Page 97 of Two for Joy

“Shut up. Why did Marc lose his job?”

“I don’t know.”

Romeo glared as much as he could with one eye.

“The rumor is he got fired, something about drugs.”

“Drugs?”

“Yeah, I hear he was taking all sorts. When I first met him in the hotel, I was nervous, tense—”

“Because you were about to betray Chad.”

“Marc kept offering me stuff … something to take the edge off, get me to relax. I didn’t know what any of it was, I didn’t take it. I think he got worse, using drugs to influence people in interviews … it’s even said that he was the one that gave James Clerk his fix that night he got photographed.”

“He set him up…”

“His eyes used to light up when I told him secrets about the case. I could literally see him mentally counting all the money he was going to make.”

“More likely the details excited him…” Romeo muttered under his breath.

“Then after Chad found out, I told Marc I wasn’t going to give up any more information on the case. He got angry, real angry, then like a switch, he was charming, offering me more—drugs, money, whatever I wanted, so much I couldn’t refuse. He’s got a dark side, and the Canster Times finally took notice.”

“And fired him.”

“Yeah.”

“He can’t have been happy about that … maybe he felt like he’d lost all control.”

“Probably. He definitely seemed uptight, ordered, if a little strange. Then the Canster Times rubbed salt into the wound…”

“How?”

“They let Holly Stevenson take over from him. He’d been her mentor, they’d been dating, engaged at one point, but overnight he lost his girlfriend and his job.”

“Holly…” Romeo whispered.

“Yeah. I don’t know why, but she seems to have a personal vendetta against Chad—

Romeo held his hand up, a clear signal that Neil should stop talking. “I’m aware of her hatred towards Chad. Where does Marc live?”

“Why do you want to know?”

Romeo pressed his foot down on Neil’s stomach, moving most of his weight to it as Neil struggled for breath.

“Okay, okay, I’ve never been there, but it’s on the outskirts of Histon. Hollytree House. There’s a load of big properties, lots of land between them, all fancy names instead of numbers. I couldn’t afford a place there, but that was the dream.”

“Wait, that sounds familiar…”

“Familiar?”

Romeo snapped his fingers. “Number three lived around there.”

“Number three?”

“Georgie Porter.” Romeo said. “I think I’ll pay Marc a visit.”

“What, why? You don’t think he’s the killer?”

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