Chapter 62

Eric McBride was now a trusted member of the government. The members of Salter's coterie and the man himself praised and encouraged him. It was a bitter sweet pill for Eric who was getting closer to his goal, but was losing the respect of other ministers. He had to bide his time until the truth about his beliefs was revealed.

As he was heading to his office, he heard someone calling his name.

"Eric, can I have a moment of your time."

Alastair was practically running to catch up with him which was a peculiar sight. He was a large man who usually walked with a slow waddle. He waited to hear what had prompted him to jog.

He was being invited to a gathering of the chosen by Nicholas Salter. They would be meeting at a small hotel for a meal and then entertainment. The word "entertainment" was accompanied by a wink. Eric felt himself shudder at the gesture and at the thought of what that might mean.

This was a private party Alastair emphasised. Eric was told that he was not to discuss his invitation with anyone else.

"I know that it is a great honour for you to be invited, but keep it quiet. Don't be tempted to impress your friends by showing off about it."

"Of course not." Eric mumbled about being busy and sped away.

As if he would tell anyone that he had now been totally accepted by the rotten inner core of the OWG. Eric did not want to "show off" about being one of Salter's puppets. It did make him wonder why such secrecy was needed. What was going to happen at the party? He would report this to Daniel.

"I've been invited to some sort of party by Salter and his gang. I'm not entirely sure what this entails, but, knowing them, it will involve something seedy. This might be the chance we've been waiting for."

Dan considered what he had been told by his father-in-law. At the very least there would be drinking at the party and that would mean that the attendees would let their guard down. These were men used to luxury and excess and he thought that they would be given free reign at a country hotel away from the public gaze.

Ryan had joined him and Eric to discuss the possibilities of this opportunity. Dan and Sebastien had been working on the spy gadgets and these would now be used by Eric at the party. If something untoward happened, there they might be able to get it on film or on audio tape. Dan had some pieces of kit which would be ideal for this purpose.

Before he set off for the party Eric visited his son in law's home. As well as seeing his grandchildren he was able to collect the items Dan had prepared for him. The first of which was a camera which had been hidden in a fob watch. It would be easily to hand whenever he needed it.

The winder on the watch was depressed to take a picture and then used to wind the film on. It would take a photo in reasonable light but there was no way to focus the lens. Dan suggested that if he saw something of interest Eric should take a number of shots. The next thing he was given was a small rectangular box. It contained a tape recorder.

"The microphone is hidden in a cufflink. A wire runs up the sleeve of a shirt from the cufflink and then back down to the unit which is clipped to a belt. Eric, you'll be wearing a waistcoat and jacket which should cover up the box. You simply have to reach to your side and press a button to start the machine."

Eric was not nervous about his role at the party. He was delighted to be able to finally be doing something positive. He had spent a long time, creeping to Salter and his gang. He was now getting a chance to begin the fight back. He practiced using the recorder and the camera. He would not have to look for the buttons or scrabble about. He would be able to smoothly operate his spy equipment.

An official car picked Eric up from his home and took him to the hotel on the edge of District 31. The building was down a long drive surrounded by countryside. It was a small place in a discreet location. He approached the party with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. He was fitted out with his spy wear and was ready to use it.

He entered the hotel's foyer and his overcoat was taken by an attractive girl in an evening dress. Eric was shown into the dining room and what he saw was amazing. Tables had been placed down one side of the room. Smaller coffee tables were scattered around the rest of the space with comfortable armchairs around them. It had the air of a gentleman's club.

The staggering thing was the opulence and variety of food heaped on the tables. There was more there than the partygoers could possibly eat. It was a display of wealth just for the sake of it. Their avarice and gluttony were being celebrated. The second thing that Eric took in were the scantily clad waitresses serving drinks.

In a world where no woman wore a skirt that was shorter than midcalf, the outfits were startling. Eric became aware that he was gawping open mouthed. The tiny dresses were low cut and so short that when a waitress bent over her underwear was revealed. Once he was sat down he feared that one girl's breasts would fall out when she leant over him.

Nicholas Salter was there as were Alastair Barton and the other members of the inner cabinet. There were a few other government ministers, the ones Eric had expected, and the others were high ranking civil servants and army officers. All of them were aged over 50. A lot of them were overweight from gorging on fine foods. Some were ruddy of face from years of drinking. These men were the leaders of the world and they were revolting.

He turned down a glass of champagne. Eric was also offered the finest brandy and other spirits. He settled for a glass of wine as the least intoxicating option available. He needed to keep his wits about him to ensure that he gathered as much evidence as possible. He counted the number of people in attendance and noted that, including him, 28 were there. He new a lot of them, but he would be finding out the names of those he didn't recognise.

The table full of food was the focus for Eric. He took a few photographs from different angles. The profligacy was obscene. That alone would enrage people. He joined a table of people he knew and almost immediately he had to start recording. The conversation was interesting in a disturbing way.

"I mustn't eat too much too early. Last time I couldn't really enjoy the entertainment because I could hardly move." A fat civil servant chuckled as he made his declaration.

"Old Jackson was sick over one of the girls I heard. That was all the drink though." Everyone laughed at that. What the hell was Eric going to see later.

There was more drinking than eating meaning that the men got rowdier as the evening progressed. The waitresses in the tiny skirts were regularly groped and fondled as they delivered drinks to tables. They were all adept at extricating themselves from the clutches of the dirty old men. Eric got a good shot of one of the inner cabinet with his hand up a girl's dress.

Nicholas Salter sat off to one side. He was presiding over the festivities like a Roman emperor. He was not over indulging in food or alcohol. He had not manhandled any of the women. Eric hoped that he would loosen up and do something that he could take a picture of. So far it had been pretty much what he had expected.

Alastair found Eric and asked him if he was enjoying the event. Eric was suitably enthusiastic about the party. The inner cabinet member smiled at him and then leaned closer.

"Of course, this is just the preliminaries. There is more fun to be had upstairs. You will find anything you want up there. Girls, boys, whatever." The odious wink made its appearance and Eric grinned and nodded whilst his stomach churned.

He did not want to partake in the extracurricular activities but he had to go and investigate. An hour later Eric went to the foyer and one of the women in evening dresses took his arm and led him to the stairs.

"What would you like?" she asked. He said that he wanted to see what was on offer. The next hour would stay imprinted on his mind for all the wrong reasons.