The Stepdaughter by Debbie Howells

Author:Debbie Howells [Howells, Debbie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781496718754
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2020-04-02T00:00:00+00:00

Nicki

In the aftermath of Stephanie Hampton’s suicide, we question her husband. His wife and daughter dead, James is broken. Even so, on the subject of Phil Mason, he remains frustratingly silent, even though I tell him what we’ve learned not just from Stephanie, but from Elise Buckley, too.

When we take a break, in the DI’s office, I try to explain where we’re at. “It’s as if he has some kind of loyalty,” I tell him.

“Then we need to get to the bottom of it, don’t we?” he says impatiently. “What’s the time?”

“Twelve, sir.”

“Right. We’ll question him together this afternoon. You and me, May,” he clarifies unnecessarily.

* * *

When we go into the interview room, James Hampton barely looks up from where he’s slumped over the table. Beside him, his lawyer’s face is blank. “This is DI Saunders, Mr. Hampton. We have a few more questions for you.”

The DI clears his throat. “I understand you bought into a business through Philip Mason. Is that correct?”

The lawyer looks mildly irritated. “My client has already confirmed this to your colleague, just as he’s confirmed he had no idea what he was getting into.”

“I see.” The DI leans back in his chair. “Didn’t know it was porn, is that what you’re saying, Mr. Hampton?”

When James shakes his head, the DI says, “Answer yes or no for the tape, Mr. Hampton.”

At James’s muttered no, I glance at his lawyer in surprise.

“I’d like to remind you that you’re duty bound to tell the truth, Mr. Hampton.” Speaking sharply, the DI pauses. “You see, what you’re telling us is that you invested a substantial amount of money without checking out what you were buying. Is that correct?”

It’s clear James is caught somewhere impossible. But the DI’s right. No one invests without knowing where their money’s going—or had he been stupid enough, desperate enough, to do just that?

“A minute, sir.” I mutter something to the DI, then turn back to look at James Hampton. “Mr. Hampton, would it be fair to say that Phil Mason impressed you?”

For the first time, he looks up, meeting my gaze fleetingly. “I suppose you could say that. He was a successful businessman. He’d made a lot of money . . . He offered me a chance to do the same.”

I frown, half wanting to believe him. But I’m not convinced.

Nor is the DI. “So, even though you had money problems yourself, you handed over all the cash you could get your hands on to a man who’d impressed you with his wealth, taking him at his word. There was no contract of any kind, was there?”

James nods miserably. “He said that if we had a gentleman’s agreement, it would save a fortune in tax.”

The DI glances at me, then back to James. “Porn and tax evasion, eh? I’d really like to have a chat with your friend. Do you have any idea where he might be?”

He shakes his head. “I haven’t seen him since the funeral.”

He sounds convincing. Phil Mason is clearly a cool customer if he’s bold enough to persuade people in that way.

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