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‘I wouldn’t trust the little shit as far as I could throw him, but I can’t see how it benefits him to lie to me about this.’
‘Here’s another question. Do you know which factory the bricks we use come from?’
‘No idea. Should I?’
‘I think you should, because it’s one of the many mysteries of the Bitch Queen.’
‘Tell me more.’
‘When the council grants planning permission for developments like this, one of the things they consider is sustainability.’
‘Right.’ I’m not sure where this is going, but I am sure Noah is leading up to a point.
‘I happen to know that one of the conditions of planning permission was that the bricks had to be a particular style, sourced from Kent. I also know that the factory that was chosen is in Sittingbourne.’
‘And you’re telling me this because?’
‘Because, if I were you, I’d want to double-check that our friends at Williamsons hadn’t shat on us again. You know, just out of interest.’
‘You suspect the cock-up might be at their end?’
‘What do you think?’
‘I think it’s worth finding out a bit more, you’re right. Do you know the name of the factory?’
‘As it happens, I do.’
A few minutes later, I’ve dialled the number.
‘Kent Bricks, Colin speaking, how may I help?’
‘Hello, Colin. This is Ella from the Atkinson Construction site in Ashford. I’ve just had a call from our suppliers, Williamsons in Leeds, to tell me that there’s been a mix-up with the orders, and you can’t supply the bricks we need for two weeks. Would you happen to know anything about that?’
‘I wouldn’t off the top of my head, sorry,’ he replies. ‘Do you know what type of brick it was?’
‘I don’t, I’m afraid. I gather the planning permission specified a particular type, but Williamsons dealt with all of that.’
‘No problem, I can look up the order history easily enough. Are you OK to hold for a moment?’
‘I wonder whether you’re right,’ I say to Noah as ‘Pachelbel’s Canon’ plays tinnily down the line to me. ‘This doesn’t sound like the kind of outfit to lose an order. They sound much more clued-up than Williamsons do.’
‘Hi, Ella, are you still there?’ Colin’s voice enquires a minute or so later.
‘I am.’
‘It’s a bit odd, this one. We were expecting the order and the bricks are ready, but we had a call from someone at Williamsons saying that you were running behind schedule and asking if we could hold on for a couple of weeks. Does that help?’
‘It certainly does,’ I tell him, grimly. ‘Out of interest, if I can get the paperwork cleared, how quickly could you get them to us?’
‘Do you have a haulier lined up?’
‘I don’t, I’m afraid. Are there any that you use regularly?’
‘I’d call Gavin at Sittingbourne Logistics if I were you. He’s done all your deliveries so far. If he’s got the lorries and the drivers, you can have them as soon as you like.’
‘When you say, “as soon as I like”, what do you mean?’
‘I think you’ll struggle to get them on a truck today, but I’d be surprised if Gavin couldn’t get them to you tomorrow.’
