Annie turned on the tape recorders and went through the preamble, then she sat beside Banks, a little out of Clough’s line of vision. On the periphery, Banks had told her, she could remain unnoticed or distract him with a movement if she wished.
“Can we get on with it?” Gallagher said, glancing at his watch. “I’ve got an important appointment back in the City this evening.”
Banks smiled. “We’ll do our best to make sure you don’t miss it, Mr. Gallagher.” Then he turned to Clough. “Do you have any idea why we want to talk to you?”
Clough held out his hands, palm open. “None at all.”
“Okay. Let’s start with Emily Riddle. You do admit to knowing her?”
“I knew her as Louisa Gamine. You know that. You came to my house.”
“But you now know that her real name was Emily Louise Riddle?”
“Yes.”
“How did you find out?”
“I told you. I saw it in the papers.”
“Are you sure you didn’t know before that?”
“How could I?”
“Perhaps the room in your house, the room in which I talked to her, was wired for sound?”
Clough laughed and glanced over at Simon Gallagher. “Get that, Simon. That’s a laugh, eh? My house bugged.” He looked at Banks again, no longer laughing. “Now you tell me why I’d want to do something like that?”
“Information?”
“What sort of information?”
“Business information?”
“I don’t eavesdrop electronically on my clients or my partners, Chief Inspector. Besides, it’s my home we’re talking about, not my office.”
“Let’s leave that for the moment, then, shall we?” Banks went on. “What was your relationship with Emily Riddle?”
“Relationship?”
“Yes. You know, the sort of thing human beings have with one another.”
Clough shrugged. “I fucked her once in a while,” he said. “She was okay in bed. A hell of a lot better than she was at giving blow jobs.”
“Is that all?”
“What do you mean, is that all?”
“Did you ever do anything else together? Talk, for example?”
“I suppose we must have, though I can’t say I remember a word she said.”
“Did you ever tell her anything about your business interests?”
“Certainly not. If you think I’d go around telling some bimbo about my business, you must be crazy.”
“Did she live with you?”
“She lived in the same house.”
“In Little Venice?”
“Yes.”
“Did she live
“We were together some of the time. It’s a big house. Sometimes guests come and forget to leave for a long time. You can get lost in there. You should know. You’ve seen it. Twice.”
“Is this what happened with Emily? She sort of got lost in your big house?”
“I suppose so. I don’t remember how she got there.”
“A party?”
“Probably.”
“Did you sleep together?”
“We didn’t do much sleeping.”
“Look, Chief Inspector,” Gallagher chipped in, “this all seems pretty innocuous, as the girl in question was of legal age, but I can’t really see where it’s getting us.”
“Did Emily Riddle know anything at all about your business dealings, Barry?”
“No. Not unless she spied on me.”
“Is that possible?”
“Anything’s possible. I’m careful, but…”
“What exactly
“Bit of this, bit of that.”
“More specifically?”
Clough looked at Gallagher, who nodded.
“I manage a couple of fairly successful rock bands. I own a bar in Clerkenwell. I also promote concerts from time to time. I suppose you could call me a sort of impresario.”
“An impresario.” Banks savored the word. “If you say so, Barry.”
“Has a sort of old-fashioned ring to it, don’t you think? ‘Sunday Night at the London Palladium’ and all that.”
“Were you worried that Emily Riddle might have known too much about this impresario business of yours?”
“No. Why would I?”
“You tell me.”
“No.”
“Did she ever indicate that she did? Did she ask you for money, for example?”
“You mean blackmail?”
“Did she?”
“Emily? No. I told you, she was just some young bimbo I used to fuck, that’s all.”
“And now she’s dead.”
“And now she’s dead. Sad, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” said Banks, reining in his rising temper. “It is.”
Clough got to his feet. “Is that it, then? Can we go now?”
“Sit down, Barry. You’ll go when I tell you to go.”
Clough looked at Gallagher, who nodded again.
“Did you see Emily at all after she left London?”
“No. Easy come, easy go.”
“Were you at Scarlea House between December the fifth and December the tenth this year?”
“I can’t remember.”
“Oh, come on, Barry. You were there for the grouse shooting. You had your minder Jamie Gilbert with you and a young woman in tow. Amanda Khan. The pop singer.”
“Oh, yes. I remember now.”
“Last time I asked you, you said you were in Spain at that time.”
I get confused. I do a lot of travelling. What can I say? But I remember now.”
“You didn’t see Emily while you were staying in the area?”
“Why would I? Amanda gives far better head.”
“For old time’s sake?”
“Let go and move on. That’s my motto.”
“Perhaps to give her a glassine envelope of cocaine laced with strychnine?”
“Chief Inspector,” said Gallagher, “you’re treading in dangerous territory here. Be careful.”
“Did you?” Banks asked Clough.
“Now where would I get hold of strychnine?”
“I daresay you’d have your sources. Cocaine wasn’t much trouble, was it?”
“You know as well as I do, Chief Inspector, that there’s probably enough of that stuff around at any given moment to pay off the national debt.
