He reached out and grabbed Beezer’s snazzy jacket by its lapels. Then he heaved sideways. The much lighter Beezer, caught off-guard, staggered and had no time to snatch at the railings or even see what was coming.

Harlan lifted Beezer out and over.

With an ear-splitting shriek, he fell.

Then Harlan leaned over the railing. He looked down at the wreckage of Beezer, stretched out dead on the pavement far below, blood starting to ooze in a crimson tide from his shattered body.

‘Certainly didn’t think about that,’ he said to himself with a smile. Then he drew back and went into the apartment to get dressed. ‘But I’m glad I did it.’

78

Charlie Stone was in shock. Harlan broke the bad news to him in the sitting room of the Essex house, with Nula there beside him. Harlan was visibly upset.

‘I was there. I saw it,’ said Harlan in a choked voice. His eyes were wet with emotion. ‘I’d just got out of the shower and he was talking, not making much sense. He was saying sometimes he didn’t know how to go on. Said he’d never really got over his brother dying like he did, all those years ago. That he felt overwhelmed. That he didn’t like the business any more but he didn’t know how he could tell you.’

Charlie, who had been standing, now sank down beside Nula on the couch. He was shaking his head, over and over.

‘Why didn’t he tell me, the silly bastard?’

‘You know Beezer. He would have felt he was letting you down. He was devoted to you. And I suppose no man wants to show weakness,’ said Harlan. ‘Not in our game, anyway.’

‘Go on with what you were saying,’ said Charlie with a deep, shuddering sigh.

‘Yeah. Well.’ Harlan sat down and looked at Charlie. ‘He just kept saying there was nothing to go on for. He’d never married, never had kids, he had nothing except the business, the manor, and he thought it all stank and he couldn’t stand living with it for another day.’

‘And what did you say?’ asked Charlie, gulping back a tear. His old mate! He’d had no clue Beezer felt this way. Sure, Beezer had black moods sometimes. Didn’t they all? And Col’s death! Charlie could still remember it, in all its awful detail. So had Beezer, obviously. But Charlie had never guessed that Col’s death had stayed with Beezer like that, tormented him, driven him finally to do something like this.

Harlan shrugged. His face looked pained; his voice was sombre. ‘I told him not to be stupid. To take a break somewhere, have a change. You wouldn’t mind. I’d explain to you for him, I told him that, there was no need for him even to face you with it.’

‘And . . .’ prompted Charlie.