In the Still of the Night

Sean shook his head. ‘I’m not leaving Annie alone here. We might have been followed. I don’t think we were, I kept watch for anyone who might be behind us, but I’m certainly not leaving Annie here without someone to keep an eye on her. Look what happened when we left her at her own house. She went out and vanished for most of the day.’

Harriet was frowning. ‘Yes, that was weird. Do we tell the police?’

He looked sharply at her. ‘Tell them what?’

She met his eyes levelly. ‘That she’s been vanishing a lot lately. She went out for hours the night Derek was murdered, remember?’

From his face she could see he hadn’t forgotten that, but that he had hoped she had. ‘If they ask, you’ll have to tell the police, of course, but don’t for God’s sake volunteer the information. After all, you can’t really suspect Annie? Of killing Fenn? Strangling him? Do you honestly see her committing murder?’

Harriet grimaced, shaking her head. ‘No, of course not. I just thought you’d advise me to tell the police everything. Whether I believe Annie could be guilty or not.’

Sean hesitated and Harriet gave him another of her dry, cynical glances.

‘If it was anyone else, you would, wouldn’t you? But not when it’s Annie. You’re in love with her, aren’t you, Sean?’ She watched him closely, waiting for the betraying look in the eyes she had seen just now.

He reddened, eyes turning angry. ‘What are you talking about? You women, that’s all you ever have in your heads. Love! Look, I just don’t think Annie’s capable of strangling Derek Fenn, but if she comes under suspicion it could be disastrous for the series. That’s what I’m worried about.’

‘You and me both,’ Harriet agreed soberly, frowning. ‘The press are going to be everywhere, from now on, like bees around a honeypot. They seem to be on to the idea that something was going on between Annie and Derek, which means somebody has told them so.’

‘Yes, but who, I wonder?’ said Sean curtly. ‘Got to be one of us. Not you?’ He read her annoyed face. ‘No, of course not – I didn’t think so. Who else knows? Who else talks to the press a lot?’

She looked blank.

‘Mike?’ suggested Sean and her eyes widened.

‘Mike might,’ she accepted.

‘Well, his head has got to be straightened out. If he destroys Annie, he destroys the series. That has to be made clear to him. If he had two brain cells in that head of his he’d know that! In the meantime, we must think of some way of keeping the press away from Annie, and that will mean minimising the interest the police take in her. If I genuinely thought for a second that Annie was involved, of course I’d have to tell them everything I know, but I don’t believe it, and I don’t trust them not to draw the wrong conclusions. And even worse, I never knew a police station that wasn’t as leaky as a sieve. There’s always someone lower down who makes money on the side by selling information to the press. You know it’s the same around the studio, and in the TV company. Knowledge

is money in our business, and in theirs.’

‘You’re right. I’ll tell them as little as I have to.’ Harriet was frowning. Then she said, ‘If Mike Waterford is leaking to the press, Billy will soon plug him up, don’t worry.’

Sean’s mobile phone rang; he took it out, pulled out the aerial. ‘Hello? Oh, hi, Chorley, what can I do for you?’

‘We have to talk to Annie Lang, Halifax. Where have you taken her?’

‘What makes you think I’ve taken her anywhere?’ Sean hedged.

‘Oh, come off it, Halifax. A crowd of tabloid reporters saw you driving off with her. They lost you and you never showed up at your flat. They didn’t know your address, of course, but we did. When we found out that Annie Lang wasn’t at home, and had left with you, we went round to see you, but we were told you had moved out a couple of weeks ago, nobody knew your new address.’

Thank God for that! thought Sean, his mouth relaxing. He looked at his watch and calculated how long they had been on the phone – would Chorley be trying to trace the call while they talked? Better get off the line as soon as possible.

‘So what is it, Halifax?’ Chorley snapped. ‘We must talk to her. She’s a vital witness.’

‘She’s under sedation. She can’t talk to anybody.’

‘Don’t pull that one on me.’ Chorley’s voice snarled. ‘Or I’ll arrest you for wasting police time and interfering with witnesses.’

‘I’m telling you the truth. Annie is in shock. She can’t talk to you yet. See her tomorrow morning. For God’s sake, man, it’s late. Go home and get some sleep yourself.’

‘Give me that address, Halifax.’

‘Tomorrow, at ten o’clock. I promise I’ll give it to you then.’

Sean switched off his phone while Chorley was gabbling with rage, and looked at Harriet broodingly. ‘Tell Billy to get her the best lawyer he knows.’

Harriet looked disturbed. ‘Is she really going to need that?’