Page 107 of We Chase Shadows

‘I can tell you anything, Steve?’

‘You can,’ Steve confirms.

‘It is Brooks,’ says Georgie. ‘I recognized him as soon as you showed me the photo. Remember him from years back, had no idea about the fake death, anything like that. He’s had some work done, but it’s him. You think Brooks is the one threatening Vern?’

‘Best guess,’ says Steve. ‘All we know for sure is that three men have been murdered in the last ten days. One shot in the head –’

‘Your bread, sir,’ says the waiter.

‘One knifed in the chest –’ says Steve.

‘There’s wholemeal,’ says the waiter. ‘There’s a sourdough.’

‘And the last one assassinated in broad daylight.’

‘And a rosemary focaccia,’ says the waiter. ‘I will bring you butter.’

‘Thank you,’ says Steve, then turns back to Georgie. ‘And I don’t want Vern to be the fourth corpse.’

‘I don’t either,’ says Georgie. ‘In case you were in any doubt.’

‘I’m always in doubt,’ says Steve. ‘That’s my job. If you had to guess what was going on here, what would that guess be?’

‘Hostile takeover,’ says Georgie. ‘Brooks is picking off his rivals one by one. And he’s leaving Vern till last?’

‘Which all makes sense,’ says Steve. ‘But what about the note? The warning?’

‘Go on,’ says Georgie. She looks genuinely interested. If this was a date, then that would be a good sign. But it is not a date, so it is moot.

‘Connor Brooks, back from the dead, is killing his rivals,’ says Steve. ‘But doesn’t kill Vern. He just warns Vern. Which makes no sense … unless –’

‘Unless the two of them are working together in some way,’ says Georgie. ‘Vern writes the note himself, to make it look as if he and Brooks are enemies?’

‘Whereas if they really were enemies,’ says Steve, ‘then Vern’s brains would be spattered over his bathroom wall.’

The waiter puts the butter on the table. ‘We salt it in-house, sir. Enjoy.’

Steve nods his thanks.

‘So they’re not enemies,’ says Georgie. ‘They’re in this together?’

‘But if they’re not enemies,’ says Steve, ‘then why hire We Solve Murders? And why kill Esteban in the first place?’

Georgie tries some bread. ‘This rosemary focaccia is terrific.’

‘I can see a route through everything except the first murder,’ says Steve. ‘Why kill Esteban? And why leave a note in his pocket? It doesn’t make any sense to me.’

‘Well, that I genuinely don’t know,’ says Georgie.

There’s something unusual about her phrasing there. As if there were other things Georgie genuinely does know. Meg Ryan! That’s the name of the actress in the film. Her name is an anagram of ‘Germany’. Steve remembers that coming in handy at the quiz once.

‘We should order,’ says Georgie. ‘Then we can really get on with our date.’

‘It’s not …’ says Steve. ‘Not … really … a date.’

Georgie leans across the table and whispers in his ear.

‘Oh, it’s a date.’