Page 67 of Witness 8

Without another word, the waiter took the plate away.

Eddie and Harry had rehearsed an introduction – subtle ways to get Ellis to open up, and get something useful out of him. Harry noticed Eddie’s fingers tightening into a fist on his right hand. The time for subtlety had passed. Before Eddie said something he regretted, or grabbed Ellis by his tiny head and put him up against a wall, Harry decided he had better cut to the chase.

‘We represent John Jackson. We want to ask you about your relationship with the late Margaret Blakemore,’ said Harry.

Ellis stood up. Harry thought it didn’t make much of a difference – he still looked like a kid at a grown-ups’ table.

‘I don’t care who you are. Get the hell out of here,’ said Ellis.

‘Should we go talk to your wife instead?’ asked Eddie.

Ellis called for security.

‘Are you nervous about your wife knowing you were having an affair with Margaret Blakemore when she was murdered?’

‘There’s not a single piece of evidence for that. Now get the hell out of here. And . . .’ Ellis stopped speaking. The look on his face darkened further, as if he’d made some kind of connection in his mind that Harry couldn’t fathom.

‘You’re Eddie Flynn, right?’ he asked.

Eddie said yes, and Ellis nodded then put his hands on his hips. He had acted at first as if he was confused about who was asking him about Margaret Blakemore.

Harry made the connection.

‘Has someone mentioned that name to you recently?’ asked Harry. ‘Has someone threatened you?’

The look on Ellis’s face confirmed it.

‘Get. The. Fuck. Out.’

‘It’s been nice talking to you,’ said Eddie.

Harry followed Eddie out of the dining room just as a large man in a suit came toward Ellis.

‘It’s okay. We’re leaving,’ said Eddie.

Once in the lobby, he said, ‘Well, that didn’t go as planned.’

‘We did get something important,’ said Harry. ‘Now we know Ellis is being blackmailed too. Did you see his face?’

Eddie nodded, said, ‘I saw it. What the hell is going on in this case? John’s housekeeper, Althea, murders Alison’s mother, and now Ellis and Brett Bale are being blackmailed about their possible involvement in Margaret Blakemore’s murder? And that anonymous call accusing John? I have a really bad feeling about this one.’

Harry thought for a moment. Bloch and Lake saw them in the lobby, got up, stepped into line ahead of Eddie.

‘This all started with Margaret’s murder and that anonymous call. We need to know why John Jackson is being framed. That’s the real question here.’

26

Mr. Christmas

The man in work gear moved through a range of emotions. All of them writ large in his expressive face.

At first, confusion.

‘What do you think of Marlon Brando?’

Random strangers who ask for a light and then randomly seek your opinion on old movie stars are rare. It’s not an interaction that happens even occasionally. The man in work gear was surprised by the question. He didn’t even get as far as thinking about an answer – he was so bowled over at being asked that his brain couldn’t function.

He was momentarily stunned.