Risky Business

by W. Soliman

  “Hmm, it’s a toughie.” She wrinkled her nose. “You also need to think if you’ve learned anything to help your lady friend’s father.”

  “No, I don’t. I’m no further forward in that respect.”

  “Everything comes back to this Garnet, doesn’t it?”

  “More than you know.” I updated her on Hal’s problems. We’d been distracted into a discussion on our personal relationship before I could do so earlier. “Garnet doesn’t have an involvement there but Paul does, so it’s much the same thing.”

  “You still don’t trust him?”

  “Not as far as I could throw him.” I told her I suspected Angie Bradley of being one of the saboteurs.

  “And she worked for Garnet?”

  “Yes, and has a connection to Katrina Simpson.”

  “This is all getting a bit weird. And confusing. Who’s Katrina Simpson and what has she got to do with Garnet?”

  “I can tell you who she is, but what she’s got to do with Garnet, I don’t have a clue. Even so, I’m willing to bet that there is a connection.”

  “Want me to do some digging?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  “Okay.” She grabbed a pad and scribbled down Angie’s name. And Katrina Simpson’s too. “So you think Angie could have done some of the sabotage, doctoring emails, diverting spares to the wrong place, stuff like that.”

  “Mmm, but she’d need someone hands-on to do some of the other stuff, like the wrong fuel additives. Still, she’s an attractive girl. If she spun one of the grease monkeys a line, I dare say she’d get him eating out of her hand without too much trouble.”

  “I rest my case.”

  “Come again?”

  “Oh, I intend to,” she said with a potent smile. “You owe me. But what I meant was that you never seem to get involved with ugly women.”

  I spread my hands. “I’m responsible for that?”

  Kara grabbed her pad and turned to a clean page. “Let’s take these things one at a time.” She wrote Peter Garnet’s name in the centre of the page and drew a circle round it. “Spelling’s murder,” she said, writing his name with a line connected to Garnet. “We know he almost certainly ordered that because Spelling was stealing from him.” Miller’s name came next. “He didn’t want to let him go because he was afraid of what he knew about his organisation.” Another line linked directly to Garnet. “And now Hal’s problems, almost certainly perpetrated by someone who used to work for Garnet.” She was doodling now as she said absently, “He’s like a big predatory spider, sitting in the middle of his web and drawing everything in that passes within his reach.”

  “A good description.”

  “We really need to find out what his connection to Katrina Simpson is. It must be something pretty powerful if he’s going to so much trouble to wreak revenge.”

  “If it is just revenge.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, Paul said something that’s only just clicked with me. I didn’t know that powerboat racing attracted such high rollers and so many hefty wagers.”

  “No, nor did I.”

  “Well, apparently the Asians are big players and you know how they like to gamble.”

  “Yes, half our football clubs have been taken over by them.”

  “Garnet’s probably got a deal going with someone to nobble Hal’s team. It also provides him with a timely opportunity to get revenge for Katrina Simpson, who obviously matters to him. What I can’t decide is whether he wants to buy Hal’s team on the cheap when it’s had the stuffing knocked out of it.”

  “But you said Paul told you it took a multimillionaire to afford one.”

  I made a scoffing sound at the back of my throat. “Paul said it so it has to be true.”

  “Point taken.” She jotted another note. “I’ll research that too.”

  “Do you have time?”

  “For you, I’ll make time. Besides, it occurs to me that going to watch a local race might be a good thing for my singles.”

  “All those powerful engines will get your men revving their own engines.”

  She treated me to a droll look. “Very amusing.”

  “I aim to please.”

  “What are you going to do now?”

  “What, right now?” I reached for her and pulled her T-shirt over her head. “You said something about a repeat performance.”

  Her beatific smile was almost my undoing. “So I did,” she said, throwing the discarded shirt onto the floor and falling into my arms.

  * * *

  “I repeat my earlier question,” she said afterwards. “What are you going to do about all this mess now?”

  “I don’t know. Talk to Paul again, I suppose. Read this book more thoroughly.”

  “Why do you want to leave it here?”

  “Just in case I’m being set up,” I said grimly.

  “You really don’t trust Paul, do you?”

  “He’s never given me any reason to.”

  She looked at her watch and groaned. “I have to go and get the kids soon.” She paused, half in and half out of the bed. “How’s Harry, by the way?”

  “He’s fine. He’s with me this coming weekend.” I suddenly had a bright idea. “Say, why don’t we all go to Cowes for the weekend? It’ll be like old times.” We’d stopped there on our way to Weymouth in search of her sister. “And you can update me on the results of your research.”

  “You don’t have to butter me up, Charlie. I said I’d do the research.”

  “Kara, I asked you and the kids to come because I want you to.”

  She looked at me for a while, as though searching my face to see if I really meant it, and then nodded. “Okay, that would be great. The kids will love it.”

  “Come to the marina as early as you can Saturday morning and we’ll get straight off. I think they have a special event on at Robin Hill for the kids. I saw something about it somewhere.”

  “You’re on!”

  She went to collect the children but I stayed on for a while, going through that notebook. I didn’t learn much else and carefully hid it away in plain sight amongst a load of other books.

  Riding the bus back to the marina with Gil, I knew one thing for certain. I never wanted to cause the hurt I’d seen in Kara’s eyes ever again. She meant too much to me and I felt like a prize prick for upsetting her. Cleo wouldn’t be sharing my bed again. Nor would any other woman. What that said for my hard-fought independence I didn’t have a clue, and I had no intention of dwelling upon it.

  It was simply the way it was.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I’d missed two calls from Cleo during my afternoon with Kara. I hadn’t seen her since our return from Hal’s. She’d been working and I’d been chasing my tail.

  She rang again just after I got back to the boat, sounding in a bit of a state.

  “I couldn’t get hold of you,” she said when I asked her what was wrong. “I was worried. I thought something might have happened to you.”

  “Sorry, I was with someone and couldn’t answer my phone.”

  Typically, she didn’t ask me who and got straight to the point. “Have you found anything more out?”

  “Are you working tonight?”

  “Yes.”

  “Come a bit early and I’ll meet you in the pub. We’ll talk then.”

  “Okay. Eight o’clock?”

  “Fine.”

  She was already there when I reached Wetherspoon’s pub, a glass of mineral water in front of her, a fresh pint waiting for me.

  “Thanks.” I gave her a peck on the cheek. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

  “You didn’t. I was early.”

  I’d stopped at the ma
rina office on my way over and picked up my post. I threw it on the table and devoted my attention to the beer.

  “Cheers,” I said, raising my glass to her.

  “Come on then, Charlie, give,” she said, not bothering to acknowledge the gesture. “Don’t keep me in suspense. I can tell from your expression that you have news.”

  “Okay, there is something but I’m not sure what we can do with it.”

  Her face lit up as I told her about my meeting with Reg.

  “It explains so much,” she said, mulling it over. “You think Peter Garnet was behind the murder?”

  “I’m sure of it. I just don’t have a clue how to go about proving it.”

  “My dad’s known Jeff’s secret all this time but never confided in me.” She shook her head. “How could he do that? He must have known I would have kept quiet.”

  “Perhaps, but it wouldn’t have stopped Jeff getting killed or your father’s name being in the frame for it.”

  “I suppose.” She fell into a temporary silence, fiddling abstractedly with the drip mat in front of her. “There must be a way to use this information to get Garnet to confess,” she said morosely.

  “Unfortunately not. Reg would never repeat what he told me to the police.”

  “But the woman.” She leaned toward me, eyes sparkling with determination. “The mother of the child. Couldn’t we ask her to say where the money for her daughter’s medical bills came from? There must be a paper trail to back it up.”

  “There probably is and I dare say she wouldn’t mind saying now that the child’s grown, but it won’t get us any closer to Garnet.”

  “Damn!” She thumped the table so hard that our glasses jumped. Several people glanced at us and quickly looked away again. They probably assumed we were having a domestic and didn’t want to get involved. “There must be something we can do. It’s the first solid lead we’ve had. Perhaps we can have another go at proving Garnet paid Mum’s bills.”

  “Even if we managed to unravel all the false trails behind that company, and they led us to Garnet, it would still be circumstantial. Garnet would come up with a plausible reason for paying your mother’s bills. He’d probably say he felt sorry for her and wanted to help.”

  “And come out of it smelling of roses.” Cleo’s lips twisted into a mirthless smile.

  “Right. I can just see the headlines now. Local Businessman Comes to the Aid of Sick Woman.” I made a scoffing sound at the back of my throat. “People like him who can afford top-end briefs always manage to put a positive a spin on their actions.”

  “It’s so unfair, Charlie. So bloody frustrating.”

  I briefly covered her hand with mine, conscious of the tears shimmering in her eyes. “Try not to worry. We’re not giving up yet. I’ll think of something.”

  We drank for a few minutes in speculative silence. I didn’t mention my meeting with Paul. It didn’t directly impinge on her problems but the connection to Garnet would probably engender all sorts of wild suggestions.

  “Andrea Garnet,” she said, brightening considerably. “She took a liking to you in the casino. If you worked on that, perhaps…”

  “Perhaps what?”

  She visibly slumped. “No, of course, if she implicates her husband she’ll finish up on a slab too, just like Spelling.”

  Now she was starting to think straight. “Short of wheedling my way into Garnet’s organisation, or turning someone on the inside,” I added, thinking of Paul, “we’re all out of options.”

  “So Dad will just have to stay where he is and I’ll have to get on with my life.”

  “It looks that way at the moment.” I briefly held her gaze. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. It’s not your fault. You did all you could.”

  “Something will turn up. It always does.”

  We lapsed into another lengthy silence. I flipped through my mail to avoid facing the disappointment in her eyes. A mobile phone bill, junk mail, something from Harry’s school. And a thick cream envelope, hand-addressed and hand-delivered. My curiosity piqued, I opened it then and there. Cleo gasped when she saw me extract a printed invitation to Mr. Hunter and guest to attend a cocktail party that Friday evening at Peter Garnet’s health club in Hove. A note written on the back, presumably by the man himself, said he understood his wife owed me money. He would be pleased to reimburse me on Friday and looked forward to meeting me then.

  “Well, well,” I said, thinking of Kara’s analogy. “So the spider comes to the fly.”

  “What does it mean?” Cleo asked.

  “It means that Garnet has something he wants to say to me in person.” And I had a feeling I wasn’t going to want to hear it.

  “To us, Charlie, to us. It says to bring a guest. I’ll get the evening off.”

  “No, you won’t.”

  She glowered at me. “Why not?”

  “Because he knows of my interest in your father’s case. It might be dangerous. Besides,” I added, keeping my expression resolute, “knowing how you feel about him, I wouldn’t put it past you to do something stupid.”

  “Thanks very much!”

  “You’re emotionally involved. I’ve seen it happen more times than enough.”

  “Yes, but I know how to play my cards close to my chest. I bloody well ought to, given what I do for a living.”

  I chuckled. “Point taken. Even so, I’m afraid I can’t invite you along.” I paused, wondering how to let her down gently. “I’ve already arranged to spend the weekend with someone.”

  “Oh, I see.” Her face briefly fell but she quickly rallied. “That’s different. You should have said.”

  “I’ll be in touch after the event to let you know what I find out.”

  “Fair enough.” She glanced at her watch. “I have to run. Can’t afford to be late for work.”

  I walked her to the casino, returned to the boat and did a bit of sleuthing on the internet. Then I called Kara.

  “Charlie,” she said. “Missing me already?”

  “Hey gorgeous, wanna go to a party with me on Friday?”

  “What’s it all in aid of?”

  I told her about the invite.

  “It sounds a bit dodgy,” she said dubiously.

  “When did that ever stop you?”

  She giggled. “True, but are you sure he’s not setting you up for something?”

  I wasn’t sure about anything. “I’ve checked it out. There was a bit in the local rag about it. He’s done a revamp of the club and this is the official reopening. There’ll be heaps of people there. Besides, if Garnet wanted to do anything sinister, he knows where I live and could arrange for me to be abducted easily enough.”

  “Well, that’s all right then, I suppose.” But she still didn’t sound too sure.

  “Hey, have I ever led you into trouble? If memory serves, it’s always been the other way round.”

  “Guess I can’t argue with that.” She paused. “What do you think he wants to talk to you about?”

  “No idea. We’ll have to wait until Friday to find out.”

  “I’ll get Mum to babysit. She never says she can’t.”

  “Don that sexy dress you wowed me with once before and pick me up at seven,” I said.

  “Shouldn’t you be taking Cleo with you?” she asked tentatively.

  “She’s working.”

  “Oh, so you asked her first?”

  I sighed. “I met her this evening to talk about her father, that’s all. She saw me open that invite and said she wanted to come. I said no. End of story.” I took a deep breath and softened my tone. “Even if she wasn’t so keen to see Garnet taken down that she’s likely to do something stupid, I still wouldn’t have asked her along.”

  “Okay.”

 
“Good, I’ll see you on Friday then.”

  Whilst I cooked my supper I wondered about the speed with which things were now happing. Rattling people’s cages often had that effect, but I was only used to doing it with the might of the police force to back me up. Even so, seeing Garnet in company couldn’t do any harm and I was way too curious to know what he wanted to even think about backing out.

  The following morning I rang the number on the card and told the posh-sounding woman who answered that I’d be attending. She told me Mr. Garnet was looking forward to meeting me. I wondered how she knew.

  After that I thought about giving the boat a thorough wash but then remembered I was supposed to be listening to Gavin play jazz. I climbed on the Harley, thinking as I rode the busy streets about all the things that had happened since I’d last made this journey. Gavin was slightly less suspicious of me this time and we enjoyed making music together. I even got a reluctant smile out of him on a couple of occasions. Progress came in many guises.

  “Right, that’s it for today,” I said, after about an hour. “Do you want a ride back on the bike, Gavin? I’ll drop you well short of the estate.”

  I was gratified when he agreed and threw him the spare helmet I keep in my top box. In my rearview mirror I saw him smile spontaneously when the engine roared into life. I felt good about making him…well, feel good about the things in life that kids are supposed to enjoy. When I dropped him off he actually asked me if I’d be there next week.

  Friday morning came round. Jillian Slater hadn’t come calling again so presumably Paul’s intention wasn’t to set me up. On the negative side, I’d been calling him three times a day since our meeting and hadn’t been able to get hold of him. I asked Hal but he wasn’t due on duty again for another couple of weeks. Where the hell was he? Whatever, I assumed he’d be at Garnet’s tonight.

  Kara surprised me by appearing two hours early, clutching an overnight bag.

  “Hey.” She climbed onto the aft deck and Gil and I competed with one another to hug her first.