‘When the police got me out of bed at half past three this morning. They’d been called out by the manager of the club where he died, and they found an empty box with my name on it.’
‘That must have been a nasty moment for you.’ I drained my coffee and slotted another capsule in the machine. The first one had hit the spot but reminded me that I was still in caffeine deficit.
He pulled a face. ‘I could see they didn’t believe me at first when I said I had no idea how Joshu got the drugs. But when we looked at my briefcase, it was obvious the locks had been forced. I just hadn’t noticed earlier. I’m always so bloody tired at the end of the day, it’s not something I would check.’ He sighed. ‘I think I convinced them I was the victim, not the drug dealer.’
‘Not a great way to start the day, though.’ I sipped the second coffee, appreciating the flavour more this time.
‘No. But much worse for Scarlett.’
‘Where is she, by the way?’
‘Leanne said she was swimming.’ He looked painfully confused at the idea. It didn’t surprise me. I could see the attraction of doing something physical to stave off the moment when she had to face the fact that Joshu was dead and she had no formal role in what happened next. ‘She’s supposed to have chemo today. I thought I could drive her in. But maybe we should postpone it.’
‘No, take her with you. The more distraction she has, the better.’
As I spoke, Scarlett walked in, bringing a whiff of chlorine with her. There was a hollow emptiness to her eyes that I’d never seen before. She threw her arms round me and clung on like Jimmy does now when he hasn’t seen me all day. I could feel her breath shuddering in her chest. ‘Steph,’ she choked out. ‘He’s gone. My beautiful boy. He’s gone.’
I patted her back and held her close. I knew there was nothing to be said. I just had to wait it out. At last, she drew away from our embrace with a juddering sigh. ‘Leanne said you were here, Simon,’ she said. ‘I wasn’t expecting you.’
He stood up and moved to her, taking both her hands in his. ‘I’m so sorry, Scarlett. This has been a terrible shock for you.’
She gave a bitter half-laugh. ‘I always thought he’d come to a bad end. But not like this. I thought it would be his mouth got him into trouble, dissing some gun-toting gangsta. Or his dick. Shagging the wrong tart. I never thought it would be the drugs.’ She let go Simon’s hands and slumped into a chair. ‘You come to make sure I turn up for my chemo, Simon? You worried I’ll go into a decline and give up over Joshu?’
He smiled. ‘I know you better than that, Scarlett. I know you’re not a quitter. And yes, I will drive you in for your chemo appointment as soon as you’re ready. But I have something to tell you and I didn’t want you to hear it secondhand.’
She raised her eyebrows. ‘I don’t think I’m up for any more bad news today, Simon.’
But he told her anyway. Her face seemed to slacken as his words sank in. When he’d finished, there was a terrible cold silence before she finally spoke. ‘The stupid little fucker,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘He always thought he knew best.’ I put a hand on her shoulder and she reached up to grab it tight. ‘What the fuck am I going to tell Jimmy?’ She looked up at me, a naked plea in her eyes.
‘I’ll stay with you,’ I said. ‘We’ll tell him together.’
‘Would you? Ah, Steph, where would I be without you?’ She blinked a tear away and pushed herself to her feet, looking weary beyond words. ‘Come on then, Simon. We’d better get a move on.’
‘Do you want me to come?’ I said.
She puffed out her cheeks and considered. ‘Could you stay here and hold the fort? George is going to want to talk to you. Because we’re going to have to respond to this and I don’t want to be talking to strangers. Then when I get back, we can tell Jimmy.’
‘You’re not going to feel like telling Jimmy after you’ve had a round of chemo,’ I said. Sensibly, I thought.
‘I know that,’ she lashed back at me, the stress taking over the driving seat momentarily. She pressed her eyes closed and shook her head. ‘I’m sorry, Steph. Yeah, I am going to feel like shit. But I can’t put it off till I’m feeling up to it. He’s got to be told. Apart from anything else, he’s a sensitive little lad. He’s going to notice we’re all walking round like a wet Wednesday in Wetherby. He needs to know there’s a good reason for it.’
And I believed she was capable of it. She’d come this far on guts and gumption. There was no reason why they should fail her now. Except that none of the old certainties seemed to be holding fast.
36
I spoke to Maggie as soon as Scarlett and Simon left in his gleaming Audi TT convertible. They took most of the paparazzi with them, which made life easier for everyone else. Maggie knew how I felt about Joshu, so she didn’t bother with condolences. ‘Darling,’ she said, ‘I’ve already spoken to Georgie. The Mail wants seven hundred and fifty exclusive words by half past four, Yes! needs five hundred words by Thursday. I’m still negotiating the funeral exclusives, but this will be a lovely little earner for us. And of course it keeps the interest lively for the cancer book.’ Maggie only bothered with tact and diplomacy when there were strangers around. With me, she could be as blunt as she liked.
These days, I knew Scarlett well enough to knock out a Daily Mail feature on her grief without actually having to speak to her. I could tug at the heart-strings without tipping over into saccharine sweetness, I could convey the tragedy of a love that had died and the sorrow that there could be no attempt at reconciliation now. I was almost moved myself by the words I put in Scarlett’s mouth.
I’d finished the first draft and given it to Leanne to look over when my mobile rang. I didn’t recognise the number but I answered it anyway. ‘Hello?’
‘Is that Stephanie Harker?’
I didn’t recognise the voice but I liked the sound of it. Northern, deep, warm. ‘Yes. Who is this?’
‘Detective Sergeant Nick Nicolaides of the Met Police. I’d like to talk to you about the death of Jishnu Patel.’
I hadn’t heard Joshu’s real name since the wedding and it gave me a jolt. ‘Joshu? Me? Why me? I don’t know anything about it.’
‘George Lyall gave me your name,’ he said. Bloody Gorgeous George. What was he playing at? ‘I’m outside Ms Higgins’ house now,’ he continued. ‘Your intercom doesn’t appear to be working.’
‘It’s working fine. They turn it off when the media won’t leave them alone,’ I said sharply. ‘On days like this.’
‘Can you let me in? Since I’m here? And I want to talk to you?’
I didn’t want to talk to him but I didn’t think I had a lot of choice. I ended the call and opened the gate.
‘Who’s that?’ Leanne looked up from the screen.
‘A copper. He wants to talk to me about Joshu.’
She pulled a surprised face. ‘Why you?’
‘We’ll soon find out. Is that piece OK?’
‘It’s great. You’ll have them sobbing in the streets of Beeston,’ she said cynically. ‘I’ll make myself scarce, then.’ She grabbed her cigarettes and practically ran out of the room. Leanne had never learned to be comfortable around authority. I think she was always waiting for the other shoe to drop.
I opened the back door as a lanky man in black jeans and a thigh-length leather jacket was unfolding himself from the driver’s seat of a weary-looking Vauxhall. His dark hair was shaggy, framing a lean and bony face with deep-set eyes and a nose like a narrow blade. I met his eyes and I felt a spark of danger. I know it’s a cliché, but I’ve always thought of Nick Nicolaides as a handsome pirate. The Johnny Depp kind of pirate, not the ones who kidnap innocent holiday sailors in the Indian Ocean. To be honest, at that moment, I’d have answered pretty much anything he asked me.