‘Thank you. Perhaps lunch one day might be a nice idea and you can advise me on investment opportunities.’ We shook hands and said our goodbyes.

Outside, I walked away from the gallery and headed towards Hyde Park. A walk along the Serpentine would be refreshing.

62

Arthur

As I joined up the dots of Rebecca’s past, I set about reinventing my flat as a control tower. It had a more positive ring than incident room and besides, I’d started to envisage an end game. Dedicated planning would ensure a final victory.

My small childhood hideout had been furnished with collections of innocent paraphernalia. In the beginning, Lego sets, Beano annuals and Solitaire kept me company. I ate off a packing case which acted as a table. A spare case was placed alongside for my imaginary friends and a cardboard box, crammed full of sweets and biscuits, was regularly replenished.

A scout torch lit the space until I reached my teens. I then found an extension cable and plugged in a small lamp, minus its shade, next to the table. No one ever came into my den, except make-believe companions. A shrug sufficed to allay my mother’s suspicions when household items went missing. Possessions didn’t bother her. They never had. Men were her passion.

The arrangement of players in my adult abode constantly changed. Rebecca’s picture was no longer pinned alongside my own, but rather underneath it. Only when I could trust her would she be granted equal status.

I dug out an old Cluedo set, using the contents for inspiration. I made sketches of the weapons on my wall and linked the different modus operandi to the individual characters. The rope circled Mr Pennington (call me ‘James’) in satirical remembrance of his dead brother. Perhaps, one day, Mr Pennington (call me ‘James’) might also be so inclined to hang himself.

The dagger pointed sharply towards Amber. Short and sharp seemed the best way to forget her. Perhaps a fatal stab wound? Time had mellowed my hatred towards her. Perhaps I might afford her some leniency; but then again, perhaps not.

I shuffled the cards and swapped the Dining Room for the Library, then the Conservatory for the Billiard Room. The possibilities were endless. In the gloaming I toyed with various options. Lead piping, spanners and candlesticks were all possible weapons of choice. They were means to take out, disable and overpower.

Then there was Oliver and the more minor bit players of Ted and my own mother to deal with. I thought a pillow might provide a more satisfying hands-on experience with the former harlot.