Read Online Game Over by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles - Free Book Online
Authors: Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
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forgiven him and taken him back,’ Shawna said sententiously, straight from the pages of whatever magazine she had most recently been reading. It wasn’t Country Life , that was for sure. ‘Anyway, before you can turn round, she’s started going out with someone else.’
‘Who is that?’
‘Freddie Bell,’ Shawn said, with a certain ripe, significant look.
‘The casino mogul?’
‘That’s him. And a real rough diamond he is. When he comes in the office to see her it’s “What are you lot staring at? Haven’t you got any work to do?” Never stopping for a chat like poor Mr Stonax did.’
Swilley was fascinated. ‘Are you sure about that – Candida Scott-Chatton going out with Freddie Bell? I wouldn’t have thought he was her type at all.’
‘Well, if you want my opinion, she likes a bit of rough. And of course he’s mega-rich. It got her into the papers all right – didn’t you see?’ Swilley shook her head. ‘They were photographed together all over the place. Rubbing Mr Stonax’s nose in it, I thought.’
‘So she wasn’t still seeing Ed Stonax?’
‘You kidding? He was history. Besides, Freddie Bell’s not the sharing type, and he’s got a temper on him. He broke that bloke’s arm just for looking at his girlfriend funny – didn’t you read about that? It was in What She Wants and Chat magazines.’
‘I don’t get those.’
‘I couldn’t live without them! It’s the only way you find out what’s really going on in this world. Anyway, that was years ago, but it shows what kind of man he is. I suppose that’s what she likes. So all I’m saying, if she comes over all holier-than-thou and pretends to be the grieving widow, don’t you believe her.’ She looked at her watch. ‘Christ, I must go.’ She dashed the cigarette to the ground and stamped it out.
Swilley said, ‘Thanks, you’ve been a great help. Just one last thing – did she see Mr Stonax at all after that time?’
‘Oh, yes, now and then, because they were interested in the same campaigns. But it was just official stuff. Freddie Bell would never have stood for anything else.’
The rest of Stonax’s flat seemed as immaculate as the drawing-room, except for the obvious signs of forensic activity. There were taped ‘safe lines’, and Slider conducted Emily Stonax through them to look around the flat. She seemed pale but in control, and said that she couldn’t see anything out of place or missing. ‘It all looks just the same,’ she said. There was a bad moment when they looked into the spare room. She said, ‘He made the bed up for me,’ and pressed her fingers to the inner corners of her eyes, to keep the tears back. When they came to his bedroom, she couldn’t speak at all.
Bob Bailey came up to say to Slider in a low tone, ‘We didn’t find any money, credit cards or wallet, but there are a couple of watches in one of the drawers. If you could ask her . . .?’
Slider offered her his handkerchief and she shook her head, dragged out another tissue, blew her nose briskly and said in a reasonably controlled way, ‘They’ll have been his old watches. Dad had a gold Oyster Perpetual he wore all the time. He loved it. He was always mad about watches and of course he needed a good, reliable one in his work, but the Oyster was his great treasure. Candida bought it for him last Christmas, and I don’t think he ever took it off, except in the shower.’
Seeing she was back in charge, Bailey asked, ‘We didn’t find a mobile phone . . .?’
She turned to him. ‘He had the latest Nikoti Cyber-box, the F283. It’s a 3G Smartphone that does everything – VGA camera, camcorder, mobile, broadband, video calling, the lot, plus the electronic notebook facility. You can write or dictate notes into it and download them to your computer through a wireless link. He took it everywhere. It would have been in his pocket.’
Slider nodded. Even he had heard of the Cyber-box. There had been queues round
‘Who is that?’
‘Freddie Bell,’ Shawn said, with a certain ripe, significant look.
‘The casino mogul?’
‘That’s him. And a real rough diamond he is. When he comes in the office to see her it’s “What are you lot staring at? Haven’t you got any work to do?” Never stopping for a chat like poor Mr Stonax did.’
Swilley was fascinated. ‘Are you sure about that – Candida Scott-Chatton going out with Freddie Bell? I wouldn’t have thought he was her type at all.’
‘Well, if you want my opinion, she likes a bit of rough. And of course he’s mega-rich. It got her into the papers all right – didn’t you see?’ Swilley shook her head. ‘They were photographed together all over the place. Rubbing Mr Stonax’s nose in it, I thought.’
‘So she wasn’t still seeing Ed Stonax?’
‘You kidding? He was history. Besides, Freddie Bell’s not the sharing type, and he’s got a temper on him. He broke that bloke’s arm just for looking at his girlfriend funny – didn’t you read about that? It was in What She Wants and Chat magazines.’
‘I don’t get those.’
‘I couldn’t live without them! It’s the only way you find out what’s really going on in this world. Anyway, that was years ago, but it shows what kind of man he is. I suppose that’s what she likes. So all I’m saying, if she comes over all holier-than-thou and pretends to be the grieving widow, don’t you believe her.’ She looked at her watch. ‘Christ, I must go.’ She dashed the cigarette to the ground and stamped it out.
Swilley said, ‘Thanks, you’ve been a great help. Just one last thing – did she see Mr Stonax at all after that time?’
‘Oh, yes, now and then, because they were interested in the same campaigns. But it was just official stuff. Freddie Bell would never have stood for anything else.’
The rest of Stonax’s flat seemed as immaculate as the drawing-room, except for the obvious signs of forensic activity. There were taped ‘safe lines’, and Slider conducted Emily Stonax through them to look around the flat. She seemed pale but in control, and said that she couldn’t see anything out of place or missing. ‘It all looks just the same,’ she said. There was a bad moment when they looked into the spare room. She said, ‘He made the bed up for me,’ and pressed her fingers to the inner corners of her eyes, to keep the tears back. When they came to his bedroom, she couldn’t speak at all.
Bob Bailey came up to say to Slider in a low tone, ‘We didn’t find any money, credit cards or wallet, but there are a couple of watches in one of the drawers. If you could ask her . . .?’
Slider offered her his handkerchief and she shook her head, dragged out another tissue, blew her nose briskly and said in a reasonably controlled way, ‘They’ll have been his old watches. Dad had a gold Oyster Perpetual he wore all the time. He loved it. He was always mad about watches and of course he needed a good, reliable one in his work, but the Oyster was his great treasure. Candida bought it for him last Christmas, and I don’t think he ever took it off, except in the shower.’
Seeing she was back in charge, Bailey asked, ‘We didn’t find a mobile phone . . .?’
She turned to him. ‘He had the latest Nikoti Cyber-box, the F283. It’s a 3G Smartphone that does everything – VGA camera, camcorder, mobile, broadband, video calling, the lot, plus the electronic notebook facility. You can write or dictate notes into it and download them to your computer through a wireless link. He took it everywhere. It would have been in his pocket.’
Slider nodded. Even he had heard of the Cyber-box. There had been queues round
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