Page 197 of Murder in the Family

NICK VINCENT (Producer)

(shrugs, evidently unabashed)

This makes better TV.

BILL SERAFINI

When, exactly? Whenexactlydid he tell you?

NICK VINCENT (Producer)

(holding his gaze)

Well, that must have been right about the timeyouemailed me asking to be on the show.

GUY HOWARD

What – theybothcontacted you?

NICK VINCENT (Producer)

Absolutely. And that’s when I realized we couldreallybe onto something.

There’s a stunned silence.

LAILA FURNESS

I don’t believe it – both AlanandBill have been one step ahead of us, the whole time?

JJ NORTON

(dryly)

Not just one step, I’d say. More like six or seven.

GUY HOWARD

You played us all for bloody fools—

NICK VINCENT (Producer)

Oh, come on, Guy. You know as well as I do what people want from these shows. They wantanswers– they want the damn thingsolved –not just yet more pissing about churning over old ground—

HUGO FRASER

(coolly)

So you thought you’d stack the cards in your favour, is that it? Bring in a couple of people whoappeared to be objective experts like the rest of us, but in reality not only had agreatdeal of prior knowledge, but actual skin in the game.

NICK VINCENT (Producer)

If you like. To be fair it didn’t start out that way – it was only after word got out that we were taking another look at this case that Bill and Alan got in touch.

GUY HOWARD

But rather than tell us – tellme– you asked them to keep quiet. To keep it from the rest of the team.

NICK VINCENT (Producer)

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