The Twist of a Knife

Ahmet’s accountant had been at the party; I’d seen him talking to Harriet Throsby. For some reason, he’d been nervous. And lying in bed at four o’clock in the morning, I remembered that hadn’t been the first time I’d seen him either. He’d been sitting one row behind me at the first night of Mindgame. Even so, I still had no idea why Hawthorne was interested in him. We already knew that Ahmet was in financial difficulties. What else could he add?

Unlike their client, Frost and Longhurst were obviously doing well for themselves. They occupied a Queen Anne-style office spread over four storeys in a quiet backstreet. Theirs was the only name on the door and as we entered the reception area with its plush carpet and original oil paintings (horses and country villas), I couldn’t help thinking of Ahmet’s basement in the Euston Road. Why had they even taken him on as a client? This was an organisation more suited to high-end lawyers, businessmen, hedge-fund managers.

Martin Longhurst appeared almost at once, ushering us further into the building. At the first-night party, he had seemed awkward. When I saw him in Ahmet’s office, I’d thought he looked ill, but that was probably only because he’d seen the advance ticket sales for the play. This was a different man. He was totally relaxed, in a Savile Row suit with his dark hair slicked back and gold cufflinks glinting in his sleeves. As we moved through his home territory, he stopped to show off a couple of the paintings (‘That’s an Edward Walter Webb. The horse won the 1840 Grand Liverpool Steeplechase …’). He led us into a conference room with an oak table that gleamed like a mirror, twelve chairs, and coffee and tea on a side buffet. We sat down and he poured coffee for Hawthorne and tea for me, talking all the while.

‘I very much enjoyed your play, Anthony. I thought it was very entertaining. As a matter of fact, my daughter is a big fan of your work. She’s too young for Alex Rider, but – I hope you don’t mind – she’d love it if you’d sign another of your books.’ I’d already noticed a well-thumbed copy of Granny on the table. If there’s a book of mine in a room, it’s always the first thing I’ll see.

Longhurst took a seat. He moved very carefully, perhaps because he was so tall, sitting with a straight back and reaching for a bottle of sparkling water with elegant fingers. He was in his mid-thirties, with the easy confidence that comes from either inherited wealth or early success, a completely different man to the one I had met in Euston. Could it be that he changed his persona depending on the client he found himself with, that the richer and more established they were, the more suave and self-confident he became?

‘So, how can I help you gentlemen?’ he asked eventually.

I had no answer. It embarrassed me that I still had no idea why we were here.

‘Well, obviously we want to talk to you about Harriet Throsby,’ Hawthorne said.

‘I’m not sure I have anything to tell you.’ Longhurst chose his words carefully. ‘Certainly not in relation to her murder. My client, Mr Yurdakul, told me about it yesterday and you can imagine my reaction.’

‘How long has Mr Yurdakul been a client?’

‘I first met him about eight years ago when he came in to develop a software system for this company. He did a very good job. When he decided to set up as a theatrical producer, he asked me if I would look after his accounts, and although I will admit he didn’t quite fit the company profile – or the profile my partner and I were hoping to create – I agreed. I’m very sorry it hasn’t worked out for him, but I’m sure he’ll bounce back. He’s nothing if not resourceful.’

‘Did you know that Harriet Throsby would be at the theatre?’

‘It had occurred to me that she might be there. I don’t know why you’re asking me that question, Mr Hawthorne. Do you think I’m in some way connected to her death?’

‘Well, you were one of the last people to speak to her.’ Before Longhurst could deny it, Hawthorne went on. ‘I understand that the two of you met at Topkapi, the Turkish restaurant, after the play finished.’

Longhurst hesitated. ‘I spoke a few words to her in a crowded room,’ he admitted. ‘We said nothing of any interest whatsoever.’

‘Are you saying you’d never met her before?’

I saw the flicker of annoyance in the accountant’s eyes as he realised that he wasn’t going to be able to hide the truth. ‘No. I haven’t suggested anything of the sort. As a matter of fact, we did cross paths once, but that was a very long time ago. About twenty years, in fact, although I’d prefer not to discuss it.’

‘I’m sure you’d prefer not to, Mr Longhurst. Unfortunately, when someone is murdered – and in a particularly brutal way – there are questions that have to be answered.’

‘I didn’t kill her.’

‘But you had a good reason.’

‘Did I?’

‘She wrote a book about you.’