Chapter 29

After lectures had finished for the day, Adam had dinner in the campus canteen with Cassie and Eddie, then went back to Chloë’s house to shower and change his clothes. Instead of going clubbing, like any other Friday night, the three friends were going to go to The Union bar for a couple of drinks, and then head back to Chloë’s to watch her appearance on the late-night Freddy Westwood Show.

Freddy had a fearsome reputation for mercilessly teasing his guests and tricking them into doing outrageous things on live TV. One of his most famous stunts saw him persuade visiting Hollywood starlet—and Chloë’s rival for the Oscar—Nikki Mount, to telephone a whore-house in Nevada and ask how much they’d be willing to pay her for a one-off guest appearance as the ranch’s main attraction. The ranch owner threatened to sue Freddy after he revealed it was a wind up at the end of the stunt. It made the front pages of the papers. Anything involving Nikki Mount normally did.

But Adam wasn’t worried about Chloë’s appearance on the show. Freddy had a notorious crush on her. The set, which was made up like a teenager’s bedroom, was plastered with posters of her and he’d mention her at least once a week on his weekend radio show. Adam suspected that that evening’s show might turn out to be nothing more than a Chloë Goodman love-in—especially since it was her last interview with the British media before jetting off to the US.

Adam stepped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around his waist and laid out his clothes for the evening on the bed. He’d just pulled his boxer shorts on when his mobile phone rang. He picked it up but didn’t look at the number displayed on the screen as he expected it would be Chloë.

“Hi ya,” he said.

“Hello? Is that Adam Smith?”

“Yes. Who’s this?”

“My name’s Glenn Fielding. I’m—”

“I know who you are. You’re the rat-bastard that printed those photos of me and Chloë back in November.”

“Yes. I’m sorry about that. It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“That almost sounds like remorse. Good, I’m glad. Goodbye—”

“No. Wait. Don’t hang up.”

“How did you get this number?”

“I have my sources. Look, I need to tell you something.”

“You have nothing to say that I could possibly want to hear.”

“You’ll want to hear this. Five minutes. That’s all. Just hear me out. Please.”

Adam considered this. Wearing only his boxers, he went to the window and looked up and down the street. There was no sign of any photographers or anyone else that shouldn’t have been there. “Five minutes and I’m timing you, so say what you’ve got to say quickly and get straight to the point.”

“Okay. I’ll make it quick. I wouldn’t want to hold you up.”

“You’re waffling and the clock’s ticking.”

“Yes. Sorry. Look, Adam. Can I call you Adam?”

“No.”

“No need to be like that. Look, Adam, we, that’s to say The Sunday Echo, have a big story about Chloë this weekend. And I mean big. Frontpage stuff.”

“So what? It’ll be wrapping up fish and chips by Monday.”

“Adam, I don’t think you’re quite grasping what I’m telling you. This is a story that is going to expose what Chloë’s really like. It’ll expose the lies she’s been telling you and the nation.”

Adam was silent for almost half a minute before he cautiously said, “Go on.”

“Look, Adam. It’s my understanding that Chloë told you she was a virgin before you met. Am I right?”

“How do you know that?”

“I can’t say. I have to keep my source’s confidentiality. But I am right, aren’t I? Plus, there’s that thing she said about her relationship with Tom Walker when you appeared on the Jeremy and Paula Show. About it all being fake.”

“And?”

“It’s all lies, Adam. I have the proof.”

“What proof?”

“I have an interview with the man himself.”

“That means nothing. He’s just jealous that she’s off to Hollywood and he’s been overlooked.”

“I’ve got video proof as well. I’ve got film of them having sex.”