The Devil's Reflection

by Colin Davy

  His eyes narrowed. “Why do you ask?”

  Ah, it was going to be like pulling teeth after all. “Did the police ask you about the party?”

  William’s eyes narrowed further. “Why would they?”

  A good question, Gary thought, especially if William had neglected to tell them about it. “Did anyone from the party visit Debbie?”

  William seemed to consider the question seriously. “My boyfriend might have gone across to reinforce the invite,” he said. “Who else would bother?”

  Gary nodded. “It was more of a just-in-case question.”

  The man opposite nodded back. “What do the police think?”

  “I don’t know,” he said, but what he did know was William was lying to him. Either Maria’s premonition was right and he’d developed a super power, or more likely, he’d succumbed to the power of suggestion. Yet If those eyes of William’s looked anymore shifty, they’d be staring out of his ears or examining his own tongue. Whatever William was hiding, it was important. “What happened to your boyfriend?” he asked.

  “Is that any of your business?”

  Hmm … Obviously the man would soon tire of his inane questions and clam up. “No,” he said. “I was curious, that’s all.”

  The man stared but said nothing.

  “Thanks, anyway,” Gary said, rising slowly to his feet.

  “He’s a two-faced bastard,” William said finally. “I should have guessed he preferred fanny.”

  “Sorry?”

  “A two-faced bastard,” he said again. “The blonde airhead put me right, the one you sent to interrogate me. Told me all about my boyfriend’s real feelings. She claimed he was a mate of yours too, and had only been dabbling with me.”

  Gary stared, playing for time. That mate of his could only be Raif, but this made little sense. The man opposite was angry, his lips tight and his eyes hooded. The mystery woman had stirred him up. “What blonde airhead?” he asked.

  “The one claiming to be your current girlfriend.” He spat out the words. “I knew she was lying but she didn’t realise I’d already met Maria. When I pointed this out, she went quiet. I caught her out, you see, and she didn’t like it”

  “I didn’t send any woman here.”

  The man looked curiously at him. “Didn’t you arrange it?”

  “Arrange what? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  He stared for a moment. “Don’t you know her?” he asked. “Tall, blonde and willowy, a strong scouse accent.”

  Gary suddenly had an idea. “Was she called Gail?” he asked.

  He shook his head. “I don’t know, she didn’t give her name. Tried to claim you were her girlfriend and she was doing your legwork. From some sort of religious nutters in Southport.”

  That sounded like Gail. “I do my own legwork,” he said.

  “So, I see.” He turned away, the interview over. “Doesn’t matter now, it’s all water under the bridge. But if I were you, I’d check out that woman.”

  Gary nodded. “I might do that,” he said, before heading for the door and leaving the man to ruminate on his visitor’s bad judgement.

  What would he tell Maria now? That Gail had been here and poisoned whatever well of information the man had possessed? The only scrap of information he’d unearthed was that Raif might be connected somehow. He’d never thought about his friend’s sexual inclinations before, but then there was no evidence Gail was telling the truth. That assumed William wasn’t playing some sort of silly game – he was definitely lying about something. And finally, despite the complications, the odds were Debbie had died from an accidental overdose, and William’s lies, if so, were only aimed at covering up whatever went on at his Sunday evening party. But why was Gail interfering?

  The ring of his mobile phone disturbed his thoughts as he went down the stairs. It was from Raif and the man’s voice had its usual confident tone. “Gary,” he said. “Gail tells me you’re trying your hand at amateur sleuthing.”

  He stopped on the steps and considered what to say. “In my own inadequate way,” he said finally.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t say that.”

  “I would,” Gary said. “Why do you ask?”

  Raif gave a relaxed chuckle. “What are your odds against succeeding?”

  “About a hundred to one.”

  There was a short silence before Raif replied. “I might be able to shorten those odds,” he said.

  “How?”

  “By enlightening you on a few things. Are you interested?”

  Gary tried to make his voice sound casual. “I might be.”

  “Then you can call round sometime.”

  His effort at casual hadn’t worked well, and Gary heard amusement in his friend’s voice, but what could he lose? “I will,” he said.

  Chapter Fourteen

  When his mobile rang later that evening, Sophie’s voice sounded strangely hesitant. “Gary?” she asked. “Is it alright to come up?”

  He and Maria were sitting on the settee while Maria digested her first decent meal since Debbie’s death and a summary of what William had told him. He decided Raif’s odd phone call could wait.

  “Debs might have joined the party,” Maria said. “A celebration only feet away would have been tempting.” She’d changed her mind completely, it seemed, and she’d also changed her clothing. Now she wore jeans and a loose white top. The change of clothing had done her good, she looked more relaxed and the strain on her face had disappeared. The silver crucifix hanging on the loose white material between her breasts caught the dying rays of the sun and shone brightly.

  “Sophie’s outside,” he whispered. “Can she visit?” After her swift nod of assent, he turned back to the phone. “Where are you, Sophe?”

  “Talking to your Mr Maddison,” she said. “He’s very helpful and he’s given me free rein of your parking spaces. A very nice man indeed.”

  “He can be,” he said. “But if you’re driving, where’s Scott?”

  “At school, there’s an end-of-term meeting he couldn’t miss. He’s very conscientious about that sort of thing.”

  “Well come up anyway,” he said “We’ll be pleased to see you.”

  “I won’t be long.”

  She was as good as her word, but after letting her in, he noticed a sheen of sweat coated her brow. “Take it easy,” he said. “You’re not as sprightly as you were.”

  She wore a necklace of small beads he’d not seen before, and from it hung a smaller version of Maria’s crucifix. Noticing his stare, she touched it self-consciously. “My good luck charm,” she whispered. She sounded breathless and he shook his head in reproof.

  “You’ve not been running up the stairs?” he asked.

  She gave a brief laugh. “I took the lift,” she said. “On Tom’s advice, and I’m glad I did.” She took another long breath. “I’ve some interesting information for you.”

  “What is it?” he asked

  She smiled. “Let me settle first, I’ve some weight to take off my feet.”

  After moving the settee cushions around, Maria rushed to help. “I’m fine,” Sophie said. “I’m not going to pod here, I promise.”

  He wasn’t so sure, her baby bump looked heavier and lower than he’d seen it before.

  “Tea or coffee?” Maria asked before scurrying into the kitchen alcove.

  She turned to Maria. “Neither, thanks,” she said. “Water will be fine.” When Maria shoved a glass under the tap, Sophie nodded her thanks. “How are you, sweets?” she said. “I was so upset to hear the shocking news about your sister. Gary’s keeping us up-to-date, but I came round to make sure he’s looking after you properly. You must be devastated.”

  “I’m coping,” she said. “Gary’s doing his best.”

  “That’s good.” She turned her attention to him as he seated himself opposite. “I don’t know if this is relevant,” she said. “But I believe we’ve met Deborah’s neighbour.”

  “Oh?” h
e asked. “William?”

  She nodded.

  “Where?”

  “In a pub near the Oak,” she said, but lips tightened. “I’d like to say how much we liked him.” She paused briefly. “But we didn’t. He must have seen us when we last visited you because he came over straight away.” Her lips tightened further. “Smelling like a ganja factory.”

  He tried not to smile. “With his boyfriend?”

  She shook her head and sighed. “No, but he was bad enough on his own,” she said. “Very familiar, as if we’d been friends for years. He gave us a standing invite to a party on Sunday evenings. I reminded Scott about it today, but he couldn’t recall the man.” She sighed again. “Mind you, he’s useless with names and faces, but he did send a message for Maria.”

  Maria looked up from the kettle. “Oh?”

  Sophie screwed up her face. “Sometimes bad things happen to good people,” she said. “I think it’s a film quote.”

  Maria smiled briefly. “Tell him that’s very nice.”

  “I will,” she said. “But it was his second suggestion. The first one was a little rude.”

  Maria came from the kitchen alcove carrying a glass of water, her smile widening. “Don’t worry, Sophie,” she said “I think I’m old enough.”

  “I suppose you are,” she said. “But I preferred another film quote.” She paused for a moment as if waiting for permission.

  “Come on, Sophe,” Gary said. “Spit it out.”

  “Alright,” she said. “It was ‘the greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.’. I’ve always liked that one."

  “Moulin Rouge,” Gary said. “A standard, but what was Scott’s first effort?”

  “It’s rude,” she said.

  “We’re both adults,” Maria said quickly. “I think we can cope.” Her light tone caught him by surprise, she must be recovering.

  “OK,” Sophie said reluctantly. “It went something along the lines of ‘Grab his balls and his brains will follow.’ Unfortunately, there’s some truth in that. What film is that quote from, Gary?”

  He thought for a moment. “It’s not a direct quote,” he said. “But it’s a version of what an American president said once. Is that the interesting information you wanted to pass on?”

  “No,” she said. “Nothing so juvenile. Now, this might not be important, but Scott bumped into Raif last night.”

  He felt a sudden surge of adrenaline. “Raif Rowlands?”

  She smiled. “How many other Raifs do you know?”

  Fair enough. “So, it’s that one,” he said. “Where did Scott bump into him?”

  She shrugged. “Who knows? I don’t tie him down, but I suspect it was the Oak. Anyway, it appears Raif was tipsy.”

  “Tipsy?” Now, that was a surprise. When Sophie said tipsy, she probably meant roaring drunk, but that was unlike Raif, he was a careful man.

  “Definitely the worse for drink,” she said. “He was incredibly loose-lipped. He told Scott he’d be coming into money soon, claiming it came from a female benefactor in his local church.”

  “His local church?” he asked. “How many is he patronising? He lives in Liverpool or used to.”

  Sophie shrugged. “Raif considers himself a man of the world. Southport to him is a suburb of Liverpool.”

  “I suppose so, but Raif rang me earlier and claimed he had important information.”

  “Oh?” Maria’s eyebrows rose a little. “You didn’t tell me.”

  He shrugged. “Knowing Raif, it could be something or nothing. I’ll call tomorrow and see.” When she nodded, he turned back to Sophie. “Did Scott say who this mystery benefactor was?”

  She shook her head and took the glass of water Maria offered, drinking most of it before the girl had time to skip around to sit beside him. “Did he describe her?” Maria asked Sophie, once she’d put down the glass.

  “Warn your friends,” she said. “I’d hate to see a congregation …” She hesitated. “Swindled is a hard word, but Raif can be convincing when he wants to be.”

  “He didn’t give any clues about his female benefactor?” Maria asked again.

  “Not according to Scott,” she said. “But he could have missed it, he’s not the most attentive listener.”

  Maria began to pull at a lock of hair that had escaped from behind her ear. “It can’t be Debs,” she said. “She’d never be that naïve.”

  “Perhaps she kept it from you,” he said. “Knowing what you think of Raif, she wouldn’t rush to tell you. He can be very persuasive.”

  “No,” she said firmly, “She wouldn’t do that.”

  “She might if it looked financially sound, and it probably would.”

  “No.” Maria wasn’t to be moved on this. “Gary,” she continued. “You don’t understand. He may be a friend of yours, but there’s something not right about him, and Debs could see it too.”

  He decided to stop arguing. Raif was more poseur than predator, but that depended on your point of view. The religious girls had taken against him immediately for some reason, and he wondered why. “He’s not gay,” he said. “Not as far as I know.”

  “How do you know?” Sophie asked.

  To be honest, he didn’t, but the subject had never come up. “Do you two have doubts about his sexuality?” he asked.

  “It’s not for me to judge,” Sophie said immediately, but her face set in the rigid way he recognised. If Sophie thought he was completely straight, she’d have said so, even if she was way too polite to cast what she’d regard as aspersions. Still, it couldn’t do any harm to have a word, even if only to eliminate him from suspicion.

  “Who else is likely to be the female benefactor?” he asked Maria

  She looked away. “I wish I knew,” she said. “That’s a question best addressed to Caitlyn.” She looked pointedly at him. “If you find her.”

  Bloody hell, she really did think he had super powers. “It’s interesting, Sophe,” he said. “Why did Scott think it relevant?”

  “I doubt he did, he only mentioned it in passing.” Glancing at Maria, she smiled. “Now listen girl, Gary passes as dozy more often as not, but he’s sharper than he looks. He’s told me you think he could sort out your worries about this money business and I think you could be right.”

  “I know I’m right,” she said. “If only he’d try.”

  “He will,” Sophie said confidently. “You will, won’t you, Gary?”

  “I’ll try,” he said, but he felt far from confident. Demanding the impossible was one thing, his producing it another.

  As the visit wore on, he found himself slowly cut from the conversation, even when he was the subject, and he saw a bond forming between the women.

  When Sophie rose to leave, she stopped at the door and leaned across to embrace Maria. “I’m so sorry for you,” she said softly, before looking across at Gary. “I’ll give you one more final film quote.”

  “Hmm …?”

  “If you mess with this lovely girl’s emotions, I’ll tear your bollocks off.”

  “What film’s that from?”

  “None, I expect,” she said. “But it should be.”

  Once their visitor had gone, Maria walked back to him with a determined tread. “This dancing around delicate subjects has to stop,” she said. “We need a heart-to-heart.” He felt a mixture of relief and concern. Although he’d become used to her presence, she made him uncomfortable sometimes. Unexpected subjects, emotional responses, and a feeling he was out his depth. It reminded him of the strange dream.

  “Don’t you agree?” she asked and when he nodded, she pulled him slowly to the armchair. “I want you to be totally honest with me, please,” she said. “I’ll know if you’re lying, but you won’t, will you?”

  “I promise I won’t lie,” he said. “What do you want to know?”

  Sitting back, she stared fixedly at him. “I’ve a few questions,” she began. “My first is about Debs. Do you think she was murdere
d?”

  He took a breath before answering. “I think Debbie went to that party on Sunday evening and you think so too. I suspect she couldn’t resist dabbling in something; we’ve already described her as Debs the Dabbler.”

  She gave a nod, but said nothing.

  “I think she died as a result of a tragic accident in which no one was directly to blame,” he said. “Those suppling the drug were indirectly responsible, but it could have been contaminated, too strong or she was totally unused to it. Fentanyl is too dangerous to be taken as an experiment, it can be deadly, especially to the uninitiated.”

  “Do the police think the same?”

  “I suspect they do, it’s a logical conclusion. They’ll wait for the post-mortem results, but unless they show something unexpected …”

  “Thank you,” she said. “We’ll agree to differ on that. I’m sure she was deliberately murdered, but that’s my gut feeling, not a prophesy or a dream. Next, do you think there’s a real problem with the Southport congregation? Are the disappearances real, and are there going to be financial problems looming ahead?”

  “I honestly don’t know,” he said. “The disappearance of Caitlyn Jones is worrying but …” He left it unfinished.

  She nodded but said nothing, and as the silence lengthened, he glanced out the French windows. Dusk had changed into night and he saw only dark shadows cast by moonlight. Time to close the curtains and try to sleep once this interrogation was over. Everything comes to a finale eventually, no matter how complicated. Then you look back and wonder why it took so long. It would be the same here, even if the main complications were the people involved.

  “Do you think I can truly prophesy?” she asked suddenly.

  “I’m not sure,” he said. “Can I use the Scottish verdict – not proven?”

  “You can,” she said. “And there’s only a couple of questions left.”

  “Do they get harder?” he asked.

  When she smiled, it lit up her face. “That depends on you,” she said. “You can answer yes or no, but there’s no prevarication allowed on these. if it’s difficult, say so.”