‘People know where I am,’ she warned him.
‘I doubt that. I know the kind of people you work for. I imagine you do too.’
‘Get on with it.’
‘Jamie gave me your personal number before he died. In fact, it was last week. He was scared.’
‘Scared? I know he trusted you.’
Joe nodded. ‘I’m trying to keep this brief. He thought you’d be open to talking to me.’
‘Really?’ Sandy side-eyed him and smiled. ‘Well, well.’
‘His story was that five years ago, when he first had the idea forYouthBlast, he approached some industry reps who promised to represent him at fairs and suchlike. Long story short, they didn’t. They stole his idea, however. Tilda Dent being the terrier she is, once she poked around in Jamie’s business and saw the potential, she called off all competitors and undercut them. With me so far?’
Sandy nodded.
‘Her funding came with certain conditions.’
‘I know.’
‘But do you know which ones?’
Sandy shrugged. ‘I think so. Jamie told me his worries.’
‘Really?’ Joe asked.
She looked at the pebbles under her feet.
‘He was under contract to develop three more products to sell by next year. He withdrew from two of them and the third was ready for market last week. So, he was in breach of a very watertight contract with one of the richest companies on earth.’
‘Tell me something I don’t know, Joe. Surprise me.’
‘You already know every move Hank Hampton makes.’
Slowly, she smiled. ‘And this is what you want to tell your followers on your podcast? You think I’m going to help you? You really are a nutcase.’
She began to walk away but he grabbed her arm.
‘Get off me!’ She shrugged. He let his hand fall. She hesitated. ‘I’m going to report you to security. Have you seen Hank’s bodyguards?’
‘I have; they look thoroughly decent and friendly chaps.’ He grinned. ‘And they’re not here, are they?’
‘But the detective is.’
‘She’s gone too,’ Joe said. ‘I watched her leave. She looked so fed up but so would I if I’d been amongst your lot all morning.’
‘They know who you are.’
‘I know; why else would Jamie have been murdered?’
‘They’ll ruin you if they don’t kill you. You’ll be ridiculed and blacklisted from all mainstream media. Your reputation is in tatters.’
‘It already is. Good job I don’t care about the mainstream media. You know what they say about conspiracy theorists?’
She didn’t answer.
‘We’re just a year ahead of the news.’ He grinned again. ‘If the mainstream hates me, then isn’t that the perfect reason to trust me? Aren’t you a scientist? Jamie said you were a believer in truth once upon a time.’
