Silent Scream

by Lynda La Plante

  ‘Did Carol tell you any more about the scream … ?’ she asked.

  Simon was standing with the unit drivers, finishing up questioning one and turning towards another sitting having a quiet smoke in his Mercedes. The windows were open and Simon crouched down by the car.

  ‘You are Anthony James, correct?’

  ‘Yes, sir. Everyone calls me Tony.’

  Simon introduced himself and Tony opened the car door and got out, tossing his cigarette aside.

  ‘I really want to talk to you about the last time you drove Amanda Delany,’ Simon said as they fetched tea and sat down in the catering tent.

  ‘Yeah, right – be the night before she was murdered. I wasn’t her usual driver, I drove her ’cos they broke early so her own driver was doin’ another job – not moonlightin’, nothin’ like that – he was just drivin’ another actor from the cast.’ Tony sipped his drink at the Formica-topped table. ‘So I done the job for him. She wasn’t due to break until around three-thirty in the morning, but the director finished her scenes early.’

  ‘So you weren’t expecting to drive her home?’

  ‘No, I just told you. She had her own driver – well, she thought he was her own but the company hires all of us. It’s a star thing, you know. They insist on their own car and driver.’

  Tony was in his mid-thirties, quite handsome with bright blue eyes. A combover job of his fine blond hair showed he was not happy with the balding process. He was well-dressed in a grey suit with a pristine white shirt and green tie.

  ‘Tell me about the night you drove Amanda home,’ Simon asked.

  Tony shrugged. He had little to say. She’d appeared very tired and told him not to get out when they reached her mews.

  ‘I watched her go in – you know, for safety – and then I backed out of the mews and returned to the set. That was the last time I saw her.’

  In the costume trailer Anna was talking to Joanna Villiers, a pleasant, rosy-faced woman who had shown her the heavy costumes and corset worn by Amanda. She explained how difficult it had been drawing in the corset and how hard Amanda had found the weight of the hooped skirt to handle.

  ‘She was such a tiny, thin thing. We got her waist down to nineteen inches in the corset.’

  ‘Had Amanda said anything about being worried or frightened by anyone?’ Anna asked.

  ‘She told us about a disturbed night she’d had, waking up, hearing someone screaming; said it was terrifying – sounded as if someone was being tortured. That was the night before …’

  Amanda Delany’s ‘personal’ driver, Harry James, turned out to be Tony’s elder brother, handsome like him but with a thick head of snow-white hair. He was very outspoken and showed no sign of distress regarding Amanda’s murder. He told Simon that he had never really liked her, as she could be a ‘right bitch’. He was eager to explain the relationship between the star and driver, how very often, due to the actors screwing around, they made life difficult for the driver whose sole job was to get them to the set on time.

  ‘By screwing around, Mr James, do you mean that in a literal sense?’

  ‘Listen, if they don’t get into the car, we wait. We’ve always got about half an hour to sit kicking our heels until they show, but sometimes it’s a lot longer than that. You ring their doorbell, you call them on the phone, they gotta be on set and it’s down to us to make sure they get there. It’s not always easy though. One actor, I hadda go round the clubs to find him and pour him into the car, and Amanda could be a right pain in the arse too.’

  ‘I’m really only interested in the last time you went to collect her for work – if you saw anything, heard anything suspicious.’

  ‘No, nothing. I drove up to her mews, on time, rang the doorbell and waited a good while, and then panic set in as she didn’t come out. I called her landline, her mobile and got no answer, and then I called the set as I was getting really concerned.’

  Simon asked if he had ever, during the filming, taken Amanda elsewhere, to someone else’s home, or if he knew whether she was seeing anyone from the film unit.

  ‘No, not on this film.’

  ‘You’ve worked with Amanda before?’

  ‘Yes, although I wouldn’t call it working with her exactly. I was a unit driver on two movies she was cast in.’

  ‘So you knew her well?’

  ‘I was her driver; I wouldn’t say I knew her. I made it a point to be pleasant to her, we all did, but as for what goes on in the car … well, you turn a blind eye. That’s the rule of the game – see nothing, hear nothing, say nothing. Like the three wise monkeys, we are.’

  ‘So when you were her driver on the previous film?’

  ‘She wasn’t livin’ in the mews, she shared a flat in Maida Vale. But I didn’t always collect her from there; she often stayed over at one of the other actors’ place.’

  Harry stopped to light a cigarette. ‘I’m not telling stories,’ he said quietly. ‘It was common knowledge she put it about a bit.’

  ‘How do you mean?’

  ‘I can’t make it any plainer. She was quite a naughty girl; at one point she was hopping between actors. It was a pain in the butt for me because I was never sure where I was picking her up from.’

  ‘Can you give me their names?’

  ‘It was in all the papers.’

  ‘That’s as maybe, but if you’d just give me their names,’ Simon persisted.

  Harry puffed on his cigarette. ‘You want all of them?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Like I said, she put it about a bit, but on this film she was behaving herself. I think someone had words with her – you know, warning her about bad press, and two of the blokes were married so there was quite a lot of paparazzi doggin’ her …’

  ‘Just the names, please.’

  In the costume trailer, Anna was getting a similar story from Joanna Villiers. She too had worked on a previous film with Amanda, when the press had been hounding the girl about her relationship with Scott Myers. But Joanna assured Anna that on the present film Amanda had behaved herself. Like Harry James, she was certain that the actress had been ordered to curtail her sexual exploits.

  ‘Maybe the director warned her, I don’t know, he’s such a control freak. I do know they had some stand-up rows. He’s really shocked everyone by not delaying filming and just carrying on, using Amanda’s standin. We all felt he should have waited, but he was adamant that he had no other option but to continue or we’d have had to shut the film down.’

  ‘These rows between him and Amanda, what were they about?’

  ‘Sometimes she didn’t know her lines or was late on set and held up filming. Julian’s got a terrible temper, but she gave as good as she got. She had quite a foul mouth on her.’

  ‘Give me an example.’

  Joanna sighed and opened a bottle of water. ‘One time she couldn’t stop giggling and the rain machine was making her wig uncurl and she was demanding to go back to her trailer. He yelled at her and told her to get her act together, and she just told him to fuck off.’

  ‘Did she leave the set?’

  ‘Yes, she did. In the end, he had to eat humble pie and go and persuade her to come back to work. They had a right shouting match – everyone could hear it. Then she came back on the set about fifteen minutes later, all sweet smiles.’

  ‘So they didn’t have a very good relationship?’

  ‘He’s the director – kings they are, but he’s got a nasty side to him. Sometimes I’ve felt like walking because he comes in here and throws his weight about – ranting on that this or that isn’t right.’

  ‘How did he react to Amanda’s death?’

  ‘All of us were shaken, but I was told he just kicked out at his desk and swore, then asked to be left alone. Whether or not he felt anything, I wouldn’t know – but like I said, he didn’t waste any time on grief. We were straight back to work.’

  ‘Did you know that Amanda once had an affair with Rupert Mitchell?’

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nbsp; ‘Oh yes, we all knew that, but it wasn’t ongoing and they didn’t make it obvious. In fact, she said to me that finishing with him was good because in the script he plays her husband who wants to kill her. Apparently, he’s back with his wife.’

  ‘What about Colin O’Dell?’

  Joanna rolled her eyes. ‘He gets his leg over anything in a skirt – well, that’s what I’ve been told about him. I’ve never worked with him but I’d like to!’

  ‘You get anything of interest?’ Anna asked Simon when she rejoined him in the catering tent.

  Simon nodded, flicking through his notebook. ‘The victim was screwing a lot of men, not on this film, but we’ll need to question them all.’ He gestured across to the James brothers, who were sitting smoking a few tables away. ‘Those are her drivers – Harry and Tony James.’

  ‘You been told about the scream she heard the night before last?’

  ‘Yes. We’ll need to check it out. I’ve contacted the station to make enquiries to see if anything was reported.’

  Anna looked up to see Mike Reynolds heading over to them. As he reached their table, a thin-faced young man wearing a creased shirt, jeans and trainers, called out to him.

  ‘That’s the boss, excuse me,’ Mike said.

  Anna and Simon watched as he conferred with Julian Pike, who wafted his hand in irritation and, turning his back on them, headed towards a row of small office trailers, Mike Reynolds in pursuit.

  Anna was so intent on watching them, she jumped when her shoulder was tapped.

  ‘You’re the police, aren’t you?’

  Anna turned. Standing directly behind her was a very pretty blonde girl.

  ‘I’m Emma Field, Amanda’s standin – well, I was. Do you need to talk to me?’

  Anna hesitated, unprepared, then said, ‘Yes, I would like to ask you a few questions. When was the last time you saw Amanda?’

  ‘Two days ago. I was standing in for the lighting and she was sitting in a chair by the set. She was looking for her mobile. I sat with her for a while and then she was called. Anyway, I was about to come out here for a cigarette and I saw her phone. Her long skirt had hidden it – it was just by her chair.’

  Emma dug into her pocket and handed the phone to Anna.

  ‘I meant to take it to her trailer, but then I was called as they were setting up lights for the interior.’

  Anna looked at the phone; the battery was dead.

  ‘I went over to the make-up trailer later to give it to her, but she’d already left. They said I should keep it until the next day, so I did and …’ She bowed her head, mumbling, ‘It’s so awful, I can’t believe it.’

  Simon smiled at the nervous girl. ‘You’ve taken over her part, haven’t you?’

  ‘Not really. I’m being filmed in long shot, but luckily her costume fits …’ At that moment, the call boy appeared with his radio and waved over to her. Emma apologised; she was needed for rehearsal.

  As she hurried away, Anna checked the phone again. ‘I’ll get this over to the technical support unit to check out her call lists,’ she said.

  Simon was distracted. ‘She was very pretty. I wouldn’t mind working on one of these movies,’ he commented. ‘Big break for her, isn’t it, the standin, but I doubt that’d be a motive.’

  Anna was truly amazed when she stepped from behind the blackout curtain into a massive scenery build of a Victorian incident room at Scotland Yard. Mike Reynolds led her towards Julian Pike, the director, who was standing with his back to her, thumbing through a script.

  ‘Boss, this is DI Anna Travis.’

  Pike turned and gave her a tight smile. Anna could feel his nervous energy. He had piercing eyes and his long, bony fingers twitched. There was an elastic band around his wrist and he slipped it off, twanging it between his fingers.

  ‘You want to sit down?’ he asked.

  ‘If you don’t mind,’ she replied.

  Pike sat and crossed his long legs, one foot twitching up and down, his hands constantly playing with the elastic band.

  ‘Did you get on with Amanda?’ she asked, taking out her notebook.

  ‘Of course I did – everybody did. She could be difficult, but she was a professional and the rushes we have are good. Thankfully her bulk scenes were already shot.’

  ‘I’ve been told you had a few arguments?’

  ‘Really? Well, by that you probably mean when I had to talk to her firmly about how she was interpreting the scenes. She was playing a very nervous and sheltered young heiress, and obviously Amanda was neither, so sometimes she would appear too modern – in her gestures, her delivery, et cetera, but I didn’t have any actual arguments with her. I admired her – she was very strong-minded.’

  ‘Did you have a close relationship with her?’

  Pike gave a short barking laugh and pushed his glasses up onto his head.

  ‘If you are trying to find out if I was having sex with her, you couldn’t be more wrong. I was directing her; it was a professional relationship and nothing more.’ He snapped the elastic band.

  ‘Had you ever had a relationship with her before this film?’

  ‘Christ, no, but I’m certain you’ll have a list of men who did – not that I think she was involved with anyone here. Her agent had given her a good talking-to about behaving herself, as the last thing we wanted was any scandal … not that it wouldn’t be good publicity eventually, but to have press hanging around the set would have been intrusive. It took me all my time making her concentrate.’

  ‘You’ve replaced her?’

  He recrossed his legs and leaned forward.

  ‘Listen, I know a lot of the crew don’t like the fact that we have kept the cameras rolling, but I have backers and producers eager to get the movie finished.’ He stood up then, saying, ‘Now, is there anything else you want to ask me, only I should get started as we’re almost ready to go with the next scene.’

  ‘Did you like Amanda?’

  For the first time, Pike became still.

  ‘Did I like her?’ he repeated.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘I cast her, Detective Travis, I admired her, and she was a very beautiful young woman. This is tragic and, to be honest, I’ve not really allowed myself to think about what happened to her.’

  ‘Would you know of anyone who would have had a grievance against her?’

  Pike sighed in irritation.

  ‘Maybe one or other of the boyfriends she dumped, maybe even one of the wives they left to be with her, but whether any one of them would have done this terrible thing is beyond my comprehension. She was twenty-four years old, with a big career ahead of her, and she was an astonishingly beautiful girl, cut down in the prime of her life and her career.’

  There was a sudden flurry of activity, actors returning to the set ready for the filming, lighting technicians hovering. Pike got up from the chair, dismissing Anna.

  ‘Could I ask you one more thing?’ she said, jumping up and following him.

  ‘Yes,’ he hissed.

  ‘Did Amanda say anything to you about hearing someone screaming in the night?’

  He turned towards her, his face pinched with impatience.

  ‘She mentioned it, but I didn’t give it much attention. I said something like … oh, I can’t remember, but I think it was that she should use it for the sequence we were shooting. I wanted to hear her really screaming. Now, if you’ll excuse me …’

  ‘But she was obviously distressed, wasn’t she?’

  ‘Listen, Detective, Amanda could get distressed if her costume was too tight, but whether or not it had any connection to what happened, I really couldn’t say. Now, I have to get back to work.’

  ‘You suspect someone from the unit killed her?’ Simon asked Anna as they walked towards his car.

  Anna got into the passenger seat, slamming the door shut. Simon winced as he sat beside her, closing his own door more carefully.

  ‘I think …’ She hesitated. ‘One of them knows a lot more
than I was able to uncover. Which one, I don’t know – but I’m not through here. Something doesn’t sit right, apart from their lack of genuine grief, and I didn’t like the director.’

  ‘Julian Pike? Was it just a personal reaction or did you get something else?’ Simon asked.

  ‘There’s just something about him. He’s a cold fish. And he doesn’t really have an alibi, does he – since he drove himself home.’

  They continued their journey in silence for a while and then Simon hit the steering wheel in frustration, muttering, ‘Fucking traffic! This bloody congestion charge just makes it worse.’

  ‘What do you think about the scream Amanda claimed to have heard?’ Anna asked.

  ‘Christ knows. You keep going back to that.’

  ‘I know, it just bothers me. She gets to the set and tells everyone how much it had affected her, but she didn’t call the police.’

  They eventually drove into the station car park and headed into the incident room. Phones were ringing nonstop as Anna threaded her way through the booths towards her small glass-fronted office.

  As soon as Mathews saw Anna, he signalled for her to join him.

  ‘The TV coverage is kicking in – they’re showing clippings of her films and they’re impatient for an arrest. So far, we have no suspect. Unless …’ He peered at Anna.

  ‘We’ve come up empty-handed. No one we interviewed on the set appears to have a motive, and in most cases they were either working or had alibis, so the team will have to run checks on them all. Have we been given a closer timeframe for her death?’

  ‘Not come through yet, but they’ll be finishing up the post mortem some time soon.’ Mathews sighed, then glanced at his watch. ‘We’d better have a briefing and see what else, if anything, we’ve got. With such a high-profile case, we’ll be getting a lot of media attention. You think we should go for an interview on one of the TV crime shows?’

  ‘I suppose so, but right now we’ve not really pieced together her last known movements, apart from being dropped off at home by the unit driver.’

  ‘You question him?’

  ‘Yes, Simon did. His name is Harry James. He didn’t see anything suspicious and waited until Amanda let herself into the mews house before he drove off. He returned to the film set and had another actor to drive home.’