Take Two

CHAPTER 39

Richards had just locked up his Porsche and was heading for the lift to take him up to his penthouse flat when a figure stepped out of the shadows. His hands bunched into fists but he relaxed when he saw it was Halpin. ‘What the hell are you doing?’ asked Richards. ‘You almost gave me a bloody heart attack.’

‘Sorry boss, I wanted to know how it went, that’s all.’

‘So why stalk me? Couldn’t you have phoned?’

Halpin moved closer to Richards and lowered his voice. ‘No, I couldn’t phone because if the cops are on to us they’ll be listening in. You know what Five-O are like. They’ll be all over us until they’re sure they’ve got a cast iron case.’

Richards nodded and took out a cigar. ‘Yeah, you’re right.’ He bit off the end and spat it away, then lit it.

‘So how did it go?’ asked Halpin.

Richards blew a cloud of smoke before answering. ‘I think we’re okay.’

‘You think? We need more than that, boss.’

Richards narrowed his eyes. ‘You’re starting to piss me off, you know that?’

Halpin put up his hands. ‘I’m sorry, but this matters, boss. If she can identify us we’re going away for a long time.’

‘She was as sweet as a nut,’ said Richards. ‘Chatted away about her job and her family, said she might come on out to the club. I didn’t pick up on anything.’

‘But she’s an actress. Maybe she was acting.’

‘Yeah, but why meet me, why have lunch with me?’ said Richards. ‘If she’d recognised me, why not just call the cops?’

‘Maybe she was wired.’

They reached the lift and Richards pressed the call button. ‘Wired?’

‘Maybe the cops fitted her with a wire. Maybe they were listening in.’

‘What, while I confessed to murder in the studio canteen? You’ve been watching too much TV.’

‘Maybe she didn’t see everything. And don’t forget they don’t have a body and there’s bugger all forensics. Plus we’ve got alibis. So if she does go to the cops, chances are they’re going to be looking for us to confess.’

‘That’s not going to happen, is it?’

‘Which is why they might think about wiring her up.’

Richards blew smoke up at the roof of the car park as the lift doors opened. ‘She didn’t ask anything like that. It was just chit-chat.’

‘So you think we’re all good?’

Richards stepped into the lift and Halpin followed him. ‘I think so, yeah.’

‘Boss, we need more than that.’ The lifts doors closed and Halpin pressed the button for the top floor.

‘We’re in the clear,’ said Richards. ‘I’m sure of it. She didn’t see anything.’

Halpin nodded, but he didn’t look convinced. ‘So it’s business as usual?’

‘Yeah. You can start phoning me instead of jumping out of the shadows, and I’ll arrange to see The Mint tomorrow.’