Late of the Payroll

‘So what was Thomas doing there?’ This had been Grey’s final line of questioning, before knowing he needed to give Anthony Aubrey a break. They had been talking for what felt like hours, and hadn’t started till late.

  ‘After I spoke to Thomas on Monday evening, things must have still been playing on his mind, for he called again on Tuesday.’

  ‘He called you at the hotel?’

  ‘No, on my mobile. I do have one, I don’t use it very often. He had spoken to Alex as I told him to, but he still had the secret to bear and he couldn’t face his father.

  ‘Now I was in something of a bind. I suppose you know..?’

  ‘We know that Isobel was there.’

  ‘Well, he couldn’t come up to the room, but I knew I had to see him. So I told him, I’m at the hotel but I’m just in the middle of a meeting, but my car’s parked outside, so go and wait by it and I’ll be there at seven – I thought I’d take him for a meal at the restaurant. Only, when I got to the car he was nowhere.’

  ‘You didn’t see anything?’

  ‘Not a sign.’

  Events were coming clear to Grey, he knowing the questions he needed to ask now, no matter how little sense they made to Aubrey.

  ‘This was the Jaguar you asked him to wait by? Quite a distinctive vehicle.’

  ‘Oh yes, there’s no chance Tom could have missed it.’

  ‘Did Stephen Carman know Thomas Long?’

  Aubrey shook his head, ‘I can’t imagine how.’

  ‘So tell me, did you ever meet Stephen Carman?’

  ‘But what’s that got to do with..?’

  ‘Please, just a last couple of answers and you can go and have something to eat.’

  His brief nodded as Aubrey resumed, sourly, ‘Oh yes, we’d met alright. Isobel brought him to the house. He’d got a beaten-up car from somewhere, at least the neighbours across the road couldn’t see it behind the hedge. I’d already heard all about him of course, how much fun he was, how exciting, how she loved him.’

  ‘How did you get on?’

  ‘We hardly spoke. He wouldn’t give me the time of day. He had a horrible habit of skulking off and turning up in rooms he had no business being in. I had to check afterward that nothing had gone walkies. I did wonder after if he’d been casing the joint, but if so then he never had the nerve to follow it through.’

  ‘You didn’t like him?’

  ‘I could tell he was a bad’un – I expect you could too, Inspector? You must have a nose for it.’

  Aubrey paused before adding, ‘You asked if Carman would know Thomas? Well, Thomas knew him all right. You see, the thing is Inspector...’