Майкл Ридпат - Fatal Error

‘Did you talk to her?’

‘Only briefly. She’s a nice woman. And I think she genuinely loved him, not his money. She’s probably the best of the three he married.’

‘What’s she going to do?’

‘Go back to Germany. She says she wants me to stay in touch with her and Andreas. I think I will.’ He checked his watch. ‘Mom will be here in a few minutes. We’re going out to Nobu for dinner. Anyone would think she was over here for a couple of days’ vacation. Thank God she’s going back to LA tomorrow.’

‘Are the police still on your case?’ I asked.

‘I think they’re leaving me alone. I’ve pretty much convinced them I was with Owen when Dad was run over. But they haven’t given up on the theory that he was murdered. They’ve been giving Sabina a hard time, apparently.’

‘Did you hear she’d hired a private detective?’ I said.

‘No.’

‘Yeah. The police asked me whether he was the guy in the car outside your father’s flat. I said I was pretty sure he was.’

‘So she had him tailing Dad?’

‘Sounds like it.’

‘Huh. No wonder the police are hassling her. And she gets the most out of the will. But I can’t imagine her having him killed.’

‘The police will get to the bottom of it,’ I said.

‘I wouldn’t be so sure of that. Tossers.’ He swigged more beer. ‘Anyway. Tell me what’s going on at Ninetyminutes.’

I ran through the details of the negotiations with Orchestra and Hoyle. Guy’s interest was quickened. Now that his father was buried I could see he was ready to focus on Ninetyminutes again. I was relieved.

‘Darling!’ We were interrupted by a loud female American voice. I turned to see a well-groomed blonde woman somewhere over forty approach Guy. She had high cheekbones, a polished tan, a well-toned body and bright white teeth. She should have been a good-looking woman, but there was something hard and charmless about her that instantly put me off. She didn’t look like anyone’s mother.

Guy introduced me. ‘Mom, this is my partner, David Lane. He was at school with me.’

‘Partner?’ she said. ‘I didn’t know—’

‘Business partner, Mom.’

Her interest in me evaporated. ‘Nice to meet you,’ she said, unconvincingly. ‘I’d love to stop for a drink, but our reservation is for eight thirty and we’ll be late.’

I let them go.

As she led her son out of the hotel, Guy whispered to me. ‘Did you spot the facelift?’

I hadn’t.

He smiled. ‘See you tomorrow,’ he said and was gone.

Guy returned to the office the next day as promised. Everyone was pleased to see him, especially me. There was a lot to do. I had just one or two final details to sort out with Patrick Hoyle, so I went to meet him at Mel’s office off Chancery Lane. It didn’t take long, and after less than an hour we left the building together.

‘You sound as if you’re glad to be shot of Ninetyminutes,’ I said as we stood on the pavement waiting for taxis.

‘I’m not convinced by the Internet,’ Hoyle muttered. ‘And it was a very bad idea for Tony to get involved with his son.’

‘It wasn’t a good idea for Guy, either.’

Hoyle snorted. ‘At least he’s still alive.’

Something in the way Hoyle said those words caught my attention. I looked at him closely. He was an intelligent man. He suspected something. ‘Do you have any idea who killed Tony? Or why he died?’

‘No,’ he said. ‘But it was awfully convenient for some people.’

‘Like Guy?’

‘Like Guy.’

‘You don’t think he killed his father, do you? There’s no proof.’

Hoyle shrugged, as though he didn’t want to be drawn any further into the conversation. But his use of the word ‘convenient’ reminded me of something. Something Ingrid had said more than ten years before.

‘I know what happened to the gardener in France,’ I said. ‘Abdulatif.’

‘Do you?’ said Hoyle, neutrally.

‘Yes. I know that you paid him to disappear after Dominique’s death. To protect Tony.’

‘And who told you that?’

‘Guy.’

Hoyle wasn’t even looking at me, but at the occupied taxis driving past us. ‘Can’t get a bloody taxi anywhere these days,’ he muttered. ‘What we need is another recession.’

‘I know Abdulatif was murdered a few years ago.’

‘So I understand.’ Still a neutral voice.

‘That was convenient too, wasn’t it?’

Hoyle finally turned his attention away from the traffic and on to me. ‘Yes, it was.’

‘Did you organize it?’ I asked.

Hoyle looked at me. ‘Let’s get a cup of coffee,’ he said, indicating a café just up the street.

Neither of us said anything until we were sitting down with two cups at an isolated table.

‘I like you, David,’ Hoyle said.

I didn’t answer. I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to be liked by Hoyle.

‘You’re a good negotiator and you’re loyal to your friend. Loyalty is a quality I admire. But you should be careful.’

‘Of Guy?’

‘Let me tell you about Abdulatif. I suspect you know only half the story.’

‘I’m sure I only know half the story,’ I said. ‘Go on.’

‘You’re correct that Guy told me Owen had seen Abdulatif with Dominique. And he suggested paying him to disappear. It sounded like a good idea. It would deflect enquiries away from Tony. At that time I wasn’t entirely sure of his innocence. Tony had said he was with a prostitute when Dominique was killed, but prostitutes can, by definition, be bought. So I arranged things. I gave Abdulatif half a million francs and told him to make himself scarce. Guy had got hold of some of Dominique’s jewellery and we gave that to him as well.’

‘Why did he take the money?’ I asked. ‘Surely he ran the risk of getting caught and prosecuted for murder.’

‘I thought that at the time. There’s quite an extensive North African community in the South of France: it’s hard for the police to find a young man who wants to go underground. But I was soon to learn there was another reason.’

‘Which was?’

‘Blackmail. I’d assumed Abdulatif would leave the country. But he didn’t. He went to Marseilles, and after a year he got in touch with me again. He wanted two hundred thousand francs to stay quiet. So I paid him. Another year, another demand. A little higher this time. And so it went on.

‘I wanted to get the cash from Tony, but Guy was anxious that his father shouldn’t find out what we’d done. So I insisted Guy pay. The years went by and the demands got higher. It became more difficult for Guy to find the money: Tony was becoming less generous with him. It got to the point where I thought we should call Abdulatif’s bluff. By that time I was convinced of Tony’s innocence. And, of course, if Abdulatif went to the authorities he would be getting himself into just as much trouble as us. But it was an uncomfortable situation for me and for Guy. Paying off a key witness in a murder investigation is a serious crime.’

‘And then Abdulatif was found in the dustbin?’

‘Precisely. As we said. Very convenient.’

‘You have no idea how he got there?’

‘You mean, did I arrange it?’ Hoyle sipped his coffee. ‘I can’t blame you for asking. But no. I didn’t. That’s not the kind of thing I do, even for my best client.’

‘Do you think Guy arranged it?’

Hoyle shrugged. ‘What do you think?’

I paused. Was my friend a murderer? Of course not. ‘You said initially you thought Tony might have killed Dominique, but then you changed your mind?’

‘Yes. They weren’t getting on well. Neither of them was particularly faithful, as of course you know.’