скачать книгу бесплатно
Rebecca paused, wiped her eyes and wet her lips. Anna wasn’t sure that she had it in her to continue, but after a couple of seconds she did.
‘It started while he was married to his wife, who died of a stroke ten months ago,’ she said. ‘And we had no bloody idea. We thought she was earning good money from modelling, which was how she could afford the flat and the lavish lifestyle. But we were wrong. That pervert was supplementing her income so he could have his way with her.’
‘But it must have been a consensual arrangement,’ Walker pointed out.
Rebecca shot him a look. ‘That’s not the point. Wolf was married and Holly is – was – over twenty years younger than him. She also had issues that made her vulnerable. That man seduced her and she succumbed to his charms. As if that wasn’t bad enough she even went and fell in love with him.’
Rebecca heaved a breath and closed her eyes. Anna could tell that she was on the brink of losing it again. Theo sensed it too and picked up the thread.
‘Wolf apparently strung her along after his wife died,’ he said. ‘He assured her that after a suitable period of mourning they would be able to move their relationship onto a different footing and make it known that they were a couple. But then last week he dumped her and revealed that he had fallen for another woman he wanted to be with. He told Holly she would have to move out of the flat and he offered to pay her a sum of money to go quietly.’
‘But I take it she decided not to accept it,’ Anna said.
Theo nodded. ‘She was heartbroken and felt that he’d betrayed her. She told him she was going to ruin him and that’s what she set out to do. She approached the Sunday Mirror and they jumped at the chance to run her story after she whetted their appetite with some sordid details which she refused to reveal to us.
‘The paper agreed a fee and arrangements were being made to set up a proper interview. It was due to take place this week. That’s why she came here. She wanted us to know before the shit hit the fan.’
‘And did you try to talk her out of it?’ Anna asked.
It was Rebecca who answered. ‘Damn right we did. But she wouldn’t listen. As always it was hard to get through to her when she’d decided to do something, even if she knew that her actions would probably end in tears.’
‘Are you alluding to the issues that you just mentioned?’ Anna asked.
Rebecca sniffed back tears. ‘My daughter never found it easy to cope with life, detective. As a teenager she suffered from depression and went through a phase where she self-harmed. She was also terribly insecure and was never happy with the way she looked. It didn’t help that she was addicted to social media and took every criticism personally.’
‘So how did you try to persuade her not to go public with her story?’
‘I told her it would serve no useful purpose and that she should be grateful that Nathan Wolf would no longer be a part of her life. But she was adamant that she wanted to get her own back on him. She wanted revenge.’
‘And then what?’
‘It turned into a big row and I got so worked up that I said she had been a fool to let him treat her like a whore. That was when she screamed at me and stormed out of the house. It was the last I saw of her.’
‘And what time was that?’ Anna asked.
‘About nine.’
‘Was she driving a car?’
‘She doesn’t – didn’t – own one. She had a Fiat but sold it a few months ago because it never got used. I assumed she either walked until she got a cab or headed for the tube station, which isn’t far from here.’
‘Do you know where she went?’
‘I thought she’d go straight home, but she didn’t.’
‘How can you be sure?’
‘Because after I tried to ring her and realised she’d turned her phone off, Theo offered to go to her flat in the hope he could persuade her to come back so that we could talk some more.’
Anna looked at Theo, who responded with a shake of his head. ‘I went by taxi because our car was at the garage having some repairs done. I got there about an hour after she left here. I rang the bell several times but there was no answer. And there were no lights on inside. I waited around for about fifteen minutes but she didn’t turn up.’
‘Couldn’t you have let yourself in?’
Another shake of the head. ‘Holly wouldn’t let us have a key. We asked a few times but she refused, and now we know why.’
‘So what did you do then, Mr Blake?’ Anna said.
‘I came straight home.’
Rebecca snapped her head towards him.
‘But not straight away,’ she said. ‘You rang to say you were going to the pub. You didn’t get in until after midnight. I was already in bed having taken a sleeping tablet. You woke me.’
He nodded. ‘Oh, that’s right. Sorry. I went for a drink. My head was all over the place by then.’
Anna was at once suspicious. She felt there was something unconvincing about what he’d said. Something not quite right. But she didn’t think that now was the time to put him on the spot so she made a mental note to follow it up when she had him on his own.
Instead she turned back to Rebecca. ‘Do you know Nathan Wolf personally, Mrs Blake?’
‘I do, but not very well,’ Rebecca said. ‘We’ve met a few times and I’m afraid it was me who introduced him to Holly when she accompanied me to a fundraising event that he attended. That’s something I’ll never forgive myself for.’
‘And did she tell you how and when exactly she started a relationship with him?’
‘All she told us was that it began over a year ago. At the time she was sharing a flat in Eltham with her then boyfriend, Ross. But she was intending to break up with him and that was probably why she let Nathan Wolf into her life. They saw each other for a little while before he took her to see the flat.’
‘We’ll need to contact this Ross,’ Anna said. ‘Do you know his surname and his contact details?’
‘His second name is Moore. I don’t know his number but the flat he shared with Holly was 12 Primrose Court, Manor Road, Eltham. I’ve no idea if he still lives there.’
‘Do you know if she and Ross stayed in touch after she broke up with him and moved out?’
‘I know that he pestered her to get back with him and as a result she changed her phone number,’ Rebecca said. ‘He kept ringing her and he even turned up at her flat a couple of times.’
‘Did she put in a formal complaint?’
‘Not to my knowledge. She regarded him as irritating but harmless.’
While Anna scribbled some notes on her pad, Walker picked up the questioning.
‘You told us you were angry with Holly because by selling her story she was going to make life intolerable for everyone else,’ he said. ‘What did you mean by that?’
‘Isn’t it obvious?’ she responded sharply. ‘She would have made herself look foolish and spiteful, and she would have involved us in a sordid scandal. It would have impacted on Theo’s career and ruined my chances of becoming this city’s Mayor. I told her all this and she accused me of being selfish.’
‘Did you try to contact her again after that night?’ Walker asked.
‘Of course. I kept trying to phone, but it was switched off. I sent her emails and messaged her on Facebook asking her to call me. I rang her friends and her modelling agency but nobody knew where she was. That was when I got my secretary to call round the hospitals to see if she had been involved in an accident. Then yesterday morning I phoned Nathan Wolf but he claimed that he hadn’t heard from her since Sunday. I let him know that Holly had told us everything and said he should be ashamed of himself.’
‘And what was his response?’
‘I didn’t give him a chance to respond. The sound of his voice made me see red and I slammed the phone down. I made one final call to the editor of the Sunday Mirror and after he told me that he too had been trying to contact Holly because she hadn’t turned up for the interview I went into a panic and called the police.’
‘So why didn’t you get in touch with us sooner?’ Walker asked.
‘Up until then I’d convinced myself that she was avoiding everyone because she was in a strop. She’s always been headstrong and volatile, and it wasn’t the first time she’d cut off contact with us following an argument.’
‘What about her biological father?’ Anna asked, looking up from her notes. ‘He’ll need to be informed.’
‘He died three years ago in Australia,’ Rebecca said. ‘That’s where he moved to after our divorce. Holly went there to attend the funeral.’
Anna had more questions, but she didn’t get to ask them because suddenly it all got too much for Rebecca. Her face folded in on itself and she started to cry out as though in pain.
‘I can’t believe this is happening,’ she wailed. ‘I should have been there for her. My baby should be here with me. Not …’
Rebecca leaped to her feet, covered her mouth with her hand, and rushed into the kitchen. A moment later Anna heard her retching into the sink.
‘I have to insist that you call a halt to this now,’ Theo said. ‘My wife is struggling. She needs time to take it in. We both do. Holly was everything to us.’
‘I appreciate that, Mr Blake,’ Anna said. ‘You’ve both had a tremendous shock and despite that you’ve been really helpful and we’re grateful.’
‘So what happens next?’ he asked, getting to his feet.
Anna stood up too. ‘You’ve given us information that we’ll follow up. But we will need to come back and ask you some more questions, especially about what Holly told you. In the meantime I’ll arrange for a Family Liaison Officer to get in touch. He or she will keep you informed of progress and answer your questions in relation to the investigation.’
Anna fished a business card from her pocket and passed it to him.
‘My mobile number is on the back,’ she said. ‘Don’t hesitate to call me at any time. And I must advise you both not to contact Mr Wolf however tempting that becomes. I’ll be interviewing him shortly.’
Rebecca re-entered the room at that point and sat back down on the sofa while attempting to stem her tears with a crumpled tissue. Anna’s heart went out to her and she repeated her condolences.
‘Your husband has my number,’ she added. ‘And I’ll be in touch as soon as I have more news.’
Rebecca looked at Anna through red, swollen eyes and gave a slow nod.
‘I know how it works, detective,’ she said. ‘Just sort it so that I can see my daughter as soon as possible. And don’t underestimate Nathan Wolf. He’s a ruthlessly ambitious bastard and he’ll do whatever it takes to save himself. That includes enlisting the help of friends in high places.’
‘I promise you that if he is the person responsible then he will be made to pay,’ Anna said as Theo ushered them out of the room.
At the front door he told them he would call Rebecca’s sister Freya and get her to come over.
Before stepping outside, Anna asked Theo for Holly’s mobile number. Then she said, ‘Just for the record, Mr Blake, where did you go for a drink after you went to Holly’s place and discovered she wasn’t there?’
Shock registered in his eyes. ‘Surely you’re not suggesting that I had anything to do with what’s happened?’
‘Absolutely not. But it’s essential that we eliminate those close to Holly from our enquiries at the outset. I’m sure you can understand that. I know that your wife will appreciate that it’s something we have to do.’
He blew air out of his mouth through pursed lips. ‘Very well. I went to the King’s Head in Chappell Road, between here and Holly’s flat. I stayed there about an hour, then came home. That’s why I didn’t get back until after midnight.’
‘Thank you, Mr Blake,’ Anna said. ‘We’ll be on our way now and let me say once again how sorry I am for your loss.’
When they were back in the car, Anna took out her phone and told Walker that she needed to alert DCS Nash to the latest developments. But the phone rang just as she was about to tap in his number.
Caller ID showed it was DS Prescott who had been tasked, along with DC Niven, to check out Holly’s Camden flat.
‘I’m listening, Doug,’ she said. ‘What have you got for me?’
‘One of Miss Blake’s neighbours is also her landlord,’ he said. ‘He let us into her flat and I really think you need to come and see what we’ve found, ma’am.’
CHAPTER TWELVE (#ulink_7ae32566-91e0-53a8-ada3-f0b2f0fe4462)
Anna read out Holly’s address from her notes and told Walker to drive straight there.
‘This is likely to be an all-nighter,’ she said. ‘Do you need to let your wife know?’
‘I sent her a text before we left the office,’ he answered. ‘It was obvious to me then that I wouldn’t get to see my bed tonight.’
She passed on what DS Prescott had told her, then called DCS Nash, who answered on the first ring.
‘How did it go with Rebecca Blake?’ he asked her.
Anna told him how Holly’s mother had reacted, and how she had gone on to put Nathan Wolf, MP in the frame.
Nash’s reaction was predictable. ‘Jesus Christ, Anna. This is going from bad to worse.’
‘My thoughts exactly, sir,’ she said.
‘And do you think it could actually be true?’
‘It’s too early to say. We need to check with the newspaper that was about to dish the dirt on him. And then we’ll go and confront the man with the allegations. Have you got any thoughts on how it should be handled?’
‘Just don’t approach him until I get back to you,’ he said. ‘I’ll have to talk to the Commissioner, make sure he’s in the picture before the news breaks.’
‘Well, our next step is Holly Blake’s flat in Camden,’ Anna said. ‘The team have already come up with something interesting there apparently. But I don’t want to wait too long before we confront Wolf. If he is our man then he’s already had too much time to cover his tracks. And just because he’s a politician he shouldn’t be treated differently to any other suspect.’
‘I’m with you on that, but whether you like it or not Nathan Wolf is not just any other suspect. Once his name is out there it will trigger a media storm the like of which we haven’t seen in years. And the wave of panic will roll all the way up to the Prime Minister’s office.’
Having made his point, Nash hung up, leaving Anna to wonder just how tricky and frustrating things were going to get in the days ahead.
Walker could tell that she was uptight and it amused him.
‘This really is the stuff of nightmares, guv,’ he said, a slight grin playing on his lips. ‘Victim’s a beautiful model. Her mum’s a top Tory councillor and potential Mayor of London. And the prime suspect is a bloody MP. It doesn’t get more complicated than that.’
She looked at him. Shook her head.
‘And it plays right into your warped sense of humour doesn’t it, Max?’
He shrugged. ‘You’ve either got to laugh or cry, guv. I mean, we’ll either come out of it smelling of roses or else all our careers will be cut short if we fuck up.’
‘That’s why I like having you as my right-hand man, Max,’ she said. ‘Knowing you’re there at my side instils me with confidence.’
