Rob! Incredible! I had never noticed anything between him and Debbie. They seemed to treat each other perfectly naturally. Still, if you thought about it, it wasn't so surprising. In a way, it was inevitable that Rob would make a play for Debbie at some time.
Felicity had noticed my initial surprise. 'Of course, you must know him. You obviously didn't know about it.'
I shook my head.
'Well, they went out together just after Debbie joined De Jong & Co. It only lasted a couple of months or so, and then Debbie called it off. She said it was getting a bit heavy. Rob took it badly for a bit, but after a while Debbie said they could treat each other normally at work.'
Felicity took another sip of wine. 'Then, about a week before Debbie…' Felicity paused, 'fell into the river, this bloke rang up. It was late, just after midnight, I think. He said they should get back together again. He said they should get married. Debbie just told him not to be so silly, but he kept on ringing night after night. It began to get to Debbie. She told him to piss off but it didn't seem to have any effect.'
'But why did he suddenly decide he wanted to marry her?' I asked. 'It sounds a bit odd.'
'Yes. As I said, a bit weird. Debbie said this guy was like that. Isn't he?'
I nodded. I had to admit Rob was like that. 'I still don't quite understand why Rob waited until now.'
'He was jealous. At least that is what Debbie said.'
'Jealous? Of whom?'
'I don't know. Debbie said she was getting interested in someone else at work, and Rob didn't like it. He was getting possessive and it annoyed her.'
For a second I cast around thinking who Debbie could have been talking about. But there could only be one person. Me.
I felt very foolish. The closening of our relationship must have been obvious to Debbie and even to Rob. But it was only just beginning to sink into my thick skull when she died.
The depression which had been stalking me wherever I went since then, enveloped me again. With Debbie had died an opportunity to break out of the strait-jacket of my life, the self-discipline, loneliness, hard work, dedication to a goal. She had offered irresponsibility, fun, easy companionship. And just as all that had been in my grasp, it had been pulled away. Pulled away by the thin man with the dead eyes.
I drained my glass and got up to leave.
'Thank you for bringing her things round,' said Felicity, nodding towards the box, 'I will be sure to pass them on to her parents.'
The box reminded me of Debbie's cluttered desk. And the prospectuses lying on it. I paused at the door. 'You haven't heard of someone called Irwin Piper, have you?'
'Yes, I think I have.' Felicity thought a moment. 'I am pretty sure Denny Clark was involved in defending him a few years ago. Why do you ask?'
'Oh, just something Debbie was working on before she died. I would like to tidy it up. Can you remember anything about the case?'
'No. I had nothing to do with it. But I think Debbie might have done. If it's important I could find out who was involved with it. Debbie must have been working with one of the partners.'
'That would be very helpful,' I said. 'I would love to talk to someone about it. It would make things a lot clearer.' I opened the door. 'Thank you very much for the wine.'
'Not at all. It's nice to have some company. You can spend too much time in this flat, alone.'
I said goodbye and let myself out.
I arrived home with my mind spinning. Part of it was the wine. Most of it was with the whirl of information I had received in the last few days. The last days of Debbie's life had been far from uneventful. Her row with Hamilton, her concerns about Piper and the Tahiti, and Rob of all people pestering her to marry him.
All this mingled with the jumble of feelings I felt towards her myself. It was only since her death that I was really getting to know her. I wished it were possible to talk to her about all I had found out. There was a lot we could talk about. If only that bastard hadn't killed her. I was more and more sure that her death was not an accident.
I pulled on my running kit and set off round the park. The wine in my stomach made it tough going, but I didn't care. I ran fast until it hurt and then I ran a bit more. I made it back to my flat shattered, had a bath and went to bed.
There were things I wanted to do at work the next morning, but it was difficult. With Debbie gone I had enough phone calls for two to answer. The markets were choppy. The Japanese were sellers because the dollar was weakening against the yen, but there had been some big buy programmes overnight from the States. This was the sort of market that presented plenty of opportunities for those who were quick enough on their feet. I found it hard to concentrate and missed all of them.
I looked over to Rob's desk. He was staring at his screen and biting his lip. He had a position that was going against him. His line flashed and his hand shot out to pick up the receiver. He listened for a few seconds, scowled, and flung the receiver to his desk. Rob was not happy this morning.
I tried to remember any telltale sign of something between Rob and Debbie, but I couldn't think of anything. No sideways glances, no attempts to avoid each other, no embarrassed silences. They were always friendly towards each other. I hadn't heard any gossip about them either, but then Debbie herself would have been the principal source of gossip. I wondered if anyone else had known.
I stood up, and walked over to the coffee machine. 'Would you like a cup?' I asked Karen as I passed her desk.
'Oh, yes please. White, no sugar.'
I returned a minute later with two cups, and gave one to Karen. I perched on her desk. She looked surprised. I was not really one to stop and chat.
'I heard something very strange yesterday,' I said quietly.
'Oh yes?' said Karen, her interest aroused.
'It was about Debbie. And Rob.'
Karen raised her eyebrows. 'Oh, is that all? Didn't you know? Mind you, that was a long time before you joined here. Must be two years.'
'I would never have guessed it.'
'Well, it didn't last long. They tried to keep it a secret but everybody knew. But it's old news now. Poor Rob, he must have taken what happened to her very badly.'
'Yeah. Poor guy,' I said, and walked back to my desk. You did have to feel sorry for him. He was seriously confused.
I was still struggling to focus my mind on the market when Felicity called. 'I found out who was dealing with the Piper case,' she said. 'It was Robert Denny, our senior partner.'
'Oh,' I said. 'Would he have time to see me, do you think?'
'Don't worry,' said Felicity. 'He's a very nice man, not a bit self-important. And he was fond of Debbie. He was quite upset that she left. I mentioned that you might want to talk to him and he said all you had to do was arrange an appointment with his secretary.'
I thanked her and did just that. Mr Denny's secretary was friendly and efficient. Thursday at three o'clock.
Then I rang Cash. There was a lot I wanted to talk to him about. Like what did he know about the investigation into Gypsum of America share purchases? Who had he been acting for when he had bid for our Gypsum bonds? Could he tell me some more about Irwin Piper's background?
'Bloomfield Weiss, purveyors of fine bonds to the gentry,' he answered.
'Hallo, it's Paul. I wonder if I could ask you a few questions?'
'Sure, fire away.'
'No, not on the phone. I think it would be better if we met up for lunch or a drink or something.'
Cash caught the serious tone of my voice. After a pause he said, 'I'm a bit tied up this week. Can it wait until Henley on Saturday?'
'No, I'd like to see you much sooner. Like today or tomorrow,' I insisted.
Cash sighed. 'OK, OK. You are seeing Irwin Piper at his hotel this evening, aren't you? How about after that? I'll
