The Deadline Series Boxset

by Wendy Soliman

  ‘Earning your keep,’ Drew said, grinning. ‘I like that.’

  They both returned to the reception room where Drew had deposited cleaning supplies, donned rubber gloves and set to work. Two hours later, when Cheryl came in search of them, the place was almost as good as new. But Alexi knew it would take a lot longer for the stigma of death to leave the place.

  ***

  You work fast.’ Ty nodded his approval as he read through the stuff Cassie had found for him, having printed it out. ‘I’m impressed.’

  ‘Don’t be,’ she replied, her fingers flying over her keyboard. ‘I’m just getting started.’

  Ty flipped through Dean Davis’s mobile phone records. ‘Do we know who all these numbers refer to that Davis called so regularly?’

  ‘The most frequent one is his mother. Well, his home number but he lives with his mother so I guess that’s who he called so frequently.’

  Ty frowned. ‘No father on the scene? Siblings?’

  ‘Give me a chance.’

  ‘Sorry.’

  Ty’s phone rang. He spoke to a client about one of his on-going cases, got side tracked and decided he might as well deal with the work that had come in regarding all of his assignments. He didn’t want to give Cassie any reason to complain about him not pulling his weight. It was an hour before he could return to Dean’s phone records. He wondered how Cassie managed to get her hands on them so quickly but probably wouldn’t understand, even if she tried to explain it to him. His online skills didn’t extend far beyond picking up his email and he was perfectly content for it to remain that way.

  ‘Dean Davis is nineteen and has a steady job,’ he said, thinking aloud. ‘Why would he want to still live with his mother—’

  ‘A lot of kids do nowadays. They get free board and accommodation, their washing done and can come and go as they please. No house rules about overnight guests and the sleeping arrangements as far as I can tell from speaking with friends with kids in their teens and twenties.’

  ‘Okay, but why call her several times a day? That is definitely not natural.’

  ‘Let me do some more digging.’

  ‘Any more kids freeloading in that household?’

  ‘Don’t think so. According to the Council Tax records it’s just the two of them.’

  ‘So Dean looks after her, not the other way around.’

  ‘It looks that way.’

  ‘Does she work?’

  ‘She has a chequered work history. Never stayed anywhere for long. Last job was for more than two years, her longest until…holy shit!’ Cassie turned to look at Ty, her jaw dropping. ‘She had a job as a receptionist at Cash Out until a few months ago when she was fired.’

  ‘You’re kidding me?’

  ‘See for yourself.’

  ‘Hell, I’ve been coming at this job the wrong way.’ Ty slapped his thigh. ‘Dean Davis is protective of his mum, she loses her job and so he decides to teach her ex-employers a lesson. I thought Davis was just a worker bee but he’s the brains behind the scam. Didn’t think he had the moxie.’ Ty blew air through his lips. ‘Shows what I know.’

  ‘You need to tell the client.’

  ‘No, what I need to do is talk to Davis first.’

  ‘Ty, we’re being paid by Cash Out.’

  ‘And they’re getting their pound of flesh. But they also want confidentiality so I need to discover first if there’s any connection between Juliette’s murder, Dean and Hammond.’

  ‘You know Dean didn’t murder her because you followed him last night. Anyway, why would he…’ Cassie gasped. ‘Oh fuck!’

  ‘What is it?’ Ty jumped up and read her screen over her shoulder.

  ‘I hate to say this, Ty, but you were right. There is a connection between your case and Juliette’s murder.’

  ‘How so?’

  She pointed to an entry on her screen from the marriage register. ‘Look. Dean’s mum used to be married to Hammond.’ She sent Ty a wide-eyed look. ‘She could be Juliette’s mother.’

  Chapter Eight

  Ty stopped at his flat to pack a bag and then drove back to Lambourn, using the short drive to try and make sense of what he’d just learned about Davis’s family connections. All the employees in the jewellery shop could talk about was What’s For Dinner? Since it was being filmed locally, they felt that their views counted for something. They all had opinions about who would win, if the contestants would come to blows, if anyone would walk out and, the most contentious point of all, if Marcel would blow a fuse.

  Every word, nuance and disagreement had been debated in depth after the first two episodes aired. Ty had been so astonished by the degree of their interest that it hadn’t occurred to him until now that Dean hadn’t joined in the speculation. Nor had he mentioned that Juliette and he were related.

  ‘Not natural,’ Ty muttered to himself as he reached the outskirts of Lambourn mid-afternoon and slowed down as he got caught behind a string of racehorses.

  The press were still camped outside Hopgood House when he finally got there. He was waved through the police cordon but almost blinded by multiple camera flashes as he negotiated his way through to the visitors’ car park.

  ‘Hey,’ he said, entering the kitchen and finding Drew, Cheryl and Alexi sitting around the table with a very glum-looking Marcel. ‘That bad was it, mate?’ he asked Marcel, pausing to touch Alexi’s shoulder and bending to stroke Cosmo when he stalked over and demanded attention.

  ‘You probably missed the grand announcement,’ Alexi replied, ‘but don’t worry, Drew recorded it for you.’

  Drew pressed a button on the VCR and Paul Dakin appeared on screen, all bouffanted up, wearing a dark suit and tie and looking sombre. He made a sickening announcement about the show having to go on, that everyone involved with it was cooperating with the police and were confident they would bring Juliette’s killer to justice.

  ‘Clever,’ Ty muttered. ‘By publicly offering their cooperation the implication is that if anyone involved proves to be the killer, they will be hung out to dry and Far Reach Production’s reputation will remain intact.’

  Alexi nodded. ‘Covering their own backs, in other words. Why am I not surprised?’

  They returned their attention to the screen. Paul went on to say the rest of the series would be dedicated to Juliette, who would be greatly missed and whom everyone had loved.

  ‘He certainly did,’ Alexi mumbled.

  Paul then introduced Juliette’s replacement, a lady who was first reserve after the elimination rounds. Ty wasn’t a bit surprised to see she was of a similar age to Juliette, albeit a brunette, but equally stunning.

  ‘And people fall for this shit,’ Ty said, shaking his head.

  ‘Do you think they had replicas for each contestant waiting in the wings, just in case?’ Drew asked with a sardonic grin.

  ‘The station has been inundated with calls of support,’ Marcel replied, sneering at Dakin’s image, now frozen on the screen.

  ‘How did you get on?’ Ty asked him. ‘Did they get the thumbscrews out?’

  ‘Don’t joke about such things, mate.’ Marcel shuddered. ‘Granville protected me but I’m not sure how much longer he’ll carry on having my back.’

  ‘He’ll have to if the show’s continuing,’ Ty replied. ‘This is a great opportunity for them to top the ratings and you’re pivotal to their success.’

  ‘If I don’t get arrested for murder.’

  Alexi told him about her remarkable conversation with Dakin. ‘I’m assuming,’ she said, ‘that if the studio have to pick a side, they’ll take Dakin’s.’

  ‘If he has a morality clause they should kick him off the show,’ Cheryl said indignantly. ‘What’s the point of having one otherwise?’

  ‘Alexi’s right. I suspect they’ll want to keep what happens on the set…well, on the set,’ Ty replied. ‘The viewers love Dakin’s clean cut image and it won’t reflect well on the production company if the truth about his philandering comes o
ut. Especially since they’ve just publicly backed him to the hilt by having him announce the show’s to continue with him hosting it.’

  Marcel shot Ty a baleful look. ‘But I could be collateral damage?’

  ‘Afraid so,’ Ty replied. ‘The station want you and probably fought to keep you. You’re a great chef…moody, pedantic and charismatic on camera. Every woman who watches probably loves your bad boy image and thinks she could reform you. Half the men want to be like you. But you aren’t a direct employee of Far Reach Productions. Therein lies the difference between you and Dakin. The suits at the studio have to answer to their sponsors, remember.’

  ‘Like I could forget.’

  ‘If Marcel’s activities become common knowledge, if someone knows you slept with Juliette and leaks that information, the studio will most likely deny all prior knowledge, pretend to be shocked and kick you off the show.’ Alexi flashed an apologetic smile at the downbeat chef. ‘Sorry, Marcel, but the cable company is owned by my old boss at The Sentinel and I know from personal experience just how lethal he can be, even with long-time loyal employees.’

  ‘It’s okay.’ Marcel shook the hair out of his eyes. ‘I think Grenville threatened the police with a lawsuit if details of Dakin’s activities leaked into the public domain. He didn’t make similar threats about mine, which told me all I needed to know about their loyalties.’

  ‘They still have to prove you actually killed her, or at least had a solid motive, if they want to make a case against you, Marcel,’ Drew reminded him.

  ‘Yeah well…’

  ‘Dakin told the police about his affair with Juliette and also produced his petrol receipt for his return journey,’ Alexi explained. ‘Presumably they’ll check that against the time of death, which he seems to think will clear him.’

  ‘Time of death isn’t usually an exact science,’ Ty pointed out, ‘but with all these cameras around it’s possible that in this case they’ll be able to pin it down more accurately.’

  ‘I thought Dakin having seen Juliette alive and well after she left me would put me in the clear,’ Marcel said gloomily. ‘But lovely Inspector Vickery suggested that I saw them together, realised why Dakin was sniffing around her and lost my rag. As he took pleasure in reminding me, I have a very short fuse on the small screen and, according to him, jealousy is one of the main motivations for murder.’

  ‘Look on the bright side. You’re not under lock and key,’ Ty said.

  ‘Yeah, but for how much longer?’ Marcel pushed himself to his feet. ‘Ah well, life goes on. I need to be in the kitchen to oversee prep. We have two full sittings tonight, and as many more on the waiting list.’ He flashed a rueful smile. ‘Murder is definitely good for business, Drew.’

  ‘Not my preferred method of pulling in the punters,’ Drew replied with a wry smile, ‘but I’ll take the business any which way I can get it.’

  ‘Don’t tell Vickery that or your name will be added to the list of suspects.’ Marcel waved over his shoulder. ‘Later, guys.’

  ‘What now?’ Drew asked Ty. ‘Any suggestions? Aw, damn.’ An indignant squall echoed through the baby monitor.

  ‘I’ll see to her,’ Cheryl said, getting to her feet. ‘You’re needed to cover in the bar, Drew.’

  ‘I’m on my way but only after I’ve come with you and kissed my daughter.’

  ‘He never says things like that to me,’ Cheryl complained. ‘Who knew I’d have to compete with my own daughter for my husband’s affections?’

  Drew placed a big, smacking kiss on Cheryl’s cheek, making Ty and Alexi laugh. ‘Oh, I think I can make time for you in my busy schedule, Mrs. H.,’ Drew said as he opened the door for his wife.

  ‘Right,’ Alexi said, her smile fading as she turned to face Ty. ‘You have news. I can see you’re bursting with it. Come on, don’t keep me in suspense.’

  Ty got up and poured coffee for them both, then resumed his seat and told her about the connection between her case and his.

  ‘I knew it! Do you think Hammond arranged to have his daughter killed?’

  ‘Don’t get carried away.’ Ty held his hands out to her, palms foremost. ‘I only said there’s a connection, a tenuous one. I have absolutely no idea what it means. That’s why I thought we could pay a call on Davis when he gets home from work tonight. I assume you’d like to come.’

  ‘Count on it. But shouldn’t we tell Vickery?’

  ‘After we’ve spoken to Davis, if I think there’s anything he needs to know.’

  ‘Shouldn’t you be hard at work at the jewellery store?’ she asked.

  Ty grinned. ‘I called in sick.’

  ‘That’ll make you popular.’

  Ty’s smiled widened. ‘Something tells me I shall be quitting altogether within a day or two.’

  ‘I know you have to put your client’s interests first,’ Alexi said, her expression sombre. ‘I respect that but all the time we wait the greater the risk becomes that Marcel will be arrested. If nothing else, this will give Vickery a different direction to look in.’

  ‘He’ll find Juliette’s mother without our help, I expect. I don’t see that Davis ripping off Cash Out has anything to do with Juliette’s murder but if I find any link at all Vickery will be the first to know.’

  ‘How can you be so sure he didn’t do it? Davis has already surprised you.’

  ‘True, but I’ve been doing this for a long time. You get a feel for these things. Besides, Davis only seems to care about his mum’s welfare. I don’t want to pre-empt whatever he’ll have to tell me but on the surface it looks as though he only stole from his employers to get revenge for his mother’s dismissal. Killing Juliette, even if he could have somehow got into the private part of the hotel and knew where all the cameras were, wouldn’t benefit him at all. And even if he had decided to take her out, why go to the trouble of framing Marcel? He’s already surprised me with his intelligence and anyone with half a brain must have known that staging Juliette’s death that way greatly increased his chances of being caught.’ Ty fixed Alexi with a determined look. ‘Anyway, are you okay with my not telling Vickery about the Cash Out angle?’

  ‘I guess I’ll have to be.’

  ‘I know you have a soft spot for Marcel, but—’

  ‘We get along okay because I won’t put up with any of his prima donna crap and he knows it.’ She grinned. ‘He’s also easy on the eye.’

  Ty scowled. ‘I’ve just decided he’s as guilty as hell.’

  ‘I hate to see Marcel treated like the prime suspect when his only crime, far as I can tell, is letting his libido overcome common sense.’ She sent Ty a mischievous smile. ‘If every man who got himself into that sort of trouble was accused of murder, our prisons wouldn’t be able to cope.’

  ‘Yeah, point taken, but don’t worry about Marcel being arrested. If Vickery had enough he’d have taken him in by now. He was interviewed under caution, which isn’t good, but wasn’t held, which is.’

  ‘Why do you think that is?’

  ‘The interview under caution?’ She nodded. ‘Because they need to find out where Juliette was killed and figure out why she was moved. That’s vital. Unless they find blood, or a convenient blunt object with her blood and hair on it, they’ll have their work cut out. Assuming she was killed out of doors, it was a freezing night and the ground’s rock hard.’

  ‘Do you think she was killed outside?’

  ‘Yeah, given all the cameras everywhere else and the fact that she couldn’t leave the grounds. They must have ruled out Marcel’s apartment as a killing field and we know it wasn’t done in her room. It’s also good from Marcel’s perspective that Dakin has admitted being here, which means they’ll be searching the area where they argued. Vickery knows that any decent defence lawyer will use that angle to cast doubt on Marcel’s guilt if they don’t. That’s why they’ve released the annexe but still have the courtyard between Marcel’s apartment and the direct route back to the annexe cordoned off.’

  Alexi
nodded. ‘And why police have been conducting a meticulous search of the area today?’

  ‘Right. Just so long as they found nothing they can connect to Marcel in Juliette’s room, I don’t think there’s any immediate cause for concern.’

  ‘Since he’s adamant that he never set foot in it, we have to assume that they won’t.’

  ‘Right.’ Ty didn’t bother to tell her that he’d heard such genuine-sounding protestations of innocence too many times to recall. ‘Have you been into the annexe?’

  ‘Yes, Drew and I cleaned it up. It was a right old mess. The new contestant, Becky Faraday her name is, is now settling in. The others are over there getting to know her and the cameras are recording the whole thing.’

  Ty pulled a disgruntled face. ‘The show really does go on. I take it Becky isn’t in Juliette’s old room.’

  ‘No, she took one of the others.’

  ‘Did you see anything interesting in the annexe before you cleaned it up?’

  ‘Other than that the police turned the place upside down and didn’t tidy up after themselves? No wonder they’re called pigs. No offence.’

  Ty bit back a smile. ‘None taken.’

  ‘Anyway, to answer your question, no, not really, but then I didn’t imagine that I would. I am intrigued though about both cameras in Juliette’s room being out and no one noticing.’ Alexi wrinkled her brow. ‘It makes the whole thing of putting Juliette back in her room seem pre-meditated to me, which is downright spooky.’

  ‘You’re thinking someone really had to hate her to go to all that trouble.’

  ‘Exactly. I know she wasn’t popular, but being disliked is very different to being despised enough to drive a person, a spurned lover perhaps, to murder.’ Alexi lifted both shoulders and spread her hands. ‘I mean, if you want to kill someone, why do it when they’re starring in a TV show and the spotlight’s on them relentlessly?’

  ‘Unless you want to boost the show’s ratings.’

  Alexi gaped at him. ‘You don’t believe that, surely?’

  ‘I don’t discount it any more than I discount the possibility that one of the other contestants might have done it. He or she, we’ll refer to the killer as he for the sake of argument, wants to win so badly that it’s become a contest worth killing for.’