“I’m not proud of myself, but I decided then that Randall had to pay for what he had done, and I believe that fate made that possible.” He stopped again. Hooley thought he was challenging them to disagree, but no one had the heart to say anything.
“This is where things get a bit spooky. When Paul came back to London I persuaded him to try his hand at stage design. He’d dabbled at university and I thought he was pretty good. Turned out he was very good and soon had his pick of jobs.
“I thought that would help his confidence, but it didn’t. Then, out of the blue, guess who turns up asking to speak to the ‘brilliant set designer’? Yup, it was Robert Randall. Of course, he had no idea who Paul was, and somehow persuaded him to come to his house with a view to redecorating.
“You see ‘Mr. Bloody Clever,’ know-it-all critic, could only have the best for his home. That was a few months ago, and two weeks ago Paul was able to find a window so that he could do the work. Then he became so ill he had to go into hospital, and you know the rest.”
He sat back and stared into space. His solicitor started guiltily, the story having clearly sent him off into his own thoughts.
“There is one thing you haven’t explained,” said Mayweather. “How did you get let into his flat? Not being rude, but if you suddenly appeared at my door and I didn’t know you, there’s no way I’d let you in.”
Elliot let out of huge belly laugh. “Actually, I wouldn’t let myself in either. But he did know me. I went along as Paul’s assistant and painter. When I arrived, he thought I was there to do the ceilings. Well as you know, I wasn’t.
“I wanted to wear the clown outfit as a disguise, so I told Randall that I would be over that morning, then I had to go to a children’s hospital at lunch-time to put on a show for the kids. I asked if he was OK with that and he was.
“He even offered to pay my cab fare. That’s the funny thing, he could be amazingly generous and was probably quite a nice man, just so long as you weren’t one of his victims. Then he couldn’t hold himself back.”
Mayweather had one important question left. “How did you kill Mr. Randall, for the record, please?” The police had withheld this key piece of information; only the murderer would know.
“It was very quick. He was looking out of his window at the view, so he didn’t realise I had come up behind him.” He held up his huge hands and waggled his fingers at Roper. “His scrawny neck was no match for these. I twisted his head and he died instantly. I don’t think he even knew anything about it. It took Paul five years to die from his grief, so Randall got away lightly, in my opinion.”
THE END
Thank you
Thank you for reading my first short story featuring Jonathan Roper. I wanted to create a character who was a little bit different and I think Roper fits that bill. His autism and lack of social skills provide him with both insights and problems. My sense that Roper would be an interesting fit for the modern world was influenced by my autistic son. He is non-verbal but despite this it has been heart-warming to see him develop; partly down to the brilliant support of so many carers, but also because of his own determination. This determination is a trait he shares with Roper. It was always my intention that the Roper series should be regarded as series of “page turning thrillers”, each one capable of being read alone. While it offers some small insights into the autistic world, I also wanted to show some of the unexpected side of autism. There can be humour there and I hope that my portrayal of the relationship between Roper and his long-suffering boss, Brian Hooley, demonstrates that.
I am a self-published author and would really be grateful if you could leave me a review on Amazon. The number of reviews a book accumulates on a daily basis has a direct impact on sales. So just leaving a review, no matter how short, helps make it possible for me to continue to do what I love… writing. All you have to do is click on the link below and scroll down to the bottom of the page where you will see the option to write a review - Thank you.
To Kill A Critic ~ Review
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Also available in the Jonathan Roper Series…
Going Underground
A gang of mercenaries is causing mayhem in London. Scotland Yard sends for Jonathan Roper and Brian Hooley. They unearth a terrifying conspiracy between human traffickers and unscrupulous scientists who need a steady flow of young victims to fuel a search for eternal life.
Read Going Underground
I Can See You
GCHQ has been keeping Britain safe for 100 years. But who’s going to keep Jonathan Roper safe when he becomes the target of an evil genius? Brian Hooley is the man, and the case will mean he has to call on previously hitherto untapped resources as he fights to save his friend.
Read I Can See You
The Long Reach
London is the target of a terrorist plot to detonate a dirty bomb in the perfect location to spread a radioactive cloud through the British capital. All eyes turn to Jonathan Roper and Brian Hooley in a battle that will go down to the wire.
Read The Long Reach
Coming very soon…
Just Kill Them
The British Royal Family are put on alert to flee London after a devastating series of terror attacks leave hundreds dead and injured, including a Tech Titan. But an unexpected twist means Brian Hooley has run out of time and Jonathan Roper may have to go it alone.
DON’T FORGET! Make sure you get the news of the release date… join my reader VIP list at
www.michael-leese.com
Copyright © Michael Leese 2018
The right of Michael Leese to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced, stored in or transmitted into any retrieval system, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
This is a work of fiction, Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Imprint: Independently published
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