Page 45 of Mann Hunt
Charlie looked at her. “They’re remarkable. And, you said he gave up photography?”
“For quite a while, but he was very excited about a new series he’d just started working on. Ian had been shooting a young man this time. He showed me the proofs. Very eighties Bowie, if you know what I mean. Probably the best work he’s ever done.”
Declan interjected. “Does Ian keep business documents here, in the house?”
“He has an office upstairs.”
“I’d like to have a look around up there, if that’s all right with you.”
“I don’t think Ian would like that. He doesn’t even like me going in there.”
“There may be something in the office that could help us find him,” Charlie said.
Katherine looked conflicted, then nodded her head and said, “If you think it will help.”
Declan shifted in his seat. “Before we do that, I’d like to ask you more about your relationship with…Matthew, is it?”
“Michael.”
“Michael,” he corrected himself, knowing full well that it was Michael Taylor. He had just wanted to confirm that her story hadn’t changed.
“There’s not much to say. I’ve known Michael since he was born. I know that sounds a bit disturbing, but he went away to St Andrew’s College boarding school when he was ten and I didn’t see him again until he came back when he was twenty.”
“That’s a bit late to be graduating high school, isn’t it?”
“After he finished, he travelled through Europe for a few years. Deirdre and Simon held a party for him after his return. Sort of a make-up party for missing his eighteenth.”
“And you hit it off,” Declan pressed.
“It’s not quite as cheap as it sounds. I wasn’t just trying to shag him because he was an attractive, muscular young man. Michael’s very mature. He can converse as easily about fine art as he can about sports.”
“And how did Ian feel about Michael?”
“He liked him. Quite a bit. One thing they both had in common was a love of hockey. If you got the two ofthem talking about that, you might as well leave the room.”
“Did Ian know about your affair?”
Katherine paused for a moment, and when she spoke, she seemed to be choosing her words carefully. “You should understand, the open relationship—it was Ian’s idea. He did it for me. He wanted me to be happy. But Ian and I had rules. We weren’t supposed to sleep with anyone in our circle of friends or acquaintances, and we weren’t allowed to bring them home.”
Declan pressed, “So you broke the rules.”
“Yes.”
“Did you ever bring Michael home?”
“Never. On a few occasions we met at Deirdre and Simon’s house when they were away on vacation. Other times, at a hotel.”
“And you never suspected that Ian knew about this relationship?”
“No.”
“And you had no inclination that Ian was seeing anyone else?”
“No.”
The doorbell chimed.
Katherine opened the door while Declan and Charlie stayed in the other room. Declan could see the entrance through a reflection in a mirror. Outside stood Luke Fraser and Sergeant McKeckran.
