me, you, Primrose—can become a real family.”
“I had a real family.”
“Please believe me, I don’t want to sound harsh. But you’ll have to face the truth some time. If I thought you didn’t want me, I’d get out of your life for good. But we both know how it really is, don’t we?”
Smooth-talking, convincing Oliver. How I detested the bastard.
There was some hesitation before Andrea said, “No. I do love you, Oliver, but you have to understand…”
“I do. Honestly, I do understand. I’m aware of how difficult it is for you. It’s the same for me, you know.”
“How could it be? You were only his so-called friend.”
“I still loved him.”
“You betrayed him!”
“We both did. And there’s nothing either of us can do to change that. Look, you need time to grieve, and I’m prepared to wait if that’s how it has to be. I won’t give up, though. I’ll be there for you whenever you need me. Is that okay with you? I’ll stay away for a while, but sooner or later—it really depends on you—I’ll come back.”
I heard more muffled weeping.
“You should go now,” Andrea said between sniffles. “You should go home.”
“I have to go to the agency.”
“This time of night?”
“Sydney’s working overnight to get the books ready for audit and examination. Blake & Turnbrow have the right to check them before the merger can progress.”
“You’re going through with it—the merger, the buyout?—even though Jim was against it?”
“It’s the right move.”
“Doesn’t it give you another motive for murder? The police are aware that Jim was fighting it.”
“I’m prepared to risk that. My idea has always been to build up a small but lucrative agency, gain some blue- chip or at least prestigious accounts, then sell for a large amount and perhaps get out of the business altogether. Big agencies have always liked swallowing up the smaller fry, especially if their creativity is exceptional, as ours is.”
“Was. You’ve lost Jim.”
“I always had the best ideas. Jim was just the art man.”
In the hall, I couldn’t feel any more devastated than I already felt, but a seething anger was pushing its way through once again.
Andrea came back at him. “You know that’s not true. You were a team—Jim always came up with wonderful campaign ideas.”
“Okay, we both know that, but Blake & Turnbrow don’t. Sydney and I have had numerous meetings with their people that Jim knew nothing about, and others, that pressure of work prevented him from joining. The art director is always the last in the chain as far as preparing for presentations is concerned. I think the other agency assumes I’m the driving force behind our creativity.”
“If Jim had only realized how devious you really are…”
“That was one of his faults, wasn’t it? He always trusted people, always thought the best of them. You see, Jim had two main faults. The first was that he was gullible; the second that he wouldn’t admit it, especially not to himself.”
“And this is meant to make me love you more?”
“It’s all for you, Andrea. You and Primrose.”
If I’d had any doubts about Guinane having killed me (see that? I couldn’t bring myself to call him Oliver or Ollie anymore) they had all gone by now. How had I ever believed in him? How had I ever thought I truly knew him? I mean, here was a scumbag who’d wanted to wreck my business life, who had planned to steal my wife, and now, perhaps worse of all (yeah, worse to me than screwing my wife, because she had played a voluntary part in that), he wanted to claim my daughter as his own, so what would be so hard about murdering me? Oh yeah, he did it all right. Tonight my ex-partner had revealed things about himself that I would never even have guessed at a week ago. God, give me the means, give me the means to hit back, to avenge myself. Vengeance might be Thine, but hey, throw me a crumb, let me help out just a little bit.
I forced myself to listen on.
“Why tell me all this now? What’s your point, Oliver? You can’t make me feel any lower than I do already, so why make me finally see exactly what you are?”
He sounded anxious, yet there was still that arrogance in his voice. “Because I want honesty between us after all these years of deceit. I want you to know how much I’m prepared to do for you.”
“For yourself, you mean.”
“No, so we can have a good future together. You, me and Prim. I’ve had enough of the rat race, darling, I want out. With the money I’ll make from the merger I can leave advertising behind me. We’ll have time for ourselves, Andrea. No more deadlines for me, no more distractions, no more stress. And of course, eventually my inheritance will come my way and it should be quite substantial.”
“I’m not impressed, Oliver. But thank you for helping me make up my mind. It’s over. I want you out— now!”
“You’ve tried to end it before. More than once.”
“It’s different this time. Jim’s death has made me see what a bitch I am. And what a two-faced swine you are.”
“You’ll feel differently when the grief is over and you can think clearly again.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever be over it.”
“It wasn’t our fault, Andrea. Not yours, not mine. His death was an act of fate and had nothing to do with us. You’ll see that eventually.”
“I’m beginning to wonder about that. The police suspect you, Oliver, and I’m wondering just what lengths you’d go to to get what you want.”
“Don’t lay his murder on me, Andrea. At times this week I’ve felt his death was meant to be, that with Jim gone everything can be as it should.”
“You know what? At last I’m seeing you in your true light, and it isn’t very pleasant. Go and see Sydney at the agency, cook up more of your greedy little get-rich-quick schemes. Just leave me—and Primrose—alone from now on.”
Another creak of the sofa and I guessed Guinane was rising to his feet.
“Okay, I’m going,” I heard him say. “I know you’ll change your mind about us. Sooner or later, you’ll see things clearly.”
“Just go, Oliver. It’s over, don’t you understand? We’re finished.”
Footsteps crossing the carpeted floor. Guinane appeared in the doorway, no more than two feet away from me. I wanted to throw myself at him as he paused there and turned to look back at Andrea.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said.
Her voice was cold. “Please don’t.”
He watched her from the doorway for a moment, but from the expression on his face I don’t think Andrea returned his look.
Finally, he said, “I’m there when you need me.”
With that he whirled around and made for the front door.
I still wanted to hurl myself at him. I wanted to kill him.
And then I remembered.
Suddenly, I wanted him to stay.
Because Moker was on his way.
36
About ten minutes later there was a knock on the door.
37
