H) Chapter 7

7.
The Serpentine building was a nondescript nine-storey needle that
thrust its drab insolence into the sky without shame. It was exactly
the kind of characterless office building that both Lance and Richard
had tried hard to avoid having to work in. Both were agreed that though
they had no special love for their current occupations, they were
prepared to stay in them until the end of time if it meant avoiding a
nine to five in a place like the Serpentine. Richard had worked an
extended period in a data entry job one summer. He still felt
psychologically scarred.
Nevertheless the course of their investigation into The New
Eschatologist necessitated entering the building. They both took deep
breaths of the outside air and shuffled into the revolving doors. Once
inside they scanned the building's inventory list for 'Fourier
publishing.'

'It's not there' moaned Richard disconsolately.

'Hold on,' said Lance, scanning the list for a third time.

'It's not there' Richard insisted.

'Fine,' Lance agreed finally, 'Go and ask that man on reception over
there.'

Richard grimaced and cowered a little, 'Can't you do it? You know I
don't like talking to strangers.'

Lance groaned and approached the reception desk. Behind it sat an
elegantly coiffured young man dressed in a suit and tie and wearing a
microphone headset. He looked far too well-dressed to be a
receptionist, Lance thought. He struck up his most friendly, inquiring
tone and asked 'Excuse me, I'm trying to find the offices of Fourier
publishing, do you know where they might be?'

The man was about to reply when Lance felt someone tap him on the back.
Turning round he met the gaze of a professional young woman with short
blond hair and a wide smile that displayed a set of perfect teeth so
white they could almost cause snow blindness. 'Are you my five o'clock?
Mr. Harvey?' she began tentatively in a transatlantic drawl.

Instinctively arching his left eyebrow Lance replied, 'Yes, yes I
am.'
'Great, good. I'm Ms.Bennett, I'll be representing Fourier for the
sale. Well then let's get going. The offices are on the sixth floor.'
She began to lead him over to a lift. He followed her, motioning
quickly for Richard to follow too. He needed backup, such reckless
daring-do was making him feel ill.

'This is my associate,' he announced, gesturing towards a terrified
Richard once they were in the lift. 'Mr?. Lee.'

Richard half-raised a hand in salutation, but since the situation was
making him feel intensely nauseated he decided it would be best if he
kept in the background. The lift began to ascend.

'So, what makes you interested in setting up an office here, if you
don't mind me asking Mr.Harvey?'

'Ummmm?' Lance began to perspire horribly, and tried desperately to
remember his GCSE geography. 'Central location.' He announced a few
moments later. 'Good transport links?.nearness of raw materials.'

Ms.Bennett turned to him, confused, 'Your company works in insurance,
doesn't it?'

'Amongst?other things.'

The lift door pinged open. They had arrived. 'Follow me.' Said
Ms.Bennett, leading the way.
She led them down several dark, grey corridors and through a set of
security doors into an empty office space. It was dark outside now so
she had to turn the lights on.

'Well, this is the main room here,' she announced, striding into the
bare room as the fluorescent tubes flickered half-heartedly into life.
'As you can see there is plenty of space, a real superabundance of
electrical outlets, and large windows to let in plenty of natural
light. Those will be cleaned before you move in?should you decide
to.'

Lance pulled Richard forward and pretended to inspect the room.
'Yes?it's very nice,' he began tentatively, 'Tell me again, what
company used to be based here?'

'Fourier publishing.' Replied Ms.Bennett, swivelling around on her
high heels and looking suspiciously at the two prospective
buyers.

'Yes, so how is?.Mr.Fourier doing these days?' asked Lance a few
minutes later whilst kneeling down to inspect a wall socket.

'You mean Ms.Fourier?'

'Ah yes! Of course.' Lance replied quickly, pretending to laugh at his
mistake. 'I think I met her once you know?or it may have been someone
else I?'

'Oh you'd know if you met Lucy,' Ms Bennett asserted, 'She's striking.
She has such lovely jet black hair. Really she?anyway, on with the tour
I think. Come along I'll show you the main meeting room.'

Richard grabbed Lance by the elbow and hissed, 'It's her, it has to
be.'

'Who?'

'The woman who handed the book back to me - the dark-haired woman. It
must be her.' Richard felt his heart straining at the very thought of
the woman.

'Are you sure?' asked Lance.

'Yes.'

'Are you coming?' called Ms.Bennett from the other room, 'I really
would like to be finishing up here in a short while if that isn't too
much bother.'

'Yes of course,' called Lance, and dragging Richard along with him he
followed Ms.Bennett into the meeting room.

'There's a smaller room adjunct to the kitchen that you can also use,
but this would be the primary meeting space for the office. As you can
see again, several electrical outlets for OHPs and so forth, a
whiteboard and projector screen should you need them?'

'So, why did Ms.Fourier, I mean why did the company decided to leave
this place? It seems?great.' Lance asked innocently.

'She decided to close the company.'

'Not doing very well?'

'That's really not my business to ask Mr.Harvey. I believe they had
achieved what they set out to do and felt no further need to
continue.'

'What kind of books?did they publish?'

Ms.Bennett appeared somewhat confused that her clients seemed more
interested in the office's previous occupiers than the actual office
space itself, but nevertheless she appeared to answer their questions
as best she could.

'I don't really know Mr.Harvey to be honest. Nothing with any great
circulation. I understand they were rather specialist. Whatever they
set out to do they finished doing it about a month ago, and then
contacted me to arrange a sale.'

'Where did they print their books?'

'Somewhere foreign, I imagine.'

'Mmmmm,' Lance murmured, remembering he was supposed to be interested
in buying the office and looking around the room appraisingly.

'And is there any way we could, perhaps, arrange a meeting with
Ms.Fourier, just do discuss terms?'

'No, absolutely not.' Ms.Bennett asserted with authority, 'All matters
relating to the sale are to be conducted through me. Besides, I believe
Ms.Fourier is out of the country on business and quite unreachable at
the moment.'

'Really?' Lance rapped his fist against one of the walls and tried to
look interested.

'Those walls are only partition you know. They can all be
moved.'

'Yes, yes I think so.' Lance agreed, smiling. 'Well, I think I've seen
enough.'

'I haven't shown you the kitchen, or the store cupboard?'

'I think we've seen enough.' Lance concluded, smiling politely and
bringing his hands together. 'Thankyou for your time,' he reached out a
hand to Ms.Bennett, and they shook on it. She looked even more confused
now. 'We'll have our people talk to your people and get this?show on
the road.'

'Have them talk to me, to me.' She replied sternly, her sharp eyes
locked on the retreating Lance and Richard with distrust.

'We'll do that,' replied Lance, and they headed for the lift.
Once outside Richard berated Lance for not pressing Ms.Bennett
further.
'We couldn't press her any further!' Lane insisted indignantly, 'She
was getting suspicious. Besides, you heard her, this mystery woman of
yours has left the country.'

They stood outside in the cold, dark evening and tried to think of the
best course of action to follow next. With the publishers having
disappeared and there being no clear way of finding the elusive
Ms.Fourier Lance understood that they may have to change tack at least
for the moment. The other obvious line of enquiry appeared to him to be
the library.