‘Are you working at the moment?’ Simon was more interested in Jeannie than in the other two flatmates.
‘I’m up for a big commercial,’ she said, flicking her hair back.
‘Where were you around the time of Amanda’s murder?’
Barbara was making notes and watched the girl cross and recross her long legs.
‘Well, I’ve been thinking about it because we were all so stunned by what has happened. We got really depressed and we couldn’t stop crying because Amanda was such a good friend to us. She really tried to help us all and she was always seeing if we had enough money for the rent and food and stuff like that.’
‘Did you know any of her friends?’
Jeannie did a strange twist of her body.
‘No, she never brought them back here really, unless … well, I’ll be honest, we sometimes scored gear for her, you know?’
‘Gear?’ Simon said briskly.
‘Yeah, cocaine sometimes. I mean, we’re not dealing or anything like that, but Dan knows a lot of people. Maybe I shouldn’t be saying this, but Amanda liked the odd joint and stuff.’
‘What about the heavier gear like heroin?’
‘Oh no, she wouldn’t touch that, none of us do that. It’s just recreational gear like a bit of a spliff or coke.’
‘How about crack cocaine?’
Jeannie licked her lips. ‘I dunno, I’ve never had that. I have to keep fit for my work and I’m always going for auditions so I look after myself.’
‘Amanda didn’t?’
Jeannie looked at Barbara and did the same wriggling motion with her body.
‘You mean her anorexia? Well, we knew she had that, ’cos when she did live here, she was always chucking up or starving herself, and sometimes watching her eat a teeny slice of toast used to drive us nuts. She’d scrape the butter off and then nibble at it for ages.’
‘When was the last time you saw her?’ Barbara asked gently.
Jeannie chewed at her lips. ‘Be quite some time ago ’cos she bought a house and then was living with Rupert Mitchell on and off before she left here, or was it Scott Myers? I dunno which one, she used to have a lot of famous boyfriends.’
‘But she didn’t bring them back here?’
‘No.’ Jeannie stared at the floor and then sat up straight. ‘I think she didn’t want to, like, introduce us. Well, me more than the others.’
‘Why you?’
Jeannie shrugged and then smiled.
‘We were both up for the same part, in the film called Rock Baby that made her famous, and it came down to me and Amanda. I was tested first – in fact, my agent thought I’d got it, and then Amanda went up for it. I’ve never got to the bottom of how it happened because at that time she didn’t have an agent. Anyway, next I hear she is being tested for the same role and …’
Jeannie gave a long sigh and then leaned forward, lifting her index finger and thumb half an inch apart.
‘I was this close. It could have been me, but Amanda got the part and the rest is history. She never stopped working after that, and she got Andrea Lesser, the top agent, to look after her. I couldn’t even get through the door at that agency.’
Barbara reflected how many years must have passed since the film test, yet the girl talked of it as if it had happened only a few weeks ago. She felt for the girl, who carefully avoided showing them any jealousy. There had to have been a great deal.
‘Didn’t that make it difficult living here with her, especially since she had become so famous?’ Simon probed.
‘Not really. We made it up and she did always say how much better an actress I was than her. I just needed a break.’ She looked away and then said in a strange voice, ‘Sick, really. Now she’s dead I may get it!’
Simon had heard enough. He asked if they could see Amanda’s room and Jeannie sprang to her feet. She was using it now, but they could look around if they wanted.
It was thankfully cleaner than the sitting room, with just a single bed and an array of theatrical posters stuck all over the walls. Photographs of Jeannie were pinned up, and stacks of magazines and DVDs were crowded onto an overflowing bookcase next to a TV set and stereo.
‘She left her things here for me, like some of her clothes and her shoes. We were the same size.’ Jeannie opened a wardrobe and showed off the racks of clothes and shoes.
‘When she died, where were you?’ Simon asked as he looked over the room. She had not answered the question earlier.
Jeannie said she was working, doing a promo film for a German company. It was Barbara who spotted some of the so-called glamour photographs; it was probably more a small cheap porno film than any kind of promotional work. Jeannie moved quickly to cover them up, but by now they had both seen enough and just wanted to leave the squalid basement flat. Dan and Felicity were standing in the dingy hall. Barbara asked if they had ever seen Amanda wearing a gold crucifix and showed them the photograph. Neither could recall seeing it. When Simon asked about the stuffed rabbit, it was Dan who remembered that Amanda always had it on her pillow.
‘It was sort of a kid’s thing. I think her dad had given it to her and she took it everywhere, and when she left to stay with anyone else, she always had it with her.’
Felicity asked about the funeral arrangements. Barbara said that they had not had confirmation of when her body would be released for burial, but was sure that when her parents arranged the funeral, they would let them all know.
‘I doubt it,’ said Jeannie. ‘Amanda’s parents are stuck-up pigs and won’t let us anywhere near.’
‘Did you meet them?’ Simon asked.
‘No, they never came to the flat, but we knew how much Amanda detested them.’
‘It’s odd then that she would be so fond of her childhood toy,’ Barbara said, but got no response from any of them.
Dan hovered behind them as they opened the front door.
‘Who do you think killed her?’ he asked.
‘I wish we knew.’
‘I wouldn’t put it past one of those paparazzi bastards. They made her life hell, wouldn’t leave her alone.’
‘Maybe that was because she was forever tipping them off, telling them where she was going and who she was shagging,’ Jeannie said dismissively.
‘They were scaring the life out of her. She told me she was gonna take them to court and accuse them of harassment. She said she’d talked to a lawyer about it and she was gonna get compensation.’
‘She wouldn’t do that and you know it. She needed them to boost her career and she was such a liar. As if!’ Jeannie shook her head and gave Simon a smile.
‘If there is anything else, anything you recall that might be of interest, will you call me on this number?’ Simon passed out his card.
‘Did she leave a will?’ Felicity asked.
Dan glanced at her, and she flushed.
‘I just thought it might have something for us in it,’ she mumbled.
‘I’m sure if there is, you will be contacted. You’ll also be contacted by an officer as we will need to process your fingerprints for elimination purposes.’
‘Did you have a key to her mews place?’ Simon asked them, glad for the fresh air by the open door.
Dan shook his head. ‘No, like we didn’t see her that much as soon as she bought it, and she wouldn’t have wanted us there. She was beginning to really hit the big time.’
Felicity started to cry and Dan put his arm around her skinny shoulders. Jeannie seemed to be trying to keep her distance from the other two; she gave a sweet smile when Simon thanked them all for being so helpful.
As they returned to their car, Barbara reflected how sad the three kids were, in their basement full of broken dreams. It was odd to think that Amanda, earning huge sums of money, had kept on living there in such squalor.
‘It wasn’t that bad. Christ, you should have seen my place when I was a student.’ Simon bleeped open his Saab.
But as they drove off, Barbara could still
hear Jeannie’s voice, see her leaning forward and gesturing with her finger and thumb to demonstrate how close she had come to stardom. Barbara doubted it would ever happen for her now, even with her so-called rival Amanda Delany no longer alive.
Colin O’Dell’s film unit was on the outskirts of Dublin, working out of a massive disused brick factory. He had the largest Winnebago trailer, with his name on a cardboard notice pinned to the side. Anna knocked and Colin swung open the door, cigarette dangling from his lips. He was very handsome, with blond hair styled in a crew cut. He was also much shorter than Anna had thought he would be. Gesturing for her to sit on one of the comfortable, thickly cushioned sofas built around the luxurious main sitting room, he then offered her a drink.
‘I’d like some water,’ she replied.
‘Right. Still or sparkling?’ he asked in a soft Irish accent. Although she asked for still, he unscrewed a cap of sparkling, handing it to her. He then almost jumped onto the sofa opposite and put his feet up on the coffee-table between them.
‘I’m not wanted for a couple of scenes so we have some time, but if they need me I’ll have to spring into action, and oh … !’ He touched his face, which was covered in bruises and scratchmarks. ‘Make-up … I’ve just been beaten up by another prisoner, so don’t think for a second it’s real.’
‘It’s very authentic,’ Anna said, taking out her notebook.
‘You should see the set, it’s fucking brilliant. Even the cell doors have the right weight to them. A few of the guys were getting really agitated when they were locked in.’ He laughed mischievously. ‘I think some of the extras have done time!’
He had a lovely warm smile; his blue eyes twinkled. He had such an easy manner to him that Anna immediately felt relaxed.
‘You must know why I’m here,’ she said.
He took his feet off the table and bent forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
‘Christ! Yes, of course I do. If there’s anything I can think of that’ll be of help, I’m ready … I loved her, you know. She was crackers, but she was a sweetheart and a good actress, but that face … I used to look at her when she was sleeping. Sometimes it took my breath away. Every feature was perfect, you know?’
‘When was the last time you saw her?’
‘Got to be maybe four weeks. I’ve been here for three and I saw her briefly at the Silver Star, a club in the West End. Maybe a tad before that, say five weeks ago.’
As Anna went through the usual jargon about needing to know his whereabouts at the time of Amanda’s murder, he gave a wide-armed gesture to his trailer.
‘I was here. We were doing some night filming, so I slept in the bed in there rather than schlep back to my hotel. To be honest, I’d had a few beers with some of the crew, so they sort of poured me into bed.’
Anna smiled. He put his feet onto the coffee-table again.
‘I couldn’t believe it when I read about it, really knocked me for six.’
‘Did you ever hear her talk of anyone who had a grudge against her or was following her, anyone making threats?’
He shook his head. ‘No. I mean, she was such a little doll – who would want to harm her? We’d split up. I suppose you know we were an item. Well, according to the press, we were about to get married, which was bullshit. We had a real sexy romp, but that was it.’
‘You paid a visit to her when she was in the Drury Clinic?’
He looked surprised. ‘I did, yes. We’ve all been in there at one time or another but, yes, I went in to see her. She was a real party animal and with the booze and the coke she was just exhausted. She still looked terrific and we had a good laugh; she even asked if I’d brought in some charlie.’
‘Did you accompany Scott Myers?’
‘To rehab? No, I bloody didn’t. He was after me like a demented dog. She left him for me – well, I think they had a sort of similar scene going on, but silly sod took it further and left his wife and kids. Amanda told me she had never wanted it to get that serious.’
‘Were you aware that she had had an abortion?’
‘No, that’s the first I’ve heard of it.’
‘Could the child have been yours?’
‘Christ, no. I’d ask old Scott, considering the number of kids he’s fathered. No way was it mine, and besides I’m a good Catholic and against abortion.’
‘Did she ever mention to you that she was pregnant?’
‘No. She was a bit naughty, you know, and even if she had told me, which she didn’t, I would have asked for a DNA test.’
Anna continued to ask if, when he went to the Drury, he had had any indication how sick she was, physically and mentally. He hadn’t. As far as he knew, she was probably there for a detox.
‘She was anorexic,’ Anna pointed out.
‘I’m not surprised. She was skinny, but then so are most of the young starlets and models. I knew she had fake tits, you could tell.’ He smiled. Anna was getting irritated by his total lack of feeling for the dead Amanda.
‘What was done to her?’ he asked suddenly.
‘She was attacked and died from multiple stab wounds.’
‘Jesus, she didn’t deserve that!’
‘You said you were Catholic – do you wear a crucifix?’
O’Dell raised a hand to his neck and then gestured as if it was a stupid question.
When Anna showed him the little gold crucifix, he didn’t recall ever seeing Amanda wearing it. He did remember the stuffed rabbit and recalled her carrying it around with her, and even bringing it to his flat when she stayed over.
‘It was a horrible, bald, smelly little thing with floppy ears. She used to keep her stash of skunk in it. Liked a joint, did Amanda.’ For the first time, he seemed genuinely moved. ‘She told me it had always been with her since she was a child and that she couldn’t sleep without it.’ Then he grinned. ‘I think it was the skunk she couldn’t sleep without, she was so often out of her head.’
‘It’s missing.’
He leaned forward. ‘What?’
‘The rabbit is missing from her home.’
There seemed nothing to add and he glanced at his watch.
‘Did you have a front-door key to her house?’
He stood up. Answered, ‘No. What do you think, I went there and nicked her rabbit?’
‘Mr O’Dell, if my queries amuse you it is not my intention. I am investigating Miss Delany’s murder, and it’s a very serious crime.’
O’Dell cocked his head to one side and gave a grimace, as if to apologise for his joke.
‘I only ever went there once. She showed me around – she was very proud of it and, to be honest, I was surprised. You know, I was taken aback that she’d got it together. It was a very nice place, classy and worth a bit.’ He dug his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
‘She was no one’s fool, our Amanda. I mean, she appeared to be doped up and needy, but at the same time she was pretty astute. She gave her agent a right runaround, went for the big money, not that she’d spend it; she was quite a tightwad. I don’t ever remember her paying for a single meal and she liked to eat out at the best places.’
Anna gave a brittle smile. ‘Not that she’d eat much.’
‘She’d tuck in and chuck it all up later, but she had hollow legs and she could drink me under the table.’ O’Dell ruffled his hair, then put his hands back into his pockets. ‘You asked me if she was scared of someone or anything. Well, I think she was terrified of being alone, or … more frightened of sleeping. That sounds crazy, but she would take speed or anything to keep going and not go to bed.’
‘Did you ever meet anyone from the flat she shared?’
He had never been there, he told her, never really wanted to from what Scott had told him – how her flatmates were real losers and dope heads.
‘Why do you think she kept on living there even though she had money?’
‘Like I said, she was a tightwad and, to be honest, she bedhopped and was always moving in with whoe
ver took her fancy.’
‘How long did she live with you?’
O’Dell walked to the door and looked out, before turning back.
‘Maybe six months off and on, because we both had to work on location. Like I said before, it was an easy sex thing we had, never serious.’
‘Did she leave you for Rupert Mitchell?’
‘You’ve certainly been reading up on me or reading the tabloids,’ O’Dell said, and the easy smile was gone. ‘I introduced her to him. We were clubbing and he was there with his wife. We had a few drinks and then left. But at some point during the night, she must have got his number because he called me to ask if it was OK for him to see her, as they might be working together. I said, “Be my guest …” ’
‘Didn’t that make you angry?’
He clearly didn’t like the question; for a fleeting moment he was unable to hide the look of anger on his face.
‘What I didn’t like was having the fucking press all over me like a rash. It didn’t make much difference to me that she was screwing him, because soon after I went to France for a shoot and met Daniella Duprès, a French actress …’
Anna put her notebook away and stood up. She thanked him for his time and he swung open the trailer door.
‘Can you find your way back, only I should get over to make-up and tidy up my bruises?’
‘I’m sure I can manage, and when it is convenient we’ll need to take your fingerprints for elimination purposes.’
‘OK.’
By the time Anna was on her way back to Dublin airport, Colin O’Dell was sitting in the make-up chair with a robe around his shoulders. The make-up artist checked one side of his face and added a touch of foundation, but she didn’t try to touch up the other side as it was still painful. They had joked about how lucky he was that the scenes being shot required him to have bruises after a fist-fight with one of the actors playing a prisoner. O’Dell explained that he’d had too much to drink and had fallen on the steps up to his trailer. There was also a deep scratch around his neck, but his collar hid most of it so they didn’t bother to cover it with make-up.
Silent Scream Page 10
