under to deliver?’
‘You mentioned someone she went to drama school with, the friend she asked you to cast in your latest project. Tell me about him.’
‘There’s nothing to tell. Dirk’s a fool. He’s the reason we argued in the first place. If it hadn’t been for that idiot –’
‘Why was she so keen for you to give him a part?’
Piers didn’t answer. He stared stubbornly at his hands, frowning.
‘W hat was their relationship?’ Geraldine persisted, interested that he had clammed up so suddenly.
‘There is no relationship, there wasn’t, not since I met her.’
‘And before that?’
‘Before that they were together for a while, while they were students. It was all a long time ago and it never meant anything.’
Geraldine sat forward in her chair.
‘Did it bother you that she remained friends with her ex?’
‘They weren’t friends, not exactly. They’d known each other at drama school, but they hadn’t kept in touch, at least not until he wanted to use her to contact me. She was too innocent to understand what he was playing at. I’ve seen it all so many times before.’
‘So you didn’t mind her keeping in touch with an ex-boyfriend who was her own age?’
‘His age didn’t bother me. Why should it? Do you think someone of my stature would be threatened by a talentless young fool who thinks he has some divine right to be turned into a star? Anna was –’
Unexpectedly, he broke off and buried his face in his hands. His shoulders shook with silent tears. Geraldine was reassured by the sight of his distress. His calm reaction to the death of his girl friend had been unnaturally self-controlled until then.
Chapter 10
O N S UNDAY MORNING, G ERALDINE rang Zak’s door bell. She had told Sam she wouldn’t need her for this visit. If Piers’ son had anything interesting to tell them, she would pursue that line of questioning with the sergeant beside her at the station. This was just an initial encounter. Zak had a key to the van that had killed Anna, and she felt a rush of adrenaline as a drowsy voice answered her summons. Every person associated with the case was a potential suspect. If she only kept looking for long enough, widening the circle of people she questioned, sooner or later she would come across the right person. If Senior Investigating Officer Reg Milton was right, they had already met him. The key to it all was recognising the killer when they found him.
‘W ho the hell is it? What do you want? It’s Sunday morning.’
There was a very long pause after Geraldine introduced herself.
‘What’s that you said?’ the voice asked at last.
Geraldine repeated her introduction.
‘Can’t you come back later or something? I’m not even up.’
‘I’m afraid this can’t wait.’
‘What the hell. Oh, hang on then.’
There was some muffled swearing and then the voice asked her, very politely, if she wouldn’t mind waiting for a moment. She guessed he wanted time to put on some clothes and stash whatever drugs he kept in his flat. Finally the buzzer sounded and she went in.
T he accommodation was hardly what she would have expected of student digs. Piers had bought the flat as in investment, or perhaps as a liberal gift for his twenty-year-old son. Either way, Zak was living in a smart brand new one bedroomed flat in central London, a couple of minutes from Kings Cross station, and barely ten minutes’ walk from his college. Geraldine felt a flicker of envy as the lift rose swiftly and silently, leaving her in a carpeted corridor that looked as though it had just been painted. She could imagine what Sam would have to say about it. Perhaps unconsciously Geraldine hadn’t wanted to bring the sergeant to Zak’s flat, because she suspected it might prejudice the sergeant against the young man. After all, he could hardly be reproached for taking advantage of his father’s generosity. She wondered what his fellow students made of his good fortune. She guessed
‘You mentioned someone she went to drama school with, the friend she asked you to cast in your latest project. Tell me about him.’
‘There’s nothing to tell. Dirk’s a fool. He’s the reason we argued in the first place. If it hadn’t been for that idiot –’
‘Why was she so keen for you to give him a part?’
Piers didn’t answer. He stared stubbornly at his hands, frowning.
‘W hat was their relationship?’ Geraldine persisted, interested that he had clammed up so suddenly.
‘There is no relationship, there wasn’t, not since I met her.’
‘And before that?’
‘Before that they were together for a while, while they were students. It was all a long time ago and it never meant anything.’
Geraldine sat forward in her chair.
‘Did it bother you that she remained friends with her ex?’
‘They weren’t friends, not exactly. They’d known each other at drama school, but they hadn’t kept in touch, at least not until he wanted to use her to contact me. She was too innocent to understand what he was playing at. I’ve seen it all so many times before.’
‘So you didn’t mind her keeping in touch with an ex-boyfriend who was her own age?’
‘His age didn’t bother me. Why should it? Do you think someone of my stature would be threatened by a talentless young fool who thinks he has some divine right to be turned into a star? Anna was –’
Unexpectedly, he broke off and buried his face in his hands. His shoulders shook with silent tears. Geraldine was reassured by the sight of his distress. His calm reaction to the death of his girl friend had been unnaturally self-controlled until then.
Chapter 10
O N S UNDAY MORNING, G ERALDINE rang Zak’s door bell. She had told Sam she wouldn’t need her for this visit. If Piers’ son had anything interesting to tell them, she would pursue that line of questioning with the sergeant beside her at the station. This was just an initial encounter. Zak had a key to the van that had killed Anna, and she felt a rush of adrenaline as a drowsy voice answered her summons. Every person associated with the case was a potential suspect. If she only kept looking for long enough, widening the circle of people she questioned, sooner or later she would come across the right person. If Senior Investigating Officer Reg Milton was right, they had already met him. The key to it all was recognising the killer when they found him.
‘W ho the hell is it? What do you want? It’s Sunday morning.’
There was a very long pause after Geraldine introduced herself.
‘What’s that you said?’ the voice asked at last.
Geraldine repeated her introduction.
‘Can’t you come back later or something? I’m not even up.’
‘I’m afraid this can’t wait.’
‘What the hell. Oh, hang on then.’
There was some muffled swearing and then the voice asked her, very politely, if she wouldn’t mind waiting for a moment. She guessed he wanted time to put on some clothes and stash whatever drugs he kept in his flat. Finally the buzzer sounded and she went in.
T he accommodation was hardly what she would have expected of student digs. Piers had bought the flat as in investment, or perhaps as a liberal gift for his twenty-year-old son. Either way, Zak was living in a smart brand new one bedroomed flat in central London, a couple of minutes from Kings Cross station, and barely ten minutes’ walk from his college. Geraldine felt a flicker of envy as the lift rose swiftly and silently, leaving her in a carpeted corridor that looked as though it had just been painted. She could imagine what Sam would have to say about it. Perhaps unconsciously Geraldine hadn’t wanted to bring the sergeant to Zak’s flat, because she suspected it might prejudice the sergeant against the young man. After all, he could hardly be reproached for taking advantage of his father’s generosity. She wondered what his fellow students made of his good fortune. She guessed
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