Page 61 of Deep Waters

Antoni turned and saw him when he was less than twenty feet away.

“Are you mad?” Harry hollered. “What the hell are you doing out on an afternoon like this? And here, of all places.”

Antoni raised his camera. “I think these are going to be amazing. Roger may even want to use them for one of his paintings.” He pointed in the direction of North Beach. “I don’t think I’ve even taken anything so remarkable. The light, those clouds, the sea. Everything is just about perfect.” He sounded strangely exhilarated and oblivious to the mounting danger.

“You’ll need to turn back soon,” Harry said, siding up to him. “There’s a real chance the waves are going to wash over the top.”

“I’m about done.” He raised the camera and fired off some more shots.

“What’s this about Tom?” Harry asked. “I got your message, but I don’t understand.”

Antoni continued clicking before finally lowering the camera and looking at him. His expression was deadly serious. He inhaled and exhaled through his mouth. “I didn’t want it to come out this way, but I was awake most of last night turning things over. I’m going to speak to the police this evening, but I want to tell you first.” He shook his head and walked to the edge of the pier. He gripped the railing and stared upriver towards the town. “Shit. I should have spoken to them earlier. If I had, maybe Tom would have…”

What the hell is this?Harry followed and stood beside him. “Do you know something about what happened to Tom?”

Another low exhalation. “I don’t know. I thought not. Tried to convince myself it had nothing to do with Niko’s death. That it would only upset his parents if I mentioned it and they have suffered enough.” He paused again, seeming to struggle for words.

“For God’s sake, what is it? Antoni, come on, tell me. I’m starting to worry here.”

His knuckles whitened as he gripped the rail harder.

“Niko was making money on the side. Online. He was producing…sex tapes and selling them. Oh, I don’t know exactly how it works. It’s like an adult social media account. People paid to follow him, and he uploaded videos of himself.”

So, the rumours are true. “OnlyFans, you mean? That kind of thing?”

Antoni shrugged and stared at the sea. “I don’t know what he called it. I think there is more than one. Niko approached me about it last year quite matter-of-factly. I think he was proud of it. He asked if I would film some new content for him. He was going to have sex with a couple of women from Newcastle and wanted me to shoot them in a professional way. Of course, I refused. My God, I’ve known him since he was a boy. I didn’t want to see all that.”

Harry frowned. “You never mentioned any of this to me. We were still seeing each other at that time.”

“Of course, I didn’t. I didn’t tell anyone. His parents would have had a fit if they knew. I tried to talk him out of it, but he was earning so much money and getting a lot of attention from these fans. There was no way he was going to quit. So, I advised him on the practical side of things—the best way to film, the kind of cameras and lighting equipment he should use. He listened, too, and bought the best. He could afford it. I went to his flat once, and he had converted one of the bedrooms into a mini studio. Some of his equipment was even better than mine.”

Harry nudged him, getting impatient. “What’s this got to do with Tom?” He wasn’t sure he was going to like the answer.

“I’ll get to that. So, Niko mainly posted straight content to begin with. Videos of him having sex with girls, but he had a lot of gay followers. He was a good-looking young man and very popular. He started tailoring his posts to that audience—a lot of naked photos of himself—jerk-off videos, you know the kind of thing. And of course, his subscriptions went through the roof. He had a whole new set of fans who expected more and more from him.”

Harry swallowed. He had a good idea where this was going now. “You mean he was gay for pay? I think a lot of models do that. They make more money, right?”

Antoni nodded. “The solo jerk-off videos progressed to him jerking off with other guys.”

The weight inside Harry grew heavier. “Are you telling me Tom was one of those guys?”

Antoni side-eyed him and nodded. “If what Niko told me was true, there were quite a lot of men involved. The subscribers expect regular updates and fresh content. Tom did a couple of videos with Niko. Reece Wallace, too. Some men from Newcastle. They’re just the ones I know about.”

“But why? Tom loved Sarah.”

“Money, I guess. It wasn’t really about sex. Niko saw it as a business. Tom probably earned more in an hour with Niko than a whole day on the boat with you.”

“Okay, but this still doesn’t make sense. Why would someone kill them for a few harmless videos? It’s not like anyone close to him even knew about them.”

“I don’t know that they did. Maybe it had nothing to do with the videos, but it’s a secret that connects two of the victims. Maybe the third man was involved, too. I don’t know everything. That’s why I have to tell the police, so they can look into it.”

Harry shook his head. Tom’s family had enough to cope with. If what Antoni was saying was true, they would be devastated further. “Oh, shit. This is… You’re going to the police?”

“I must. I’ll tell them everything I know, and maybe they can fill in some of the gaps. There’s probably a lot more to it than even I’m aware of.”

Harry nodded slowly. “You didn’t think about coming forward sooner?”

“I’ve already told you that. I wasn’t sure how relevant it was at first. And if it wasn’t, it would hurt so many people. It was only later, after Tom… God, I regret it so much already. If I’d spoken sooner, Tom might still be alive.”

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