He nodded and smiled.
‘What’s so special about it?’ she asked.
‘It’s a compound Jamie and I worked on for years. It enhances performance and energy, encourages muscle bulk with fat loss and is generally an all-round fantastic product.’
The marketing speech was impressive but Paul didn’t look to her like a man winning at life. He looked ill.
But she did notice that he became enlivened by talk of profit. She clapped her hands after he’d finished telling her how the powder could save her life and prevent disgusting degenerative diseases.
‘That was quite a sales pitch. I’m impressed. Is it safe?’
She watched him pour the contents of a sachet into a bottle of water and shake it up, then he gulped at it as if his life depended on it.
‘It’s been passed by the FDA.’
‘Ah, so it must be.’ Kelly winked.
‘You don’t believe it?’
‘Sandy Cooper said it’s not quite ready for public use yet.’
Paul stopped sipping and stared at his bottle. ‘I get to try these things out.’
‘It’s your privilege as the creator of the brand, I guess. Can I ask you a personal question about your partner?’
‘Jamie?’
Paul looked away wistfully and Kelly saw affection and possibly regret.
‘It’s come to my attention that some people think he struggled with substance abuse. Did you know that?’
Paul’s face told her everything she needed to know.
‘Jamie? Never,’ he said.
‘This next one is quite intimate,’ Kelly warned him. ‘We recovered extensive pornographic material in Jamie’s room.’
Paul’s immediate response was to laugh. ‘Jamie? Why would he need porn? He had women falling over him!’
Kelly watched him. She got the impression that despite having a close bond with the deceased, Paul was also envious of him.
‘What size shoe are you, Paul?’
‘Eleven, why? Jamie always said somebody could row the Channel in my trainers.’ He laughed but stopped suddenly.
‘Do you own a pair of CAT boots?’
He hesitated and appeared puzzled.
‘Do you?’
‘I did.’
‘Youdid?’
‘I can’t find them.’
‘When was the last time you had them?’
