Page 98 of The Impossible Fortune

‘If you planted a bomb under Holly Lewis’s car, you’ve upset me,’ says Elizabeth.

‘A bomb?’ says Jamie. If he’s lying, he’s good. But a lot of criminals are good liars, and the ones that aren’t don’t last long. ‘That’s why the police were at my house?’

‘Does that surprise you, Mr Usher?’ says Elizabeth. ‘You’re doing a very accurate impression of someone who is surprised. Why did you think they were there?’

‘Of course I’m surprised,’ says Jamie. ‘I took out two mortgages. On flats in the city centre. False names, my usual trick, but I thought I’d covered myself.’

‘That’s why you thought the police were at your house?’

‘Yeah, it’s illegal,’ says Jamie. ‘This is the first I’ve heard of this woman and a bomb.’

Bogdan leaps out of his chair and grabs Jamie. ‘Stop lying to us.’

Jamie shrinks back as far as he can, and pleads, ‘I’m not lying. I con banks; I don’t kill people.’

Elizabeth drags Bogdan off Jamie but perfectly matches his level of threat.

‘Then why,’ she whispers, like an executioner preparing a noose, ‘did she ring you on the night she died?’

‘She didn’t,’ cries Jamie. ‘I’ve never heard of her. She didn’t ring me!’

‘Stop lying to me,’ shouts Elizabeth, and Jamie curls up further into a ball as Elizabeth looms over him.

The room sits in silence for a moment, Elizabeth’s anger hovering in the air.

‘Would you like a cup of tea, Jamie?’ asks Bogdan.

Jamie shakes his head and tries to avoid Elizabeth’s eye.

‘Let me know if you change your mind,’ says Bogdan. ‘It’s no bother.’

Jamie composes himself. ‘Understand this, I’m no one. I make my money with easy cons, nothing else. I’m not a criminal.’

‘You are a criminal,’ says Elizabeth.

‘Well, yes, I am,’ says Jamie. ‘But not what you’re talking about. Not planting bombs, not killing people. I’m a coward.’

‘Don’t be so hard on yourself,’ says Bogdan. ‘We all have different strengths.’

‘But the question remains,’ says Elizabeth. ‘Why did she ring you on the night she died? Moments before she died.’

Jamie looks around the room to see if an answer might magically appear, but nothing springs out. ‘I swear I don’t know.’

Elizabeth walks over to her desk and picks up a notepad. She turns to the page with the number that Holly rang, returns and shows it to Jamie. ‘This is your number?’

Jamie takes a look and nods. ‘Yeah, that’s my number. That’s what she rang?’

‘Rang it,’ says Elizabeth, ‘got into her car and was killed instantly. That’s why we came to see your wife, and, when we found out your record, our attention turned to you.’

Jamie is shaking his head, trying to get rid of this reality. Criminals are good liars, but a criminal this good at lying would be a great deal richer than Jamie Usher. He doesn’t have a clue what Elizabeth is talking about. Holly Lewis was not ringing him on the night she died, Elizabeth is sure of it.

‘Your wife,’ says Elizabeth. ‘Sit up, Jamie, no one’s going to hurt you. You have a criminal record – I wonder, does she?’

‘Jill? Never been in trouble, hates the idea of it.’

‘Sometimes we don’t truly know people,’ says Elizabeth. ‘Does she know everything about you?’

‘No,’ says Jamie. ‘Of course not. I do bad things.’