Wrongful Death (60 page)

Ian Holme asked to see the picture of the man on the CCTV and Anna handed it to him. ‘Is this Samuel, Lady Lynne?’

Gloria nodded and sobbed uncontrollably as Ian Holme glared at Langton and Travis. ‘You know full well that Aisa Lynne said this man was leaving Josh’s flat when she arrived. I demand to know if any property was missing from Josh Reynolds’ flat.’

‘We’re not sure,’ Anna said, realizing that Gloria had yet again turned the tables to her advantage.

‘What do you mean, you’re not sure? I will walk out of here straight to the Royal Courts of Justice if I have to, and get a subpoena to see all your evidence!’ Holme shouted.

Langton also knew that matters were going from bad to worse, and that they had managed to salvage nothing. Gloria had played her part magnificently from start to finish; she knew they had only circumstantial evidence. She had fooled everyone and she had the best legal mind in the business on her side. Anna leaned over and whispered to Langton that they still needed to ask Gloria about the atropine poisoning, but he shook his head; he knew his hand was forced.

‘There was a substantial amount of money found at Esme Peters’ flat that had Josh Reynolds’ and Samuel’s fingerprints on it. Forensic evidence suggests it came from Josh’s safe.’

‘Did Samuel Peters have access to that flat?’ Holmes snapped.

‘Yes, and also to Josh Reynolds’, we found keys in his possession,’ Anna said, feeling it was not fair to let Langton take all the flak for something she had started.

‘You told Walters that you thought Josh Reynolds committed suicide; for the life of me I cannot see what made you think Lady Lynne was involved in his death,’ Holme protested.

Anna licked her lips and faced him. ‘Mr Holme, I believed that Lady Lynne was involved in a cover-up, and I am sure she paid Samuel Peters money to keep quiet about Aisa being there when her son Joshua Reynolds died.’ She was trying very hard to maintain a calm positive delivery to keep Holme from overreacting. It didn’t work.

Holme was so angry he banged the table. ‘I have never seen such shameless breaches of the rules of evidence in my career. You have not heard the end of this, detectives, I will be taking this matter up with the Commissioner himself.’

‘No, Ian, you will not,’ Gloria said in a motherly fashion.

‘Lady Lynne, you and your daughters have been treated dreadfully.’

‘I know, and I think Chief Superintendent Langton has been very much influenced by Detective Travis.’

‘Nevertheless—’

Gloria again interrupted her lawyer: ‘As I said, Ian, I do not bear grudges, and Detective Travis was only doing her job, she was clearly convinced that I was somehow involved in Josh’s death and being blackmailed by Samuel. Admittedly, she has not conducted her investigation in an open and forthright manner; however, we achieve nothing if all we seek is retribution. I hope Detective Travis has learned a lesson here today and we can all move on.’

Anna was fuming but Langton was the first to put his hand out and apologize to Gloria. Anna knew he was doing it for her sake but found it hard to accept he was giving in so easily. She so wanted to give Gloria a piece of her mind, but the look on Langton’s face said that it was finished.

‘I trust that as agreed everything that I have told you will remain strictly confidential?’

Langton and Anna looked at each other. The reality was they’d both have liked to tell Gloria the deal was off, but they knew their hands were tied.

Ian Holme added to Gloria’s question: ‘I have of course recorded the conversation on my Dictaphone and the micro-card will be given to Lady Lynne for safekeeping. Both she and I will treat any breach of confidence as a slur on her good character, and sue the Met.’

There were other questions Anna badly wanted to put to Gloria, but she knew the woman would have the perfect answer. Anna was forced to admit defeat. Langton asked her to take Ian Holme to the custody area and have Aisa released immediately. He himself remained sitting opposite Gloria, who had taken out her powder compact and was carefully checking her appearance, dabbing beneath her eyes with the handkerchief he had given to her. Her mascara had left dark smudges beneath her eyes, and her cheeks showed a faint tear-stained line in her foundation.

‘Dear oh dear, I look dreadful,’ she said coyly and then she snapped the gold compact closed.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

As Anna went down the cells to tell Aisa that she was being released without charge, she was deeply depressed. She’d started the day on such a high, convinced that she could get the truth out of Aisa and use her evidence against Gloria Lynne, but everything had backfired on her. Anna had known Gloria would be the greatest challenge she would ever face in an interview situation, but the truth was she had underestimated Gloria’s guile and cunning, and now not only did Anna feel she’d let herself down, but worse, Langton, Mike Lewis and everyone else on the team, even Dewar.

She’d had to sit and watch Gloria Lynne’s masterful performance of deception and lies as she never once revealed the slightest chink in her armour. Defeat was never an easy pill to swallow in a murder investigation. Over the last few years, under Langton’s guidance, Anna had learned to accept that being a detective had its ups and downs and to take comfort from the old adage, ‘You win some, you lose some’. This was different: she’d been outwitted and humiliated by a woman she believed to be a serial killer, and Anna hated to feel she had failed.

After Aisa’s release, Anna decided to walk round the block, get some fresh air and try and make sense of everything that had occurred. It dawned on her she’d never managed to have the office meeting to tell the team about her suspicions and the facts she had uncovered against Gloria Lynne. Most of them knew bits and pieces, but no one apart from Joan had the full story. Anna couldn’t leave them in the dark, and yet what she would be able to say was now restricted by Gloria’s threat to sue if confidentiality was broken. It would be embarrassing for her, but Anna knew that she would just have to swallow her pride and brief the team as best she could.

Entering the incident room, she could see that the team was gathered together and Langton was addressing them. He stood tall and proud as he addressed the officers, and there was a look of admiration and respect on the faces of everyone in the room, even though he must be suffering from jet lag and exhaustion. Although she had come in midway through his debrief she heard enough to realize that he was taking full responsibility for everything, even claiming that he called her back from Quantico. She knew he was doing it to take the burden of pressure off her shoulders and keep the team’s faith in her. He had promised to take the flak and he was sticking to his word.

Without revealing anything confidential, Langton acknowledged that they might feel there were many unanswered questions, but sometimes when politics and policing collided, hands were tied and not everyone could be privy to all the information. He reassured the team that they hadn’t been on a pointless journey – lessons had been learned, and each and every one of them should feel immensely proud of their contribution throughout the investigation. Langton ended by making it clear that the reinvestigation into Josh Reynolds’ death was now closed and the Coroner’s verdict of suicide was correct. He emphasized strongly that there was to be no gossip about the case outside the room, and if anyone betrayed his trust there would be severe repercussions. Sternly he asked if anyone had any questions, and although there was a mixture of confused and gloomy faces around the room, not one person said a word.

Langton’s expression changed as he smiled and shook his head. ‘Cheer up, you miserable lot, you look like you’ve all been to a funeral.’

‘There’s always a wake after a funeral, guvnor!’ boomed the inimitable voice of Detective Dan Ross and everyone gave a loud cheer.

Langton got his wallet out of his pocket and an even louder cheer went up as he pulled out two fifty-pound notes.

‘Go on then, get some nibbles as well. Spiced rum okay for you, DI Barolli?’ he asked to more laughter.

Barolli, playing up to his colleagues, took a theatrical bow. ‘As long as it’s
atropine
-free, sir, or I’ll be tripping out and dancing on the ceiling again.’

When everyone else had turned back to their desks Langton took Anna into her office to tell her that he had spoken privately with Joan and instructed her that everything she knew about the case was strictly between her, Anna and himself. He had also told her to close down the investigation on the HOLMES murder inquiry computer and ensure the files were only accessible by a security code that was then to be given solely to him.

‘Don’t you trust me?’ Anna asked.

‘I know how much you’re hurting right now, I’ve been there myself, but I don’t want you dwelling on the past, going over and over the case files.’

‘I just feel that there was more we could have put to her – the atropine, money in the freezer—’

Langton wanted to draw a line under the discussion. ‘Listen, she’d secured Aisa’s silence and Walters had revealed your hand. I’m sorry to be blunt, but with all your main witnesses dead only Gloria knows the truth. We were just fishing for evidence in a pool of questionable circumstances.’

Anna knew that he was right and arguing with him was pointless.

‘I feel like you did about Fitzpatrick.’

‘You’ll just have to learn to accept that Gloria Lynne is your one that got away. You win—’

‘Some, you lose some. I know that, but at least you got closure.’

‘It wasn’t pretty though, Anna. When I saw the look on his son’s face as he clutched his dead father, I asked myself if it was all worthwhile.’

‘Was it?’

‘The end result was out of my control, but the anger that raged inside me wasn’t. Like a fool I let it eat away at me and it nearly cost me my job, certainly my promotion, but worst of all it destroyed my marriage to Laura.’

Anna was shocked. ‘Are you separated?’

‘Yes, going to the States to get Fitzpatrick was the final straw. I’ve been a poor husband and father. I put my needs and the Met before my family. I’ve learned the hard way and I beg you, don’t go down the same road as me, because you will regret it in the long run.’

‘You will try and save your marriage, won’t you?’

‘Yes, and there’s only one way to do that. I—’

The office door suddenly flew open and Deputy Commissioner Walters walked in, slamming the door behind him, making Anna jump. ‘What the fuck do you two think you’re playing at?’ he bellowed, his face crimson-red and body shaking with anger.

Langton didn’t bat an eyelid. ‘Now let me think about this. Only one of two people could have called you. I doubt it was Lady Lynne as you served your purpose and would no longer be of any use to her. Ian Holme QC is of course in the same Freemasons Lodge as you so—’

Walters cut Langton off and exploded in fury: ‘You’ve both lied and given me the ammunition to destroy your careers and, believe me, that’s just what I’m going to do!’

Anna had never seen a senior officer lose his temper to this extent.

Langton remained calm. ‘DCI Travis acted on my orders. I was in charge of this case so if you’re pissed off then direct your anger at me.’

Walters ignored Langton and came face to face with Anna, prodding her on the shoulder.

‘You, Travis, have done nothing short of instigating a vendetta against Lady Lynne and her daughters!’

Langton took hold of Anna’s arm and gently ushered her to one side. She couldn’t believe it when Langton suddenly grabbed Walters by the scruff of his jacket and forced him up against the wall with a thud.

‘You speak to her like that again, or raise your voice once more, and I won’t be responsible for my actions,’ Langton said through gritted teeth.

‘Take your hands of me, Langton, or you’ll regret it.’

Langton squeezed Walters’ lapels tighter and lifted him onto his tiptoes. ‘You can threaten me all you like, but first YOU WILL apologize to DCI Travis. Do I make myself clear?’

A shaking Walters nodded and complied, though his apology was insincere as he muttered, ‘Sorry.’

‘Not good enough,’ Langton whispered to Walters, ‘try again with more feeling.’

‘I am very sorry for my overbearing conduct and rudeness.’

Langton loosened his grip, stepped away and a flustered Walters straightened his uniform.

‘Assaulting a senior officer is a serious offence and one for which—’

Anna was quick to interrupt. ‘What assault, sir?’ she said, stone-faced.

Langton smiled at her and glared at the flummoxed Walters.

‘You witnessed it, Travis, you saw what Langton did and it’s in your best interest to back me,’ Walters said, confident Anna would bear witness against Langton for the sake of her own career.

‘I saw nothing untoward, sir, and I can’t believe you’d expect me to lie,’ Anna replied and folded her arms defiantly.

Walters seemed lost for words but Langton wasn’t done with him yet:

‘Your sycophantic manner with Lady Lynne has ruined the investigation. She used you to find out what was going on and get to her daughter Aisa. You revealed evidence, which let them both walk away scot-free. Jeopardizing a criminal investigation is a serious disciplinary offence.’

‘Not to mention misconduct in a public office,’ Anna added and smiled at Langton.

‘You have no proof and the outcome is still one of suicide. I know your little chat with Lady Lynne was off the record, no tape, no notes, nothing. As for Travis, well she came running to my door over the Fitzpatrick case. She couldn’t wait to drop you in the shit to further her own career,’ Walters sneered.

‘You little prick. I know you fooled her and used it to shaft my promotion to Commander with the Mayor’s office.’

‘Well you’ve shafted yourself now. I’m suspending you both from duty whilst you are both investigated for misconduct in a public office. Your warrant cards . . . NOW!’

‘I told you I made all the decisions on the Reynolds case, so you only need to suspend me,’ Langton said.

Anna decided this was the ideal time to speak up. ‘I don’t think you want to suspend anyone, sir, it’s really not in your best interest.’