‘Even though I had been with my then-agent for quite a few years, Foxley was very persuasive. He promised me that if I left my agent, I would quickly feel the benefits. He said I should be doing more film work. And that’s exactly what happened. I’m now working six months of the year in Los Angeles and I’m about to sign a contract for a big TV series after a successful pilot. And before you ask, that’s where I was when Charles was murdered: Hollywood.’

‘What about people with a grievance against him?’ Spencer asked.

‘Most people liked him, but of course you have to be a tough operator to be successful in this business. Charles was known for stealing clients. He was blatant about it.’ He shrugged. ‘I would say my former agent had reason to be bitter, but, like I say, that’s the nature of the business.’

Spencer drained his coffee and placed the mug down on the coffee table. ‘Would you say that, more recently, Foxley’s ability to package films was what made him successful?’

Marcus looked surprised. ‘So, you know about packaging? Well, Foxley had fingers in a lot of pies. By being an agent handling stars, and also having the other agents like Emma under his umbrella, it was easy for him to pick and choose the right talent. Foxley was clever, but he wouldn’t know a great script unless he was told about it. He was predominantly a talent spotter. Charles was brilliant at using people like Max Summers; he even employed Max’s brain-dead daughter to keep him happy.

‘Max and his brother Ivor were a formidable duo. They were the money men and tough operators. I know they bombed badly on one movie that lost them all millions, but Charles managed to persuade them to finance an independent movie based on one of Shakespeare’s plays. From being just an arthouse favorite it became an extraordinary success, winning the Golden Globe and God knows what else.’

Spencer tapped his notebook. ‘That must have been a huge financial boost for Foxley.’

Marcus gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. ‘Well, it certainly should have been. Somewhere around then, I think, there was a fall-out with one of the brothers regarding money.’

*

Jane had just replaced all the diaries, notebooks and financial information in the property lock-up when the news came in that an officer had discovered a right-footed, blood-soaked Adidas trainer in the garden of Justine Harris’s Barnes property.

Although this new development caused a ripple of interest among the assembled officers, there were no blood drops on top of the shoe, eyelets or laces, so no evidence that Justine had been present when the murder took place.

Tyler was more interested in the four photographs Justine Harris had brought in, which he was now pinning up on the incident board. The name ‘Eunice Small, Foxley’s aunt’ had also been added.