Complicity Part 4 (3/5) By Nick Quantrill

(1/5), (2/5), (3/5), (4/5), (5/5). Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

'He wants the firm's property to build apartments on. He tried to persuade us that moving to Kingswood was to our benefit. Julian was very keen on the idea but Ray very much opposed to it. I could see both sides of the argument. Progress versus tradition, if you like.' 'What did he do, Brendan?' 'Because I was open-minded to the idea, he targeted me as the weak-link. He'd set me up in his nightclub and he made sure that he had photographs and CCTV images of me with this man. Not long after that, he started to pressurise me.'

'First, it was just my support to the relocation that he wanted. When it became apparent that I couldn't persuade Ray to change his mind, he started to make alternative demands.' He started asking for money to buy his silence. Before long he had pretty much bled me dry. When I told him that I had no more and that I couldn't persuade Ray to change his mind, he moved things up a notch.' 'What did he do?'

'He introduced me to a journalist. He told me that this journalist knew the full story; the full, sordid story as he put it. He suggested that the story could be embellished to make it sound even seedier than it actually was. He'd imply that my liaison could be made to be newsworthy. The journalist just laughed. He was obviously one of Mallory's cronies.' 'What was his name?' 'Peel. David Peel. He's just a small time reporter with one eye on the main chance.'

'I've met him...what happened after that?' 'Mallory started to get nastier and nastier and was clearly intent on ruining me. He suggested that the only other way out was to remove Ray's opposition, one way or another ...' 'What did you do, Brendan?' 'What could I do?' he sobbed. 'I had no choice. I couldn't let Mallory and Peel bring the story out. It'd ruin my family and the firm. I had nothing left to give them. I did as Mallory suggested, I killed Ray. I couldn't just kill him with my bare-hands, so I poisoned him. I wasn't thinking straight, I got the poison from the Internet, it's used for legitimate practices, and I suppose I just hoped that it wouldn't be noticed. It was the best I could do ...'

Coleman retrieved the cassette from its case again and inserted it into the recorder. Lock sniffed and wiped the tears away with his sleeve. 'I'm not saying that again on tape.' 'Why?' shouted Coleman incredulously. 'Mallory is complicit in the murder of Ray Baxter. You might have committed the actual deed, but he's every bit as guilty as you are. He deserves to be brought to justice for his part in all this, as does Peel.' 'No. You won't be able to prove any of Mallory's involvement and there's nothing in this for me.'

'I'm going to prison for a long time whatever happens. At least this way I'll keep some shred of dignity as the whole story doesn't need to come out. I want to you to charge me with the murder of Ray. I'm confessing to the murder of Ray Baxter.' Coleman stood up and threw the cassette at the wall. ************

Continued... Next Page (3/5)

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