‘There was a live-in boyfriend for a couple of years. He was Australian, supposedly touring Europe after getting his degree. They split up when he wanted to go back to Sydney and do a Ph.D. He’s still out in Oz, as far as I’m aware. If there’s anyone else she’s serious about, she’s kept them well hidden.’
‘Does she do drugs?’
She laughed faintly. ‘Don’t they all at some point? Put it this way: she’s not well known for it.’
‘How does she spend her money then?’
‘Property. She has apartments in London and New York and a manor house near Tunbridge Wells.’
‘A home-loving girl, then.’
‘It doesn’t stop her from eating out and clubbing.’
‘Who with?’
‘Lately with the agent we met, Tilda Box.’
That intrigued him. ‘They go to nightclubs together?’
‘There are plenty of magazine pictures to prove it. Tilda entered her life last year when the singing career seemed to be on the slide. She steered her into acting.’
‘Is Tilda successful as an agent?’
‘I wouldn’t know, except she doesn’t seem to have any well-known clients apart from Clarion.’
‘And she’s very protective of her. Is Clarion bi, do you think?’
‘I haven’t seen it suggested anywhere. The media are quick on anything like that.’
‘If she’s straight, she’d surely not want Tilda with her on a regular basis.’
‘You could be wrong there, guv. A lot of women feel more comfortable with their own sex as company. If the break-up with the Australian guy hurt her, she may be pleased to coast along for a bit with this Tilda, who smooths the way and makes her feel better about herself. Do you want to hear her sing? I picked up one of her singles last night. Top of the stack.’
‘What do I do?’
She told him how to insert the disc, and Clarion’s chirpy notes took over, balanced by an energising drumbeat. The words were hard to follow and the voice didn’t sound anything special to Diamond’s ear, but pop music wasn’t one of his strengths.
‘Is this from the latest album?’
‘To be fair, it’s not her best. She’s trying for a hip-hop sound and it doesn’t come off.’
‘This was made before Tilda came on the scene?’
‘Right.’
‘Who was advising her then?’
‘There would have been a creative team looking after the music. She had a manager called Declan Dean and he should have been on top of the business side. Somewhere it wasn’t working and she left him.’
‘At some point every singer’s career tails off,’ he said. ‘It’s a competitive market.’
‘Highly. Yes, it may just have been the laws of commerce working, but someone has to carry the can.’
‘She blamed this Declan?’
‘It wasn’t so obvious at the time, but it’s been seeping out since, in her blog.’
‘She has a blog?’
‘They all do and most of them are dire. It’s about digital exposure in the pop landscape. If you don’t blog, you won’t survive.’
‘What kind of stuff does she write in the blog?’
‘You wouldn’t find it instructive. Films she’s seen and would tip for an Oscar. Good meals she’s eaten.’
Clarion’s singing was getting too much. ‘How do I turn this down?’
She pointed to the volume switch. ‘She was a tad more interesting last week, doing her best to plug the play. She was on about learning lines and rehearsing. Of course the blog stopped on Monday. She could easily start up again now, but I guess the lawyers will have closed her down.’
‘How would she blog from a hospital bed?’
‘Using her iPhone. It would ease the boredom.’
They drove back into Bath and Manvers Street. Before anything else, Diamond arranged for the box containing the towel to be driven to the Home Office forensic lab at Chepstow. He’d been impressed by Pinch, but he still needed official confirmation of the findings.
As promised, Keith Halliwell had the authorised search warrant ready.
‘Inge will drive us to Dolemeads,’ Diamond said.
‘Actually, guv, I was hoping for a few words in private,’ Halliwell said.
‘No problem. You can drive me there and we’ll talk on the way. I’ll tell Inge to meet us. I want her in on this.’
