Read Online Finally Heaven (Room 103 Book 4) by D H Sidebottom - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: D H Sidebottom
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his mouth and downing it in one. Holding it out to me for a refill, his eyes lifted to mine. “I’ve been watching Penny for a while.”
His blunt admission caused my back to straighten, my body stiffening defensively. “Watching?”
“Mmm.” His brow furrowed but he held my gaze. “You do know what she did for a living?”
“Yes,” I bit out, only just managing to rein my temper in. “I really hope you’re not here to judge her.”
“Far from it,” he murmured. “It takes guts to be an escort, especially a high class one. What with people being more honest about their fetishes now, I bet that girl saw some freaky shit before…” He shrugged, not finishing his sentence with words only a sad look my way.
“Look Nick, you gonna get to why you’re here? I know all about Penny’s life choices, they were the reason I met her, but not the reason I remained friends with her. She got me, I got her, that’s all there is to it. But if you think I’m gonna give you some shit for your paper about her, then I’m afraid your journey in the lift to the top floor has been wasted.”
“Are you always this hostile?” He smirked at me before pushing himself off the sofa and taking his still empty glass from my hand, proceeding to fix his own refill. “I’m not here for a story. I’m here because something is seriously not right, and I’m afraid you’re slap bang in the middle of the shitstorm.”
“Me? What shitstorm?”
He didn’t answer me immediately, just proceeded to fill his belly with my alcohol. “Look if all you have come here for is free booze, I woulda’ just bought you a damn bottle.”
He laughed, elevating my anger into a dangerous level, but ignored me. “You been to the cops?”
“Yes,” I ground out. “They interviewed me. I was free to go.”
He nodded slowly then finally turned back to me. “Well expect yourself to be hauled back in, at the most inappropriate moment.”
“Nick... Fuck! Will you tell me what’s going on!”
He sighed and seated himself back onto the sofa. “From what I have managed to find out, Penny was blackmailing Alan Francis.”
My eyes widened on him. “What? Why would she blackmail the Prime Minister’s right hand man? Penny wasn’t like that.”
He shrugged. “Whether she was or wasn’t, she lost her life because of it. Alan was one of Penny’s clients. And from what I’ve seen over the past year, he was a regular client. He visited her at her private apartment, never out publically with him of course.”
I slumped onto the couch. Penny had told me nothing of this. I thought we had been close.
“I’ve been watching Alan closely after getting a tip off that he was into some dodgy underhand stuff, taking payments to approve unsafe buildings, signing off businesses that have been restricted, authorising suspect policies, that sort of thing. I’d heard on the grapevine,” Nick continued, “that Penny had some substantial hold on Alan, whatever it was I don’t know, I can’t find that out but I have a feeling it’s something deep.”
“And what does that have to do with me?”
“That I don’t know,” he admitted, “But it was Alan Francis that put your name forward to the police. And of course with his standing… and yours.”
“What the hell! I don’t even know the guy!”
He inhaled deeply, his troubled gaze fixed on me. “I know but look at you. What better decoy than the lead guitarist for the most famous rock band in the world to be a suspect for a murder. That shit will definitely take the heat away from Sir Francis , and it will unquestionably take away the media attention surrounding him, onto you. The press will be like vultures for this.”
I dropped onto the sofa beside him, my body numb with shock. “Why the hell didn’t she tell me what was going on?”
“When was the last time you saw her?”
He stood and filled another glass for me, placing it carefully into my trembling hands. “Apart from last night,
His blunt admission caused my back to straighten, my body stiffening defensively. “Watching?”
“Mmm.” His brow furrowed but he held my gaze. “You do know what she did for a living?”
“Yes,” I bit out, only just managing to rein my temper in. “I really hope you’re not here to judge her.”
“Far from it,” he murmured. “It takes guts to be an escort, especially a high class one. What with people being more honest about their fetishes now, I bet that girl saw some freaky shit before…” He shrugged, not finishing his sentence with words only a sad look my way.
“Look Nick, you gonna get to why you’re here? I know all about Penny’s life choices, they were the reason I met her, but not the reason I remained friends with her. She got me, I got her, that’s all there is to it. But if you think I’m gonna give you some shit for your paper about her, then I’m afraid your journey in the lift to the top floor has been wasted.”
“Are you always this hostile?” He smirked at me before pushing himself off the sofa and taking his still empty glass from my hand, proceeding to fix his own refill. “I’m not here for a story. I’m here because something is seriously not right, and I’m afraid you’re slap bang in the middle of the shitstorm.”
“Me? What shitstorm?”
He didn’t answer me immediately, just proceeded to fill his belly with my alcohol. “Look if all you have come here for is free booze, I woulda’ just bought you a damn bottle.”
He laughed, elevating my anger into a dangerous level, but ignored me. “You been to the cops?”
“Yes,” I ground out. “They interviewed me. I was free to go.”
He nodded slowly then finally turned back to me. “Well expect yourself to be hauled back in, at the most inappropriate moment.”
“Nick... Fuck! Will you tell me what’s going on!”
He sighed and seated himself back onto the sofa. “From what I have managed to find out, Penny was blackmailing Alan Francis.”
My eyes widened on him. “What? Why would she blackmail the Prime Minister’s right hand man? Penny wasn’t like that.”
He shrugged. “Whether she was or wasn’t, she lost her life because of it. Alan was one of Penny’s clients. And from what I’ve seen over the past year, he was a regular client. He visited her at her private apartment, never out publically with him of course.”
I slumped onto the couch. Penny had told me nothing of this. I thought we had been close.
“I’ve been watching Alan closely after getting a tip off that he was into some dodgy underhand stuff, taking payments to approve unsafe buildings, signing off businesses that have been restricted, authorising suspect policies, that sort of thing. I’d heard on the grapevine,” Nick continued, “that Penny had some substantial hold on Alan, whatever it was I don’t know, I can’t find that out but I have a feeling it’s something deep.”
“And what does that have to do with me?”
“That I don’t know,” he admitted, “But it was Alan Francis that put your name forward to the police. And of course with his standing… and yours.”
“What the hell! I don’t even know the guy!”
He inhaled deeply, his troubled gaze fixed on me. “I know but look at you. What better decoy than the lead guitarist for the most famous rock band in the world to be a suspect for a murder. That shit will definitely take the heat away from Sir Francis , and it will unquestionably take away the media attention surrounding him, onto you. The press will be like vultures for this.”
I dropped onto the sofa beside him, my body numb with shock. “Why the hell didn’t she tell me what was going on?”
“When was the last time you saw her?”
He stood and filled another glass for me, placing it carefully into my trembling hands. “Apart from last night,
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