The House Guest - Mark Edwards Page 0,73

me. Building up to it. It was like watching one of her YouTube videos: the creation of drama before the reveal.

I snatched the sheet of paper from her hand. It was a printout of a newspaper story from 2014.

NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Beneath the headline was a photo of a group of men and women, proudly holding large medals. Second from the left was Krugman.

‘He won the Law and Order Award for some big case he was involved with,’ Wanda said. ‘But see this guy next to him?’

She pointed to a white man in his late thirties beside Krugman. Like Krugman he was wearing a tux and was smiling for the camera. But the smile, though it revealed an immaculate set of teeth, didn’t reach this guy’s eyes.

‘That’s Gabriel Dearman,’ Wanda said. ‘He received a special Service to the Community Award for building a youth centre in Brooklyn.’

‘Who is he?’ I asked, unable to take my eyes off him. There was something vaguely familiar about him. Maybe it was just that he looked like a thousand other guys.

‘He’s one of New York’s lesser-known billionaires. There are stories about him in the business press, but he’s publicity-shy. Seems he made his money through a lot of smart investments in tech companies.’ She named a half-dozen corporations who had come to prominence in the last decade. ‘Owns one of the tallest buildings in Brooklyn – his own Trump Tower, if you like. Except he’s not ostentatious like Trump. It’s not called Dearman Heights or anything like that.’

She showed me the location on her phone.

‘Do you think he could be our guy?’

‘I think there’s a very good chance of it. Because guess what else I found out?’

‘Don’t keep me in suspense,’ I said.

‘He went to college with Jack. Columbia, Psychology, Class of ’99.’

‘Holy shit.’

‘Holy indeed. And Mona was at Columbia at the same time, wasn’t she?’

‘Yes. She was dating Jack.’

‘So the likelihood is that she knew Gabriel too.’

I stared at the photo of Gabriel Dearman. This was him. It had to be.

‘I’m going to do some more digging, see what else I can find out about him,’ Wanda said. ‘Like I said, he’s very private. Tell Callum not to go banging on Dearman’s front door, okay?’

‘Why?’

Wanda leaned forward. ‘Firstly, you don’t go around yelling accusations at guys like this. He can afford the best lawyers and the best security. Spook him and he could be in the Cayman Islands within hours. We have to be extra-careful, okay? That’s vital. If Dearman gets any inkling we’re on to him, he’ll be gone. And who knows what wreckage he’ll leave behind? We already know how the cult feels about witnesses. What they do to them. You don’t want them to cut your girlfriend’s throat and leave her in the woods, do you?’

How was I supposed to respond to that?

‘Keep your head down,’ Wanda said. ‘Wait for me to call.’

Chapter 33

On the way back to Brooklyn, I called Callum.

‘Any news?’ I asked him.

He made a disgusted noise. ‘Big shopping day.’

‘Shopping?’

‘What I said. Mona came breezing through the hotel lobby, then headed straight for Fifth Avenue. Went in and out of around five fancy stores, then into Saks. Gotta tell you, it’s not easy tailing a woman around a department store with all the assistants coming up and asking you if they can help. Had to pretend I was buying something for my wife. Anyway, she finally walked out of there with a black dress in a bag.’

‘For the funeral.’

‘I guess. And then she headed straight back to the Palace. The only interesting thing was that she kept checking her phone – like, compulsively. Even more than your average sixteen-year-old. She’s antsy, worried about Krugman.’

I swallowed. Surely the cult had known Krugman’s plan for me? Those woods could be a regular burial ground for them. How long before they sent someone to search for him? The police had to be looking for him too, surely.

‘Anyway,’ Callum said. ‘I’m going to hang here for a little longer. I figure the more anxious she gets, the more likely she is to go looking for her lover. What did you find out from Wanda?’

I filled him in.

‘Gabriel Dearman, huh?’

‘Does that mean anything to you?’ I asked.

‘Nope.’ He went quiet for a second, thinking. ‘Maybe I should use Krugman’s phone to text Mona, ask her to meet back at HQ or something. See where she goes.’

‘Don’t. It’s too risky. What if they’re tracking Krugman’s phone? The moment you