The Deadline Series Boxset

by Wendy Soliman

  ‘This is Alexi,’ Ty said. ‘Alexi, Dean.’

  ‘Nice to meet you,’ Alexi said, thrusting out her hand. Dean ignored it.

  ‘Oh fuck,’ he said again, leaning against the wall in the narrow hallway, glaring at Ty with dawning awareness. ‘You know, don’t you?’

  ‘Let’s sit down somewhere and talk about it,’ Ty said.

  Dean led them into a small sitting room. There were lots of feminine touches—candles, ornaments, flourishing plants, handmade cushion covers—and it was spotlessly clean. There was no sign of the woman, his mother presumably, who took such pride in her home. Dean fell into the only armchair, which was situated in front of a large flat screen TV and indicated that they should take the couch opposite.

  ‘Will I go to prison?’ he asked, dropping his head into his splayed hands. ‘I can’t go to prison. I don’t know who you are but you have to help me. Who’ll take care of Mum if they lock me up?’

  ‘Tell me what made you do it?’ Ty asked.

  ‘You were sent there to catch me?’ Ty nodded. ‘I thought you might have been. You seemed too good for that job. I’d decided to stop anyway. I’d made my point.’

  ‘What point—’

  ‘Dean, have we got visitors? Is it William?’

  A woman drifted into the room, light brown hair threaded with grey falling around her shoulders. Alexi was transfixed by her astounding beauty; her delicate features, high Slavic cheekbones and huge, haunted brown eyes. She had to be in her mid-forties but her complexion was still creamy, her face almost totally unlined. There was something about the sensuality in her elegant movements that held Alexi’s attention. And Ty’s too, she could see. The tough PI was staring at her in awe.

  The lady had to be Juliette’s mother. The resemblance was too marked for there to be any doubt about it. And yet Alexi hadn’t found Juliette nearly so captivating. There had been a tough determination about Juliette that wouldn’t stir a man’s protective instincts in the manner that Melody Davis’s ethereal qualities had clearly stirred Ty’s. Her serenity, her detached air of non-availability, would make her irresistible to a man like Hammond. He may not have been wealthy when they’d met twenty-five years ago but, Alexi suspected, he would already have developed a determination to get whatever he wanted.

  ‘Where’s William?’ Melody was starting to get agitated. ‘You said he was here, Dean. He’ll want to see me. I have to get ready.’

  ‘He’s not here yet, Mum,’ Dean said gently. ‘These are friends of mine, come to visit.’

  ‘Oh friends.’ She waved a hand, quickly losing interest in them. ‘Where is William? Why is he always late?’

  Dean took her by the shoulders and turned her towards the chair he’d just vacated. ‘Come on, Mum. You sit down and I’ll put your programme on. It’s about to start.’

  Ty and Alexi exchanged a glance as Dean switched on the TV and then knelt beside his mother, holding her hand and talking quietly to her until she became less agitated. It was the most touching scene Alexi had witnessed for years. The child had become the parent, sacrificing his youth in order to take care of the mother he clearly adored. She felt tears spring to her eyes when Ty squeezed her hand. The two of them went to stand in the hallway, giving Dean the space he needed.

  ‘The poor guy,’ Alexi whispered. ‘You have to help him. Anyone who loves his mother as much as he obviously does can’t be all that bad.’

  ‘I’ll do what I can for him. Let’s hear what he has to say for himself first.’

  Dean joined them a short time later. ‘Come on, we can finish our chat in here.’

  He led them into a small kitchen that had been refurbished with modern cabinets and appliances. It was as homely and clean as the rest of the house. There was a table jammed against one wall. Dean indicated that they should sit there, which they did.

  ‘Does that answer your question?’ Dean asked, sighing. ‘About why I did it, I mean.’

  ‘What’s wrong with her?’ Alexi asked gently.

  ‘She’s bipolar.’ Dean stared at the shopping list anchored with a magnet to the fridge door as he spoke. Clearly he didn’t like discussing his mother’s problems and Alexi didn’t blame him for that. There was a stigma attached to mental incapacity and most people wouldn’t understand. ‘She’s okay when she’s on her medication but she doesn’t always take it. Says it makes her muddled and she misses her highs.’

  Alexi nodded, feeling great sympathy for all the responsibility that rested on this young man’s shoulders. She really hoped that Ty would go easy on him. He didn’t strike her as a natural thief and had probably done what he did for a very good reason.

  ‘I’ve heard that said before about people who suffer from bipolar disorder,’ Ty said. ‘It can’t be easy for you.’

  ‘I’m not asking for your sympathy.’ He rubbed his face with his hands. ‘Mum’s been through a lot but we finally got her stabilised on medication that we thought suited her. She was doing okay. Well enough to get a job as a receptionist, in fact. She’s very good with people, very caring, when she takes her meds.’

  ‘Let me guess,’ Ty said. ‘She worked at Cash Out.’

  Dean’s face hardened. ‘For nearly two years. I heard about the vacancy just after I got my job and was chatting with someone at Cash Out. We talk to them a lot…well, you’d know that,’ he said, nodding at Ty. ‘There’s often stuff we need to pick up the phone about with new clients, delays and stuff. They always seemed to be short-staffed and mentioned the vacancy to me. I thought it might suit Mum but made sure they knew what was wrong with her before she went for the interview. They have to employ a certain number of people with what they call special needs.’ He made inverted commas with his fingers around the last two words. ‘Probably makes them feel good about themselves, especially since they can get away with paying minimum wage when a so-called able-minded person doing the same job gets paid a lot more. Still, Mum thrived there and I was delighted. It took the pressure off me and I was in danger of getting a life of my own for a while.’

  ‘Are you her sole carer?’ Alexi asked.

  He shrugged. ‘Might as well be. Social Services are worse than useless.’

  ‘What happened at Cash Out?’ Ty asked.

  ‘I thought Mum finally understood about the need to take her pills. There had been incidents before when…but, anyway, I put them out for her every day and watch her take them. Problem is, periodically she decides she doesn’t need them and she can be very evasive. She holds them under her tongue, then spits them out when I’m not looking.’ He shrugged. ‘What am I supposed to do? Stand over her until she swallows? Anyway, something happened one day at work, presumably when she’d avoided taking her meds. There was an incident in reception when she got aggressive with a client and was sacked on the spot for being unreliable.’ He thumped the arm of his chair. ‘It was so fucking unfair. I explained what had happened and promised I’d make sure it didn’t happen again, but I think they used it as an excuse to get rid of her. They had no right to do that. They didn’t even go through the proper disciplinary channels that they’d have to with anyone else.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Alexi said softly. ‘Could you not have taken it up with them?’

  He shook his head. ‘Mum was going through a prolonged bout of depression. If she attended a hearing in that state it would have reinforced their opinion that she was unstable.’

  ‘And so you decided to get your revenge another way.’

  ‘Yeah, stupid perhaps, but I was so damned mad, and feeling a bit sorry for us both, I guess. People can be so fucking judgemental.’ He ran a hand through his hair. ‘Anyway, I only did it until I’d got back the money Mum ought to have been paid for two years loyal service, minus what I had to pay to the two people who helped me with the scam, obviously. I didn’t think I’d be caught.’

  ‘And I didn’t think you were the brains behind it,’ Ty replied. ‘I underestimated you. I thought whoever masterminded it was using you.’
r />   ‘Just because I work in a shop, doesn’t mean I’m stupid.’

  Ty leaned back in his seat, crossed one foot over his opposite thigh and sent Dean an assessing look. ‘I’d say you were just the opposite. You are, or have the ability to be, a high achiever.’ He paused. ‘Just like your father.’

  Dean scowled. ‘My father took off years ago, when I was still just a kid, and took most of my mum’s money with him.’ He kicked at the leg of the coffee table. ‘Bastard!’

  ‘I meant your biological father.’

  Dean’s head jerked up. ‘You know about him?’

  ‘I should have explained that Alexi is an investor in the hotel where your sister was murdered.’ Ty sent him a look of sympathy. ‘I’m sorry about that.’

  ‘Yeah well, I barely knew her.’

  ‘Have you told your mum yet?’ Alexi asked.

  Dean sucked his teeth. ‘No. I’m waiting for the right time. She doesn’t talk much about Juliette but she does remember who she is. Him, on the other hand, she talks about all the time. You just saw that for yourself. She’s convinced he’ll be back for her any day now. It’s heart-breaking.’ Dean exhaled slowly. ‘Anyway, I’ll know when she’s feeling strong enough to take the news about Juliette.’

  Damn it, Alexi thought, where are the professionals when they’re needed?

  ‘Why don’t you start at the beginning and explain your relationship with the Hammonds,’ Ty invited.

  ‘If it means the police won’t come round harassing Mum, then I suppose there’s no harm in it. She’s not good with officialdom and if she’s on a downer, it’ll either make her more depressed or aggressive.’

  ‘I understand,’ Alexi said. She’d done a feature on bipolar sufferers when she’d worked for The Sentinel, exploring the prejudices and misunderstandings they endured.

  Dean threw back his head and sighed. ‘Mum married Hammond was she was just eighteen. I’ve seen pictures. She was a vision and, apparently the life and soul, on a perpetual high with a natural ability to light up any room she walked into. She was a secretary in his office; Hammond was a trainee banker with all the right connections to make it with the big boys. She tells me he was charming and swept her off her feet. They had a whirlwind romance and married within three months of meeting. Hammond came from a moneyed background and there was no question of Mum working once they tied the knot. Hammond was very possessive and wanted her all to himself.’

  Alexi nodded. From what she knew of Hammond, she wasn’t surprised to hear it.

  ‘Juliette was born within a year of their marriage. It was a difficult birth and I think that’s when Mum’s illness started to be apparent. Anyway, nothing in Hammond’s life was allowed to be defective. The marriage fell apart, Hammond accused Mum of having an affair, which she did not, and when she told him she was pregnant again—’

  ‘With you?’ Ty asked.

  ‘With me. He refused to believe the child was his and threw her out. She got a fraction of what was due to her because she couldn’t afford a good solicitor to fight her corner. Anyway, Davis came along, married her, exploited her and ran off with the rest of her money. Hence we’ve been reduced to living like this,’ he said, spreading his arms to encompass the small room. ‘Mum has been getting steadily worse and, like I already said, Social Services are sod-all help. So I left school at sixteen, gave up all hope of further education, and have been taking care of her ever since.’

  ‘What had you planned to do?’ Alexi asked.

  ‘I wanted to be an architect. I’m told I have a flair for design.’ He scowled. ‘Fat chance of finding out if that’s true now.’

  ‘I think you could do anything you set your mind to,’ Alexi replied. ‘It’s never too late.’

  ‘Yeah well, I took A levels at night school, just so my brain didn’t wither. I got four A stars,’ he said modestly, ‘but there’s no way I can take a degree online; not and work and look out for Mum, so that’s that. My life revolves around working in a shop and looking after Mum.’

  ‘Then I can understand why you feel such bitterness towards Hammond,’ Alexi said.

  ‘You look a lot like the pictures I’ve seen of him,’ Ty added. ‘If you’ve met in the flesh then he must be able to see it too.’

  ‘Yeah well, I got his looks and brains; Juliette got Mum’s looks and wasn’t quite so smart, although I hear she was sly.’

  ‘Did you know her?’ Ty asked.

  ‘Does Hammond now accept that you’re his son?’ Alexi asked at the same time.

  ‘Look, I love my mum and don’t mind looking after her, but I did resent having to give up my education because that bastard refused to accept his responsibilities.’

  Alexi nodded. ‘I’d feel that way too in your position.’

  ‘I tried to contact him several times but he refused to take my calls or answer my letters. I even tried knocking at his door but got turned away. Accosting him at his workplace didn’t get me anywhere either. All I wanted was enough money to get Mum the professional help she needs.’ Dean shook his head. ‘He owes us that much.’

  ‘But you have met him now,’ Ty said.

  Dean shot Ty a look. ‘How the hell do you know that?’

  ‘Humour me.’

  ‘Yeah, okay, why not? We met for the first time the other night. Juliette tracked me down at the shop, out of the blue. I knew who she was the moment she walked through the door. We went to lunch. She told me she overheard her father giving instructions that I wasn’t to be allowed anywhere near his precious property. She also heard her name mentioned in connection with me and got curious. So, she checked his desk, found my name and number scribbled on the corner of his blotter and did some digging. She didn’t know who I was at that stage but tracked me to the shop. She said the moment she looked at me she knew we had to be related. Like you say, I resemble him. She was also astounded when I told her our mother was alive and well. He’d told her she died years ago, you see. Anyway, she wanted to meet Mum and I saw no harm in that.’

  ‘She came here?’

  ‘Yes, and lit the place up, just like Mum would have done at her age, I would imagine. She was delighted to have a brother. She said it would take some of the pressure off her. Ha, I wasn’t about to tell her that I’d stick pins in my eyes before I let Hammond be a father to me at this point.’

  ‘When was all this?’ Ty asked.

  ‘Oh, recently. Just before she moved to your hotel for the TV programme. She was enthused with the idea of bringing Hammond and me together. So she went to him and said if he didn’t agree to meet me and allow me to take a DNA sample for comparison, then she’d get a sample to me without his help. She didn’t stand up to him often so I guess the threat worked. I went round there the other night, we talked for ten minutes, he gave me a few strands of his hair and I left.’

  ‘Nothing more than that?’ Ty asked suspiciously.

  ‘I explained I only wanted support for Mum and he said that if I was his son, if he’d got it wrong and Mum hadn’t cheated on him, then he would pay for her care.’ Dean snorted. ‘Very big of him. It’s thanks to his treatment of her that she’s gone so far downhill. She adores him, even now, which is infuriating. Every time a visitor calls she asks if it’s William; like she did just now. He has absolutely no idea what he did to her.’

  Alexi wasn’t surprised to hear it. Ruthless men like Hammond, control freaks who wanted everything on their terms, seldom made allowance for any weaknesses, especially mental ones.

  ‘You didn’t answer my question about Cash Out,’ Dean said, turning to Ty. ‘Will I go to prison?’

  ‘Not if I can help it,’ Ty replied. ‘I’ll explain the circumstances to Mick Bailey and hopefully he’ll let it go, if you agree to repay the money stolen.’

  ‘How the hell I am supposed to do that?’ Dean threw up his hands. ‘You might as well lock me up now. I don’t have it all anymore. There were debts I had to clear, and I paid the people who helped me.’

  ‘Perhaps it
won’t come to that,’ Alexi said. ‘Hammond only has one child now and I doubt if he’d see you locked up for trying to help your mother, especially if your relationship happened to leak to the press.’ Alexi grinned. ‘I used to work on The Sentinel.’

  Dean brightened. ‘I thought I knew your face.’

  ‘The police will get around to your mother,’ Ty warned. ‘And you, too. I can’t keep it from them.’

  ‘I thought they would the moment I heard she was dead. But I didn’t kill Juliette. I’ve never set foot in that fancy hotel. Couldn’t afford their prices. Besides, I wanted her alive. It was only thanks to her that I stood any chance of getting Hammond to face up to his responsibilities.’

  ‘I know you didn’t kill her,’ Ty said. ‘I was watching this house on the night she was killed and followed you to your father’s house.’

  ‘Don’t call him that. Still, I’m grateful that you did.’ Dean smiled and the tension left his eyes. ‘That gives me a rock solid alibi.’

  ‘How do you feel about helping us clear this business up?’ Ty asked.

  ‘How can I?’ Dean spread his hands. ‘You have connections with all the main suspects, not me.’

  ‘I’d like to speak with your father…sorry, with Hammond, about Juliette, but I doubt whether he’s receiving callers right now. But if you asked him—’

  ‘Ty’s a PI and, as I say, I’m a journalist and an investor in Hopgood House. We solved the Natalie Parker case recently.’

  ‘Ah, I remember reading all about that. Well, it was impossible to miss it in this part of the world.’ He fell silent for a moment, obviously considering his options. ‘Okay,’ he eventually said. ‘Give me a moment.’

  Dean left the room and they could hear him talking quietly on the phone in the hall. He returned a short time later, smiling.

  ‘I told him who you both are. He’ll see you as soon as you can get there,’ he said.

  Chapter Ten

  Ty’s car still had a wheel in each corner and a full complement of hub caps when they returned to it.