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‘What about Amanda Baker? What about DI Crawford? They weren’t accidents,’ said Erika

‘Gerry It was Gerry… He remembered Oscar and when the tiot Oscar to represent hiot him off And then they started this screwed up… association Gerry would ask for favours, and then Oscar became more andhis dirty work So when Jessica was found, Oscar had Gerry working for hi on with the case…’

‘And when Aot close he made it look like she’d killed herself, and that DI Crawford had slit his wrists, and me?’

Laura looked up at her, her eyes held so much sadness and self-hatred,

‘It was supposed to look like a break in, and the burglar snapped and killed you’

‘Did they really think they’d get aith it?’

‘They’ve got aith much more in the past,’ said Laura

‘Do you knohere Gerry O’Reilly is headed? He boarded a train to Paris this ?’ asked Erika

‘He always said that one day he would h to vanish into a puff of smoke,’ said Laura

69

Oscar Browne QC sat at his desk at the Orowing dark and had started to rain, slapping against the large floor to ceiling s in sheets

He picked up his phone and tried to call Gerry O’Reilly for the fifth tiht to voicean to pace up and down his office, feeling sweat and dread prickling his back There was an email alert tone, and he nise the email address, but it had the title: A CONCERNED CITIZEN

He opened it and read with horror,

TOP O’ THE MORNIN’ TO YOU OSCAR,

DOSSIER ON ALL YOUR SCALLYWAG BUSINESS DEALINGS WAS EMAILED TO MET POLICE BIGWIGS A COUPLE OF HOURS AGO

IF THE BOYS IN BLUE ARE DOING THEIR JOB PROPERLY YOU SHOULD BE HAVING A VISIT FROM THEM ANYTIME NOW

YOU OWE ME ANOTHER PAYMENT, BUT LET’S CALL IT SORTED I DIPPED INTO YOUR PIGGY BANK

I’LL SIGN OFF BY SAYING, GOOD LUCK, AND YOU’RE A CUNT

I ALWAYS SAID I’D VANISH IN A PUFF OF SMOKE

G

Oscar began to really sweat Then his phone rang He snatched it up

‘What?’

‘Sir, I have your account on the line, says its urgent,’ came the voice of his secretary