‘No, listen, my name’s Romney Kirkstall. She knows me. Really. You just tell her I’m here and — ’
‘She know you were coming tonight?’
‘No, she didn’t actually, but she’s always glad to see me. I come to all the
‘If the lady’s not expecting you, sir, I’m afraid I must ask you to — ’
‘No, really, she will want to see me!’
Before the commissionaire could produce further verbal or physical arguments, the truth of Romney Kirkstall’s assertion was proved by the zephyrous arrival of Aurelia Howarth, saying, ‘Romney, darling, how good of you to come!’
‘You’re lucky I’m still here, Dob,’ said the little man. ‘This. . gentleman was doing his best to throw me out.’
‘I’m sorry, Miss Howarth,’ the commissionaire apologised sheepishly. ‘I didn’t know who he was. We get a lot of types wanting to worry the stars and that. I thought he might be some kind of freak.’
The wildness of Kirkstall’s appearance justified that supposition, but Aurelia cooed lightly, ‘No, no, Romney’s my most loyal fan.’
The lift arrived at that moment, so she continued, ‘Come on, darling, let’s go up and have a drink. Sorry about the mix-up.’
Charles went into the lift with them and they all arrived together in the bar. Where, predictably enough, Peter Lipscombe bought them all drinks. And he did do it very well.
Gerald Venables had once again come to the recording and Charles met him in the bar. The actor was becoming suspicious of the solicitor’s constant appearances at West End Television. Though he always claimed disingenuously he had just come to see the show, Gerald was notorious for investing in the lucrative areas of show business, and Charles wouldn’t have been at all surprised to discover he had a stake in the company. He seemed to know everyone altogether too well to be a mere casual visitor. And his constant discussions with W.E.T.’s Head of Contracts suggested more than idle conversation.
But Charles never expected to have his suspicions confirmed. Gerald was masonically secretive about his investments.
‘Still think we’re on to a winner?’ he asked ironically, after Peter Lipscombe had bought Gerald a drink too.
‘Oh yes,’ asserted the solicitor confidently. ‘Minor hiccup tonight, but it’ll be fine. Yes, this series is going to make the autumn schedules look very healthy. What with this and
Gerald was talking so exactly like Peter Lipscombe that Charles once again suspected him of complicity with the company’s management. He seemed to know altogether too much.
But Gerald’s interest in television was subsidiary to his interest in criminal investigation. He had helped Charles on one or two cases in the past and was evidently avid for more.
‘Well? Two suspicious deaths now. What do you make of it, bud?’
‘A coincidence of two accidents, I think.’
‘Oh, come on, you can do better than that.’
‘I don’t know. I’ve thought it through a lot, but I can’t seem to get any line on it at all. Either there are two totally unrelated crimes, or only one crime and one accident, or no crimes. I can’t get any consistent motivation for anyone.’
And he gave Gerald a summary of his thinking to date. ‘The only person for whom I’ve got even a wisp of motivation,’ he concluded, ‘is dear old Bernard Walton. If he thought the future of his own series was threatened by
‘I’ve got news for you, Charles,’ Gerald announced portentously.
‘What?’
‘I was just talking to the Head of Contracts. The proposed series of
‘It can’t have been. The artists’ options have been taken up.’
‘Oh, sure. But they’re all going to be paid off. Head of Contracts has been ringing round the agents today. Were you optioned for the series, by the way?’
‘No. They just did an availability check. Said it wasn’t definite that Reg the golf club barman would be a regular character.’
Gerald grimaced. ‘If your agent was worth his commission, he’d have got some sort of contract out of them. Who is your agent, by the way?’
‘Maurice Skellern.’
‘Oh. Say no more.’
‘But just a minute, Gerald, they wouldn’t just pay everyone off.’
‘Why not? Happens all the time.’
‘But it’s a huge amount of money.’
‘A huge amount of money for the actors involved, maybe. A very nice little pay-off for doing nothing. But, as a percentage of the budget of a major television production, it’s peanuts, really. So long as you actually keep a show out of the studio, you’re still saving money. In fact, there are producers who have built up considerable reputations by keeping shows out of studios.’
Once again Gerald was showing more than a layman’s knowledge of the workings of television, but Charles didn’t comment. Instead, he said. ‘Anyway, even if that has happened, and I still don’t quite see why it has. .’
‘Nigel Frisch has lost confidence in the series. And they need the studio dates for
‘Okay, but coming back to our little problem of a murder motivation, we’re no further advanced. If the artists’ agents were only told about the cancellation today — ’
‘Yes, most of them were. But Bernard Walton, because he was the star, was given the honour of knowing the bad news before anyone else. Nigel Frisch, who, whatever else one may say about him, is never one to shirk responsibility, rang Bernard personally.’
‘When?’
‘Last Tuesday.’
The day before Scott Newton’s death.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The atmosphere at the Paddington Jewish Boys’ Club Hall for the read-through the following morning was distinctly subdued. Partly, this was because the previous night’s recording had been less than successful, but there was also a communal consciousness that they were now all into a weekly turnaround of shows; they would have to work harder and there would be less time for anything else. And there were some sore heads. The very human tendency to have a few drinks and go out for a meal after a recording that finishes at ten rarely takes account of a ten-thirty call the next morning.
George Birkitt was the only one who seemed cheerful. His agent had come to the recording and told him about the
