The Maggie Bainbridge Box Set

by Rob Wyllie

  'Yep, no problem, just need to grab this.' With a deft move, he picked up the leather-bound book which had lain on the table unobserved and followed her out into the garden.

  ◆◆◆

  There would be time for a debrief later in the day, when Maggie could share her latest thinking on the Grant case and she would find out why Jimmy had taken that book. But overall, the morning which at one point had threatened to be a disaster had turned out all right. Ok, they had been less than truthful in a murder investigation, but it was all in a good cause, and at least they had something on WPC Heather Green that would ensure her silence in the future. And Jimmy had for once survived an encounter with an attractive woman without leaving with a bloody phone number on the back of his hand. Although as she sat alongside him on the tube train, she gave a quick sideways glance just to make sure.

  Chapter 13

  Their regular Fleet Street Starbucks was as packed as ever, but they managed to find three adjacent stools along a sidewall shelf. Naturally DI Frank Stewart would have preferred a pint but she knew if she offered him a grande Americano with a gratis blueberry muffin on the side he would turn up, and he did. Service for once being swift, they were soon mainlining copious oral injections of caffeine and ready to discuss developments.

  'Thanks a lot for coming Frank,' Maggie said. 'I know you must be really busy with our Shark case.' She noticed he ignored the deliberate provocation.

  He nodded. 'Well, that's not a problem, but actually it's what my wee brother mentioned on the phone that's really brought me here.'

  Jimmy took the diary from his pocket and carefully removed the photograph, laying it on the shelf. 'This is it. I guess it might be a nephew or a niece or maybe even some fan's kid I suppose. But I think it looks a bit creepy.'

  'Nice garden though,' Frank observed.

  'Yeah, but it is a bit creepy,' Maggie said. 'So this is what you concealed from pushy WPC Green? Clever boy.'

  'What's this about a WPC?' Frank sounded suspicious, but then Maggie knew that came naturally to detective inspectors.

  'Nothing for you to worry about,' Jimmy said. It didn't sound too convincing. 'Anyway, how are you getting on with the case.' Maggie couldn't help but notice the hint of a challenge in his voice. And the mild deflation when Frank told him about his conversation with Interpol and the Kitty Lawrence abduction.

  'So do you think these cases might be linked?' Jimmy asked.

  'I don't know,' Frank said, 'but there are a ton of similarities. I just haven't figured out what the connection could be, but that will come. Anyway, tell me, how did you get a hold of this diary and that photograph?'

  Maggie smiled uncertainly. 'You'll need to tell him.'

  'Tell me what?'

  So Jimmy told him, and as she had predicted, it didn't go down well.

  'Christ's sake! Christ's sake! You broke into a murder scene? You used a set of keys that you had stolen on a previous visit. You traipsed all over the house no doubt leaving fingerprints and DNA behind which could screw up the evidence, and by the way, get you fitted up for the murder. You know, I really should arrest you myself.'

  'I'm sorry Frank,' Maggie said, back-pedalling. 'It was my idea. Jimmy was just doing what I asked.'

  'Well in that case I should bloody arrest you too. For god's sake Maggie, it was a really stupid thing to do. Damn stupid.'

  'I was only in there for half an hour,' Jimmy said, evidently in an attempt at mitigation, 'and I don't think I disturbed anything. I don't know why you're getting so excited mate.'

  The words 'red rag' and 'bull' sprang into Maggie's mind.

  'You think this is funny, do you?' Frank spat out the words.

  'But I thought that's what Department 12B did,' Jimmy said, not helping at all. 'The things that other cops can't touch? And anyway, we were only looking to see if Allegra knew anything about the pre-nuptial agreement.'

  Frank grimaced. 'Yeah, well that's got sod-all to do with me. As for the murders, if the team need more evidence they'll get it through the proper procedures, not through some bloody amateur subterfuge. And you Maggie are a bloody lawyer so you should know what inadmissible as evidence means.'

  She had never seen him this angry before, and now began to wonder if they had overplayed their hand. 'Look, I'm sorry Frank, it's just my enthusiasm getting the better of me. You're right, I know you are.'

  He softened a bit as Maggie gave him what she hoped was a little-girl-lost smile. 'Aye, well no harm done yet I suppose. But we're going to have to hand that diary and the photograph over to Barker, and god knows how we're going to explain how we came by it.'

  Maggie had a solution to that dilemma. Grinning, she said. 'Frank, cover your ears, but I think we may have somewhat compromised WPC Green....'

  Frank shook his head and gave a sharp intake of breath.

  'I've got nearly twenty years of unblemished service under my belt, then I have the bloody misfortune of running into bloody Maggie Bainbridge.'

  And then he beamed a huge smile.

  'But let's make sure we give that diary a thorough read-through first. And get a scan of that photo as well.'

  Jimmy gave them a wry look. 'Well, actually folks, I've already had a good read. And it's very interesting to say the least.'

  'We're all ears,' Frank said, through a mouthful of muffin, as Jimmy undid the clasp of the diary, opened it and began to read.

  'Aye, so here we are about six months ago, and she's all loved up. Benjamin Fox asked me to dinner. Bit awkward with Melody on-set. But he's v. nice. And then a couple of weeks later it's all getting a bit x-rated.'

  He'd told her about the underwear drawer and the Viagra, and she was amused to see the faint tint of crimson that now suffused his cheeks.

  'I won't bother reading any of those ones out if you don't mind. Suffice to say there was a lot of action in the bedroom department. For the next month or two, it continues much in the same vein. There's a wee celebration when Fox's degree nisi comes through, and she begins to wonder if this might be the real thing. In one of the entries, she's speculating on her choice of bridesmaids.'

  'All sounds a bit boring to me,' Frank said dismissively.

  'Patience brother, patience, it gets better. So about three months ago, we get the first and only mention of the pre-nuptial agreement. Benjy rather pleased with himself. Pre-nup sorted, problem solved he says.'

  'Nothing else?' Maggie asked.

  'No, nothing. But there was obviously something going on there. No idea what.'

  'Shame that's all there is,' Maggie said.

  'Aye, it is,' Jimmy said, 'but it's what she wrote just three weeks ago that's the real dynamite I think. Listen to this. Wednesday May 21st. Benjy told me something awful tonight. Everything is ruined. Distraught and broken.'

  'Everything is ruined?' Maggie repeated, open-mouthed. 'What does that mean. Isn't there anything else?'

  Jimmy shook his head. 'Not that I can see. There was just one thing. The next day. Need to see Edwina. That was all she wrote.'

  'Edwina?' Frank said. 'Who's that?'

  'A friend I suppose,' Maggie said. 'Or maybe a sister?'

  'Aye, a sister,' Jimmy said, his voice betraying excitement, 'but not her sister. His sister. I found a few greeting cards stuffed in a drawer when I was in his house and there was an old birthday card for Benjamin. Dear Brother it said and I took a quick look inside. Edwina, that was her name.'

  Before he had finished speaking, Maggie was on Wikipedia. Benjamin Fox, actor, born in London in 1968 to Peter and Mary Fox of Attringwell House, Devonshire. Married Melody Montague in 2014, no children. And a sister Edwina, distinguished enough in her own right as a theatrical agent to merit her own separate entry.

  ◆◆◆

  It had only taken a couple of clicks to locate the website of The Talent Partnership, the agency for whom Edwina Fox worked. Her Wikipedia profile revealed her to be the older of the two children of Peter Fox and his first wife, and that she was married to
a well-known actor, but like Maggie, preferred to use her maiden name for business. The agency was located on Warwick Street in the heart of theatreland, barely a ten-minute walk from their Fleet Street Starbucks.

  'I can't believe she agreed to see us right away,' Maggie said. They were shown into a comfortable reception area, its walls plastered with portraits of famous clients old and new.

  'My god, that's Lawrence Olivier, isn't it?' Jimmy said. 'With his wife Vivien Leigh. These guys must be really big-time to have had them as clients. And long-established.'

  She hadn't heard of either but declined to admit it. 'Wonder if they represent Melody or Charles, what do you think?' she asked.

  'Might do. I'd imagine they would have had Benjamin on their books at least.'

  Edwina Fox was a woman of plain appearance, in stark contrast to the good looks of her younger brother. According to her Wikipedia profile, she had decided early on that her theatrical career was to be made out of the spotlight, and she had made rather a success of it. Beautifully dressed in a Prada pinafore subtly set off by an alarmingly expensive pearl necklace, she exuded the quiet confidence of someone at the top of her profession, but it wasn't hard to tell she had been through a lot in recent days. Her eyes were ringed with dark circles and her complexion had a dull pallor that a generous application of foundation had failed to disguise. 'Sit down please,' she said, as she ushered them into her tastefully-decorated office. More portraits lined the wall, Maggie assuming them to be some of Edwina's current roster. One face in particular she recognised.

  'So you represent Sharon Trent do you?'

  Edwina turned to look at the photograph. 'Her? I do, yes. Between you and me, she's not much of an actress, but as you probably know, sex sells in this profession. Always has and always will. Naturally it limits their shelf life, but she will find that out in due course.'

  'And what about Melody Montague? Do you represent her too?' Maggie couldn't help reflecting that she was still selling sex, and she was well into her fifties. Or not so much selling it as giving it away for free to anyone who wanted it. Maybe that's what had extended her shelf-life.

  'Not personally.' Her tone was cold. 'She is represented by one of my colleagues.' She didn't sound as if she approved.

  'You don't like her then?' Jimmy asked.

  'I don't. But that does not matter because as I said, I don't represent her, and in any case, it is not necessary to like one's clients.' Maggie took that as a reference to her relationship with Sharon Trent.

  'Edwina,' she smiled, 'I know this must be difficult, but we wondered if Allegra Ross had been speaking to you in the days before Benjamin was killed. I don't mean about business, but about her relationship with your brother.'

  Edwina gave her a sharp look. 'How did you know about that?'

  There was no point in spinning a tale.

  'We came across her diary,' Maggie said. 'In it she mentioned wanting to talk with you.'

  'She came here, very upset. About something Benjamin had told her. But she wouldn't tell me what it was. All she would say was it concerned his marriage to Melody.'

  'So what did she want from you?' Maggie asked, puzzled.

  'I'm not sure. I think she was trying to find out if I knew anything too. But I didn't, so I think she went away disappointed. And uncertain what she should do about what she had discovered. But of course, had she told me her concerns, perhaps I could have helped her.'

  'And Benjamin himself had never spoken to you about whatever it was?' Jimmy asked.

  'Not in so many words. But there was something. I knew there was something not right. And then of course he was brutally murdered. My little brother, killed in cold blood.'

  'I'm so sorry,' Maggie said. 'I really don't know what to say.' She knew there was nothing you could say that would be any good.

  'Can we get someone to get you a cup of tea or something?' Jimmy said awkwardly. Maggie guessed he was wishing they hadn't come. But it seemed that Edwina was glad to have someone to talk to.

  'You see, I've never really liked Melody Montague,' she began. 'So common, don't you think? But she and Benjamin seemed to be happy and there were great plans to start a family and build the perfect picture-book life that she so obviously craved. But it never came true, and I think that was what caused the marriage to fall apart.'

  'Do you know what the problem in that department was?' Maggie said delicately. 'If you don't mind me asking.'

  'Well she was so old,' Edwina said, sounding bitter. 'Too old to be a mother really, although they can do so much with medical science these days. But she was completely obsessed with playing happy families and it put such a lot of pressure on dear Benjamin. And then unfortunately the doctors found he was shooting blanks. I know it's such a vulgar expression, but that was the heart of the matter I'm afraid. Their great love seemed to evaporate at that point.'

  Maggie nodded sympathetically. 'It's always so hard as an outsider to know what it's like inside a marriage, isn't it? You can hate someone and love them at the same time.'

  'You sound as if you are speaking from experience,' Edwina replied.

  She smiled. 'Yes, but I'm over it now.' That was nowhere near the truth, but she couldn't deny that since Jimmy Stewart had come into her life it had been getting better.

  'I'm sorry to return to it,' Maggie said, 'but did you speculate about what Allegra might have found out from your brother?'

  She shrugged. 'Really, I had no idea. I thought it might be something about the money. You know Benjamin and Melody were still arguing about it six months after the divorce, and I think he was rather dependent on it getting settled.'

  'Yes, we know about that. Tell me, did he ever speak to you about a pre-nuptial agreement?'

  She nodded. 'Well I can remember he was not exactly thrilled with it at the time it was drawn up. He never thought it fair, but it seemed that Melody insisted. Entirely typical of her of course. No class.'

  Maggie shot Jimmy a look. So it seemed as if Melody's version of events was in fact the correct one. Contrary to what Fox had been claiming, and to what Charles Grant the witness was apparently corroborating. But then something else occurred to her.

  'On the only occasion we met your brother, he mentioned something about a little arrangement he had with his former wife. Have you any idea what he might have been referring to?'

  She shook her head. 'Sorry, it's not something he ever spoke to me about. Really, I've no idea.'

  Maggie nodded, disappointed. 'So Edwina, is there anything else you can think of?'

  She frowned 'Well I suppose there were her brothers.'

  'What do you mean?' Maggie asked, interested.

  'Her brothers,' she repeated. 'I guess you know she's a Kemp? Roxy Kemp, that's her real name, and she has two brothers, Terry and Harry I think that's their names. They're apparently well known in the East End as a pair of gangsters, if that's not an old-fashioned term, although I don't of course move in these circles myself. And they're a very unsavoury lot by all accounts, so it did occur to me that Benjamin might have got to know about some of their...well let's call it activities. And then perhaps he shared something he'd found out with Allegra. That's all I could think of.'

  'But it must have been something incredibly serious,' Maggie said, furrowing her brow, 'because Allegra said that everything was ruined. That was her exact words. Everything is ruined. Have you any idea what she could have meant by that?'

  'I really can't help you. I wish I could. Perhaps it would help me make sense of Benjamin's killing.'

  Jimmy nodded. 'I'm sure the police will have asked you already, but do you have any ideas who might have wanted to do your brother harm?'

  She shook her head. 'No I don't, really I don't. I think he was very popular on the show, and all his fans were very kind to him. He was of course involved with Charles Grant's little gang of revolutionaries, but I doubt if that had anything to do with it.'

  'There was that attack the day before he disappeared,' Maggi
e said. 'By Darren Venables I mean.'

  She gave a half-smile. 'Yes, but that was just a bunch of thugs lashing out because they hated his politics. I doubt if it was a reason for murder. Benjamin wasn't a fanatic, you see. He did care about injustice but he wasn't an obsessive like Charles.'

  'I take it you know Mr Grant then?' Maggie asked.

  Edwina nodded. 'I've represented Charles for many years, and I would go as far as to say we are friends. He is the kind of client I like. Honest and hard-working, always turns up on time, and not too precious about the roles he takes on.'

  'We know him too,' Maggie said. 'In fact we are helping him in the disappearance of his son.'

  Edwina gave a weak smile. 'Really? Well I do hope you are successful because it was such a terrible business. That poor man needs closure so badly. He knows his son is dead of course, but without a body, well...' She tailed off, her eyes moistening.

  'We will do everything we can,' Maggie said. 'And you have been a great help.' That wasn't exactly true, but it seemed the right thing to say. Getting up, she indicated to Jimmy that it was now time to leave.

  'So thank you so much Edwina. And obviously if we uncover anything in regard to Benjamin or Allegra's murders, we will let you know immediately.'

  ◆◆◆

  She pushed open the door, the pair of them emerging into the busy hubbub of Warwick Street, already thronging with theatre-goers making their way to their pre-show suppers. As Maggie and Jimmy threaded their way through the crowd, they discussed how matters now stood. Had the meeting with Edwina Fox accelerated their understanding in any material way? Undoubtedly where the pre-nuptial was concerned. Benjamin Fox it seemed had lied about the terms of that agreement and why he had done it was quite obvious. Financial gain, pure and simple. But why he thought he could pull it off, that was a different matter altogether, and that would need to be the focus of their investigation for now.

  But as for the plaintive entry in Allegra Ross's diary, they were no further forward. Everything is ruined. What had she been told by her lover that had left her, in her own words, distraught and broken? Was it the same thing that left her dead at the bottom of her basement steps just two weeks later? Whatever the reason, Maggie realised this was now much more than a simple marital dispute over money.