Page 214 of Murder in the Family

—but remember those ‘inappropriate’ friends Maura Howard was seeing that summer? One of them wasn’t just a mate, she wassleeping with him. That was why Caroline was so worried—

MITCHELL CLARKE

(icily)

She called him ‘inappropriate’, did she? And why exactlywasthat? Because he was black, like you? No,yougot a free pass because you’re a fucking coconut and a rich bastard, but Maura’s bloke, he was just poor black trash? The shit under your fucking Prada shoes? Isthatwhat you’re saying?

HUGO FRASER

You know that’s not what I mean. Maura was15, for God’s sake. It was statutoryrape—

MITCHELL CLARKE

(shaking his head)

You have no way to prove it was me—

HUGO FRASER

(holding his gaze)

She met him at an event at her school. He was a journalist –youwere a journalist, and you covered events in that area,includingat that school.

(takes a deep breath)

And yes, the man in question was black. It narrows the field pretty fast—

MITCHELL CLARKE

(still shaking his head)

That’s not proof.

HUGO FRASER

Andit would explain why you were there that night. Sneaking in to see her when you knew her mother would be out? That apartment over the garage, wasn’t that why Maura was so keen to move over there? So the two of you could fuck in peace? That’s certainly what Caroline thought.

You didn’t know Luke was going to bail on that drinks party, did you? As far as you knew, it was Beatriz who’d be babysitting that night – Beatriz who was in her seventies and deaf as a post. But Luke wasn’t – his hearing was just fine. He heard something, he came out and he caught you at it—

MITCHELL CLARKE

You arenotpinning this on me. No fucking way. If I’d killed him there’d beevidence, there’d be DNA, and let me remind you they foundnothinglinking me toany of it.

(pointing at Hugo)

Can you say the same? How aboutyougive us a DNA sample and we’ll see if the Met can find a match on that jacket?

HUGO FRASER

Bring it on – I have nothing to hide. Because Iwasn’t there.

Unlikeyou.

LAILA FURNESS

But youwereat the party, right? That car – it was outside, Phyllis Franks saw it—

HUGO FRASER

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