Paul laughed and put his thumb up. For him, this made excellent business sense; he knew the estate would be a financial drain on the family, and he wanted no part of it.
He left the office and went through to the kitchen, looking for a cup of tea and anything else that was going. Topper was there.
‘Hello Michael,’ she said as he walked in.
‘Paul.’
She looked surprised. ‘I thought you were Michael.’
Paul walked up to her and slid his hands around her waist. ‘Got a brew going, Topper?’
‘Not unless I get a kiss,’ she told him.
‘Deal.’ He kissed her full on the lips and held her tight to him. He could feel her breasts pushing against him and he also felt himself hardening up against her. Topper could feel it too. She pulled away.
‘I’ll get your tea,’ she told him a little breathlessly.
He sat down at the table and watched Topper go about her business, and made up his mind that he would get what he wanted from this gorgeous little thing.
She brought the tea over to him.
‘Would you like a ride out tonight, Topper?’
She looked a bit coy. ‘Oh, where?’
He shrugged. ‘We’ll go out for a drink somewhere. Not far.’
‘I can’t be late home,’ she told him.
‘Me neither,’ he told her. ‘So I’ll pick you up at eight.’
Topper winked at him and left him drinking his tea and thinking of one thing.
The following morning, Paul and Michael walked into the office of Louis Ellston, a local solicitor and notary. They explained that because of their uncanny resemblance, and because of the rights to the estate at Clanford, they wanted to confirm their identities through fingerprints on a signed and notarized document. They answered a lot of awkward questions before the arrangements could be put in place for later that morning. At one o’clock that afternoon, the two of them walked out of the office, the signed and notarized documents in their hands. Paul was now Michael, and Michael was now Paul. All they had to do now was to tell Kate.
‘You did what?’ Kate blasted at them. ‘Are you both insane?’
Michael looked the more nervous of the two, although it wouldn’t be right to say Paul was nervous: he was more ambivalent about Kate’s outburst because it was exactly as he had expected.
‘No one will know, Kate,’ Paul said to her.
‘I will!’
‘So what? The whole world and his dog can’t tell the difference between me and Michael, so what difference will it make?’
Kate looked a little peevish as she leaned up against the desk, her arms folded. ‘I will always know, whether the world knows or not.’
‘Kate.’ This was Michael. ‘You have to trust us with this. It will only work if you give us your word that it will be our secret.’
There was a non-committal shrug from Kate as she laboured to come up with a riposte, but the truth was, she knew the scheme had merits. She also knew that Clanford would be in better hands being owned legally by Michael, and this was one way of achieving it.
‘So what does this mean, Paul?’ she said eventually. ‘Will you be giving up everything here? No longer part of the family?’
He smiled. ‘I’ll always be a part of the family, Kate, but I will probably spend more of my time away from Clanford.’
Michael glanced over at his brother. He knew exactly what Paul meant.
‘This is the best way, Kate, believe me.’ He wanted to say more but knew the reality of Paul’s situation had to be kept away from Kate. She still innocently believed he was earning his living solely from his delivery business. ‘We’ll have a big party on our twenty-first and celebrate the title of Clanford being handed on to its official successor.’
A wry smile crossed Kate’s lips. ‘You’re a pair of buggers, I’ll say that much. I just hope to God you’re never found out.’
The meeting broke up and Paul left with Michael. They walked out to Paul’s car.
‘Are you seeing Topper?’ Michael asked as Paul settled into his car.
‘I took her out last night,’ he told him. ‘Just a drink and a bit of a drive. Took her down to Portsdown Hill. Why?’
Michael shrugged. He felt a little sheepish, but his feelings towards Topper were growing and he didn’t like the idea of Paul getting in the way.
‘Don’t worry, Michael.’ He started the motor. ‘When you announce your engagement, I’ll concede defeat.’ He floored the throttle and roared away from the house.
Michael watched the back of the car fish-tailing as his brother disappeared from sight and had a warm feeling come over him about the house, the changes and what it all meant to him. He wasn’t really worried about Paul and Topper. Well, he didn’t think he was.
The time was fast approaching when Paul would legally inherit the estate, and Michael had been using it wisely. With little more than two months to go, he was able to look back on how he had made good use of the last few months. For some considerable time now, he had been using his own money to offset some of the running costs of the estate. He had contracted a consulting company to conduct a feasibility study into the potential the estate had to offer. There were all manner of options, and the most prevalent were the usual country fêtes that were so popular with local villages. Bed and breakfast accommodation was another, as were clay pigeon shooting, weddings etc. It meant employing more staff and the initial outlay would put the estate further into debt, but from the point of view of forming a business plan, there was little option for him but to engage the consultants. Once he had their reports on his desk, he could set things in motion, but not until he inherited the title: he couldn’t see Jules Copping, the estate trustee, agreeing to anything that cost money.
He had been taking Topper out regularly too. The fact that his brother was rarely at the estate now made life a little easier for him, but he could sense resistance from Topper whenever he made any advances towards her. Most of his attempts were clumsy and embarrassing, and it was this he feared that was blocking his progress with her.
Topper was a lovely girl even if she was a bit of a flirt. He knew she liked Paul and understood why: Paul was so different to him even though they were identical. One evening Topper had mistaken Michael for Paul, which had been a source of merriment to her, but had the opposite effect on Michael. He began to dislike his brother because of that, and became even more determined to win Topper’s affection.
One evening, he had taken Topper for a drive down to Portsdown Hill. It wasn’t too late and the view from the hill was spectacular. As they looked out over the city and the twinkling lights of the Solent, Michael slipped his arm around Topper’s shoulder and pulled her closer. She yielded to him and his passionate kiss.
He drew away, grateful for the evening light and looked steadily at her, their faces almost touching.
‘I love you, Topper.’
She said nothing but leaned closer and kissed him. ‘It’s lovely of you to say that,’ she told him as she pulled away. ‘I don’t know how I feel about you: if I love you or not.’
He smiled and shook his head. ‘It doesn’t matter, Topper. You will in time.’
‘In time?’
‘When I know you love me, I will ask you to marry me.’
Topper pushed herself back and stared at him, her eyes wide open. ‘Marry you? Really?’
He laughed. ‘Why are you surprised? People fall in love: they do it all the time.’
‘But what would Kate say?’
‘Bugger Kate, it’s me that’s asking you to marry me, not Kate.’
She pushed him gently in the chest. ‘Michael, you shouldn’t say things like that.’
Michael was as pleased as punch because she hadn’t said no, and for him that meant that the door was open.
‘Topper, I think I’ve loved you a long time,’ he admitted. He felt brave now. ‘I always thought you preferred Paul to me, and I think that’s why I’ve held back.’
/> Topper giggled. ‘Well, Paul hasn’t,’ she said cheekily.
Michael’s face dropped. ‘Has he?’
She shook her head. ‘No, of course not.’ The poor light hid the blush coming up on her cheeks.
Michael knew it wouldn’t have made any difference to him if Paul had seduced Topper. He loved her and wanted her to be his always. He knew young people sowed wild oats and he was not about to judge anyone. He knew too that if Topper would let him, he would be doing the same thing right now. He tried to judge the truth of her denial, but in the half-light he could not see her expression too clearly.
But Topper had wildly different thoughts running through her mind. She knew Michael’s confession of his love for her was cemented in truth, whereas Paul was so different. He had never confessed anything to her other than a desire to get into her panties and have his way with her. And he had succeeded on more than one occasion. She didn’t love Paul, but found his charm and charisma irresistible. He had an aggressive way which he somehow managed to control when he was making love to her, but still managed to release all kinds of demons within her. With Paul it was wild, insatiable passion, but she knew that with Michael it would be gentle, passive and probably quite boring. But to be loved by someone meant more than to be whipped up into a frenzy by a man who would probably never stay with her and would never love her. The choice for Topper was clear, and she knew that if she was very careful, she could have both of them.
‘Give me time, Michael,’ she asked softly. ‘Give me time.’
He leaned forward and kissed her. She returned the kiss with a measured response: enough to convince him that he would win her in the end.
Paul was now one of the top men in Finnegan’s empire, which ran the length of the south coast from Southampton in the west towards Brighton in the east. He hadn’t made any inroads into the town because of the high-powered mafia who controlled the area, but Paul was becoming impatient. His elevated status in Finnegan’s world was genuine, but it persuaded Paul that he deserved better.
One of Paul’s failings was that his youth and his energy, coupled with his natural ability, led him into a false sense of grandeur. He believed, wrongly, that he could boss Finnegan’s empire even though he lacked the boss’s experience, guile and cunning. He was convinced he should now be top man, but Finnegan was standing in his way. If he removed him, the rest of the kingdom would fall like dominoes.
He was a week away from his twenty-first birthday, and his rise to the top in the crime world was swift, and in some ways spectacular. But it hadn’t come easy, and he had often spent a few anxious days in different courts with high-earning ‘briefs’ paid for by Finnegan before being released on a technicality. His completely irrational desire to top the organization was beginning to gnaw away at him, and he felt it was undermining his spirit and he resolved to do something about it. But shortly before he appeared at Clanford Hall to celebrate his birthday, Paul did something that was the beginning of his downward spiral: he murdered Finnegan.
Paul had become used to forcing issues with the use of his fists, and sometimes by intimidation and a few cuts with the knife. Villains around the town knew when to give Paul Kennett a wide berth as his reputation spread. But the limiting factor to Paul’s unhealthy ambition was Finnegan. He had blossomed along with Paul, and often it was because of Paul’s pure brilliance at running the business.
One evening Paul had confronted his boss over a huge drug deal that was going down, and Paul wanted a larger slice of the action. Finnegan had refused, which led to an argument. It was vocal and it was loud, but it was public simply because of it happening in Finnegan’s office: there were two of Finnegan’s men there watching. This was the moment Paul decided to get rid of him, with a plan that he believed was simple and faultless. It just needed a little planning and the company of a girl who would do anything for him in return for a little passion.
Two nights before the planned birthday party, Paul and Topper had driven down into Portsmouth. The idea was to take in some of the clubs where Paul was welcome, and where a table for him and his guests was always available, then a drive along the common or a stroll along the seafront under the stars and finally a nightcap at Finnegan’s club.
It was about two o’clock and Topper was tired. She had been sullen all evening and asked a couple of times if they could finish early. But now she was almost pleading with Paul to take her home. Paul kept putting her off until he saw one of Finnegan’s men come into the club from a door that led into the back rooms. He knew this meant Finnegan was locking up his office for the night and would now be leaving the club.
Paul told Topper to wait for him while he excused himself and hurried out of the front door of the club. He went to his car and unlocked it. Inside the glove box was the gun that Finnegan had given him when Paul had started working for him. He put the gun in his pocket and hurried round to the car park as Finnegan was climbing into his car. It was over in an instant as Paul put the gun to the back of Finnegan’s head and pulled the trigger.
The birthday party began with the usual exchange of presents and good wishes. Kate had bought the boys a signet ring each; it was engraved with their names. They privately joked that they should swap rings because of the secret name change. Victoria bought them a shirt each. People came and went throughout the day or called over the phone to wish them happy birthday. But one call to Paul left him feeling moody and uptight. Because of Finnegan’s murder, a gangland killing as the newspapers were calling it, a planned drug deal did not take place, which left Paul in a serious predicament: if he couldn’t deliver what had been promised, then his head was on the block. He had twenty-four hours to come up with the cash that Finnegan would have put up. Paul realized that his irrational act hadn’t been thought through carefully, and now he was in danger himself.
His mood darkened throughout the rest of the day, although he tried his best to put on a brave face. As evening drew on, the musicians arrived and set up their instruments. The DJ was filling in with various pop songs and generally everything seemed to be going well. Paul sank a few whiskys to calm his nerves, which were being pulled taut like a bow-string. He tried a couple of dances: one with Victoria and another with Kate. He spied Topper across the room and signalled to her that he wanted a dance, but she ignored him. This puzzled him and irritated him even further. He drank more but the feeling of utter desolation didn’t leave him and he knew it was becoming obvious, particularly to Kate. He knew he was getting drunk and because it was not helping, he went up to his room, one he rarely used, and lit a smoke. It was marijuana; something he had become accustomed to for a good while now. He found it helped him relax.
Suddenly his door flew open and Michael was standing there looking ready to explode.
‘You bastard,’ Michael snarled at him. ‘You fucking bastard!’ He stepped into the room, leaving the door open.
Paul looked back at his brother, the cigarette poised near his lips. ‘What the fuck’s got into you, then?’
Michael stepped closer and put his face close to Paul’s. ‘Topper’s pregnant.’
Paul felt an insane temptation to laugh. He shrugged. ‘So what, she should have been more careful. Or you should have.’ He giggled as the marijuana took effect.
‘You’re the father, dickhead. I never touched her.’
‘Don’t give me that shit; anybody could have had Topper.’
Michael punched him in the face, sending him sprawling across the floor. The stinging blow caught Paul completely unawares, but it got him angry. He pushed himself up but remained sitting on the floor.
‘You’d better leave now, Michael.’ He spat blood into his hands. ‘Fucking twat!’
Michael stepped closer and whacked him again. This time Paul struggled to his feet and launched himself at his brother. Michael sidestepped the lunge and Paul went sprawling again. The drink and the marijuana were having a telling effect on him. But he got to his feet and stood with his legs apart. Michael could see h
e was unsteady. He felt stronger than he had felt in a long while and not so intimidated by his twin.
Paul went for him and Michael sidestepped again but this time he punched him as he fell. Paul leapt to his feet and swung wildly. His fist connected and caught Michael full square on the chin. It almost poleaxed him, and now Michael knew he was in trouble: if he let Paul get the better of him, he would have lost more than just a fight. Topper meant the world to him and he felt that he was now fighting for her.
He picked up a bedside lamp, ripping the cord from the wall, and held it up, ready to bring it down on Paul’s head. Paul jumped forward and felt the blow as the glass shade shattered on his scalp. The pain was intense. Suddenly he realized that Michael was so angry that if he used the lamp again it could kill him.
But Michael was crazy now; he saw his chance as Paul took his hand away from his head and looked at the blood pouring from the wound. Michael hurled himself at his brother but didn’t see the knife in Paul’s hand. Paul thrust his arm out and drove the knife into Michael’s stomach. Michael screamed so loud it pierced Paul’s mind as he pulled the knife out.
Michael collapsed, writhing in agony. Paul was stunned. He looked at the knife in his hand and suddenly felt very sick. He dropped the knife onto the floor and began looking round for something to staunch the flow of blood when Kate appeared at the door. Before she could ask what the hell was going on, she saw Michael writhing in agony and the knife on the carpet. She also saw Paul’s horrified expression and could see the blood streaming down his face.
She dived on to Michael and pressed her hands onto the wound. Then she looked round at Paul. ‘Don’t stand there, call an ambulance! Now!’
Victoria ran into the room and almost fainted at the sight of the blood. Then Paul barged her aside as he ran from the room. Kate was in a flood of tears. She pointed at Victoria. ‘Get after him and make sure he calls an ambulance. Quickly!’
Victoria ran from the room, tears flowing down her face. Pandemonium was breaking out and people were calling up the stairs. And as Kate clutched a bleeding Michael to her chest she heard the sound of a car engine starting, then the unmistakable roar as the XK140 sped away from Clanford Hall.
Past Imperfect Page 16
