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“What precisely is the nature of your complaint?” Josiah asked.

“As I said, I’m the executor of Elliot Dacre’s estate, and I have serious concerns about your conduct in this case. By law, Christopher should have been released into my custody?—”

“No, that’s incorrect,” Esther said firmly. “Alexander Lytton is part of Mr Dacre’s estate. If he’d been released anywhere it would have been to a probate holding camp until such time as the estate is wound up – and that wouldn’t happen until our investigation was complete.”

“Well, that’s as may be, but as the executor, I feel Elliot would have wanted Chris to live with me,” Mead blustered.

“I’ve seen Dacre’s will, I’ve spoken to his solicitor, and I’ve looked through his bank records,” Josiah informed him bluntly.

“Dacre was heavily in debt when he died, and despite all the lavish bequests and grand gestures he made in his will, the reality is he’s got nothing to leave to anyone.

Once everything has been sold and all his debts are paid, I’ll be surprised if there’s a hundred quid left over.

So basically, you’re the executor of bugger all. ”

Mead glared at him. “Regardless, I should have been consulted.”

“Technically speaking – no.” Esther gave a tight smile.

“As the IA leading the investigation, we may choose to consult with you on matters pertaining to Mr Dacre’s estate, but you have no right to a consultation.

You also have no legal right to be granted custody of any of his possessions if we wish to retain them for the purpose of the investigation. ”

“Why do you want Lytton, anyway?” Josiah demanded.

“Chris was Elliot’s pride and joy – his most treasured possession. I know Elliot would have wanted me to take care of him, that’s all,” Mead said .

“Well, you can’t have him.” Josiah stood up. “Are we done?”

“Not quite, Investigator Raine.” Mead glared at him sulkily. “I thought that as you made that statement today about Christopher’s innocence, you should be aware of a conversation I had with him not so long ago.”

“Really?” Josiah sat back down with a sigh. “What conversation is that?”

“Well, as I said, I’m an investigator with a leading IA.”

“You said you were an investigator, yes.” Josiah nodded. “Mr Mead works for Results Inc,” he told Esther.

“Right.” She gave a knowing smile. “So, what was this conversation about, Mr Mead?”

“I’m telling you about it because, as a fellow investigator, I was shocked by the indiehunter’s announcement this morning.

Far be it from me to cast aspersions on a fellow professional’s work” – he shot Josiah a vicious look – “but I did think it was strange that he would rule anyone out of the inquiry at this stage.”

“You don’t know what stage our inquiry is at,” Josiah said flatly.

“No, indeed, but you have yet to charge anyone, I believe.” Mead smiled smugly.

“Now, I don’t know if this is relevant, but Elliot and I were close, and I was invited to all his parties.

I met Hudson Brink, Jon Mayberry, Jana Stanner, Godiva, and all the other celebrities Elliot was friends with.

” He puffed out his chest again proudly.

“Really.” Josiah imbued the word with as much icy contempt as he could muster.

“Yes, and of course I knew Chris well. He was always so charming and full of fun at Elliot’s parties, but a very different person in private.”

“In what way?” Esther asked.

“Well, I remember on one occasion he asked me a lot of questions about my work. He’s got quite a sharp brain, that one – not at all what I expected having seen him dance around half-naked at Elliot’s parties.”

“What kind of questions?” Esther leaned forward, frowning.

“I thought it was odd at the time, but when Elliot was murdered it all slotted into place – which is why I was so surprised by Raine’s big announcement that Chris couldn’t possibly be the killer.” He smiled vindictively at Josiah.

“What were the questions?” Esther repeated.

“He wanted to know about the process by which investigations are assigned and handled. He had many questions about how it all worked – intelligent questions, too. One thing in particular struck me, because it seemed important to him. He wanted to know how investigations were set in motion – who would be contacted, what the chain of command would be, how it all worked.”

“Maybe he was just showing an interest in what you do,” Esther suggested.

“Maybe, but listen to this.” Mead leaned forward eagerly.

“He was specifically asking about murder investigations, Director Lomax.” He sat back with a gleeful smile on his face.

“Strange, don’t you think? He asks how murder investigations work, and then Elliot turns up murdered?

Coincidence? I don’t think so. Maybe that announcement you made this morning was premature, Raine. ” He shot a look of triumph at Josiah.

Esther glanced at Josiah sideways. He paused for a long moment, like a snake contemplating its prey, then went on the attack. “Mr Mead… how did a lowly investigator like yourself become friends with a top celebrity holophotographer?” he enquired.

“I don’t see how that’s relevant,” Mead snapped. “And I dislike your use of the word ‘lowly’.”

“Ah, but we’re all lowly, aren’t we?” Josiah said smoothly. “Us investigators. It’s not a very glamorous job, is it? We certainly tend not to have friends who move in celebrity circles. How did you meet Dacre? What was the basis of your friendship?”

“We go back a few years. We had a lot in common.”

“You still haven’t said how you met.”

“I can’t remember.”

“I think you remember.” Josiah gave a tight smile and clasped his hands together on the table in front of him.

“I suspect the police were given a tip-off about the illegal drugs Dacre peddled at his parties – in addition to croc, he also provided cocaine, heroin, crystal meth, and sable to his party guests. He always made sure that any drugs his celebrity friends wanted were on hand, courtesy of the dealers he had on call. The police passed the tip-off to Results Inc, you were assigned to the case, and you soon found out that Dacre was guilty. It would have been inconvenient for him if he’d been charged, and embarrassing for his celebrity friends to be named in court depositions.

I’m sure he’d have done anything to protect them. ”

“What are you saying? Are you accusing me of something?” Mead erupted.

“Yes,” Josiah said bluntly. “I think that instead of turning in the results of your investigation, you went to Dacre and offered to submit a false report, and continue submitting false reports, as long as he invited you to his parties, let you meet his celebrities – and sleep with his very attractive IS.”

“That’s a lie.” Mead looked affronted in the way that only the truly guilty ever looked, in Josiah’s experience.

“Shall we call Alex in and ask him if he ever slept with you?” he asked, his flesh crawling at the thought of this sleazy bastard laying his fat paws on Alex.

“I’m not saying I didn’t sleep with him,” Mead said quickly. “Elliot was kind enough to share, and Chris was always up for a good time. It doesn’t prove I covered up anything on Elliot’s behalf.”

“A good time?” Josiah snorted. “Look at you, Mead. Normally, you wouldn’t stand a chance of attracting a beautiful young man like Alexander Lytton, and there’s no way he’d consider a night with you to be a ‘good time’.

He slept with you because Dacre told him to, because he was the price for your silence.

I already know Dacre gave Alex to other men in his circle.

He liked to act the jealous lover – it turned him on – but he also liked to watch. ”

“Lies!” Mead crossed his arms over his chest. “I came here to share valuable information with colleagues, and you’ve made up all these slurs about me. It’s most unprofessional.”

“The reason you want to take Alex home with you is because you’re worried what he might tell us about your friendship with Dacre. You want to silence him, basically. If you really thought he was guilty of murdering his houder, I doubt you’d be so keen. ”

Mead didn’t have an answer to that. He just sat there, arms crossed over his chest, glowering.

Josiah smiled. “You can leave, Mr Mead. We won’t be releasing Alex into your custody.”

“He asked about you, too, you know,” Mead said unexpectedly.

Josiah raised an eyebrow.

“It was around that time you were on the news night and day because of that case involving the celebrity chef and the escaped indie - or maybe it was one of your other high profile cases. I don’t recall.

You do seem to love a celebrity murder, and they all blend into each other after awhile,” he sneered.

“Anyway, I thought Christopher might have a bit of a crush on you – you were quite the pin-up, forever popping up onscreen being all gruff and macho in your fancy suits.” Mead sounded like a bitter old queen who couldn’t get the pretty boys to sleep with him and resented any other gay man he thought was competition.

No wonder he’d resorted to blackmail to get his hands on Alex.

“He wanted to know if I’d ever come across you professionally, what I thought of you, and what you were like in person. ”

“And what did you tell him?”

“The truth – that some investigators love chasing the limelight and showing off instead of getting on with their jobs.” Mead sneered.

Josiah gave a little grunt of amusement. “I think we’re done here, Mead, don’t you?”

“Fine.” Mead stood up. “Uh… will you…?” He cast a worried glance at Esther.

“Be reporting you to your agency for investigation?” She raised an eyebrow. “I’ll let you know. Good day, Mr Mead.”

She opened the door, gestured to security to escort him out, and then turned back to Josiah.

“What a nasty piece of work,” she said. “Well done for seeing through him, Joe. However, what he said about Alex is worrying.”

“I’m sure there’s an explanation,” Josiah said firmly.