The Tooth Tattoo(20)

‘The Staccati.’

Mel’s skin prickled. The Staccati had been an international name. He owned some of their recordings. The only reason he’d overlooked them when he’d racked his brain for likely quartets was that nothing had been heard of them recently. Their great period was five or six years back. They’d been in demand at all the great music festivals across the world. ‘I know about you, of course, but never had the pleasure of hearing you in concert.’

‘We do most of our playing abroad,’ Ivan said. ‘You’re able to travel, are you?’

‘I enjoy it.’

‘You won’t when it seems never-ending, one hotel after the next.’

‘The best deal is a residency,’ Cat said. ‘A few paid months in one place. Time to chill out, go shopping, get your hair done and find the hottest clubs in town. Heaven.’

‘We give a fixed number of concerts and do some teaching,’ Ivan said. ‘It isn’t all about self-indulgence.’

‘Listen to him talking,’ Cat said. ‘Who was always in the park playing chess with the old men?’

Mel said, ‘How soon would you want me to make a decision?’

‘Yesterday isn’t soon enough,’ Cat said. ‘We need to be concert-ready when Doug swings into action and gets us some gigs. Let’s talk about repertoire. Any obvious blind spots?’

‘I wish I knew more contemporary music.’

‘Put it there, buddy. We stop at Schoenberg.’

‘I haven’t specialised in quartet music. I had to work hard at this.’

‘You think we were playing off the cuff? I haven’t watched TV all week. You can play. You should have heard some of the others.’

‘Your standard is very high.’

‘Bollocks.’ She pointed her bow at Ivan. ‘What do you say, Rasputin? Do we give it a whirl with Mel on full membership?’

A sigh. ‘Very well.’

‘Anthony?’

Anthony managed a nod.

‘He’s easy,’ Cat said. ‘Why don’t we call in Doug and start on the salmon sandwiches?’


The deal was sealed. A verbal agreement would do, Doug said. And, just as Ivan had promised, Mel would earn one-fifth of the profits. The only undertaking he had to give was that the quartet’s engagements had priority over everything short of acute appendicitis.

‘And what if the original violist turns up?’

‘I wouldn’t worry about Harry,’ Doug said in his nonchalant way. ‘He’s history. Nice man, wonderful musician, but out of the picture now.’

Years of working in an insecure profession had toughened Mel. ‘Sorry. If I’m going to give up all my freelance work I need more of a guarantee.’

‘I’ll speak to the talent.’

‘They said full membership. Can I take that as permanent?’

‘If they already agreed, yes.’

‘Then it has your approval?’

‘Let’s shake on it.’ His grip reinforced the pact.

Mel still felt he had a right to know more. ‘Has Harry ever gone missing before this?’

‘Missing? No. They all go their own ways in free time on tour. They don’t live in each other’s pockets. The embassy kept asking us where he was supposed to have gone that evening and nobody knew. Ghastly time. We had to bring in a local musician to play the viola part in the last three concerts and he wasn’t terribly good. I was forced to cancel the rest of the tour. Endless wrangling with the Hungarians over breach of contract and compensation claims. Made my life hell. If Harry had turned up at that point I’d cheerfully have shot him. Have another sandwich.’

‘So will you make it clear to the others that I’m the permanent replacement?’

‘Absolutely.’

Mel raised another concern. ‘Won’t it be difficult getting engagements after so long?’

A shake of the head. ‘The name still has plenty of currency.’

‘They want to change the name.’

Doug almost dropped the plate. ‘Who does?’

Some inner censor stopped Mel from naming anyone. ‘You’d better ask them. Personally, I’d be proud to join the Staccati.’

But Doug wasn’t there to hear the last words. He was striding across the room to speak to Ivan.


The clash of wills was won by Doug. They would continue to be known as the Staccati Quartet. Once again, Cat waded in with a wisecrack: ‘Staccato is all about sharp, disconnected notes and no four people are more disconnected than we are.’ The dynamics of the group were becoming clearer. Ivan was not so dominant as he had first appeared. Cat could undermine him with her streetwise humour. Anthony allowed the others to make all the running, but might yet pounce. For the time being, Doug was the decision-maker.