‘He wasn’t your friend and I didn’t kill him: two facts you need to understand.’
‘Murder,’ she breathes.
‘Oh for fuck’s sake,’ Dan complains. ‘What is this? Some pathetic vendetta for a man you hardly knew?’
‘Justice.’ Her green eyes flash at me, cat-like.
‘Justice,’ Isaac repeats, taking a sip of whisky. ‘The backbone of civilisation. Wherever there’s crime, there must be justice.’ He examines his glass. ‘Now, whatever you say, Daniel, we all know you were responsible for poor Mr Boyd’s demise.’
‘You weren’t there.’
‘But I know what sort of a man you are.’ Eyes charged with vitriol, he glares at Dan. ‘You might have fooled the police, but you don’t fool me. You’ve clearly escaped the justice you deserve, but I can still make sure you’re punished.’
I take a peek at Claudine. A twisted, self-satisfied grin’s just landed on her face.
‘If I remember rightly,’ Isaac drawls, ‘you attacked me at The Savoy, and then ransacked my lovely gentlemen’s club. Plenty of witnesses all round. I could always press charges.’ He lowers his voice. ‘I gave him a chance, m’lud. That’s why I delayed. But he wouldn’t leave me alone. Harassment, m’lud. Pure and simple.’
I brace myself, ready to hold him back, but Dan’s unbothered.
‘You can try it,’ he says. ‘And I guessed you might. But before you do, let’s get a couple of things straight here.’
‘Go ahead.’
‘Lily Babbage.’
Claudine stirs.
‘You put her in touch with Boyd. You endangered her life. Not to mention what you did to Maya. The pair of you set up that ambush at The Savoy. You put her in serious danger, more than once.’
Isaac raises his glass. ‘All part of the service.’
‘You’re a sick fuck, Isaac. I’ll never forget what you’ve done.’
‘No skin off my nose.’
‘And now Boyd’s gone, I’m not stupid enough to think that’s the end of it.’
Claudine’s grin deepens, twisting further, transforming her into a grotesque caricature.
‘You’re obsessed with me, Claudine. I’ve no idea why, but I know this. When you realised you couldn’t have me, you decided to destroy everything I had, and that’s just plain nasty.’ As if he’s reprimanding a small child, he shakes his head. ‘So, go to the police and press charges. Do what you like, but remember this. You’re getting nothing out of me. Neither of you.’ He pauses again, holding a finger in the air. ‘Not unless we’re talking about evidence of tax avoidance.’
‘What are you going on about?’ Claudine demands, scowling now.
‘Tax avoidance,’ Dan repeats. ‘Not yours, of course. You don’t pay tax.’ He levels the finger, aiming it straight at Isaac’s head. ‘His. Little scams here and there. Creative accountancy.’
I gaze in admiration at my fiancé. In amongst everything else, he’s obviously found time to think about the future, putting together back-up plans for every single possibility. Some things about Dan are never going to change, and right now, I’m pretty glad about it.
‘You have no proof,’ Isaac growls.
‘You want to try me?’
‘I have friends.’
‘If you mean Richard Dean, he’s no longer interested in your friendship.’
‘You need to go.’
‘But I’m not finished yet,’ Dan announces, suddenly breezy. ‘I thought we could talk about Claudine and that illustrious Member of Parliament. Isn’t he Foreign Secretary now? I’ve got some photos. Pretty sordid stuff, to be honest. I’d rather look at paint drying, but I’ve got them locked away safely for a rainy day.’
‘You wouldn’t …’ Claudine gets to her feet.
‘Ruin you publicly?’ Dan cuts in. ‘Let your poor mother know what you really get up to behind closed doors?’ He laughs. ‘She wouldn’t be welcome back at the WI after that.’
I watch as Claudine’s lips part in shock, and I can’t help myself. I begin to snigger.
‘So,’ Dan goes on, ‘if I ever hear from either of you again, if you ever try to worm your way back into our lives, I’ll bring you down, both of you. Don’t doubt it.’
Goggle-eyed, Claudine stares at Dan, and then she turns to me.
‘Oh, it’s funny, is it?’ she sneers. ‘Haven’t you got anything to say for yourself, sewage mouth?’
‘Actually, yes.’ I bite back the laughter and hold up the middle finger of my left hand, making sure she sees the engagement ring in the process. ‘Fuck you, Claudine. Fuck you, you sad piece of shit.’ I lower my hand and smile at Dan. ‘I think that should do it.’
‘Hear, hear, sewage mouth,’ he looks at me, proudly. ‘Couldn’t have put it better myself.’
Chapter Twenty-Three
I flush the toilet and lower the lid. Today’s a bad day. I’ve felt sick ever since I woke up this morning. I don’t know whether it’s pregnancy-related, or the thought of what’s going to happen later. Whatever it is, my stomach’s churning and curdling and generally refusing to keep anything down. I gaze at the pale face in the mirror, reassuring myself with the thought that maybe later a little sympathy and support might come my way. But for now, I need to go it alone. I wash my hands, rinse my face, and make my way back out into the office.
‘Are you okay?’ Dan asks. Dressed in jeans and a shirt, sitting back in an office chair with his feet up on a box, he’s already made himself at home.
‘Yeah, fine.’
‘Were you just sick?’
‘Er … a little bit.’
While I perch myself on his new desk, he studies me suspiciously.
‘I think it was the bagel I had for breakfast.’
‘A plain bagel?’
‘It didn’t taste right.’
He’s about to probe further when I’m saved by Lucy’s appearance.
‘The Steves are here,’ she announces, waving a pile of papers about. ‘They’re waiting upstairs. And these are all the sales from the past six months.’ She hands the pile to
