The Charmer

by Mandasue Heller

  Reaching the car, he fumbled to get the key out of his pocket, cursing himself for not having it ready in his hand.

  Damn! He was all fingers and thumbs.

  The shadow took solid form. Feeling the breath on his neck, he dropped the key and turned around, wide-eyed with fear.

  ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ he gasped when he saw who it was.

  Pressing himself back against the car when the hooded shadow reached for his briefcase, he shook his head and gripped the case tighter.

  ‘No. You’re not having it.’

  ‘Give me the fucking bag!’ the shadow snarled.

  ‘There’s no p-point,’ Nigel stuttered. ‘I know everything. This is the end of the line.’

  ‘For you, maybe.’

  ‘Don’t be stupid . . .’ Nigel said when he saw the knife, his voice betraying his fear as the blade glinted in the dark. ‘Put it away, man. That won’t solve anything . . . No, don’t!’

  ‘Shut your fucking whining mouth and give me the fucking bag! This is your last warning.’

  ‘You won’t get away with this, you must know that,’ Nigel said, trying to inject some sense into him. ‘Come on, man – it’s over. Just walk away. I won’t say anything.’

  ‘Ah, but you will, because you just can’t help yourself, can you? Not where she’s concerned.’

  ‘There’s CCTV,’ Nigel reminded him.

  Glancing back over his shoulder, Adam looked straight up at the camera, making it look like a furtive gesture.

  ‘So there is,’ he drawled, turning back with a smile.

  ‘Oh, God!’ Nigel gasped when realisation sank in. ‘You wanted to be seen. You want them to think it’s him – that’s why you’ve drawn the beard on!’

  ‘Round of applause for the smartest moron in town.’

  ‘Why did you do it, Adam? Just tell me.’

  ‘Because it was easy. And she didn’t miss it, so what harm was there? She’d be none the wiser now if you hadn’t stuck your nose in.’

  ‘It’s illegal. You won’t get away with it.’

  ‘Ah, but I will – as long as you’re not around to drop me in it. Sorry, mate, but you’ve got to go.’

  Plunging the knife into Nigel’s gut, Adam yanked it up hard. Then he pulled it out and brought it down into his colleague’s chest several times until Nigel slumped to the ground.

  Bending down then, Adam wrenched Nigel’s watch off and pulled the wallet out of his pocket. Then, grabbing the briefcase, he snatched up the dropped key and jumped into Nigel’s car, leaving his body behind in a widening pool of blood as he drove away from the scene.

  29

  Nigel’s office was alive with forensics personnel in full whites, dusting every surface and bagging anything that they thought might be relevant.

  In Adam’s office next door, Detective Inspector Seddon was taking a statement from Adam.

  ‘So, you were the last one to speak to him?’ he said, his eyes searching Adam’s face for clues.

  ‘Er, yeah, I think so.’ Adam swallowed noisily. ‘I, er, looked in on him when I was leaving, to see what he was up to.’

  ‘And what was he up to?’

  ‘Looking through some client files,’ Adam said, frowning as if he were having a hard time remembering. ‘Sorry, I’m a bit shocked. We all are.’

  ‘I can imagine,’ Seddon said, jotting something down. ‘Approximately what time do you think you spoke to him?’

  ‘Five. Definitely. Because the secretaries had just left, and the receptionist left with me.’

  ‘So who locked the door? Mr Grayson?’

  ‘No, I, er – me.’ Adam ran a hand through his hair. ‘Yeah, me. The receptionist went out, then I locked it, and we walked up to the Corn Exchange together.’

  ‘No alarm?’

  ‘No, Nigel said not to – in case he set it off by mistake.’

  ‘And then what did you and the receptionist do?’

  ‘I went home, and so did she – I presume.’

  ‘And what did you do once you got home, sir?’ Seddon looked at him questioningly.

  Frowning, Adam shook his head. ‘I’m sorry, but what’s that got to do with anything? My friend’s just been murdered, and you want to know about me eating a bloody microwave meal for one, and watching TV till I fell asleep!’

  ‘It’s just procedure,’ Seddon assured him. ‘We’ll be asking the receptionist the exact same questions. And everybody else who was in contact with Mr Grayson yesterday afternoon. So . . .’ Glancing down at his notes, he gave Adam another piercing look. ‘Anybody have any reason to want him dead?’

  ‘God, no!’ Adam protested. ‘Nigel’s one of the most decent blokes you’ll ever meet. I know people always say that, but he is honest and trustworthy, and he’s just really decent.’

  Noting the use of the present tense, Seddon nodded.

  ‘Where . . . where did it – you know?’ Adam said, gulping loudly.

  ‘At the back of the building, getting into his car. Do you know why he would have been here so late, sir?’

  ‘Er, yeah,’ Adam admitted distractedly. ‘He was looking into something for a client. Can I just ask, though . . . About the car. It wasn’t there this morning when I came in.’

  ‘The assailant stole it.’

  ‘So there’ll be fingerprints,’ Adam said hopefully.

  ‘’Fraid not. We found it burned out in Alderley Edge this morning. Nothing left of it to check for prints.’

  ‘Well, what about the CCTV?’ Adam suggested. ‘It overlooks the staff car park. Won’t you find something on that?’

  ‘We’re already onto it, sir.’

  ‘Oh, I see. Good.’

  ‘Don’t worry, we’ll get who we’re looking for,’ Seddon said reassuringly. Then, ‘About this client – must have been pretty important to keep him so late?’

  ‘Er, yeah, he was very fond of her. And he, er, mentioned to me l-last time I saw him that he’d seen her the day before and she’d asked him to look into something for her.’

  ‘Oh, yeah. What’s this client’s name, and what was Mr Grayson working on for her?’ Seddon narrowed his eyes.

  ‘She’s rather wealthy,’ Adam told him, frowning as if wondering whether he ought to be disclosing this. ‘Her name’s Maria Price, and she’s . . . well, she’s got this boyfriend who’s a bit dodgy.’

  ‘In what way?’

  Taking a deep breath, Adam bit his lip. ‘Don’t quote me on this, but I think Maria and Nigel suspected the boyfriend of stealing a substantial amount of money from her. She inherited a large estate, you see, and there were some discrepancies with the accounts.’

  ‘Such as?’

  ‘I’m not exactly sure. He only mentioned it for the first time when I was leaving, but he said he’d—’ Pausing, Adam gulped again and struggled to control the quiver in his chin.

  ‘Take your time,’ Seddon told him kindly. ‘I know this is difficult.’

  ‘Sorry,’ Adam croaked after a moment. ‘He said he’d talk to me about it today. But, obviously, now . . .’

  ‘Okay, I won’t keep you too much longer,’ Seddon said. ‘If you could possibly give us this boyfriend’s name . . . ?’

  ‘I think it’s Joel,’ Adam said, frowning as if he were uncertain. ‘Joel Parry. It should be easy enough to find him, because he lives with Miss Price. The address will be on the computer system if you’d like me to get it for you. But I don’t know what kind of reception you’ll get. The boyfriend and Nigel weren’t on the best of terms.’

  ‘How so?’

  ‘Nigel detested him, because he thought Joel was using Miss Price for her money,’ Adam said, shrugging as he added, ‘I guess he must have been right if she thought it too.’

  ‘Any idea what this Joel Parry person looks like?’

  ‘Not really,’ Adam said. ‘I’ve never actually met either of them.’ Then, narrowing his eyes, he said, ‘Actually, Nigel did mention that he’d grown a goatee beard and dyed his hair
black.’ He shrugged. ‘Don’t suppose that means much to you, though.’

  ‘And what did it mean to Nigel?’

  ‘I don’t suppose it meant anything.’ Adam gave a soft snort. ‘He was just slagging him off for tarting himself up.’

  ‘Thanks for your help,’ Seddon said, standing up. ‘And I will take that address, if you don’t mind?’

  30

  Joel had just pulled into the car park behind the flats when the police surrounded him.

  ‘Joel Parry?’ Seddon said as the uniforms swarmed in from all sides. ‘I am arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Nigel Grayson. You do not have to say anything, but anything you do say may be—’

  ‘I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,’ Joel squawked as his arms were hoisted up his back and the cuffs were snapped over his wrists.

  ‘—Taken down and used against you . . .’

  ‘Get off me!’ Joel yelped as he was handcuffed and frogmarched towards a waiting van. ‘I haven’t fucking done anything!’

  Watching from the doorway, Maria shivered.

  ‘All right, love?’ the WPC asked, rubbing Maria’s arm reassuringly.

  ‘Yeah.’ Maria nodded, averting her gaze when Joel turned and stared straight at her. ‘I don’t have to get in there with him, do I?’

  ‘No, we’ll take you in the squad car,’ the WPC said. ‘You’re doing really well, pet. Your statement will help a lot.’

  ‘So, you fell out with your boyfriend yesterday evening, when he came home and found you with Mr Grayson?’ Seddon asked when they were settled in Interview Room 3 back at the station.

  ‘Yes.’ Maria nodded, holding her cardigan tight around her shoulders. ‘He wanted to know why Nigel – Mr Grayson – was there. I told him he’d brought some papers for me to sign, but Joel didn’t believe me. He thought that I was . . . well, he thought I’d been sleeping with Nigel.’

  ‘But you hadn’t?’

  ‘God, no!’ Maria looked up with a pained expression. ‘He was a really nice man, but nothing like that was ever even mentioned. He was my solicitor.’

  ‘And he called to see you because he’d found out that Joel Parry had closed one of your investment accounts and opened another in his own name?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And was it a substantial amount?’

  ‘Two hundred thousand. That’s all Nigel knew about at that point, but he said he’d check to make sure the other accounts were all right.’ Crying now, Maria swiped at the tears with the back of her fingers. ‘Sorry . . . I just can’t believe this has happened because of me. I feel so awful. I should have told him to forget it.’

  ‘Mr Grayson was pretty fond of you, by all accounts,’ Seddon continued when she had calmed a little. ‘Was Joel aware of that?’

  ‘No.’ Maria shook her head, dabbing her cheeks with the tissue the WPC had just handed to her. ‘I wasn’t. That’s why I was so shocked when Joel accused me of sleeping with him.’

  ‘And the argument got pretty heated?’

  ‘Yes. He had a really strange look in his eyes – sort of crazy. I actually thought he was going to hit me.’

  ‘Has he ever done that?’

  ‘No, never.’

  ‘So, what happened after the argument?’

  ‘He stormed out. And I didn’t see him again until you came round and asked me to call him to bring him home.’

  Making his way down to the holding cells when he’d finished with Maria and she’d been taken home by the WPC, Seddon collected two new cassette tapes and headed into the secure interview suite.

  ‘Bring Parry through in five minutes,’ he called back to the desk sergeant. ‘And the vid. Oh, and a coffee wouldn’t go amiss. Two sugars.’

  ‘It wasn’t me,’ Joel said, glaring at Seddon across the table. ‘I don’t care what you think you know, it was not me!’

  ‘Temper,’ Seddon drawled. ‘Do we have a problem with anger, Joel?’

  ‘You might have, but I haven’t.’

  ‘Coke’s known for giving you wild mood swings – you do know that, yeah?’

  ‘So, I have the occasional snort.’ Joel shrugged as if it meant nothing. ‘That’s got nothing to do with what you’re talking about.’

  ‘The occasional snort?’ Seddon raised an eyebrow. ‘You had a quarter of an ounce in your pocket.’

  ‘So maybe I was planning to have a party,’ Joel grunted. ‘It was for personal use. It wasn’t cut into deals, so there’s no way you can touch me for dealing.’

  ‘I’m not interested in doing you for the coke, Joel,’ Seddon said snidely, leaning forward. ‘Not when I can have you for murder instead.’

  ‘I wasn’t anywhere near the ponce,’ Joel said scathingly.

  ‘Can I take it that you didn’t like him?’

  ‘Would you like the guy that was shagging your bird?’

  ‘From what I hear, that never actually happened.’

  ‘Yeah, well, she’s bound to deny it.’

  ‘It’s the fact that you won’t accept it’s not true that interests me,’ Seddon told him calmly. ‘See, that smacks of unreasonable jealousy, and the majority of murders are committed in the heat of passion. Did you know that?’

  Looking at him, Joel’s face collapsed into a disbelieving frown. ‘What the fuck are you talking about, man? I’ve already told you – I didn’t go anywhere near Nigel fucking Grayson. The last time I saw him was when I caught Maria entertaining him in my house.’

  ‘After which you orchestrated a blazing row and stormed out,’ Seddon promptly reminded him. ‘Then stayed out. Hiding in the shadows, watching Mr Grayson’s every move until you knew he was alone and vulnerable. And then you killed him. Payback for daring to like your bird.’

  ‘Rubbish.’

  Sighing heavily, Seddon sat back in his chair and finished his coffee.

  ‘Shall we take a look at this CCTV videotape, then?’ he said, as if they were mates watching a movie.

  ‘Yeah, let’s,’ Joel said, sitting forward and putting his elbow on the desk, quite confident that he was about to prove his innocence. ‘Then you’ll know you’ve got the wrong man.’

  The uniform who was standing behind Seddon pulled the video machine and monitor into position. He pressed the play button, passing the remote to Seddon.

  Using it as a pointer, Seddon said, ‘Right, this here is the view of the car park at the rear of the building. And that is Mr Grayson’s car – but then, I suppose you already know that, don’t you?’

  ‘I have seen it before, yeah.’ Joel nodded, impatient to get to the bit that would show it wasn’t him.

  ‘Anyway, this figure you can see coming into shot is Mr Grayson,’ Seddon went on. ‘But again, you’ll know that, given that you were right behind him.’

  ‘No, I wasn’t,’ Joel said calmly.

  ‘Oh, but you were,’ Seddon drawled. ‘See, here you come now.’

  ‘That could be anyone.’ Joel squinted at the shadowy figure. ‘He’s got a hood on, for God’s sake.’

  ‘Yes, you did, didn’t you?’ Seddon agreed. ‘But wait . . . There!’ Pressing the pause button, freezing the frame when the attacker turned and looked at the camera, the detective smiled slyly when Joel gave an audible gasp. ‘Camera never lies, eh, Mr Parry? Forget doing that, did you, in your rush to steal Mr Grayson’s bag, watch, wallet, and car?’

  ‘But it’s not me,’ Joel bleated, knowing full well that it wasn’t him even though his own eyes were telling him different. The man on the screen looked just like him, complete with the black goatee . . . But how could a coincidence like that happen?

  ‘I swear to God that’s not me,’ he said, looking Seddon straight in the eye. ‘Please, you’ve got to believe me. I wasn’t there.’

  ‘So where were you?’ Seddon sat back casually.

  ‘With a girl,’ Joel admitted, his eyes showing his desperation.

  ‘Oh, yeah? So how come you didn’t mention that before?’

  ‘Bec
ause I didn’t want Maria to find out.’ Joel ran his hands through his hair. ‘Shit! That’s what we were arguing about before we got into it about Nigel. She found a text on my phone from the girl, but I denied anything was going on.’

  ‘And you’d still have the text, I presume.’

  ‘No, I wiped it off.’

  ‘Of course,’ Seddon said facetiously. ‘As if you’d keep something like that. How’s about you give us this girl’s name, then?’

  ‘Do I have to?’

  ‘Not if you don’t want us to talk to her and get you off the hook.’ Seddon chuckled softly. ‘Or maybe you’d like us to let you phone her first – so you can tell her what to say?’

  ‘No, of course not. It’s just that – well, she’s famous. I don’t think she’d appreciate getting a call off the police.’

  ‘Famous?’ Seddon laughed. ‘Jeezus, I’ve heard it all now.’ Then, serious again, he said, ‘Come off it, Joel. Quit stalling. We’ve got your mug on the CCTV. You were there.’

  ‘I swear to God I wasn’t. Okay, look, her name’s Honey Mason, and she’s in a soap called Picture Perfect. But please don’t go and question her on set, or she’ll get into trouble with the producer. I’ll give you her address and phone number. Ask her about us meeting up at Quiro on Deansgate that night. I was already there having a drink, and she came looking for someone else. Then, when she saw me, she asked me back to hers. Just go and ask her – please.’

  Seddon left Joel in the holding cell for two long hours while he went to talk to Honey. Bringing him back into the interview room then, he delivered the worst news Joel could possibly hear.

  ‘She hasn’t got a clue who you are.’

  ‘But that’s not true,’ Joel gasped.

  Seddon shrugged. ‘That’s what she said.’

  ‘She must be scared of getting into trouble,’ Joel said, trying to think why she would drop him in it like that. ‘I was with her. I’ve stayed at her flat loads of times. Go and talk to her again. She’ll tell you in the end, I know she will!’

  ‘She says she’s never heard of you, and has never been out with you, and that you’ve never been anywhere near her flat,’ Seddon said. ‘That’s the bad news. Here’s the good. We spoke to some of the bar staff at Quiro, and had a look at their CCTV tapes. And guess what? You and Honey were sitting together at a table outside – just like you said you were.’