Risky Business

by W. Soliman

  “I’d say definitely,” I said mildly.

  “Well, Garnet never tells anyone anything they don’t need to know. He got wind of the fact that you were going to France, and wanted your boat to break down mid-Channel. Just as a warning to stay out of his business.”

  “And he asked you to do it.” I shot him a withering glare. “You did as he asked and then come to me asking for a favour.”

  “Have you ever met Garnet?”

  “Nope, can’t say I’ve had the pleasure.”

  “Well, if you had then you’d know better than to ask why I did as I was told. No one crosses him and gets away with it.”

  That gelled with what everyone else had told me about him. “That’s still no reason. If I had been going to France it could have been serious. Do you have any idea how busy the channel is?”

  “That’s why I didn’t tell Garnet you’d had a change of plan.” He looked at me intently. “It’s also why I didn’t sever the bolt so it would snap when you were still miles from land.”

  I snorted. “Do you expect me to thank you?”

  He ignored my sarcasm. “And it’s why I made sure it would be obvious someone had tampered with it. I realised once you knew, you’d start asking who.” He paused. “And that it wouldn’t take you long to suspect me.”

  “What did Garnet expect to gain from doing that to my boat?”

  “He didn’t confide in me. But I guess he wanted you to know he was on to you. Garnet doesn’t like people looking into his affairs.” He paused to take a swig of his beer. “He’s not too keen on them flirting with his wife either.”

  “They’re happily married then.”

  “Oh yes. Cut from the same cloth, are those two.”

  “So Andrea isn’t considering divorce?”

  Paul spluttered with laughter. “Hardly.”

  “What about Tommy Mallet?”

  “What about him?”

  “He and Andrea seem quite tight.”

  “He’s her minder, that’s all. Peter doesn’t gamble. He knows it’s a mug’s game but Andrea enjoys the odd flutter.” He shrugged. “Peter doesn’t like her going to the casino alone.”

  “I got the impression there was more between them than that.”

  “Tommy bats for my team,” he said, smirking.

  “Ah, I see.”

  “Andrea’s a drama queen. She so enjoys winding people up. I don’t know how you came to meet her in the casino, but if you thought you’d made it look accidental, I suspect it was you who was being played.”

  I nodded. I thought so too.

  “Jason was going to join Hal’s team,” he said, shocking me out of my introspection.

  “In what capacity?”

  “The team needs a full-time lawyer and I asked Hal if he’d consider Jason. It would have meant he’d have to travel with the team and we’d have been together.”

  “But he’d also have had to give up his partnership and stop working for Garnet.”

  “Yeah, that was the stumbling block.”

  “How did Garnet take it?”

  “He didn’t know. Jason kept putting off telling him.”

  Which didn’t mean he didn’t know. Garnet seemed to have ears everywhere.

  “So why have you been sabotaging Hal’s team then?”

  He shot me a withering glare. “I know you don’t have a very high opinion of me, but if I wanted to start a new life with Jason away from all this other shit, why bite the hand that feeds me?”

  “Well now, let me see.” I flexed my jaw as I pretended to think about it. “If Jason sells out his share of his partnership in that fancy law firm and sells his apartment, I reckon he might be in the market for a powerboat team at bargain basement prices.”

  Paul laughed in my face. “You’re way off base, little brother. You need to be of multi-millionaire status to even think about running one of those teams.”

  “Like Hal?”

  “Like Hal and all the rich bozos from Asia who so love their gambling.”

  That surprised me. “Is there heavy betting on powerboat racing?”

  “There’s heavy betting on anything that goes by the name of sport. Especially if Asians are involved.”

  I conceded the point with a nod. I believed Paul wasn’t responsible and switched to another tack. “Is Garnet hard up?”

  Paul hesitated a long time before responding. “It’s possible.”

  “Come on, Paul. I need more than that.”

  “You’re still a policeman at heart. I’m not saying anything about his activities that’ll get back to him and drop me in it.”

  “But you want my help.”

  “There’s only so far I’m prepared to go to get it.” He looked genuinely afraid. “Garnet’s all sophistication and charm on the surface, but beneath it all he’s just as much a thug as the goons that work for him.”

  I didn’t point out that Paul was, at least indirectly, one of his employees. He’d already told me a lot, including confirming that Garnet was short of cash. Time to see what else he let slip. “What’s Garnet’s connection to Katrina Simpson?”

  He blinked. “I’ve no idea. Is there one?”

  His reaction was too swift and spontaneous to be a lie.

  “But Jason knew her, didn’t he.”

  “He was going to represent her at her trial. He was looking forward to it.”

  “So why didn’t he?”

  “He was spotted by one of his partners coming out of a gay bar. Real stuffed shirts about it, they were.”

  “So they eased him out.”

  “Yes, they knew that trial would get a lot of press and they wouldn’t take Jason’s word that he had no skeletons in his cupboard. They gave him a generous severance package and he set up on his own.”

  “So Katrina Simpson would have felt let down by him?”

  “No, they only met once before the case was passed to another firm.”

  “I see.” So much for that theory. “Any other clients from his past who might have held a grudge?”

  “He talked about a couple of guys who didn’t think he’d given their cases his best shot.”

  “Can you remember names?”

  “Not really. He didn’t mention any details, because he wasn’t supposed to talk about that stuff.”

  “Okay, fair enough.” I’d get Jimmy to check back on the cases he’d worked whilst in London to see what names popped up. If I’d been running the case, I’d have done that as a matter of course, but Slater might not have thought of it.

  “So he gave up criminal work. Too much hassle, he reckoned. He’d spent a couple of days a week working from his firm’s Brighton office for a number of years and had a lot of contacts here.” Garnet amongst them, presumably. “As he lived here, it made sense to set up shop on his home turf.”

  I harrumphed. “He worked for Garnet and you say he gave up criminal work.”

  “Not quite the same thing.”

  I didn’t bother to say what I thought of that. “Why did Andrea go and see Miller a few days before he died?” I asked instead.

  He produced a leather-bound notebook from his pocket and brandished it in front of my nose. “If you agree to help me, you’ll be able to find out for yourself.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Jason didn’t really trust computers, and with all the sensitive work he did for Garnet, I guess no one could blame him. He got into the habit of keeping private notes about all his appointments.”

  “His appointments?” I said sharply.

  “Yeap. It’s all in here. Brief notes about everyone who came to see him for the past six months, including you. That’s how I know you were asking about Jeff Spelling.”

  I disciplined m
yself not to reach for the book.

  “You have to promise not to let the police see this,” Paul said. I nodded. “It makes for interesting reading and implies that Garnet had a very good reason to kill Miller.” He stood, handing the book to me. “Call me as soon as you know something.” He waved as he started to walk away. “And make it soon.”

  Chapter Twelve

  I somehow managed not to fall on a notebook that had to be pure dynamite and refrained from even taking a quick peek. Instead I shoved it into my jacket pocket and zipped it securely in place. If I was still being watched, I didn’t want anyone to know that our meeting had been anything more sinister than stepbrothers shooting the breeze. I picked up someone’s discarded newspaper and pretended to read it for the next ten minutes, keeping an eye out for anyone watching me. No one stood out, and since the people who’d been tailing me up until that point were pretty inept, it was safe to assume that I was no longer flavour of the month. I wasn’t sure whether I ought to feel relieved or read something more sinister into it.

  I finished my beer and settled the bill. Gil uncurled himself from beneath the table, had a good stretch and shook himself. He then looked up at me and wagged his tail, as if asking what we were hanging about for.

  “Come on then, mate,” I said, leaning down to scratch his big head. “Let’s see what surprises your Uncle Paul has landed us with this time.”

  We headed toward the boat but hadn’t even reached the gate to the pontoons when I changed my mind and turned toward the bus stop instead. It hadn’t taken long for my insecurities regarding Paul to resurface. I told myself not to be such a trusting idiot and to think before I went charging it feetfirst.

  “Help me out here, Gil,” I said. “How likely is it that Paul would do an about-face after all these years of open warfare and actually put his trust in me?”

  Gil wagged.

  “Fat lot of use you are. Not very is the answer you were looking for,” I added with a cynical curl of my lip.

  Even though Paul was genuinely cut up about Miller’s murder, I still found it easy to believe I was being set up. When I goaded him, he must have wanted to tell me to go fuck myself so badly. Asking me for a favour would be akin to poking himself in the eye with a blunt stick. But he still did it. It could have all been an act, though. Paul could be very persuasive when it suited his purpose, and if he really did still harbour jealousies about me, then he’d been handed the opportunity for revenge on a silver platter. Besides, if he was acting on Garnet’s orders, he’d already made it clear that he wouldn’t have the nerve to say no.

  The only thing preventing Slater from arresting me was lack of proof that I was in Miller’s actual apartment on the day he was murdered. An anonymous tip-off to the police and Slater would be back at the boat with a search warrant before I had time to blink. She’d be looking for this book, and the moment she found it I’d be in handcuffs. I couldn’t really blame her. In her position I’d probably arrest me myself.

  Gil and I caught the bus to Saltdean and headed for the bungalow I inherited from Jarvis. Kara, who’d been on my mind lately, currently lived there with her nephew and niece. She’d been making noises about buying her own place with the money her sister had left in trust for the kids. I’d encouraged her to do so. Not because I wanted her to move out but because it would be a good investment for the children’s futures and would give them a much-needed sense of permanency in their lives. Kara and I had grown apart since she gained custody of the children. That was hardly surprising. She’d had a lot of adjustments to make.

  Six months ago she came to me, asking me to help locate her long lost sister. We managed to find her, only in time for Kara to witness her murder. She’d now taken on two young children and was learning how to be a mother and hold down a career at the same time. The responsibility hung heavily on her shoulders, and she didn’t always have time to fit me into her busy schedule.

  She’d become very friendly with Anton, a guy who’d worked for her sister’s husband. The kids loved him, just as he had loved their mother from afar, and I sometimes wondered if he and Kara were finding comfort in one another. If so, I didn’t mind. Well, actually I did, but there was sod all I could about it. Besides, I wanted Kara to have the happiness she deserved.

  Kara was home and seemed gratifyingly pleased to see me. She greeted me with a prolonged kiss that I was more than happy to return.

  “Hello, stranger,” she said when I finally broke it.

  Then it was Gil’s turn. Their love for one another was mutual and it was a while before Gil stopping turning in circles, wagging, making soppy squeaking noises and jumping all over her.

  “How are you?” I asked her. “How are the kids? Sorry I didn’t call ahead. Hope I’m not interrupting.”

  “I’m fine, the kids are thriving and you couldn’t have called at a better time.” She indicated the kitchen table, strewn with paper. “I’m trying to organise an annual reunion for some of our lonely hearts.” Kara was the co-owner of an online dating site. “I’ve hit a few glitches and would welcome an excuse to take a break, even with you.” She shot me a cheeky grin. “But especially Gil. It’s supposed to be a weekend of activities to suit all ages, and I’m having trouble finding the right venue at the right cost.”

  “What sort of activities did you have in mind?” I asked, waggling my brows at her.

  “Same old Charlie,” she said, laughing. “Still only one thing on your mind.”

  “Not my fault.”

  I let my eyes drift over her body and grinned. There was just something about Kara. There always had been. She was wearing jeans and a sleeveless top. Nothing special. It was the way she wore them that got to me. Her glorious red hair was pulled up on top of her head and there wasn’t a scrap of makeup on her face but she still looked sensational.

  She rolled her eye as she filled the kettle. “What brings you out here? Not that you need a reason.”

  “I needed somewhere quiet to read something. And to store it.”

  “Then it’s just as well that you came whilst school’s still in. You’ll get a bit of peace for the next few hours.”

  “That’s what I was hoping for.”

  “Hungry?”

  “Mmm.”

  I looked at her again and didn’t say anything else. I didn’t need to. The next thing, she was in my arms and I was kissing her with an urgency that always surfaced when I was anywhere near her. One of the reasons I’d distanced myself from Kara was that I was as close to falling for her as I’d ever been with any woman since…well, what seemed like forever. And it frightened me. I thought she felt the same way and neither of us knew how far we wanted to take this thing. Not in the long term anyway. But right now we both only had one destination in mind.

  And it couldn’t wait, not even until I’d read that bloody book.

  “Come on,” I said, leading her by the hand toward the bedroom.

  We tore one another’s clothes off and fell onto the bed. That was how it had always been with us. With Cleo I felt affection and a mutual need for release. With Kara it was a very great deal more. She’s intelligent, beautiful, funny, great in the sack. And she doesn’t get seasick.

  Soon, too soon, the only thought in my head was the cataclysmic climax building deep within me. We got there together and collapsed in a sweaty heap in one another’s arms afterwards. I felt satiated to the tips of my toes. Boneless. Totally content. Completely incapable of movement.

  I also felt a fiercely possessive, overwhelming tenderness toward Kara. The moment I admitted to that, I also understood then what had been lacking in sex with Cleo. She was great-looking, uninhibited and unselfish in bed.

  But she wasn’t Kara. It was as simple as that.

  “Wow,” Kara said, grinning at me. “I think we both needed that.”

  “Yeah, but it w
asn’t what I had in mind when I came here. Honest. I wouldn’t have you think I only want you for your body.”

  “Even if it’s true?”

  “It’s not,” I said lightly. “You know better than that.”

  “Then why have you been avoiding me?”

  Ouch. “I haven’t. I went to Yorkshire with Harry and then—”

  “How was your father?”

  I grimaced. “It didn’t go well. No, scratch that. I didn’t handle it well.”

  She knew about the money and my suspicions. I briefly told her what I’d learned.

  “Poor Charlie,” she said kissing the end of my nose, her eyes brimming with sympathy. She knew how I felt about Paul as well. Come to that, there wasn’t much Kara didn’t know about me.

  “Yeah, poor Charlie,” I said, pulling an injured face.

  She dug me in the ribs. “Don’t push it! Now, what is it you came here to read?”

  I reached for my discarded jacket and extracted the notebook. She immediately started throwing questions at me and it wasn’t long before I’d told her everything about Cleo’s problems.

  “The poor girl,” she said. “Fancy having to live with the fact that your father’s in prison for murder. Especially if he didn’t do it. Will you be able to help her?”

  “I’ll certainly try.”

  “Is she pretty?”

  I should have expected that one, even from Kara. “She’d stand out in a crowd,” I said carefully.

  “Have you slept with her?”

  “Have you with Anton?” I shot back at her.

  “Okay, I get it. We don’t have an exclusive arrangement.” She swallowed several times and blinked rapidly. She obviously didn’t like the thought of me in bed with anyone else. She needn’t have worried about it changing how I felt about her, but I had no intention of trying to explain that to her. “Just so you know, I haven’t slept with Anton. He doesn’t come round as much as he did. I think at first I just reminded him of Jas. And the kids were used to him. It helped them to make the transition. But he’s got a job up in London now.”