The Deadline Series Boxset

by Wendy Soliman

  ‘I just don’t see it.’ Alexi accompanied her words with a firm shake of her head. ‘Besides, as you already pointed out, killing her so publicly greatly increases the chances of being caught.’

  ‘I also pointed out that it’s symbolic. The killer has a point to make and thinks he’s clever enough not to get caught.’

  ‘Well, so far he’s right about that. But why make a point when no one else understands it?’

  ‘It means something to the killer and that’s what this is all about. Trust me on this. Serial killers make obscure points all the time. Not that I think we have a serial on our hands, but the same principle applies. But, for what it’s worth, I agree with you about the cameras.’ Ty took her hand and ran his forefinger down the length of hers. ‘And I doubt whether that fact has escaped Vickery’s notice, which is another reason for him to have doubts about Marcel’s guilt. He doesn’t know enough about how the cameras are monitored to be sure he wouldn’t be caught tampering with them.’

  ‘You should have mentioned that to Marcel. Put his mind at rest.’

  ‘Better not to. If Vickery does raise the subject with him I want his reaction, his denial that he knows anything about their workings, to seem genuine.’

  ‘Okay, that’s good, but we need to talk to Guy Salter. Why didn’t he notice they were down and do something about it? Drew says if there wasn’t any movement in Juliette’s room then he would have no way of knowing that someone had disconnected the cameras from the control box. I don’t buy that. There must be warning lights, or something, if they’re tampered with. Otherwise…well, the contestants could unplug them whenever they felt like it and get up to whatever the hell they wanted to.’ She scowled. ‘Like murdering one another.’

  ‘Right, we will talk to Guy but I gather he and the PR woman…Hayley, is it?’

  ‘Yes, Hayley Wood. She works for the studio and is here all the time, troubleshooting.’ Alexi pulled a face. ‘She was kept on her toes with Juliette around.’

  ‘She and Guy are down at the station right now, giving their statements. We can’t talk to Davis until he gets home around six, so we’ve got a couple of hours to kill. Might as well try and speak with the other contestants.’

  ‘Okay.’

  Ty and Alexi, cat and dog in tow, took the long route round to the annexe, avoiding the cordoned-off courtyard which was still being searched by scene-of-crime people in protective clothing. The three original contestants were seated around the fireplace in the recreation room. With the exception of Anton they all looked tense but Anton never seemed to let anything get to him. Something to do with his laid back Caribbean roots, Ty assumed. The newcomer sat perched on the edge of her seat, clearly terrified of the cameras.

  ‘Hey, Alexi,’ Anton said, waving a languid hand. ‘How’s it going? Hey, big guy.’ He dropped a hand to try and scratch Cosmo’s ears. Cosmo snarled, gave him an aloof look and stalked off, tail aloft. Anton chuckled. ‘I’m damned if that cat’ll keep ignoring me. I’m one of the good guys, mon, and you’re just a moggy with attitude,’ he called to Cosmo’s retreating back.

  ‘Don’t take it personally, Anton,’ Alexi said. ‘He doesn’t like anyone much.’

  ‘He appears to like Ty.’ Anton turned his head and shook a finger at Cosmo, setting his dreadlocks dancing across his shoulders. ‘That’s insulting, Cosmo my mon. In fact, my grandma would say it’s downright rude, and no one dares to disagree with my grandma. So, Cosmo, unless you wanna make friends, I shall just have to send my grandma over from Trinidad to sort you out.’

  Cosmo’s tail twitched but he didn’t turn around.

  ‘I think you’ve got him worried, Anton,’ Alexi said, laughing.

  ‘He’d better be. My grandma is five foot nothing but she scares the shit out of me. When we were kids, once she reached for her wooden spoon we knew to scatter. Fast.’ He chuckled. ‘She sure wasn’t gonna use it to stir the dinner.’

  ‘You must be Becky,’ Alexi said, offering the new girl her hand. ‘I’m Alexi Ellis, part-owner of the hotel. Sorry we have to meet under such circumstances. This is Ty Maddox, a friend of mine.’

  ‘And a PI,’ John, the quietest of the original contestants, added, ‘so don’t tell him anything you might later regret.’

  Becky blushed as she shook Ty’s hand and he turned on the charm. At the same time he wondered how John knew what he did for a living. He hadn’t mentioned it but, then again, his name had been all over the papers when the Parker case broke. Still, it was odd that he’d made a point of mentioning Ty’s occupation. Ty also happened to know that the quiet ones, the loners, who were easily overlooked, were often not what they appeared to be. Ty wouldn’t forget about John and needed to know a lot more about his background. Vickery would be digging, of course, but John would not be a priority for him. He now had Marcel and Paul as prime suspects, and would be concentrating most of his resources upon tearing their lives apart.

  ‘Being here must seem a little surreal,’ Ty said to Becky.

  ‘Just a bit. I thought I’d missed my chance to be on the show. But to get that opportunity because someone died…well, it doesn’t seem right.’

  Greta looked as though she wanted to disagree, then obviously remembered the cameras and kept her mouth shut.

  ‘Juliette came across as a real nice person,’ Becky added.

  Greta spluttered. John and Anton remained tactfully silent.

  ‘Got a minute, Anton?’ Alexi asked.

  ‘For you, any time.’

  It occurred to Ty that they couldn’t talk in the annexe, not with the cameras recording every word that was spoken. If Anton knew or suspected anything, he was unlikely to admit it under such circumstances. The same idea must have occurred to Alexi since she suggested returning to the hotel’s kitchen for coffee.

  ‘Why do I feel I’m about to undergo an inquisition?’ Anton asked in his lazily hypnotic drawl. ‘Send out a search party if I don’t return soon, guys.’

  ‘You’re such a drama queen, Anton,’ Alexi chided. ‘Almost as bad as Marcel.’

  Anton’s deep chuckle vibrated through the cool afternoon air as they returned to the house. ‘Mon, I copy everything he does. He’s my idol.’

  ‘Why’s that?’ Ty asked as they sat themselves around the kitchen table and Alexi poured coffee for them all.

  ‘I like his style. He’s a brilliant chef, doesn’t take crap from anyone and works and plays hard.’ Anton leaned his rangy body back in his chair managing, as he always appeared to do on screen, to look totally relaxed. ‘I admire him.’

  ‘This hero worship wouldn’t be a way to get ahead in the contest?’ Ty asked.

  ‘Ty!’ Alexi protested.

  Anton waved a hand to silence her protest. ‘That’s what Inspector Vickery asked me and I’ll tell you what I told him. Marcel won’t let flattery influence him, which is why it didn’t bother me that Juliette was trying to get ahead by jumping his bones. He’d take what was on offer, like any red-blooded male would, and then follow his conscience when it came to the day job.’

  ‘You knew what Juliette was doing?’ Alexi asked, permitting her surprise to show. ‘And didn’t call her on it?’

  ‘I saw the way she flirted with him every chance she got.’ He shrugged, still casually draped over his chair. ‘It didn’t take a genius to figure out what she intended. Same with Paul.’

  ‘What did you make of her?’ Ty asked.

  ‘Couldn’t stand her.’

  ‘Well,’ Ty replied, blinking, ‘thanks for your honesty. Is that what you told Vickery?’

  ‘Sure, mon. Why not? The four of us were in competition but we are, or were, also committed to living in close quarters for six long weeks. No reason why we shouldn’t get along when we weren’t cooking against one another, but Juliette loved stirring up trouble; trying to set us at odds all the time. It was like she found it amusing.’

  ‘How do you mean?’ Ty asked.

  ‘I’ll give you an example. Just before w
e were due to go on set for the first episode, she joined John in the courtyard and was all over him like a rash. Now John doesn’t have much experience with women. He’s kinda awkward around them, especially women who look like Juliette did. But she flattered him. Said he was a brilliant chef and could he give her some tips? Of course, John fell for it. He asked her which areas she needed help in. All the while, Juliette was…well, touching his arm, his hand, any part of him that was within range, and standing far too close. I know because I watched her performance through the window and could hear what she was saying to him.’ Anton shook his head. ‘Poor John. His glasses must have steamed up. Of course, Juliette timed her attack so he was too turned on to think straight moments before we were due in the kitchen. John’s performance was woeful in a situation where he ought to have excelled. We were baking and that’s his specialty.’

  ‘I didn’t know she did that,’ Alexi said. ‘It was mean of her. The evil witch!’

  ‘You have no idea how mean that bitch could be, darlin’.’ Anton sighed. ‘I took Marcel aside afterwards and told him why John had performed so badly. I also told Juliette what I thought of her for foolin’ with him. She was a good chef. She didn’t need to resort to cheating, but Juliette thought it was funny.’

  ‘I know she and Greta didn’t get along,’ Ty said. ‘What did she do, apart from fooling around with John, to piss you off?’

  ‘How long have you got?’ Anton sipped his cooling coffee but, for the first time, failed to meet Ty’s gaze. In fact, his gaze drifted off to the left, a sure sign that he was lying, if only by omission. ‘After the incident with John, she knew I was on her case. She hated that I could see through her and wouldn’t let her manipulate me. She seemed to think that every man on the planet should fall for her toxic form of charm. Anyway, all I can say is that I’m not sorry she’s dead and, in case you’re wondering, I told Vickery that, too.’ Anton stood up. ‘Thanks for the coffee. I’d better get back. Paul is joining us to do a gentle meet and greet with the new girl. Wouldn’t want to miss the fun.’

  With a casual wave, he left them and ambled back to the annexe.

  ‘We’ll have to leave John until later then,’ Alexi said. ‘Can’t interrupt the filming.’

  ‘John will keep but we mustn’t overlook him.’

  ‘Are we any further forward?’ Alexi asked, looking discouraged.

  Ty shook his head. ‘Vickery’s problem isn’t a lack of suspects. He’s got too darned many of them.’

  ‘Hmm, all three contestants disliked her. Greta holds an old grudge against her and she humiliated John. But I can’t see John dreaming up such an elaborate murder.’

  ‘She insulted his manhood. That would be enough motivation for a lot of men, especially the mild-mannered ones. You’d be surprised.’

  ‘Well, at least Anton doesn’t have a motive. He’s a decent guy and tried to set Juliette straight over her treatment of John. He wouldn’t get personally involved with her and she had no way of controlling him, so he wouldn’t have a reason to kill her.’

  ‘As far as we know.’ Ty propped his feet on a vacant chair. ‘He was holding something back.’

  ‘How do you know that?’ Alexi asked irritably. ‘He seemed forthcoming enough to me.’

  ‘Too forthcoming. What he told us about John has to be true. He knows we’ll confirm it with John. But he told us too quickly. Almost as though he wanted to stop us from asking him anything more personal.’

  ‘Then why didn’t you, if you thought there was something there?’

  ‘Because he wouldn’t have told me, and I doubt if he told the police, either.’

  ‘You suspect him?’

  Ty grinned. ‘I suspect everyone. I can’t seem to help myself.’

  ‘But if there’s something that Juliette was using against Anton, how did she find it?’

  ‘The same way as I hope Cassie will. The moment Juliette knew the names of her opponents, she will have surfed the web, looking for anything that she could use to get an edge. And don’t forget, Daddy’s a powerful man. I doubt that Juliette could hack into sensitive areas like Cassie can, but you can bet your bank balance that Daddy knows a man who can.’

  ‘But her father didn’t want her competing,’ Alexi pointed out. ‘Why would he make it easy for her?’

  ‘She stood her ground so I’m guessing he decided to make the best of it and gave her a helping hand. Whether she asked him to or not is another matter but we know from what Greta told us that he doesn’t expect anything other than excellence from his daughter.’ Ty yawned. ‘Anyway, if there are skeletons in Anton’s cupboard, Cassie will find them.’

  ‘Well, I still don’t think any of the contestants did it. Greta’s grudge goes back years. She must be over that by now. And as for John and Anton…well—’

  ‘Perhaps they’re all in it and covering for one another.’

  ‘Now you’re just being silly,’ Alexi said.

  ‘Yeah well, we still need to talk to Guy. We’ll try and catch him later. After we’ve—’

  ‘Oh shit!’

  ‘What is it?’ Ty asked, jumping up and staring out the window in the same direction as Alexi. ‘Oh dear,’ he said, laughing when he saw Cosmo, encouraged by Toby’s barks, backing the terrified crime scene techs into a corner of the courtyard. ‘You’d best go and rescue them before it’s their blood that’s split.’

  ‘I really am going to have to start leaving Cosmo at home,’ she said, shaking her head as she dashed through the back door.

  Ty watched from the window as Alexi called Cosmo off and apologised profusely to the embarrassed techs. But when she returned to the kitchen, chastised dog and cat in her wake, she looked pale and visibly shaken.

  ‘What is it?’ Ty asked.

  ‘I couldn’t help seeing what they found,’ she said, falling into the nearest chair. ‘They were just photographing an area of gravel that had dark stains on it and, I’m pretty sure, some long blonde hairs. They bagged a couple of the decorative rocks Fay used to create that water feature close to the door to Marcel’s apartment.’ Her eyes widened with apprehension. ‘I think they’ve found the place where Juliette died.’

  Chapter Nine

  ‘No use trying to make it up to me,’ Alexi told Cosmo, wagging a finger at him and trying not to laugh. Her recalcitrant cat sat on her lap in Ty’s car, all sweetness and light, sending her innocent looks through piercing hazel eyes. ‘Any more of that malarkey and it’s straight back to Waterloo arches for you.’

  ‘Meow!’

  Ty laughed. ‘I swear to God he understands every word you say.’

  ‘I’m absolutely sure that he does. He knows he was out of line back there, which is why we’re getting the sweet kitty act. Just because he was bored, that’s no reason to terrorise people.’

  ‘He was only having a little fun,’ Ty said, reaching across to scratch Cosmo’s ears.

  ‘Fun! The poor woman was traumatised. She started talking about the Wild Animal Act, whatever that is.’

  ‘I don’t think it exists.’

  ‘Whatever, it was a hell of a job to talk her down.’ Alexi stroked the grey and white stripes that gleamed along Cosmo’s flanks. Still, at least I was able to find out what they’d discovered.’

  ‘Cosmo knew that. That’s why he created a diversion.’

  Alexi rolled her eyes. ‘Don’t encourage him.’

  ‘He we go. The place we need is just down here.’

  Ty returned to the terrace of run down houses where Dean Davis lived with his mother. They looked as though they’d been built before indoor plumbing had been invented.

  ‘Hammond can’t have given his wife a very generous divorce settlement if she’s reduced to living like this.’

  Alexi screwed up her nose at graffiti-covered walls. Rubbish spilled from bins that had been overturned, not necessarily by wild life, and a general air of depression clung to an area that progress seemed to have bypassed. A gang of youths wearing hoodies loitered, s
taring belligerently at Ty’s car as he crawled along the street looking for somewhere to park. Alexi saw more than one car up on blocks in scrappy front yards; more than one broken window boarded up with plywood that would pose few problems for a determined burglar. Presumably the residents had run out of things worth stealing.

  ‘I should have asked Cassie to check on the terms of the Hammonds’ divorce. Oh well.’ He found a vacant spot a short distance away from the Davis residence and reversed his car into it. ‘Perhaps Davis will enlighten us.’

  They left Cosmo in charge of the car. He curled up on the passenger seat and watched them through one eye as they walked towards Davis’s house. Ty’s expensive car would be safe from the loitering kids with Cosmo on guard duty. They reached the house, which looked slightly better maintained than those on either side. There was fresh paint on the sills and the front garden looked as though someone had made an effort to maintain it. It was hard to be sure in the dead of winter.

  Ty pressed the bell. They heard it echoing inside the house but no one responded. Ty repeated the process, keeping his thumb depressed this time. Still no response. They shared a look and were on the point of giving up when the door was opened a few inches, the chain left on. A sensible precaution, given the state of the neighbourhood, Alexi thought. A young man peered through the opening, munching on a slice of toast.

  ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘What do you…fucking hell! What are you doing here? I thought you were off sick.’

  ‘I got better. Can we come in, Dean?’

  ‘Why?’ Dean asked suspiciously. ‘How did you know where I lived?’

  ‘We need to talk, but inside.’ He looked over his shoulder at the group of kids who had ambled down the road, pretending not to listen.

  Dean reluctantly released the chain, opened the door wide enough to admit them both and then double locked it behind him. What a way to live, Alexi thought, feeling sorry for Dean.