Murder in Seven Acts by Kalpana Swaminathan

Author:Kalpana Swaminathan
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789386582942

Suicide Point

For

Joe and Louise Burke

I first met Teddy during the Sada Suhagan affair. He was irresistible.

Imagine a mildly dishevelled James Bond—the first one, of course—sulking across the room. Every time I looked up, he met my eye, a ghazal in his glance. As he walked over, his smile unfolded like a sonnet, every feature iambic with intelligence. The lip’s conclusive curve came as coda to discovery. Up close, his eyes melted like chocolate.

And all this before he’d even said a word. When he finally said hello, the word was a First Act entire.

‘It comes off at night,’ Savio muttered. I didn’t need that warning. Teddy was simply too theatre to be true.

Teddy hadn’t seen the inside of a theatre in years. Lalli was to blame for that. Ten years ago, he was out of work, dead broke and soaked to the gills when she suggested the police might have use for his talents. That started off a career that paid well, and dressed better. Over the years he’d become a reliable mole in the world of old money. It was a world that was shrinking fast. These days, Teddy was often out of a job.

He dropped by occasionally. I found him elusive, and, despite the skilled flirting, rather dull. Lalli humoured him, Dr Q loathed him, and Shukla, I suspect, took notes. Savio ignored him.

Lalli always had a small package to give him as he left. His face changed when he took it from her, turning inward and absent. He often stalked off without a word. Teddy’s stories were always the most outrageous and colourful, but there was something embarrassing about him.

We hadn’t seen him in a while when the Vice guys called Lalli on Thursday. Teddy was on the job when he had keeled over with a mild heart attack. Thanks to some expert stage management, his cover hadn’t been blown. But on Wednesday morning, once he was out of the ICU, Teddy vanished. His watch, wallet, car keys were at his bedside. The BMW was in the parking lot. The props were all there, but the man was gone.

The Vice guys had nothing further to report. They told Lalli all this with the air of handing over charge. Teddy was no longer in their employ. They didn’t deal with Missing Persons.

The next day brought a letter:

Lalli—

Thanks for everything. I’m off to Suicide Point. You’ll understand, you always do.

T

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