Private Lives

‘I’ve just seen Wayne Nicholls, puppet-meister of the paparazzi, hanging around the entrance.’

‘He’s helping me with something,’ said Matt casually, looking back at his computer. Anna knew she was being dismissed, but curiosity had got the better of her.

‘Anything I should know about?’

He looked at her, unsmiling. ‘Checking up on me again, are you?’

Anna flushed. He was obviously still annoyed about her advice regarding Rob Beaumont’s visit to the office, but she was bothered he was about to make the same mistake twice.

‘No, not snooping, just wondering if I could help. I know Wayne and he’s not, shall we say, the most trustworthy of individuals.’

‘I think I can make up my own mind about that, thanks,’ said Matthew, not looking up.

‘Yes, of course, it’s just—’

‘If you must know, I’ve been trying to track down some information about Kim Collier.’

‘How come?’

‘Kim wants to take their son to live in Miami. Rob has no idea why, so we’re trying to find out in the hope that it might give us some leverage in the divorce, which is turning nastier by the second.’

‘And you want Wayne to help you?’ said Anna, trying not to sound judgemental.

‘Actually he’s done a bloody good job,’ said Matt, sliding some photographs across to Anna. They were shots of Kim Collier in a car, coming out of a shop, having lunch in a restaurant, the usual paparazzi fare you found in celeb mags.

‘Well, there doesn’t seem to be much here,’ said Anna.

‘Exactly,’ said Matt. ‘She’s had five meetings over the last forty-eight hours. Her manager, her friend from school, her make-up artist, nothing at all controversial. Certainly nothing Wayne Nicholls can sell on to the tabloids, if that’s what you’re worried about. Besides, I made it clear that if he screws us over, we’ll come down on every single set of pictures he takes like a ton of bricks.’

Anna frowned. Paparazzi were better at following celebrities than conventional private eyes as they had a network of drivers, waiters and doormen to tip them off, but it was a risky strategy.

She hesitated. ‘I’m just worried that Wayne will have worked out that you’re a divorce lawyer, and as you have him following Rob Beaumont’s wife, he’ll put two and two together and “Kim and Rob Love Split” will mysteriously be all over the the Sun tomorrow morning.’

Matthew gave a small smile. ‘I had, of course, thought of that,’ he said. ‘I’ve drafted a confidentiality agreement so tight not even Houdini could get out of it.’

‘I still don’t like using Wayne Nicholls, though,’ she said.

‘As it happens, having her followed has paid off.’

He leaned over and tapped one of the photographs; a middle-aged man in a leather jacket was sitting with Kim in a café.

‘Fabio Martelli. Hotelier. Businessman. Old friend of Kim’s.’

‘So?’

‘That’s what Wayne said. Why shouldn’t she be having a drink with an old friend? You could see from Wayne’s face that he was secretly pleased his paps hadn’t found anything; that way he was getting ten grand from me while I got nothing. But Wayne doesn’t have the other piece of the jigsaw.’

‘Which is?’

‘Martelli owns four homes, in New York, London, Milan and Miami, where he’s opening a live entertainment venue at Christmas and where he

intends to base himself full-time in preparation for the launch.’

‘Miami. Where Kim Collier’s taking her son.’

‘He doesn’t know it, but your pal Wayne has been very helpful.’

Anna couldn’t help smiling to herself as she left Matthew’s office. Wayne Nicholls helpful. That was a first. She had to admit, however, that she had underestimated Matthew. Maybe there was more to him than met the eye after all.