A Marriage to Murder For by E.V. Hunter

Author:E.V. Hunter [Hunter, E.V.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Boldwood Books

12

Alexi smiled at Jack.

‘Without wishing to inflate your ego, Vickery’s got it right. You are sometimes scarily good at what you do.’

Jack squeezed her arm. ‘We’re a good team. Anyway,’ he added, glancing at his watch. ‘Let’s see if Mr Farrington is at home and more to the point, if he’ll agree to talk to us.’

‘What if he puts the phone down on you?’

‘Then we’ll draw our own conclusions. But I’m guessing that he’ll know Crystabel’s been arrested and will be anxious to find out what they have on her. It’s not as if he can ask Gloria.’

‘That’s silly. Surely they’ll put aside their animosity for their daughter’s sake.’

Jack chuckled. ‘You heard Gloria earlier. Did she sound like a woman with a forgiving nature?’

‘Perhaps not but there’s no doubting her investment in Crystabel, both emotionally and professionally. If Crystabel goes down, so too do Gloria’s ambitions. She knows that Farrington can buy Crystabel the very best defence team, which might be the mother and daughter’s only chance of survival.’ Alexi nodded emphatically. ‘My money’s on Gloria putting pressure on Farrington to step up to the plate.’

‘Yeah, I guess I can see that happening, so let’s see if we can gauge how willing Farrington will be to deliver.’

Jack dialled the number that Vickery had given him and put the call on speaker.

‘Yes.’ A deep, impatient voice answered. ‘Who is this?’

‘Mr Farrington, my name is Jack Maddox, I’m a private investigator.’

A long pause. ‘I know who you are. I read the papers. How did you get my number? Is this about my daughter?’

‘It is. My associate, Alexi Ellis, and I would like to come over and speak with you about the situation, if it’s convenient.’

‘How’s Crystabel?’ Genuine-sounding anxiety had entered his voice. ‘I heard she’s been taken into custody. I’ll arrange a lawyer for her.’

‘She’s being released on police bail. She already has legal representation but, of course, if you want to instruct someone else, that’s your prerogative.’

‘Can I speak with her?’

‘When she gets back to Hopgood House, she’ll be available on her mobile, but that probably won’t be for another couple of hours. In the meantime, can we come over and discuss the situation?’

‘Certainly.’ There was no hesitation. ‘I want to know what’s going on; the police won’t tell me anything and I can’t phone Gloria. I’ll text you the address.’

‘We’ll be there within the hour,’ Jack replied, cutting the connection.

Alexi raised a brow at Jack. ‘He does sound like he cares.’

‘He does, but we’ll know for sure once we see him face to face. Ready?’

Cosmo responded before Alexi could. He trotted to the door, then looked round at Jack, twitching his tail as though defying him to leave him behind.

‘Okay, big guy,’ Jack said, bending to tug gently at one of his ears. ‘You can be security.’

Alexi laughed. ‘He’ll want to be on the payroll soon.’

Jack unlocked his car and opened the passenger door for Alexi. She slid onto the seat and winced when Cosmo landed on her lap with a soft thud.

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