Deception Love & Murder

by K O'Hanlon

  “Mr Benjamin Richardson aged 72 has had a stroke.”

  “Are we sending flowers?”

  “Oh great one, you haven’t read the whole article have you?”

  “Cut to the bit where I’m interested, Pauline.”

  “He has been the only photographer up at that big private school by The Manor for over twenty years. They have their prom night next Friday and guess who’s taking the photos this year?”

  “Bloody hell! Have you contacted them?”

  “Yes, and Sam has the job. All you need do now is tell him.”

  “That might be the hardest part. He was smoking weed last time I saw him.”

  “There’s a lot of money to be made at that posh school, Mike. This could really set him up with all those wealthy families.”

  “Well let’s hope he gets his act together. I’ll ring him and break the news.” Mike picked up his coffee and went back to his desk.

  As luck would have it Sam answered his phone as soon as it rang. “What now, brother?”

  “There’s a job for you next Friday evening for that private school near The Manor.”

  Sam sat up straight and got his pen ready. “What’s it for?”

  “It’s a prom night and the old guy who had the job of photographer for the last twenty years can’t do it anymore. Pauline contacted the school and secured the job for you. I’ll text you the number to contact for more details. This could be a nice earner, Sam. Don’t mess it up. You could get a lot of work from this. Those people are quite wealthy.”

  “Ok, Mike. I’ll do it.”

  They both hung up at the same time.

  Sam had been angry with Mike for flushing his stash. It had been his only escape from the paranoia that he’d been suffering from since seeing James at the cemetery. He had parked his new car up a side street in the dark so James couldn’t find him. Even now he couldn’t be sure who trashed it, could’ve been James or the local yobs. Was the red paint over the bonnet significant? He didn’t know.

  Meanwhile at the cottage James was gathering as much information as he could. From internet searches it seemed Sam’s new venture had been paid for by his brother. He found a local news story all about the opening of Sam’s photography studio. It all looked set to take off big time then it did nothing.

  James would visit a small town about twenty miles away today so he could get to a bank and draw out some cash. He’d turn his mobile on and make a few calls while he was there. He kept it turned off at the cottage and when he was travelling so his network had no record of his movements. He felt sure that Mrs Highwater would keep an eye on his dog while he was gone, especially if he offered her cash.

  He set off with his passport in case the bank wanted some proper identification when he drew a large sum out. Once he found a parking space he went in search of a coffee shop so he could use his mobile data and make a call or two in comfort. The instant he turned his phone on he saw a voicemail.

  “Mr Russell, this is your agent. A couple of tiles came off your roof in the wind and as I couldn’t get hold of you I agreed to cover the cost of £114 so I’ll be deducting it from your rent payment. Please call me so I can forward the invoice to you for your files.”

  James dialled his agent. “James Russell here. Just got your message.”

  “Oh yes, Mr Russell. I thought it best to get the roof repaired before any rain got it.”

  “No problem. Can you keep the invoice in your file for me as I’m travelling constantly?”

  “Yes I can do that for you, Mr Russell.”

  “Thank you, bye.” James cut him off quick, he didn’t want a long chat.

  Next stop was the bank. He drew out £2,000. That should keep him going for a while. Paying cash to rent the cottage was his biggest spend each month, other than that he didn’t need much. His bank card could be used for anything he bought when far enough away from where he was staying.

  Samuel Fairchild was quite looking forward to coining in a large sum for one evening’s work. He could treat himself and splash out on a small supply of weed once he got paid. He had all the equipment charged and ready with plenty of spare batteries. His insurers had arranged a courtesy car while his was in for repair so he was all set and ready to go.

  The Manor was a lovely old Georgian house originally built for a very wealthy industrialist. It had been left to the local area upon his death to be used for grand functions.

  Sam parked on the gravel driveway far enough away from the building so as not to get his car in the shots. He took a few pictures of the outside frontage in all its glory in case any of his wealthy clients wanted photo books produced of their evening. He still had the best part of two hours left to get a collection of shots before the daylight faded and the guests started arriving.

  The inside was elegant with a wide sweeping oak staircase carpeted in dark blue. Large oil paintings, portraits of people long forgotten hung on either side. An enormous banqueting room was to the right of the entrance hall. Pure white linen tablecloths were laid with pink and blue floral decorations in the centre of each round table. The chairs were covered in white with pink and blue bows tied around their backs. The silver cutlery and crystal glasses were all perfectly placed shining under the lights of three large chandeliers. Sam got plenty of shots while the room was still looking its absolute best.

  The massive ballroom across the hall was equally impressive with its dark blue carpet surrounding a large rectangular dance area in the centre. An orchestra was still in the process of setting up their equipment behind the curtain on stage at the far end.

  Sam knew he could make a killing selling these photos to the wealthy parents of all the posh kids that would be here tonight.

  The next step was to set up his equipment in the entrance hall for when the guests arrive all done out in their finest attire.

  Toni was getting more and more angry at Mike. He was still spending far too much time sorting out his brother’s life than he was his own. She was feeling neglected and insignificant. Even when he was at home he would disappear into his study and spend the remainder of the evening going over the books for Sam’s new venture. The studio was going well now and over the last three months had made a lot of money. It was time for Mike to take a step back and let his brother run the business himself.

  Mike arrived home late. The bridge project was starting to be a problem and he’d spent most of the day going over the layout again and talking to his foreman. The second drill head couldn’t get through the large rock that lay beneath the ground where the new bridge was being constructed. It looked like more planning was needed to work around it and that would hold everything up. He just hoped it wasn’t some ancient stone monument that was under the ground. That would be a major pain in the arse. He now had a crew digging down to find out exactly what it was, but it was deep and the hole would be huge.

  He made his way to the kitchen to see what was cooking. Nothing was in the oven and Toni wasn’t there. “Hey! Toni! Are you upstairs?” He was greeted by silence. “Toni, where the hell are you?”

  She always arrived home before him. If she was ever working late she would let him know.

  He had a look in the garage. Her small silver Merc was sat there next to Mike’s other car. “Toni, for Christ sake where are you?”

  He walked out onto the terrace and found her sitting cross legged in a chair, arms folded. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Why didn’t you answer?”

  “If you must know, I’m fed up with you spending all your spare time with Sam. Even when you’re here you disappear into the study all evening going over his books.”

  “He’s my brother. I’m just helping him get on his feet.”

  “He’s on his feet, Mike. Let him do it alone now.”

  “Bloody hell! Don’t be jealous of Sam.”

  “I’m not jealous! I think he wants to put a wedge between us. I don’t think he likes me being with you. He can be very strange
and I don’t trust him.”

  “I’m not sure where all this is coming from. I think it’s all in your head.”

  “It’s not in my head, Mike. I remember where I first saw him.”

  “What are you talking about? I’ve had a long busy day and I come home to this crap.”

  “He was the weird guy taking pictures of me when I bought the sofas.”

  “Don’t be stupid. Why would he do that?”

  “I don’t know, but when he first came to dinner I knew I’d seen him somewhere I just couldn’t think where. We only saw twelve of the photos that he shot on the terrace, Mike.”

  “That’s because I only asked for twelve.”

  “Well I’m familiar with how a camera works and I know when it’s zoomed in and pointing at me. None of those shots were among the ones we saw, not one!”

  “Maybe those weren’t the best. Sam’s good with a camera, he knows what he’s doing.”

  “He had a strange look in his eyes, a bit scary, kind of excited, like a stalker.”

  “Oh for fucks sake, Toni. I agree he’s sometimes a bit weird but he’s not a stalker!”

  “I’d rather he didn’t come here anymore.”

  Mike ran his hands through his hair. He could do without this crazy talk. “I’ll have a word with him.”

  “No! Don’t tell him anything.”

  Mike reached down and pulled her from the chair. “It’s getting late. Come inside. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

  The next morning brought with it many problems for Mike. The first call was from Pauline. “Oh great one, can you pick me up on your way in. My car has died on me today?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be leaving in about ten minutes, be ready.” He looked over the breakfast bar at Toni as she was pouring two coffees. “We’ll have a talk about Sam later. I’ve got to pick Pauline up. Her car won’t start.”

  “Do you still have feelings for her?”

  “What? Why are you jealous of everyone suddenly? First Sam now Pauline.”

  “You wanted to marry her when you were at uni.”

  “Who told you that?”

  “Ben said you were head over heels in love with her and she left because you asked if she’d marry you.”

  “That was a long time ago and we were both young. She is brilliant at her job and that is why I wanted her working for me.” He stood up, picked up his phone and keys and gave her a quick kiss. “I’ve got to go, catch you later.”

  Pauline jumped in the car as soon as it pulled up outside her house. “Thanks, Oh great one. Glad I caught you before you left.”

  “What’s wrong with your car?”

  “I think it needs to be on life support. Turned the key and nothing, absolutely nothing.”

  “Maybe you need a new one. If you get time today have a look online for something reliable.”

  “I’ve only had this one for two years.”

  “Then you should get a good trade in for it.”

  “Thanks, how about a nice little sporty number for around 30k?”

  Mike looked at her and wondered if he’d made the right decision marrying Toni. He thought he loved his wife but he knew deep down that he would always have feelings for this woman sitting next to him. She was always so honest with him whether it upset him or not. He trusted her totally and they understood each other. Given the choice of the two of them now which one would he choose? Toni was the perfect match for someone in his position but Pauline was more fun to be with and came from a similar background as his. She didn’t pout, she didn’t have tantrums, and she had already turned him down.

  “Choose any car you want.”

  “Really?”

  “Anything over 30k you pay the balance yourself.”

  “Oh boss, next you’ll be offering me a partnership”

  “I once offered you much more than that and you walked away.”

  The rest of their journey was in silence.

  Chapter Fourteen

  J ames had done so much research on Samuel Fairchild now that he thought he knew the man well. With the photographic studio on the up and up there was quite often small articles in the newspapers with photos credited to him. He seemed to have his hand in everything, which was probably down to having a multimillionaire brother with plenty of contacts.

  His next problem was how to silence the man. Did he really have it in him to kill again? If he did it would need to be quick. The best weapon would be a gun but James knew next to nothing about firearms. He had paid a visit to a small gun shop in one of the villages. The owner had told him all about joining a gun club and how to fill out a form for a licence. He would join soon and get some practice. He didn’t want to end up pointing a gun at Sam then shaking so much that he couldn’t shoot straight.

  The Ministry of Defence had a large secure area used partly for cadet training and partly for private hire. At weekends you could try your hand at paintballing if you felt the need of black and blue body art that they said would probably hurt a bit and last a few days.

  Once a week there was a gun club with both indoor and outdoor ranges. Those who didn’t yet own a weapon could hire one. James went along to give it a go. After being told all the things you must never do whilst holding a gun he parted with his cash and was led to the indoor targets. The young man in charge handed him some ear protectors, three boxes of ammunition, and two handguns to try.

  “Loading them is easy. Just do it like this.”

  James was already shaking just picking up the guns.

  “Relax mister, it’s easy. Now point at the target and pull the trigger.”

  He lined it up dead centre to the target and squeezed.

  “Try again, this time just take a deep breath, raise the gun up level with the target then shoot.”

  James wasn’t sure if he hit his target or the one next to it but he was starting to relax and after several attempts had decided which of the guns he felt more comfortable with. It was a question of balance.

  Five boxes of ammo later and the young instructor was calling him a natural. All he needed now was a gun of his own. That could prove to be the hardest part of all as he didn’t want his name listed as owning one.

  Samuel Fairchild was always on edge. He hadn’t felt safe after having his car trashed and was constantly looking over his shoulder. He knew deep down that James would come after him. His apartment was becoming a place to hide rather than a place to live and only with the help of his weed stash could he ever get any rest. The instant his work day finished he would lock himself in and space out.

  An unexpected call from Mike gave him a chance to escape for a while.

  “Sam, if you’re not booked this weekend I want you at the bridge project to get some photos. I’ll explain what’s needed and my foreman will show you around. There’s a small hotel not far from the site and you’ll be staying there Friday and Saturday night. Charge everything to me.”

  “Thanks bro, send the details and I’ll be there.”

  “Actually, why not drop by this evening and I can show you exactly what I need you to do.”

  “Ok, is 7 alright?”

  “That’ll be fine, it shouldn’t take more than about half an hour.”

  He arrived just after 7.15. The gates opened for him and he drove the short distance to the house. Mike let him in, took his coat and left it over the chair in the hall. Toni forced a half-hearted smile and brought them both a coffee before they vanished into the study and shut the door.

  She could hear them talking about the as yet unidentified large structure that was holding up the bridge project. Mike was being very specific about how he wanted the photos to look once the diggers had exposed the obstacle.

  Toni saw Sam’s coat in the hall and wondered if his mobile phone might be in the pocket. Dare she take a quick look or would he come out any second and see her?

  They still sounded engrossed in conversation so now was her chance. She might never have an opportunity like this again.

&nbs
p; His phone was in the top inside pocket. She quickly turned the screen on and went straight to Photo Gallery. There were loads of pictures, mostly junk. Still flicking through at speed she suddenly stopped when a photo of herself appeared. She was stood in the department store running her hands over the new white leather sofa. Stored under Downloads there was also some of her on the terrace. They had been cropped to remove Mike from the picture. Then she found two close-up photos of her face looking straight at the camera. Panic set in so she turned the screen off and put it back in his coat.

  Just at that moment the study door opened and out came Sam and Mike. Sam was holding a set of construction plans. He gave her a strange look seeing her stood so near to his coat but Toni picked it up and handed it to him with a smile.

  “There you are. I was just about to hang it up for you.”

  “Thanks, but I’ll be off now.”

  “You’re not staying for something to eat then? I can set another place at the table.”

  “No, I’m fine. I grabbed something earlier.”

  Mike opened the front door to see him out. Once gone he looked at Toni. “What was all that about?”

  “What was all what about?”

  “You standing with his coat and asking him to stay for dinner after telling me you didn’t want him in the house?”

  “I just felt that I should ask him, that’s all.”

  “But we’ve already had dinner.”

  “I was being polite. Let’s just forget it shall we?”

  Mike didn’t understand what she was talking about so he went back into his study. He had other more important things to deal with.

  Toni now knew she was right about Sam. He was a creep. She hadn’t imagined it when she saw him take a photo in the store. As far as she knew he hadn’t known her at the time, unless Mike had shown him a picture, but she couldn’t imagine Mike showing Sam anything personal. So the questions remained. Why had he taken her photo in the store? Why had he cropped Mike out, and why did he have close-up pictures of her face stored on his phone?