Chapter 18

Adam hurried into town, went straight to The Mariner and found the table that he and his friends usually occupied. Almost as soon as he sat down, a burly man in a dark suit approached him. “Adam Smith?”

Adam nodded. “Who wants to know?”

“Come on, I’ll take you to see Chloë.”

The man led him to the car park and unlocked a black BMW with a plip of his keys.

“Get in.”

He drove them away from the town centre and into the Westmouthshire countryside.

“Where are we going?” Adam asked.

“Hotel about a quarter of an hour out of town. Westmouthshire Hall. You must have heard of it. It’s known for its security. The press can’t get in.”

“Jesus.”

Westmouthshire Hall was a lavish country mansion which was once the ancestral home of the Earl of Westmouth. The current Earl’s father had squandered much of the family fortune on drink, drugs and gambling, leaving them almost bankrupt. He’d died following liver failure before he could finish the job. Horrified by the meagre size of an inheritance that he’d expected to sustain him for life, the current Earl had borrowed heavily to turn his family home into one of the most expensive and most respected hotels in Europe. The Hall was surrounded by five thousand acres of stunning grounds that included a vast lake, a golf course and a small wood.

The BMW pulled up at the gates and was approached by security guards.

“Can I help you?”

“Goodman party,” said the driver.

“I’ll need some I.D.”

The driver produced a badge from his inside pocket and the guard scanned it with a hand-held device.

“Okay, go through.”

They parked in front of the grand entrance where a valet took the car keys and drove the BMW away.

“Follow me,” said the driver as he walked into the building. Adam looked up at the magnificent Georgian structure in wonder before hurrying to catch up. The foyer was dominated by a central staircase, which the driver climbed all the way to the top floor. He knocked on a door marked Royal Suite and waited.

A tall woman with her hair pulled back into a severe ponytail and dressed in all black opened the door and beckoned them both in. “Chloë’s on the phone,” she said. “She’ll be with you in a sec. Wait in the lounge.”

Adam sat on the leather sofa and waited. He felt tense and uncomfortable. Chloë entered the lounge from what he assumed was the bedroom. Two men accompanied her. She looked harassed and was dressed casually in jogging pants and a sweater. She ran over to Adam, who stood to receive her and threw herself into his arms. She held him so tight that he couldn’t breathe.

“Do you hate me?” She was almost in tears.

“No. Why would I?”

“For getting you mixed up with the tabloids.”

“To be honest, Chloë, I just want to know what the hell’s going on. How did this happen?”

“Haven’t you read it?”

“I’ve only seen the front page. That was enough. I didn’t feel like standing in the corridor and reading the whole thing.”

Chloë stepped away from him and picked up a copy of The Daily Echo from the coffee table. The Echo was considered by most media watchers to be the sleaziest of Britain’s many tabloid newspapers. Its sister publication, The Sunday Echo, was even worse. “Here. Read it and then we’ll talk. Okay?”

Adam sat and read the leader on the front page.

Trick or Treat?

Movie-starlet Chloë Goodman, 19, has taken to life as a student like a duck to water. We’ve watched her grow from a sweet pre-teen into a stunning English Rose. But as our exclusive photographs show the nation’s sweetheart has shed her virginal image for something a touch more raunchy.

In our cover photo, she is seen performing a sex act on an unknown man.

In others (see page 5), she can be seen swilling beer, wine and spirits. Is another child star going to fall apart before our very eyes? (continued on page 5)

Adam shook his head, opened the paper to page five. There were more photos from the Helloween party and some which must have been taken on other nights as Chloë wasn’t in her red wedding gown. He continued to read.

Teenage movie-star Chloë Goodman claims to have taken time off from the industry to pursue her education. When she announced her decision, our entertainment correspondent, Glenn Fielding, questioned her motives.

“She’s already a star,” he said at the time, “She’s getting employment offers and making the sort of money that the other students in Westmouth can only dream of. While they will be working hard and trying to enhance their job prospects, she’ll be coasting along safe in the knowledge that a big fat paycheque awaits her on her next project. In my opinion, it’s a cynical publicity stunt designed to ingratiate her with the Great British Public.”

These were prophetic words because but ever since she rocked up in Westmouth to study at the university where so many other notable names have studied, rumours have been rife that she has been more interested in the student party lifestyle than in lectures, seminars and essays.

Her agent and publicist have constantly denied the rumours on her behalf but there has been no word from the starlet herself. Now it seems that the stunt has backfired as we have photographic proof of what she’s been up to.

In one of our exclusive photos, taken by an anonymous fellow student on his camera phone, Goodman can be seen, dressed as a bride of Dracula, on her knees in front of an unknown, but very lucky, vampire. The photo was taken at, or rather outside, the university’s Helloween Ball.

In another of our exclusive shots, Goodman is seen swigging from a pint glass and in yet another, she is passionately kissing an unknown man. We at The Daily Echo hope it’s the same anonymous vampire. We’d hate to think she’s become a slut as well as a drunk.

At this point, it is not known if the recipient of Goodman’s attention has simply gotten lucky or if it’s something more serious, but our showbiz editor, Glenn Fielding, says he has heard rumours that he may be more than just a flash in Goodman’s pan.