In Denial (18 page)

‘
My name is Gabrielle Brooks and I’d like to see Mr Adam Harrison’s solicitor, please,’ she informed the young receptionist.

‘
Yes, madam. May I ask if you have an appointment?’

‘
No, but I’m making a flying visit to Ashbourne and it’s extremely important that I should see him.’

‘
I see, madam. Would you care to take a seat and I’ll see if Mr Jacobs is free.’

Gabrielle sat down in one of the leather chairs opposite the girl’s desk as she watched her disappear through a connecting door. She returned almost immediately.

‘
Mr Jacobs has a client at four o’clock but he can spare you a few minutes beforehand.’

‘
Thank you.’ Gabrielle stole a quick look at her watch, it was three-forty.

He wasn’t anything like she’d expected although she had not met many solicitors. As she entered his office he rose from behind his large mahogany desk, smiled and came round the desk to greet her. He was tall - well over six feet - with dark wavy hair, tanned and had one of the friendliest smiles Gabrielle had ever seen. She guessed he was in his late thirties or early forties. He was wearing a very expensive suit.

‘
Miss Brooks, or is it Mrs?’ he asked, taking her hand in his and shaking it gently.

‘
No, Miss will do. Thank you for seeing me without an appointment.’

‘
Not at all,’ he said guiding her to an easy chair on the other side of the office. ‘We appreciate that an appointment isn’t always possible. My name is Jeremy Jacobs by the way.’ He sat down opposite Gabrielle on the other side of a small low table. ‘I’d offer you some coffee but unfortunately we don’t have time.’

‘
No, that’s perfectly all right and I’ll get straight to the point.’

He smiled. ‘Always a good way to start.’ His deep penetrating gaze did not make her feel uneasy, just very aware that he was in control. ‘You wanted to speak to me about Adam Harrison.’

‘
Yes, I need to find him rather urgently.’

‘
May I ask why?’ The smile was still there but Jeremy Jacobs tilted his head slightly as his interest level seemed suddenly keener.

‘
How well do you know him, Mr Jacobs?’

‘
Adam and I have been friends ever since he moved to Ashbourne.’ Jeremy Jacob’s expression became serious. ‘You’ll be aware that some months ago his family were murdered.’

‘
Yes, Mr Jacobs, I am aware. In fact that’s one of the reasons why I’m here.’

Jeremy Jacobs sat forward. ‘You’re not a reporter, are you?’

Gabrielle smiled for the first time. ‘No, I’m not.’

‘
So what are you and what’s your interest in Adam?’

‘
Can we get to that in a roundabout sort of way?’

Jeremy shrugged. ‘Of course, but,’ he glanced at his watch, ‘my four o’clock is a very rich client and …’

‘
I understand but I think we’re going to need longer than a few minutes. Are you free later this afternoon?’

‘
Not until after six.’ He rubbed his hands together. ‘Look, are you staying in Ashbourne?’

‘
Yes. The Station Hotel.’

‘
Good choice, not the most auspicious and imaginative of names, but the rooms and food are excellent. Why don’t I meet you there for a drink at about six-thirty and then you can have my undivided attention.’

‘
Are you sure, what about …?’

‘
This job doesn’t have set hours, Miss Brooks, and anyway I’d be a fool to turn down the opportunity to have a drink with, and I hope you don’t mind me saying so, a very pretty and charming young woman.’

‘
Thank you, and if you’re sure ...’

‘
I’m sure on both counts,’ he said, smiling broadly. ‘I’ll be in the bar at six-thirty.’

*  *  *

They sat opposite each other on a couple of sofas beside an unlit log fire.

Jeremy Jacobs was enjoying a refreshing pint of cold lager after a hard day, and the one high spot of the day, Gabrielle Brooks, had been persuaded to have a glass of red wine.

She intrigued him.

There was an all-pervading innocence about her but there also seemed to be an alertness that probably resulted in her having constantly to fend off people like him.

Jeremy Brooks had lived in Ashbourne all his life. He married Annabelle, a local girl. They had three children within three years who were now living with their mother, their stepfather Hilary, and Annabelle’s parents, not a stone’s throw from where Jeremy and Gabrielle were sitting now, in Church Street. He and Annabelle still saw each other quite often - they could not fail not to - and were always pleasant enough with each other, but a satisfactory explanation as to why they had parted was never settled. Jeremy still loved Annabelle in his own way. She and Hilary did not have any more children and Jeremy had to admit that Hilary was very good for them. All three, now twelve, thirteen and fourteen, were away at boarding school most of the time but Jeremy took time off when they were at home so he could spoil them. When he collected them and he saw Annabelle and Hilary together, he still inwardly objected to him sleeping with her but he didn’t object to another man bringing up the products of his relationship with Annabelle. He often thought his feelings were strange.

Jeremy had forgotten the number of short-term relationships he’d had in the six years since he and Annabelle split up, but nothing ever came of any of them. He wasn’t ready. All his flirtations were a means to an end and most of them gave him exactly what he’d needed.

He was seeing another Annabelle now - strange coincidence really - not as often as he would like because her husband’s absences were irregular and she never knew from one week to the next when he would be away. Jeremy had some very enjoyable lunchtimes with Annabelle II; she was an enthusiastic and adventurous thirty-year old he met via one of his clients. She’d visited him in his professional capacity in his office on a number of occasions and, suffice to say, Jeremy often looked at his desk and memories of Annabelle II raced back to him. It could be why he smiled all the time.

He was smiling now as he looked at Gabrielle Brooks.

Yes, she certainly intrigued him.

It was a pity she had come to see him about Adam. He had a feeling the conversation was going to be awfully serious, and difficult, and he wasn’t going to have the opportunity to find out a little more about her. However, he would bide his time. He was a free agent, he hadn’t eaten all day, and the restaurant in The Station Hotel was very good. The fact that his quarry had a room in the same hotel was a bonus.

‘
So, you wanted to ask me something about Adam?’ Yes, she really is a pretty little thing, he thought. This evening could turn out to be one of the more entertaining I’ve had in a long time - apart from Annabelle II, that is.

‘
To begin with, can I reassure you I’m not a reporter and I’m in no way connected with the media. What I’m going to tell you is in the strictest confidence and I hope you’ll accept what you might be willing to tell me will be treated in exactly the same way.’

The smile stayed on Jeremy’s face. ‘Of course! That was almost word for word what I find I say to a lot of my clients. If you don’t work for the media, may I ask again what you actually do?’

She seemed to hesitate. ‘I work in the Loch Lomond area of Scotland,’ she said. ‘My head office is in Edinburgh and its head office is international.’

‘
And what do these head offices do?’

‘
I suppose it could be described as tourism cum public relations combined with communicating the advantages of enjoying what is around us and what has been given to us as individuals.’

‘
Sounds all-embracing and just a little intriguing. You do this communicating in the Loch Lomond area?’

‘
Yes.’

‘
That’s a very educated Scottish accent you have.’

‘
I’m not sure what you mean by that but what I do is actually not relevant. My dealings with Adam Harrison are purely personal and -’

‘
That sounds intriguing too.’

Gabrielle gave him a funny look and he decided to slow down a bit.

‘
You said you’ve known Adam for many years. Was that as his solicitor or were you friends as well?’

‘
We were both. He came to instruct Jacobs and Wrights to act on his behalf for his initial house purchase in the area and stayed with us. Our friendship grew over the ensuing years. Lucinda and my wife - that’s when I was married - got on very well and my friendship with Adam sort of materialised out of theirs.’ Jeremy lowered his eyes. ‘She was such a gorgeous woman in every sense. The murders were the biggest outrage to ever hit Ashbourne.’

‘
Was there never any explanation?’

‘
If they had the slightest hint of an explanation they might have some idea of a culprit. Adam never really opened up to me afterwards. Actually he never really opened up to anybody. To a great extent he became a recluse. He was polite enough when we did meet but all my invitations to give him a chance to talk were spurned. I saw him the other day and that was the first time in ages. He called in to let me know that he was going away.’

‘
Can you tell me about his wife and children?’

‘
Only if you’ll let me get you another red wine.’ Jeremy picked up the empty glasses and stood up. ‘And only if you’ll agree to have dinner with me. I can book a table when I get the drinks.’ He looked down at Gabrielle with raised eyebrows.

‘
I don’t normally drink but one more won’t do me any harm, and as far as dinner is concerned, yes, that would be nice. Better than eating on my own.’

‘
Right, then,’ he said before heading for the bar, ‘drinks and a table for two.’

Gabrielle smiled as she watched him saunter over to the bar. She was determined not to hide behind her clerical collar; she was here in a purely personal capacity and it would be unethical to use the church for personal gain. But she wondered how he would have reacted if she’d walked into his office wearing her collar, or if she had put it on when getting ready to meet him for a drink. He would have run a mile. She would play along with him for the time being and then she might just have to play her trump card. But then again it might not come to that - she might have misread him but she didn’t think so.

*  *  *

‘
When I say she was gorgeous, I’m not exaggerating,’ Jeremy told Gabrielle after he sat down again. ‘When they first came to Ashbourne, it must be fourteen years ago now, she caused quite a stir. Even today Ashbourne is not known for its ethnic minority communities. Fourteen years ago that was definitely the case, so having a young Asian beauty - they were just twenty-one at the time - come to town, especially one who lived in a big house and was married to a young white man, well ...’ Jeremy moved his hand towards Gabrielle’s but stopped at the last moment. ‘You don’t mind me telling you how it was, do you?’

‘
Not at all.’ His attempt to be tactile had not been lost on Gabrielle and she smiled to herself.

‘
As I told you, she and Annabelle -’

‘
Your wife?’

‘
My ex-wife ... they became good friends. They met initially at a community meeting convened to discuss various changes proposed for the town, and they really got on well. Then we were invited to some of the same dinner parties and that was that.’ Jeremy looked out of the window to his left. ‘Such a loss, such a very tragic loss,’ he said quietly.

‘
Did Lucinda work?’

‘
Not until the kids -’

‘
Charlotte and Timothy?’

‘
Yes, that’s right. Look, what is your connection with Adam?’ The question was asked in a pleasant enough way, but Gabrielle didn’t want to do the talking and explaining yet.

‘
Do you mind waiting for me to tell you? I understand why you want to know because you don’t know me at all. I could be anybody. I -’

‘
No,’ Jeremy said. ‘You’re not just anybody. I don’t invite just anybodies to have dinner with me.’

No, you just invite attractive women who you think you stand a chance with
, Gabrielle thought.
It doesn’t matter who they are, they simply present a challenge
. ‘You’re being very patient. You were telling me about the children.’

‘
Was I? Oh, yes, Charlotte and Timothy. Actually it should be Timothy and Charlotte. He would have been nearly thirteen and a half now and Charlotte coming up twelve, both gorgeous looking kids. Had their mother’s colouring, though a bit lighter. Charlotte was the image of her mother and Timothy took after his father.’ Jeremy paused for a second or two. ‘Why? Why would anybody want to murder such an idyllic family as the Harrisons? I’m not surprised Adam reacted the way he did, I thought he might do something to himself. I think I would have done, especially when the police were so bloody useless.’