Hello Detective

His Last Vow Part 2

"Mr. Magnussen, please state your full name for the record." Lady Smallwood said, beginning the meeting, if you could call it that. Interrogation was more like it, not that anyone would actually stand up to him. It was a formality.

I looked around the room at the council and up to the translators in the gallery. Lady Smallwood sat on my right, we were meant to oversee the enquiry together. Naturally as she was my senior, she took charge. When it came to Magnussen, I knew when to keep my mouth shut.

"Charles Augustus Magnussen." He answered slowly, his eyes fixated on me as I broke and looked away. I kept my focus onto the stack of papers in front of me.

"Mr. Magnussen, how would you describe your influence over the Prime Minister?" Lady Smallwood, asked, jumping right in, not holding back.

"The British Prime Minister?" Magnussen asked, making me want to roll your eyes. Of course we were going to have to be more specific, he's probably got every Prime Minister in the world in his pocket.

"Any of the British Prime Ministers you have known." Smallwood expanded upon her question. That must be a lengthy list, he's been in this business for a while.

"I've never had the slightest influence over any of them. Why would I?" Magnussen played dumb. Lady Smallwood turned to me with an exasperated look, she wasn't going to let this go.

"Mr. Magnussen, I notice you've had seven meetings at Downing Street this year. Why?" I ask, keeping my tone as kind and impartial as possible. God forbid I come off threatening to the man who's blackmailing me.

"Because I was invited." He answered simply, it's not like he was going to come out and say the true reason he was there or what he had on the PM.

"Can you recall the subjects under discussion?" Lady Smallwood picked up where I left off.

"Not without being more indiscreet than I believe is appropriate." He smiled with those dead lifeless eyes.

"Do you think it right that a newspaper proprietor, a private individual and, in fact, a foreign national should have such regular access to our Prime Minister?" John Garvie, the MP of Rockwell South asked, his tone hostile. I turned to him with a raised brow, he was stepping out of line, and by his definition, I was also a foreign national. He needed to be careful, he didn't know who he was dealing with.

Magnussen lifted his glasses from the table and slipped them on. I knew he wouldn't take kindly to that comment.

"I don't think it's wrong that a private individual should accept an invitation. However, you have my sincere apologies for being foreign." He almost smirked, I shook my head at his remark, what a cheeky bastard. I had to hand it to him, however evil, the fucker was good at what he does.

"That's not what I meant. That is not in any way..." Garvie tried to cover, looking to Smallwood and I for help. I shook my head to silence him, the damage was already done and now he would have to live with the consequences.

"Mr. Magnussen, can you recall an occasion when your remarks could have influenced government policy?" Lady Smallwood asked, "Or the Prime Minister's thinking in any way?"

"No," He answered with certainty, slipping his glasses off to clean them.

"Are you sure?" Lady Smallwood pressed, still not convinced.

"I have an excellent memory." Magnussen almost smirked, putting his glasses back on. I heard Smallwood sigh beside me, knowing this was getting nowhere.

"Madam Director-General do you have anything to add?" Lady Smallwood asked me, I turned and made eye contact with Magnussen, remembering his words from earlier as he passed me in the parlor.