J. P. Carter - At Your Door

Rebecca shook her head. ‘I was a police officer long enough to be certain that I’m right. Wolf knew that Holly was about to destroy him. He was desperate to stop her. And the only way he could do it was to kill her or arrange for someone to do it on his behalf.’

A deep frown scored Anna’s forehead as she listened to Rebecca’s extraordinary claim.

‘These are strong allegations, Mrs Blake, and I need to know why you’re making them,’ Anna said. ‘But I also want to be sure who you’re talking about. I know of only one individual named Nathan Wolf and he happens to be a Member of Parliament.’

‘He also happens to be the bastard who you need to go and arrest,’ Rebecca said.

Anna stared at her in disbelief and behind her Walker whistled through his teeth.

‘I’m deadly serious,’ Rebecca insisted, her voice punctuated by sobs. ‘And when we tell you what we know I’m sure you’ll come to the same conclusion.’

Anna shivered with anticipation as she fished out her notebook and pen.

‘I’m listening, Mrs Blake,’ she said. ‘So please tell me everything.’

But at that point the woman succumbed to another blast of emotion and broke down in a paroxysm of tears.

Anna could do nothing other than wait for her to regain her composure. Her husband wrapped her in his arms again and this time rested his chin against the top of her head, his eyes closed.

Their distress brought a lump to Anna’s throat, and she struggled to keep her expression neutral. At the same time the fact that the finger of blame was being pointed at yet another politician was sending a tremor of anxiety through her.

An MP no less, and a prominent one at that. Nathan Wolf was considered a rising star in the Tory Party, and was even being tipped as a future government minister. Was it really conceivable that he had murdered Holly Blake?

Anna didn’t want to believe it because if it was true then this case was going to be elevated from sensitive to sensational. And that would bring with it a whole bunch of problems.

It took several minutes for Rebecca to pull herself together, during which Walker fetched her a glass of water from the kitchen. Her husband got her to sip at it while he held it to her mouth and gently massaged her back.

‘Is there someone you would like us to contact?’ Anna asked. ‘Perhaps a relative or friend.’

‘My wife’s sister Freya needs to know,’ Theo said. ‘They’re close and she’ll want to be here.’

‘Then let me have her number and I’ll phone her for you.’

Rebecca pushed the glass away from her face. ‘That can wait until after I’ve told you about Nathan Wolf,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry I lost it just then. I’m all right now so bear with me.’

‘Of course, Mrs Blake,’ Anna said. ‘I quite understand. Take your time.’

Rebecca breathed in deep through her nostrils as she took a moment to gather her thoughts. Her face was flushed and her eyes shone with unshed tears. When she finally spoke her voice was much sharper, stronger.

‘The last time we saw Holly was on Tuesday evening,’ she said. ‘She arrived here unexpectedly because she wanted to tell us something. She was anxious and tearful, and the news she imparted came as a massive shock to us.’

Rebecca paused as her breath faltered. She blinked away the tears and swallowed hard before continuing.

‘She told us that she was selling her story to a Sunday newspaper and she felt it only fair to forewarn us because of the explosive nature of what would be in it.’

Anna and Walker shared a glance, and Anna was pretty sure they were thinking the same thing – that this case was becoming more interesting by the minute.

‘All I know about your daughter is that she was single and had a career in modelling,’ Anna said. ‘I’m not aware of anything in her life that would be likely to cause a stir.’

‘And neither were we until she ’fessed up,’ Rebecca replied. ‘That’s why I was so taken aback. And so furious with her because by revealing her shameful secret to the world she was going to make life unbearable for all of us.’

‘So what exactly was Holly planning to disclose in the newspaper?’ Anna asked.

‘She was going to make it known that she had been Nathan Wolf’s secret mistress for over a year. That he paid the rent on her flat in Camden after he persuaded her to move into it. And that he gave her spending money so that he could have her on tap for regular sex sessions.’

Rebecca paused, wiped her eyes and wet her lips. Anna wasn’t sure that she had it in her to continue, but after a couple of seconds she did.

‘It started while he was married to his wife, who died of a stroke ten months ago,’ she said. ‘And we had no bloody idea. We thought she was earning good money from modelling, which was how she could afford the flat and the lavish lifestyle. But we were wrong. That pervert was supplementing her income so he could have his way with her.’

‘But it must have been a consensual arrangement,’ Walker pointed out.

Rebecca shot him a look. ‘That’s not the point. Wolf was married and Holly is – was – over twenty years younger than him. She also had issues that made her vulnerable. That man seduced her and she succumbed to his charms. As if that wasn’t bad enough she even went and fell in love with him.’

Rebecca heaved a breath and closed her eyes. Anna could tell that she was on the brink of losing it again. Theo sensed it too and picked up the thread.

‘Wolf apparently strung her along after his wife died,’ he said. ‘He assured her that after a suitable period of mourning they would be able to move their relationship onto a different footing and make it known that they were a couple. But then last week he dumped her and revealed that he had fallen for another woman he wanted to be with. He told Holly she would have to move out of the flat and he offered to pay her a sum of money to go quietly.’

‘But I take it she decided not to accept it,’ Anna said.

Theo nodded. ‘She was heartbroken and felt that he’d betrayed her. She told him she was going to ruin him and that’s what she set out to do. She approached the Sunday Mirror and they jumped at the chance to run her story after she whetted their appetite with some sordid details which she refused to reveal to us.

‘The paper agreed a fee and arrangements were being made to set up a proper interview. It was due to take place this week. That’s why she came here. She wanted us to know before the shit hit the fan.’

‘And did you try to talk her out of it?’ Anna asked.

It was Rebecca who answered. ‘Damn right we did. But she wouldn’t listen. As always it was hard to get through to her when she’d decided to do something, even if she knew that her actions would probably end in tears.’

‘Are you alluding to the issues that you just mentioned?’ Anna asked.

Rebecca sniffed back tears. ‘My daughter never found it easy to cope with life, detective. As a teenager she suffered from depression and went through a phase where she self-harmed. She was also terribly insecure and was never happy with the way she looked. It didn’t help that she was addicted to social media and took every criticism personally.’

‘So how did you try to persuade her not to go public with her story?’

‘I told her it would serve no useful purpose and that she should be grateful that Nathan Wolf would no longer be a part of her life. But she was adamant that she wanted to get her own back on him. She wanted revenge.’

‘And then what?’

‘It turned into a big row and I got so worked up that I said she had been a fool to let him treat her like a whore. That was when she screamed at me and stormed out of the house. It was the last I saw of her.’