DS Jessica Daniel series: Think of the Children / Playing with Fire / Thicker Than Water – Books 4–6 (37 page)

Harley edged around the table, as if making a special effort not to touch anything. Andrew didn’t think his office was dirty but it was somewhat sparse. Aside from the two chairs, the
large desk and his computer, there was an empty bookshelf, the potted plant he had inherited and kept forgetting to water, and a stack of boxes which contained junk he didn’t have room for in
his flat. To prospective clients, he figured the closed boxes might seem as if they contained vital paperwork. The fact they didn’t was something they didn’t need to know.

Light spilled through the window, partially obscured by the boxes, glinting from the man’s expensive-looking cufflinks. Harley carefully sat in the chair, instantly annoyed as the backrest
fell backwards.

‘Sorry about that,’ Andrew said. ‘I’m waiting on a replacement. Delivery companies, hey?’ It was a lie which Harley didn’t seem convinced by. He certainly
didn’t respond to Andrew’s lighthearted chuckle.

‘I’m not sure this is what I expected,’ Harley said. His voice was full of authority, the type of terrifying tone that made Andrew think of teachers and parents. Or worse, his
former father-in-law.

‘I can assure you, I run a very professional service,’ Andrew said, only half-believing his words. He swivelled slightly in his chair, wondering if ‘the Big Daddy’ would
impress this prospective client.

If it did, then the man hid it well. ‘I’ve never come to a private investigator before. I found you in the phone book. I think I was expecting some sort of ex-policeman around my
age.’

Andrew had forgotten about the phone-book advert as he had been focusing mainly on Internet advertising. ‘I offer the highest class of service . . .’

The investigator tried to look confident as Harley again scanned him up and down. ‘How old are you?’

‘Thirty-four,’ Andrew replied without thinking.

‘Hmmm . . .’ Harley was squinting slightly, apparently wondering what to ask next. ‘It might be better that you’re younger . . .’

Andrew sat up straighter, thinking he might be on to something. ‘How can I help you?’

The man ignored his question. ‘Are you married? Kids?’

It wasn’t the response Andrew expected but, given the man’s resonating tone, he felt obliged to answer. ‘I was married, I’m not any longer. I don’t have
children.’

‘Hmmm . . .’

Andrew watched Harley repeat the examination. He was beginning to grow more and more uneasy under the older man’s gaze. The suit he was wearing was a little tight and compared to the
quality of the garment the man in front of him was wearing it felt insufficient for the air of professionalism he was trying to portray.

‘Did you leave her or the other way around?’ Harley’s query was as direct as before.

‘I’m sorry, I . . .’ Andrew was stammering, uncomfortable with the question.

Harley fired straight back. ‘I know it’s not my business but I like to work with certain types of people, Mr Hunter. I have a very important job and I’ll pay you very
well.’

Andrew paused for a moment. He dropped any pretence of being someone he wasn’t and leant forward in his seat, allowing himself to slump. ‘She left me.’

‘Hmmm . . .’

‘It wasn’t as simple as that,’ Andrew added, keen to justify himself. ‘We were very different. She has a very rich family, while I . . . don’t. Her dad never liked
me. Her mum did but, well, that didn’t really matter. In the end, when we were thinking about kids, it fell apart.’

‘So her father didn’t approve?’

Andrew thought he sensed a flicker of sympathy in the man’s voice but he wasn’t sure. ‘No.’

Harley nodded slowly, scratching his chin. ‘We’re hard people to please when it comes to our little girls. You’ll learn that if you have children.’

Andrew said nothing but held the man’s gaze until Harley clapped his hands together loudly. For the first time, Andrew noticed how big they were. He’d felt his hand being squeezed
when they shook hands but hadn’t noticed how brutish they now seemed. The clap echoed around the room.

‘I think you might be exactly who I’m looking for, Mr Hunter.’

Andrew nodded. ‘So how can I help you?’

Harley smiled and shook his head gently. ‘First tell me how you came to do this. Are you ex-police? Marines?’

Andrew snorted before he could stop himself. Just thinking of the marines’ training he had seen on television made him feel slightly sick. His idea of exercise was the walk it took to
climb the stairs to his office each morning. His slightly overweight physique was certainly not the type to be accepted into the navy. He wouldn’t describe himself as ‘fat’ but he
had noticed his suit clinging to his thighs in recent weeks. The football he used to play as a teenager seemed increasingly as if it was something from another life.

Harley was sitting impatiently with his legs crossed and fingers interlocked, waiting for a reply.

‘I have a degree in criminology,’ Andrew said.

The older man nodded. ‘But why are you doing this? Why aren’t you off with the police or MI5 or something?’

Andrew didn’t know why he continued to entertain Harley’s questions. It wasn’t because of the promise of money but perhaps it was because Harley had said he was the person he
was looking for. Beyond money, Andrew was looking for something to stimulate his mind.

‘Do you want me to be honest?’ he said.

As if expecting something exciting, Harley leant in, licking his lips. ‘Always.’

‘It’s a bit of a complicated story. I studied criminology at university and met a girl, Keira, while I was there.’

‘The ex-wife?’ Harley interrupted.

Andrew nodded. ‘Her father is high up with a bank in London. They own this giant mansion in Cheshire which they use at the weekends. It’s unbelievable. Keira took me there one time
while we were still first years. I thought the weekend had gone well but she was really upset on the drive home. She said her mum told her that her dad hated me and insisted we break up.’

Harley said nothing but Andrew looked up to see him nodding. He didn’t know if it was because the man had taken a dislike to him as well, or because he had children of a similar age of
whom he was equally protective.

‘We didn’t break up,’ Andrew went on. ‘We stayed together through university and then flew to Vegas and got married the day after Keira’s final exam.’

The older man coughed and unlocked his fingers. He hadn’t said it explicitly but Andrew knew for sure that he had a daughter who was most likely a young adult, possibly with an equally
troubling boyfriend.

‘Anyway, that didn’t go down too well,’ Andrew continued. ‘But her mum was great and her dad seemed to accept it in the end. Well, sort of. He got me a job in his bank.
It wasn’t what I wanted to do but I didn’t have much choice.’

‘So how did you end up back here?’ Harley asked.

Andrew found the man hard to read. His legs were still crossed, while he was staring intently across the table, seemingly interested in Andrew’s story.

‘Guess.’

Andrew didn’t know why he’d said it but he suspected Harley Todd shared much in common with his former father-in-law. Harley seemed to relish the challenge. His eyes narrowed and he
broke into a wide smile for the first time since entering the office. ‘He paid you off.’

Andrew laughed and spun his chair a quarter of the way around, before returning to face the other man. ‘How did you know?’

‘It’s what I would do.’

The answer was clinical and Andrew knew the person he was dealing with was uncannily like Keira’s father.

Andrew nodded slowly. ‘He told me he would make sure we broke up one way or another before we had children. He said that if I took the money, at least I’d have that. If I
didn’t then he’d make sure I ended up with nothing.’

The other man didn’t speak for a few moments. ‘Smart man,’ he said eventually. ‘So you took the money?’

Andrew shrugged. ‘He didn’t give me much choice.’

‘How long ago?’

‘Seven years.’

Harley waved his arms around to indicate the office. ‘And this is what you did with the money?’ His tone sounded mocking but Andrew didn’t think he was trying to be cruel; it
was simply the way he phrased things.

‘Among other things. I only started this six months ago.’

Harley nodded with a smile on his face. ‘Do you need my money?’

‘No.’ Andrew didn’t know why he continued to answer. It was almost as if he was facing his ex-father-in-law, unable to stop revealing his inner thoughts.

‘How much have you got left?’

‘Lots.’

‘So why do you do this?’

Andrew shrugged. ‘Because I want to.’

Harley made a point of looking around the room. ‘Why haven’t you got a better office if you have so much money?’

‘Money doesn’t interest me. It’s just there. I spend what I need to.’

Apart from nodding almost non-stop, Harley wasn’t moving. He stared at Andrew, as if fascinated by a new creature he had never seen before.

‘You’re perfect,’ he said, almost purring. Andrew didn’t respond. He didn’t know if he wanted to work for the man in any case. ‘Do you want to know what the
job is?’ Harley asked.

Andrew sat up straighter, deciding that he would face the man, no matter if he felt intimidated. ‘Whatever it is, it’s going to cost you.’

‘I thought you had money?’

‘I do.’

Harley leant back into the broken seat, splaying his legs. He laughed loudly, the sound echoing around the room. ‘I’m really going to like you,’ he said.

‘So, what’s the problem with your daughter?’ Andrew asked.

The other man stopped laughing. ‘Who said I have a problem with my daughter?’

It was Andrew’s turn to smile defiantly at the man, waiting for a reply. Harley stared back before turning away.

‘Sienna,’ he said. ‘She’s just turned eighteen. She goes to college in the city. I wanted to take her away from the area but she insisted. In the end we agreed that she
had to go to the university of my choice if she got to go to this college place with her friends.’

‘Why are you choosing where she goes?’ Andrew wanted to get a rise out of the man.

Harley didn’t react. ‘“We’re hard people to please when it comes to our little girls”,’ he repeated.

Andrew nodded. ‘What’s the problem?’

‘She’s pregnant. Well, she was . . .’

For the first time, Andrew thought he saw a small chink in Harley’s demeanour. One of his eyes twitched as if he was winking but it was clearly not deliberate.

‘What happened?’

‘What do you think happened?’ Harley said irritably. ‘I paid to make it go away.’

‘You made her have an abortion?’

The two men locked eyes but Harley ignored the question. ‘You’re on thin ice,’ he said and Andrew realised their roles had completely reversed.

‘I don’t mind if you walk away,’ Andrew said, indicating towards the door.

Harley didn’t move. ‘I made it go away.’

‘So what do you need from me?’

Any trace of a smile had disappeared from the man’s face. His eyes were narrow, the rest of his features fixed. ‘I want to know who the father was.’

Detective Sergeant Jessica Daniel glanced up from her plate to face the man sitting opposite. She put the metal fork on the table, loudly enough to ensure he knew she wanted
his attention.

‘So, Garry,’ Jessica began. ‘Who the hell is Sebastian Lowe?’

She watched Garry Ashford squirm. Despite the fact she had known the journalist for a few years, she knew he was still that little bit afraid of her.

Garry looked up from his breakfast, where a congealed fried egg yolk had blended into the leftover baked-bean juice. All that was left of his breakfast was a final piece of black pudding, which
he was chewing on while swirling his hand in the air, as if pointing out to Jessica that he would answer when he had finished. She had purposely picked her moment to ask the question, so that he
was at his most uncomfortable. Jessica fixed Garry with a steady stare, telling him with her eyes that she was waiting for the answer.

The journalist swallowed and started to speak before spluttering and gulping the final mouthful of tea from his mug.

‘Sorry,’ he coughed. ‘I was just finishing off.’ He smiled apologetically but Jessica didn’t relax her glare. ‘Sebastian’s newish,’ he went on.
‘He’s been working for me for around six months. I hired him but he’s just been bumped up to senior news reporter.’

‘When did you start hiring people?’ Jessica replied, failing to hide her surprise.

‘Since I was promoted to news editor.’

Jessica weighed up his response, not overly satisfied with it. ‘What’s he like? A bit of a troublemaker?’

Garry shook his head. ‘Sebastian? No, he’s a bit like I was. He gets by story to story, although he seems to come up with better stuff than I did.’

Jessica looked sideways at the man, flicking her long dark-blonde hair away from her face and wishing she had tied it back. When she had invited Garry for breakfast, she hadn’t known if
she wanted to play on the fact he was scared of her, or that she was pretty sure he still fancied her – despite apparently having a girlfriend. Torn between the two, she opted for a bit of
both and left her hair down.

As they waited for their food to arrive in the cafe around the corner from his newspaper’s office, Jessica hadn’t said too much. She allowed the tension to build, watching him devour
a full English and deciding she would definitely be going down the ‘scare’ route. She quickly finished her sausage sandwich, wondering if the large breakfast was a usual thing for him,
or if he had ordered it because she was paying.

‘Does he have better dress sense than you?’ Jessica asked.

Garry peered down at his brown corduroy trousers, before realising what he was doing. In fairness, Jessica had to admit he was looking as smart as she had ever seen him. His previously long
scruffy hair had been cut short and was tidily shaped, with the goatee on his chin looking as if it was there by design, as opposed to because he hadn’t bothered to shave. His cord trousers
were perhaps a little outdated but, for as long as she had known him, that seemed to be his style.