The Deadline Series Boxset

by Wendy Soliman

  Alexi swallowed. An intelligent man with sensitivity who knew what he wanted, all wrapped up in a sexy package that turned heads. ‘How does anyone know when they’re ready?’

  ‘Now isn’t the time to get into this,’ Ty replied, releasing her hand. ‘I came looking for you tonight with the intention of having this conversation, but when I saw what was going down at the hotel…well, it’s obviously not the right time. All you need to know is that I’m hooked on you but I don’t share. You need to be absolutely sure you’re over Patrick before we do anything about…about the vibes that have always been there between us.’

  ‘Patrick being history is the one thing I’m totally sure about.’

  ‘Good.’

  Cosmo stirred, took a look around the room as though he might have missed something significant, then jumped agilely into Tyler’s lap.

  ‘I don’t believe that cat,’ Alexi said indignantly. ‘He doesn’t ever do that to anyone except me.’

  Ty looked smug as he stroked Cosmo’s back and the cat purred up a storm. ‘He likes me. He’s a good judge of character and is telling you it’s okay for us to get involved. You should be guided by him.’

  Alexi laughed. ‘He’s the star of the show, you know. He’s been banned from the set because he entertains himself by terrorising the film crew. He thinks it’s amusing to attack all their cables. He brought a whole lighting unit down once, which is what finally got him evicted. Even so, they’ve taken footage of him in the grounds, playing with Toby, and it’s gone viral. He gets more fan mail than any of the contestants.’

  ‘I’m surprised he didn’t get bumped off then.’

  ‘Ha, I’d like to see anyone try that!’ She laughed. ‘Honestly, Ty, he’s such a poser. He seems to know when the camera’s on him and goes from devil to angel in the blink of an eye. He could have given Juliette a few lessons in stealing the show.’

  ‘He knows his worth, is all.’ Ty continued to stroke Cosmo’s back. ‘Can anyone else get into the annexe? Anyone not connected to the show, I mean?’

  ‘You think an outsider could have done this? A deranged fan, perhaps?’

  Ty shrugged. ‘I don’t think we can discount the possibility, unlikely though it seems. Juliette’s been making the headlines. People get seriously involved with these programmes, live vicariously through them, and what goes on matters to them.’

  Alexi nodded. ‘Sad, but true.’

  ‘I hear people have been coming to cyber-blows, arguing the case for and against the way Juliette’s been behaving. Some say she uses her sexuality to make an impression; others say she can’t help the way she looks and should be judged on her cooking abilities alone.’ Ty looked perplexed, as though he couldn’t understand why these fans didn’t have something better to do with their time. Good question. ‘The debate has not been civilized.’

  ‘Yes, I know. But the hotel’s booked out by the production company. The rooms aren’t full all the time, only when the hotshots come down to shoot the week’s episode, but they don’t want hangers-on trying to crash the party.’

  ‘The bar and restaurant are open to all-comers, though?’

  ‘Yeah, but punters can’t get anywhere near the annexe. All entrances are locked and access is through a numerical keypad.’

  ‘That would make it tougher but wouldn’t discourage someone determined to get in.’

  ‘They’d be caught on camera if they tried to crash the residents’ lounge in the annexe.’

  ‘Nah.’ Ty shook his head. ‘We both know how effective the cameras have proven to be.’

  ‘Whoever killed Juliette knew where they are and how to avoid them, which rather disproves your outsider theory.’

  ‘Just being thorough.’

  ‘Right, so what’s our next move?’ Alexi asked after a short pause. ‘Since you’ve decided to stay, I assume you’ll want to get involved in this business, even though it isn’t connected to the case that brought you down here.’

  ‘We need some deep background information on all the main suspects; mine and yours. Vickery will be doing that with regard to everyone at Hopgood House but there’s nothing to stop us working the same angle. I can get Cassie on it first thing. Davis’s visit to Smithfield makes it a legitimate expense I can charge to my pay-day investigation.’

  ‘That’ll go down well, if she knows we’re working together again.’

  Ty dismissed Alexi’s concerns with a casual wave of one hand. ‘She’ll get over it.’

  ‘We ought to be at the hotel ourselves tomorrow.’

  ‘Yeah, we should. I dare say the studio will have put out an announcement, now that Juliette’s father’s been told of her death, so the press will be swarming all over the place like ants. So will the studio suits and, I dare say, your ex. I’d like to see how they play it, although I have a pretty good idea what the official line will be.’

  ‘You still think they’ll take the show must go on route?’

  He flexed a cynical brow. ‘Don’t you? Especially since the other four regional heats are on-going. They can hardly cancel the whole lot. They have too much invested in it.’

  Alexi conceded the point with a shrug. ‘I wouldn’t bet against it. Vickery will be there, presumably.’

  ‘Count on it.’

  ‘I could try and have informal chats with everyone involved, as and when. See what they know, where they were last night, all that stuff.’

  ‘That would help.’ He stood up, reclaimed her hand and pulled her to her feet. ‘Come on, it’s getting late and you look done in.’

  ‘Thanks. Just what a girl needs to hear.’

  He kissed her cheek chastely. ‘I am going to take the spare room tonight. Not because I want to but because I want you to be sure about this.’ He grasped her shoulders and fixed her with a smouldering look. ‘Besides, when the time’s right, I need your complete attention and right now I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t get it.’

  Alexi yawned, then nodded. ‘This isn’t about you, Maddox,’ she said, grinning. ‘Get over yourself.’

  Chapter Six

  Ty didn’t sleep well, mainly because he couldn’t get past the fact that he and the woman he was fixated on were separated by a single flimsy wall. So near yet so far. He recited the alphabet backwards, thought about dead cats, sorry, Cosmo, all the things men are supposed to concentrate on to keep their mind off sex.

  It wasn’t working.

  He thumped his pillows, turned onto his back and stared at the patterns dancing across the ceiling. If he and Alexi did decide to get involved he needed her to invest totally in the relationship and he still wasn’t convinced she was over that jerk Vaughan. He didn’t intend to screw up his chances by putting her under too much pressure. Especially now, with all the shit going down at the hotel.

  Ty was up before it was light and made his way to the kitchen to get some coffee on. Cosmo appeared from somewhere and wound himself around his legs.

  ‘Morning, mate.’ Ty bent to scratch the cat’s big head. ‘No good looking to me for food. You’ll need to wait for your mum.’

  Wearing a thick, tightly-belted robe, a dishevelled Alexi wandered into the kitchen, yawning and rubbing sleep from her eyes.

  ‘Morning,’ Ty said. ‘Couldn’t sleep either?’

  ‘Too much going through my head.’

  Not the same things that were going through his, Ty was willing to bet. Cosmo transferred his affections to Alexi and was rewarded when she shook some dried cat food into his bowl.

  ‘Go hit the shower and I’ll make us some breakfast.’

  Alexi shot him a disbelieving look. ‘You cook?’

  He grinned at her. ‘I make a mean omelette.’

  ‘Well, in that case…’

  He called Cassie the moment Alexi left him.

  ‘What’s happening?’ she asked.

  Cassie didn’t interrupt while Ty related the events of the previous day.

  ‘Where are you now?’

  ‘At Alexi’s cottage.’


  ‘Ah.’

  Ty said nothing, waiting to see which way Cassie would jump.

  ‘Okay, I get it.’ She sounded disappointed but resigned. ‘So, what do you need from me?’

  ‘A deeper dig into Davis’s background to start with. If you can get into his mobile phone records it would help to know who he’s been calling. I can’t see Hammond being involved with the pay day lending scam. If he’s an investment banker and as loaded as his fancy address implies—’

  ‘Houses can be mortgaged, you know.’

  ‘Yeah, but not to the tune that his gaff’s worth. Regardless, I don’t think he’d bother with something on such a small scale, especially if he can’t control it himself. From what I’ve heard the man’s both a snob and a control freak. I want to know if there’s a connection between Davis and him, which his phone records might tell us. I’d also dearly like to know why Davis went to see him last night.’

  ‘Finding out why he went to see Hammond is more your line than mine. But I take it you’d like me to do some digging into Hammond’s background while I’m at it. Bankers have taken a hit recently so he might not be as well situated as he wants the world to believe. In which case, perhaps he is involved with the pay day thing.’

  ‘Good point. And er, can you look into his daughter as well?’

  ‘Christ, Ty. Leave the murder to the police. I’ll do what I can to help close our case but—’

  ‘They could be connected.’

  ‘Come on! You’re just looking for excuses to hang out with Alexi.’

  And there it was. Ty should have known Cassie’s resentment would show itself sooner rather than later. ‘I don’t believe in coincidences, Cass. Besides, if Alexi weren’t involved you’d be suspicious about Hammond’s name appearing in both cases as well.’

  ‘Even so, you can’t be—’

  ‘Just do what you’re comfortable with.’

  ‘Yeah okay, Ty, you’re right. I’m being a girl about this.’

  Ty laughed. ‘Just a bit.’

  ‘Okay, there’s a few new leads on your other cases. You need to stop by the office at some stage and catch up on them. I’ve been fielding calls from your clients. Other than that, I’m relatively clear at the moment so I’ll knuckle down to your research.’ She sighed. ‘I guess you want me to look into the backgrounds of the other contestants while I’m at it.’

  ‘And the producer, the show’s host and some of the crew.’ Ty held the phone away from his ear while Cassie vented. ‘I take it you’re okay with that,’ he said chuckling. ‘I’ll email you their details and I’ll stop by the office later.’

  By the time Alexi emerged from the shower, dressed in tight-fitting jeans and a thick sweatshirt, Ty had turned the meagre contents of her fridge into a massive omelette and made toast and coffee to go with it.

  ‘Wow!’ Alexi said, eyeing the mound of food with appreciation. ‘I could get used to this.’

  ‘All part of my seduction routine.’

  ‘Nice try, Maddox.’ She sat opposite him and picked up her fork. ‘Lovely,’ she said, closing her eyes as she took a bite.

  ‘Glad you approve.’

  ‘Was that Cassie I heard you talking to?’

  ‘Yeah, she’s getting onto the digging we need.’

  ‘Good.’

  Alexi’s attitude towards him was reserved. Because of the situation at Hopgood House or because he, Ty, had opened his big mouth about wanting to be with her, putting her on the spot when he knew the time wasn’t right?

  Way to go, Maddox!

  Ty switched on the small television in the corner of the kitchen. A background noise to ease the tense atmosphere. Unsurprisingly, Juliette’s death was all over the news. A sombre-faced reporter who looked too young to shave was staring straight into the camera, asking if reality television had overstepped the mark.

  ‘We don’t know yet what happened to this young woman, Dale,’ he said in response to a question posed by the studio anchor. ‘All we’re being told is that she was found dead under suspicious circumstances. The police are due to make a formal statement later this morning. In the meantime, we are left with questions about the impact of these reality shows and the pressures placed on the contestants to excel, shock, titillate…call it what you will. In the meantime a grieving father is left wondering what could have happened to cause this senseless and untimely death and will doubtless be demanding answers. All the people I’ve spoken to agree that the industry needs to take responsibility, learn from this tragedy and ensure nothing like it ever happens again.’

  Ty snarled at the screen and switched it off. ‘Tosser!’ he muttered.

  ‘We ought to be with Cheryl and Drew,’ Alexi said, pushing away her half-eaten breakfast. ‘I’ll tidy up here if you need to shower.’

  Ty did need to, but didn’t take long and didn’t shave, mainly because he didn’t have anything to shave with. If he was going to hang around he’d need to bring some clothes and stuff back with him after he’d visited the office. It wasn’t just Alexi who was the attraction. It was this case. It had already got to him and he didn’t want to see a miscarriage of justice simply because Marcel was too convenient a suspect for the police to look past him.

  Vickery was under pressure. Too many crimes, not enough crime fighters. This case was high profile and the brass would be pressuring him to get an early result. Just so long as it was the right result, Ty had no problem with that. But he didn’t want to see Cheryl and Drew’s reputation as hoteliers suffer, to say nothing of protecting Alexi’s investment in their venture.

  Yeah, he thought, making a wry face in the bathroom mirror as he finger-brushed his teeth; that would be it.

  Ten minutes later he, Alexi and Cosmo were in her car. There were uniformed police directing traffic at the end of the road leading to Hopgood House. As expected, the press were everywhere. Vans with antennae filled every available space and cameramen snapped pictures of Alexi’s car as it was permitted to drive past the police cordon. Cosmo pushed his head against the window and snarled at them all.

  ‘That’s Cosmo!’ someone shouted. The cameras went into overdrive.

  ‘See what I mean about him being a poser,’ Alexi said indulgently.

  Ty chuckled and scratched Cosmo’s ears. ‘He’ll be on all the front pages tomorrow.’

  The car park was filled with police vehicles and high-quality cars Ty assumed belonged to the studio bigwigs.

  ‘Looks like the cavalry’s arrived,’ Alexi said.

  They gave their names to the uniformed policeman at the door and went directly to the kitchen. Cheryl and Drew were there. So was Patrick Vaughan and a couple of other suits Ty didn’t know.

  ‘Hey, you okay?’ Patrick asked, pulling Alexi into a hug.

  She shook him off. ‘Fine,’ she snapped.

  ‘Oh.’ Patrick offered Ty his hand and a scowl simultaneously. Ty flashed a smug smile, hoping he’d read too much into him arriving with Alexi. Childish but satisfying. Cosmo growled at Patrick and stalked off to join Toby in his basket. ‘Didn’t know you were here.’

  Ty shot him a look. ‘I’m surprised Alexi didn’t mention it.’

  Alexi stopped the pissing contest by introducing Ty to Evan Southgate, the show’s producer and Grenville Scott, a guy in a Savile Row suit who was the production company’s chief lawyer.

  ‘From now on, no one speaks to the police without me being there,’ Grenville said assertively.

  Ty wondered why he’d bothered to say that. No one in that kitchen was a suspect, or likely to be interviewed formally. Just flexing his muscles, Ty assumed, deciding he didn’t like the man. He was still a copper at heart and the police and slick defence lawyers did not comfortable bedfellows make.

  ‘They suspect Marcel of involvement,’ Alexi said anxiously. ‘Have you spoken to him yet?’

  Patrick shook his head. ‘We only just arrived.’

  ‘Well, he’s admitted to having sex with Juliette in his apartment early last
night,’ Alexi told them.

  ‘Oh shit!’ Patrick dragged a hand down his face.

  ‘And one of his knives was found buried in her chest,’ Ty added.

  ‘Great,’ Evan said. ‘Fucking great. This is so not looking good for us.’

  ‘It doesn’t look too good for Marcel either,’ Ty pointed out. ‘To say nothing of the victim.’

  ‘Marcel insists that he didn’t kill her,’ Alexi told them.

  ‘Why would he?’ Cheryl added. ‘This show was making his name.’

  Before anything more could be said, Vickery and DC Hogan joined them. Introductions were made and Cheryl’s offer of coffee was accepted.

  ‘We came to tell you what we suspected when we found the body. But we weren’t in a position to divulge it until we were sure,’ Vickery said. ‘And we are telling you this as a courtesy, which we trust you will respect.’

  Every head nodded.

  ‘Ms. Hammond didn’t die in her room as a result of a stab wound to the chest.’ Alexi glanced quizzically at Ty, who manfully resisted an I-told-you-so look. ‘She died elsewhere as the result of a blow to the head. Whether accidental or because she was attacked we have yet to establish.’

  ‘Any idea where she did die?’ Drew asked.

  ‘We are conducting a thorough search of the area,’ Vickery replied non-committedly.

  And had been ever since her body was found, Ty knew.

  ‘Not in Marcel’s apartment?’ Cheryl made her question sound like a statement.

  ‘I cannot confirm or deny that,’ Vickery replied.

  That’s a no then, Ty decided.

  ‘The post mortem is scheduled for this afternoon and we’ll know more after that. But, obviously, she didn’t accidentally hit her head, get up, walk back to her room and stab herself with a kitchen knife, so foul play is a near certainty. We will not be releasing details of the knife which, incidentally, pierced a silicone breast implant. We will simply say that she died as the result of a head injury and that we are treating her death as suspicious.’