Page 200 of Murder in the Family

JJ NORTON

(sardonically)

And you’d get to out the guilty party, live on camera, like some sort of smug hipster Hercule Poirot.

NICK VINCENT (Producer)

I think ‘smug’ is a bit harsh, JJ, but in principle, yes.

Though Guy was right about one thing – the idea that we could find four moreexperts in criminal investigationallof whom had a connection to this case was more than even we could dare to hope.

He laughs again – he’s clearly enjoying himself hugely.

But hell, we’d already found two without even trying, so what did we have to lose?

LAILA FURNESS

Let me get this straight – you’re saying you chose some of us preciselybecauseyou thought we had some link to the Ryder case?

NICK VINCENT (Producer)

Had, orcould have, yes.

LAILA FURNESS

So all of those ‘discoveries’ Tarek here has supposedly been making, that was all a sham? You knew all that already, before we even started? The Wilsons, Alan’s sister in Assos, Caroline’s baby?

NICK VINCENT (Producer)

Again, some of it, but not all of it—

GUY HOWARD

(gaping at him)

You knew about that? All this time? You areunbelievable.

NICK VINCENT (Producer)

Oh come on – you gave me that fucking honeymoon footage yourself. It’s not my fault if you can’t see what’s right in front of your bloody face. Some fucking film-maker you make—

Guy pushes his chair back with deliberate violence, gets up and walks away out of shot. Nick can be heard to mutter ‘oh dear, tears before bedtime’.

HUGO FRASER

You just wound us up and watched us go – like a bunch of sodding woodentops. This whole bloody thing has been bogus right from the start.

NICK VINCENT (Producer)

In my world that’s called ‘dramatic licence’, Hugo. Maybe you’ve heard of it?

HUGO FRASER

Inmyworld it’s calledfraud,Nick, maybe you’ve heard ofthat?

BILL SERAFINI

(interrupting)

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