Fatal Act by Leigh Russell Read Free Book Online

perverse to think Piers is innocent, just because it looks like he did it,’ Sam had objected when Geraldine pointed that out. ‘Surely that’s exactly why we ought to be thinking he is guilty.’
    ‘It’s too neat.’
    Sam had scowled at her.
    ‘Come on then, let’s go back in and speak to the taxi driver again, before it gets any later,’ Geraldine said.
    T his time Hallam’s daughter greeted them more aggressively.
    ‘You again. What now? You’ve already spoken to him once tonight, and another policeman questioned him on Friday night. How many more times do you want to speak to him? He’s got nothing more to tell you.’
    Still grumbling, she led them back to the living room where her father sat dozing in his chair.
    ‘Dad, dad, they’re here again. Dad!’
    She shook his shoulder gently and he opened his eyes with a start.
    ‘What? What?’
    He caught sight of Geraldine standing in the doorway.
    ‘Oh no, what now?’
    H e watched her through narrowed eyes as she took out her notebook.
    ‘Writing it all down now, are you? Oh dear. Does this mean you’ll be back again in half an hour with a video camera?’
    He laughed nervously, trying to make a joke of their return visit. He was clearly feeling anxious.
    ‘A few more questions, Mr Hallam, and then we’ll leave you in peace. We’d like to know about your movements on Friday night before you reached Ashland Place.’
    Hallam shifted into a more upright position.
    ‘I’ve been doing night shifts. The roads aren’t as busy –’
    ‘He ought to retire, that’s what he ought to be doing,’ his daughter interrupted.
    It sounded as though this was a familiar argument.
    ‘Now then, Rose.’
    She turned to Geraldine.
    ‘Do you know how old he is?’
    G eraldine ignored her.
    ‘You reported the accident at five past three. Where were you between one and three on Friday night?’
    ‘I was driving.’
    He launched into a rambling account of his journey that night. He had spent about twenty minutes cruising around Central London before picking up a man from the Landmark Hotel. He had no idea who his fare was. All he could say was that his passenger was an American, a big man who had been quite belligerent when Bernie had stopped in Ashland Place.
    ‘He kept on at me, telling me to take him to his hotel, as though nothing had happened.’
    G eraldine was puzzled.
    ‘You were taking your passenger from the Landmark Hotel near Baker Street to the Dorchester?’
    Bernard nodded and fidgeted awkwardly on his chair when she leaned forward and asked why he had left the main road to drive round the one way system and along Ashland Place. With no hold up on the Marylebone Road, there was no reason for him to have made the detour.
    ‘Why did you leave the main road?’ she repeated.
    He shrugged, and glanced uncomfortably at his daughter, mumbling something about traffic.
    ‘You know we can check that. It’ll all be recorded on cameras along the route.’
    W ith a sigh, the taxi driver admitted he hadn’t taken his fare a direct route to his hotel.
    ‘He didn’t know. He was American. It was only a few extra quid and it wouldn’t have made any difference to him. At that time of night, he was lucky to get a cab at all.’
    He turned to his daughter with an apologetic shrug.
    ‘Everyone does it, Rose.’
    ‘Oh dad. You could get into trouble –’
    ‘Don’t be stupid, Rose. I was tired, all right. I just wanted to make the journey count and then I was going to pack up for the night. He didn’t care. He was loaded –’
    ‘You don’t know that,’ Rose interrupted.
    ‘I could tell. In any case, I don’t suppose he was paying for it himself. It would all have been on expenses, so what difference did it make? Only then I drove into that accident. Jesus. I tell you what, I wish I had kept to the main road.’
    ‘Serves you right,’ his daughter retorted.

Chapter 8
    T HEY DROVE BACK TO the station without talking much. It had been a long day and