there, silent for a moment. Hed had his hair cut, Ed noticed. And that was a new jacket. “Im really pleased for you, Ronan. I always thought you two were great together.

“Thanks.

He smiled at him, and Ronan smiled back, pulling a face, like all this happiness stuff was a bit embarrassing.

Ed stared at his pint, trying not to feel left behind while his oldest friend was sailing on to a happier, brighter future. Around them the pub was filling up with end-of-the-day office workers. He had a sudden sense of limited time, of the importance of laying things out, straight, in front of him.

“Im sorry, Ed said.

“What?

“About everything. About Deanna Lewis. I dont know why I did it. His voice emerged as a croak. “I hate how Ive messed things up. I mean, Im sad about the job, yes, but mostly Im just gutted that I messed us up. He couldnt look at Ronan, yet he felt lighter having said it.

Ronan took a swig of his drink. “Dont worry. Ive thought about it a lot these past months and, while I kind of dont want to admit it, theres a good chance that if Deanna Lewis had come on to me I would have done the same. A rueful smile. “It was Deanna Lewis.

They sat in silence. Ronan leaned back in his chair. He bent a beer mat into two, and then into four. “You know . . . its been kind of interesting with you not being there anymore, he said finally. “It made me understand something. I dont much like working at Mayfly. I liked it better when it was just you and me. All the Suits, the profit-and-loss stuff, shareholders, its not me. Its not what I liked about it. Its not why we started it.

“Me, too.

“I mean the endless meetings . . . having to run ideas past marketing people even to proceed with basic code. Having to justify every hours activity. You know they want to bring in time sheets for everyone? Actual time sheets?

Ed waited.

“Youre not missing much, I tell you. Ronan shook his head, as if he had something more to say but felt he shouldnt.

“Ronan?

“Yeah?

“I had this idea. This last week or two. About a new piece of software. Ive been fiddling around, working on a piece of predictive software—really simple stuff—that will help people plan their finances. A sort of spreadsheet for people who dont like spreadsheets. For people who dont know how to handle money. It would have alerts that pop up whenever the user was about to incur a charge from their bank. It would have an option calculation to show how much different interest charges would add up to over a set period of time. Nothing too complicated. I was thinking its the kind of thing they could give away at a Citizens Advice Bureau.

“Interesting.

“It would need to be able to fit cheap computers. Software that might be a few years old. And cheaper mobile phones. Im not sure it would make much money, but its just something that Ive been thinking about. Ive outlined it. But . . .

Ronan was thinking. Ed could see his mind working away, already chewing over the parameters.

“The thing is, it would need someone who is really good at coding. To build it.

Ronan kept his eyes on his pint, his face neutral. “You know you cant come back to Mayfly, right?

Ed nodded. His best friend since college. “Yeah. I know.

Ronan met his eyes and suddenly they were both grinning.