Finn had to think fast. ‘Because she doesn’t know who I am. It was at a nightclub. Really late. Really dark. Really drunk.’
Esme narrowed her eyes. ‘You don’t know who she is, either.’
‘No.’
‘So I can’t possibly make sure she stays quiet.’
‘No.’
Esme took a sip of her coffee and placed the cup back on its saucer. Slow, deliberate movements. ‘I’ve been your agent for six years and not once in all that time have you done something so reckless. So out of character. So I’m going to ask you again, and this time I want you to tell me the truth. Drugs or alcohol?’
Finn wilted under her gaze as he tried to calculate his best play. He trusted Esme completely; she had given him a shot straight out of acting school, helped him land his breakthrough soap role and consistently advocated for him with casting agents and producers. But if she knew what he was doing now, would that all end?
But if he didn’t ask for her help, would it all end anyway?
‘I had a falling out with Kelly.’
Esme screwed her face into an expression one part shock, three parts horror. ‘That’s impossible.’
‘That’s what I always thought.’
Esme reached across the table and held his hand. ‘Oh, darling, no wonder you’re acting like an arsehole and look like a steaming pile of horse shit. That girl is your bedrock.’
Finn nodded. Whispered: ‘Yes, she is, Esme. Yes, she is.’
‘Well, you can’t go on like this. You have to make up with her. What was the fight about?’
‘My weakness,’ Finn whispered.
‘What?’ Esme said impatiently.
‘I was a burden. Too much of a burden.’
‘Is this your mental stuff?’
‘Yeah. My mental stuff.’
Esme sat back in her chair and nodded. ‘You need to get help, Finn.’
‘Yeah.’
‘But you’re not going to, are you?’
He didn’t respond.
Esme stood up. ‘Well, if you won’t, I certainly will. I didn’t invest the last six years in you to watch you throw it all away now. This is your time, Finn, and if you won’t fight for it, I sure as hell will.’
Chapter Thirty-eight
Friday 26 May
Finn’s dead.
That was Kelly’s first thought when she saw his mother’s face on the security monitor. She shivered.
‘Mrs Walsh?’ she said into the intercom.
‘Hello, Kelly. May I come up and see you, please?’
