Chapter 44
Forty-Four
Gina
Spencer Grey sat at the table with his solicitor once again whispering into his ear.
Gina needed to quickly clear a few things up with him.
She checked her watch. Two covert PCs would have now arrived outside Jackson Dunton’s house but she had to ask Spencer about his gaming PC and what Ursula had told them.
O’Connor introduced them all for the recorder and was poised to take notes.
‘Tell us about your gaming PC, Mr Grey.’
He shrugged. ‘I haven’t got a gaming PC.’
‘You had one and your wife smashed it up with a hammer last week, then you took it to the tip.’
‘Did I? That’s news to me.’
She had no evidence whatsoever but the way Spencer was picking the skin at the side of his thumbs, drawing blood, told her that he had a lot to worry about and she was onto something. ‘Tell me about OpenMeSmiler.’
He stared.
‘We know about OpenMeSmiler.’ They knew a fair bit but she hoped that Spencer was about to enlighten them even more. ‘You need to tell us what you know. Mindy has been murdered and we have reason to believe that you know something about that.’
‘I don’t,’ he said, kicking the underneath of the table. ‘I don’t. I wish I did, but I don’t.’
‘Tell me more.’
He closed up and looked away. She needed to ease him in another way.
‘You were jealous of someone Mindy ran out of Chez Ursula’s with.
I’ve seen the message you sent to Mindy.
Let me read it to you. “Why are you hugging Dustin when you’re meant to be with me.
If you let Dustin’s filthy hands wander over you ever again, you’ll both pay. ” Explain.’
‘I loved her. All I wanted was for her to love me back. Ursula and I were… are… over and we both know it. It ate me up that Mindy might have been seeing other guys. I knew we weren’t exclusive but…
’ His solicitor whispered and he held a hand up to dismiss her.
‘She followed this gothy-looking kid out one day, I heard her calling him and I thought there was something between them. Then there were other men who came to the salon, they’d hit on her all the time.
It drove me crazy. Then, her ex. She was so not over Mindy and I thought, how the hell can I even compete in that department?
She sent my head crazy but I’m over it. I’m not over her but I realise I was wrong in everything I did.
Those messages I sent to her, they were out of anger, rejection and fear that she didn’t want me.
I cheated on Ursula. I went on that stupid website, on the dark web… ’
‘What website?’
‘Err…’ He whispered to his solicitor. He’d slipped up and they both knew it. There was no going back for Spencer now.
‘What website, Mr Grey?’
‘Okay, I know of OpenMeSmiler.’
‘How did you hear about it?’
‘I don’t know. I was helping Ursula at the salon one day, doing some tiling at the far end. I found a card in my bag with that name on it and I couldn’t help but check it out.’
‘You found it in your bag?’
‘Yes, I don’t know how it got there.’
‘Who was there on the day?’
‘I don’t know. Lots of people came and went. I didn’t take any notice.’
‘What did you do with the card?’
‘I took it home and found a link on the back so I followed it.’
‘What did you see?’
‘People, just doing ordinary things, boring everyday things and when I couldn’t sleep, I’d watch and then, then things took a darker turn.
There were people getting changed in their bedrooms and, other things.
I tried to remove it from my computer but I couldn’t.
I vowed never to look again, but I did. I binned the card, convinced myself that it wasn’t real, that it was actors and eventually, I thought I’d be asked to pay a subscription.
I then messaged customer services, asking how I could remove myself from it and I got a reply. ’
‘And?’
‘I had to be a part of it, log in everyday and be present and I couldn’t cover my camera or shut off the sound. Whoever was behind it was watching me, taunting me and they sent me a video… it was of me watching one of the women undressing and I was doing things to myself.’
‘Doing things?’
He rolled his eyes. ‘Private things.’
‘Okay, please go on.’ Gina wasn’t going to make him go into detail.
‘They said they’d send it to Ursula, to Mindy, to all my business contacts and that they’d take over my social media and post it there.
So, I carried on doing what I was told, then I saw Mindy on it.
’ He paused. ‘Ursula burst in one night and caught me watching Mindy getting undressed. I didn’t even want to watch Mindy like this.
I had no choice. Anyway, Ursula went mad, smashed the computer up and accused me of spying on Mindy.
The next day, I dumped the computer and since then, I’ve lived in fear that the video of me will be posted everywhere.
I’m scared to turn my phone on. When it is on and it beeps, I feel sick.
I’d been scared of leaving the house. Not knowing who’s behind it is a killer.
I decided to tell Mindy, even though I was told that if I did, the video of me would be set live but she wouldn’t talk to me.
I wanted to warn her that she was being broadcasted.
By this time, Mindy had already told me it was over.
I thought OpenMeSmiler was reading all my messages so I never put anything about them in a message.
On the night she was taken, I was angry and then I chickened out of telling her.
Those messages I sent were horrible but I was frustrated. There’s one thing I do know.’
‘What’s that, Mr Grey?’
He shook and hugged himself. ‘I’m a victim, too. Please, you have to help me.’