Obsession

by Susan Lewis

  Those niggling doubts she’d had concerning Bobby McIver were once again bothering her. For the past three mornings, before leaving the office to join up with the crew, Corrie had noticed Prue, who’d been made the new research assistant, cutting out all the news stories regarding McIver. There was nothing unusual in that, files were kept on everything, but what was unusual was the sixth sense that had made Corrie check if they were being booked out to anyone. They were. Luke had a standing requisition that everything concerning the murdered prostitutes was to be left on his desk each morning. And to make matters worse Corrie had at last remembered what it was that had first made her suspect that Luke knew more about McIver than he was saying. It was the fact that Luke had given her McIver’s name and address over his car phone only minutes after the story had broken. Sure, he had contacts in the police force, which could easily have explained his prior knowledge, but Corrie might have felt a little more satisfied with that explanation had Luke not then started referring to McIver as Bobby.

  ‘You’re not listening to me!’ Annalise declared.

  ‘Because you’re not making any sense, that’s why,’ Corrie answered, watching several deer scuttle off into the trees.

  ‘You don’t even know what I said!’

  ‘Then what did you say?’

  ‘I said that Felicity Burridge called me last night.’

  ‘Oh?’ Corrie said, surprised.

  ‘And I told her I’d do it.’

  ‘Do what?’

  ‘See, I told you you weren’t listening. I said I’d get Luke to introduce you to Cristos Bennati!’

  ‘Oh, no, Annalise! Don’t do that, I should die of embarrassment.’

  ‘Too late, I’m afraid. I’ve already asked him and he said he’d see what he could do.’

  ‘Oh God!’ Corrie groaned. ‘You didn’t tell Luke it was for me did you?’

  ‘No. I said we both wanted to meet him. But I’m afraid Luke did guess it was for you.’

  ‘Yes, well he would, wouldn’t he? It seems the whole world knows I’ve got a crush on Cristos Bennati, and now he’s going to know too. Oh, yuk, I don’t think I can bear it. Let’s just hope Luke can’t pull it off, ’cos if he does I’m just bound to make a complete prat of myself.’ And with that her foot twisted into a dip in the ground and she took a long, stooping run towards a park bench. When she turned back it was to find Annalise convulse with laughter. Corrie was laughing too, but then, as she looked around to see who else had seen, the smile froze on her lips.

  – 14 –

  ‘IT WAS THE third time this week,’ Corrie said, taking the glass of wine Paula was handing her and curling her feet under her on the sofa. ‘He just keeps turning up. I thought at first that it was to see Annalise, but I’m not so sure now.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Well he spends most of his time talking to me, treating me as though I were the producer, and Annalise just goes along with it. It’s as if she’s absolved herself of all responsibilities now, but she’s only copy-catting Luke. Anything he says goes. I’m convinced that if he told her he wanted her to give up work altogether and stay at home to look after him, she’d do it. To be frank she might just as well for all the commitment she has to the programme these days. She’s like a love-struck teenager! Well, she always has been I suppose, but there are so many stars in her eyes now he’s considering asking her to marry him, that they’re blinding her. To such an extent that she doesn’t even seem to notice that when she’s making up to him around the set he’s almost always watching me. It makes me feel really spooked.’

  ‘Does he ever say anything to you?’

  ‘No, at least not on the set. But I have to tell you what happened last night. I was on my way out to meet a couple of the secretaries to go to the cinema, when I opened my front door and he was standing there. I can tell you, he gave me the fright of my life. He hadn’t rung the bell or anything, well he might just have arrived, but I got the feeling he’d been standing there, just waiting for me to come out.’ She gave an involuntary shudder. ‘It was horrible.’

  ‘Well, what did he say?’

  ‘That he was looking for Annalise. But Annalise was at home, I knew that because I’d just spoken to her on the phone. Then he asked me if the police had been in touch with me about Bobby McIver – the man who was arrested. I said no, then he offered me a lift to the cinema. I didn’t accept because it’s only at the end of the road, so he walked along with me. He kept asking me then how I felt about him marrying Annalise, whether or not I minded, or if I thought he was doing the right thing. I told him I didn’t think it was any of my business, and he seemed to find that quite funny. It was such a strange reaction, and if you could have seen his face when he laughed …’ Again she shivered. ‘He’s really giving me the creeps these days, Paula. I just wish Annalise weren’t so obsessed with him, perhaps then I could get us both out of there. But she is, so what can I do?’

  Paula shook her head, as defeated by the question as Corrie was herself. ‘I guess Felicity’s right,’ she sighed in the end, ‘Annalise is old enough to look after herself.’

  ‘In years maybe, but certainly not in her mind. And what about this Siobhan? From what I can tell Luke goes to see her most weekends – and Annalise knows it. She gets herself into a hell of a state about it, and, well, it’s true, I’ve never actually seen the way Luke behaves when he gets back, but I know one thing for sure, it’s not normal.’

  ‘If Annalise is to be believed.’

  ‘I’ve seen the bruises myself. OK, perhaps he is trying to control her hysteria, but what’s he doing that gets her into that state in the first place? Yes, I know, he calls her by this woman’s name. But why? It’s as though he’s deliberately tormenting her. OK, I know, you’re going to remind me that Annalise is a woman obsessed, possessed, more like, that she could be imagining things, but remember I’ve seen that birthday card too.’ Corrie sighed and shook her head. ‘Their relationship just isn’t healthy, Paula, and the way Annalise is heading she’s going to end up in the funny farm. And what really bothers me, is that Luke knows that.’

  ‘He does?’

  ‘He’s not stupid, Paula, if I can see it then he sure as hell can.’

  ‘And what about her – your, father? Surely he can see it too. I mean if it’s that obvious. Why doesn’t he do something about it?’

  ‘He couldn’t piss his pants if he was on fire,’ Corrie snorted. ‘But I’m beginning to wonder if my initial instincts weren’t right, you know. There could be something going on between him and Luke. Luke’s never mentioned that night again since, you know when we were all at his flat, but what if he was parading us all under Phillip’s nose, like I thought?’

  ‘I don’t know why you ever stopped thinking it,’ Paula said, ‘because speaking personally, I’m convinced of it. Not that I can offer you any theories as to why, but I reckon that was what he was doing, letting Phillip know that he was screwing all three of you. Which of course means that he knows Phillip is your father. And I don’t care what you say, I’m convinced of that too.’

  ‘So why hasn’t he said anything?’

  ‘Search me, but from the things you’ve told me about him I wouldn’t trust the man an inch. I mean, look at all that business in the office, wanting to hold you, then telling you that you’re the only good thing ever to happen to him. Now what was all that about, when he’s supposed to be in love with Annalise?’

  ‘Oh God, it’s all such a mess,’ Corrie groaned.

  ‘You’re dead right it is, and you’re getting in deeper and deeper by the minute. Which, if you ask me, is exactly what Luke Fitzpatrick wants, because, remember, you too are Phillip Denby’s daughter. As far as I’m concerned that’s just too much of a coincidence. OK, Luke hasn’t got you eating out of his hand the way he has Annalise, but boy he’s sure working on it.’ She paused, watching Corrie’s anxious face looking about the room. ‘I think it’s about time you started asking yourself some pretty serious questions
, Corrie,’ she said in a quiet voice. ‘Like where is all this going to end? I know you won’t leave TW because of Annalise, but, well, I don’t want to sound too dramatic about this, but I think that man’s dangerous. Very dangerous in fact. You said yourself Annalise is heading for the loony bin … You want to try and stop that happening, and I understand that, but for God’s sake be careful yourself. I mean, like you say, it’s bloody weird the way he’s been hanging around these past few days.’

  It was a long time before Corrie spoke again. There were so many thoughts going round in her head and she just didn’t know if she wanted to burden Paula with anything else. But she had to. She couldn’t keep it to herself any longer. ‘I think,’ she began hesitantly, ‘that Luke knows something about those murdered prostitutes.’

  Paula’s eyes dilated. ‘What do you mean?’ she whispered.

  Corrie shook her head. ‘I’m not sure. Please keep this to yourself, Paula, but Detective Inspector Radcliffe told me that Bobby McIver has the mental age of a ten year old. To me, that just doesn’t add up to what happened to those women.’

  ‘But McIver confessed, didn’t he? Anyway, what’s that got to do with Luke?’

  Corrie looked into Paula’s bewildered and already fearful eyes, and dug her nails into her palms. ‘Brace yourself,’ she said. ‘I think Luke knows Bobby McIver.’

  ‘Oh my God! Paula cried. ‘Corrie, you’ve got to get out of there. I mean, if he knows that man, if he’s in some way involved … Jesus Christ, this is worse than I thought. I mean, what if this is all tied in somehow with what’s happening between him and your father? Corrie!’ she gasped, as Corrie suddenly turned away. ‘Corrie, that’s what you think, isn’t it? That somehow your father’s mixed up in this?’

  Corrie looked down at her hands. ‘I don’t know what to think,’ she said. ‘All I know is that Phillip’s a very frightened man. He said to me, that night I saw him, he told me to keep away from Luke. He said, “he’s got Annalise, he doesn’t need you too, so keep away from him.” At the time I thought he was telling me … Well, you know what I thought, but now …’

  ‘Corrie, are you telling me that you think Luke Fitzpatrick might have murdered those women?’

  ‘No, of course I’m not. I’m just saying … I’m saying that I think he knows more than he’s letting on.’

  ‘Have you told anyone else about this?’

  Corrie shook her head.

  ‘Then you must! You’ve got to tell the police.’

  ‘Radcliffe is a friend of Luke’s.’

  ‘Not that good a friend, I’ll bet. I heard what Radcliffe said on your programme, and he meant it. You have to go and see him, Corrie. Promise me, promise me now, that you’ll go as soon as you get back to London.’

  For the past few minutes Detective Inspector Radcliffe had been sitting quietly behind his desk, listening intently to what Corrie was telling him. She’d said only that she thought Luke Fitzpatrick knew Bobby McIver, but wasn’t making much sense in backing up her claims. But there was something else troubling her, Radcliffe was pretty sure of that, and he could hazard a fairly accurate guess what it was. If he was right then he knew already it would annoy him. Too many people came in here wasting his time trying to frame someone in order to avenge their personal grievances.

  Sensing that Corrie was on the point of repeating herself again, Radcliffe leaned forward in his chair and held up his hand. ‘What’s your relationship with Mr Fitzpatrick, Miss Browne?’ he asked, bluntly.

  ‘He’s my boss,’ Corrie answered, feeling herself start to blush. Radcliffe was quite aware of that, but they both knew that that wasn’t the question he’d asked. The colour in Corrie’s cheeks deepened even further then as she saw Radcliffe’s eyes wander momentarily to the female DC sitting beside her. Corrie didn’t see the brief smile DC Archer gave in response.

  ‘Can I tell you something, Miss Browne?’ Radcliffe said, standing up and leaning against the wall behind him.

  Corrie was wide-eyed as she nodded.

  ‘I’m going to tell you that you’re absolutely right in thinking that there was someone else behind these murders, since of course, a man like Bobby McIver could never have managed it alone – if indeed he could manage it at all. We now, as I told you before, have McIver in a secure place where he’s being well taken care of. Naturally, it’s our hope that at some point he will tell us the name of the man we’re really looking for. Now, are you trying to tell me that you know who that man is?’

  ‘No! No,’ Corrie answered hastily. ‘I’m just saying that I think Luke Fitzpatrick might know Bobby McIver.’ The way she was saying it didn’t even sound convincing to her own ears, so was it any wonder that Radcliffe was looking at her so sceptically?

  ‘Because he referred to him twice as Bobby, and gave you his name and address?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Radcliffe shook his head, but as he made to speak again Corrie interrupted him.

  ‘Why aren’t you making this public?’ she asked. ‘I mean about the other man?’

  ‘We have our reasons.’

  ‘So why are you telling me?’

  Radcliffe was looking at DC Archer as he answered. ‘Again, we have our reasons,’ he said. ‘But now, I’d like to thank you for coming here today and if we need to speak to you again, I imagine we can contact you at TW?’

  ‘Yes, yes, of course,’ Corrie said, picking up her bag. ‘Um, if you do speak to Luke Fitzpatrick,’ she added, as she and DC Archer reached the door, ‘then I’d be grateful if you didn’t mention anything about me.’

  ‘Of course,’ Radcliffe assured her, and yet again, he and Archer exchanged glances.

  ‘Are you thinking what I’m thinking?’ Radcliffe asked, when Archer had dispensed Corrie into the care of a PC.

  ‘That hell hath no fury?’ Archer smiled.

  Radcliffe nodded. ‘Funny she didn’t strike me as that type when I first met her. Still, I think she’s to be trusted with the information I’ve given her. She’s naive enough to keep it to herself for now, and professional enough to do the right thing with it when the time comes.’

  ‘What about Fitzpatrick?’

  Radcliffe shrugged. ‘We might as well get him in, find out what’s behind it all. But do it tomorrow, I’ve just about had it with this place for one day.’

  Having worked off his fury in the hotel gym, Cristos Bennati was now upstairs in his room taking a shower. The cool water was helping calm him even further, but that asshole location manager just better not show his face again today.

  Cristos had been in London for four days now, and each one had gotten progressively worse. To begin with it was hotter than hell, and matters hadn’t been helped any by the fact that Richard, his DP, had gone down with flu, meaning that Jeannie’s loyalties were split. Well that he could handle, it was the dragging round useless locations, like a general at the head of a bewildered army, that was eating him. The designer was working his butt off with what they’d been shown so far, but even his awesome talent couldn’t make anything of it. Not one single fucking thing was going to work, thanks to Joe, the assistant director, and Peter the jerk of a location manager. Cristos was so mad at them that an hour ago he’d had to leave them on the side of the street before he turned violent. To think he’d spent the past two years of his life working with the screenwriters to get the script in shape and those schmucks hadn’t even read it! At least if what they’d found so far was anything to go by, they hadn’t.

  But Cristos was as mad at himself as he was at them. He should have stuck to his guns when he’d told Bud Winters he didn’t want Dreamboat Joe as his first assistant. And he would have if his regular AD had been available, but he wasn’t, so Bud Winters had seized the opportunity to ease in his fuckhead of a nephew. And somehow the nephew had managed to work in his boyfriend as location manager.

  Cristos was well used to having family and faggots foisted on him, not that he had any objections to either so long as they were good at their j
obs, but on his last couple of movies he’d had all parasites removed. He’d do it again, he suddenly decided, and he’d start now, by putting in a call to LA and demanding that the location manager be replaced inside twenty-four hours or he, Cristos, was on the next plane out of here. The jerk was costing money and there was nothing like hitting an exec. where it hurt most, he grinned savagely.

  Still dripping from the shower he padded into the bedroom and picked up his watch. Winters would still be in bed. Well he could just get the hell out of bed.

  ‘Boy, you sure got a hair up your ass,’ Winters remarked, when Cristos had finished yelling down the phone at him. ‘Try to be tolerant, my friend …’

  ‘I’m not known for it,’ Cristos reminded him. ‘I told you before those fuckwits flew out here that we needed a Brit to find these locations. Someone familiar with the terrain. Sure, they did OK in LA, but over here they’ve well and truly screwed up. They don’t know what they’re doing, and they’re wasting my fucking time. Now I want them off this movie and someone who knows what they’re doing on.’

  ‘But what can I do, Cristos? You’re out there now …’

  ‘You tell Dreamboat Joe that the party’s over, that’s what you do,’ Cristos interrupted. ‘And I’ll find myself a location manager here in London.’

  ‘But if the location manager’s the problem, I don’t see why Joe has to go,’ Winters protested.

  ‘They’re running as a team, they both go. No, you listen to me,’ he barked, when Winters made to interrupt. ‘I don’t want anyone hanging around my set sulking because their fancy boy’s been fired. He’s off, Bud. I gave him a chance and he’s fucked up. Jeannie’ll be speaking to Rowlinson later to line up a new AD. I’ll handle the other.’