Wrongful Death

by Lynda La Plante

  Anna looked directly at her and smiled. ‘That would be good, they should all be in by nine.’

  Dewar nodded as she went off for her shower.

  Anna couldn’t get over Dewar’s sudden change of personality, and wondered if she had seen the do’s and don’ts list on her desk. The other possibility was Langton had spoken with Dewar, and advised her about her interaction with the team. Yet Anna doubted that was the case, as she knew Langton would have been straight on the phone to her to see what the problem was. It seemed that Dewar must have realized the tension she had created and wanted to rectify the situation. Anna was pleased and felt it was a step in the right direction.

  Paul Barolli arrived just before nine and Anna told him to make sure the team were all gathered for a briefing by nine-fifteen. Paul asked what it was about and Anna explained that it seemed Dewar had ‘seen the light’ and wanted to apologize to the team.

  ‘You spoke with her?’ Paul asked, trying to keep the disbelief out of his voice.

  ‘Actually, she approached me. Said she felt there was an air of hostility towards her and wanted to start again.’

  ‘Langton’s influence?’

  ‘I don’t think so. Her own decision by the looks of it and one we should respect her for.’

  ‘I’ll hold on that until I hear what she has to say,’ Paul said and went to his office.

  Jessie Dewar returned from her shower and once again she looked immaculate, wearing a black two-piece suit and white silk shirt. Anna thought she looked very professional and eager to make a good impression. As members of the team arrived, Barolli told them to grab a tea or coffee from the canteen and bring it to the incident room for an urgent briefing. Barbara moaned that she wanted to have a cooked breakfast but Paul told her it was not an option and she should grab a sandwich if she was hungry.

  Everyone was sitting at their desks as Dewar linked her laptop to the projector and, using a remote control, opened up a PowerPoint display.

  ‘What’s all this about?’ Paul whispered to Anna.

  ‘No idea,’ she muttered back. ‘I thought we were getting an apology, not a show.’

  Dewar pressed the remote and a picture of the blue-and-gold FBI seal came up on the screen. In its centre was a set of scales, five alternating red and white horizontal bands and the words FIDELITY, BRAVERY, INTEGRITY. Members of the team looked at each other, wondering what was going on.

  ‘Good morning and thank you for your time. Don’t worry, this is not a history lesson,’ Dewar said.

  ‘We know . . . because America hasn’t got any,’ Dan Ross joked, causing the others to laugh.

  ‘Tell me about it . . . In more than thirty seconds,’ Dewar smiled and everyone laughed again.

  Anna had expected Dewar to react badly to the gibe, but the humorous reply had got their attention.

  ‘I realize that I did not get off to a good start yesterday and may have upset some of you, but that was not my intention. As a supervisory special agent at the FBI, I know that not everyone is going to like me or what I may have to say during an investigation but it goes with the territory, or job, as you say in the Met.’

  Dewar then brought up a slide with the Met Police Statement of Common Purpose written on it.

  ‘Although I work on the other side of the pond under different laws, we as investigators all do the same job, that being . . .’ Dewar pressed the remote to highlight the words: ‘to pursue and bring to justice those who break the law’.

  ‘It is a great privilege for me to be here and work alongside you and I believe that along the way we can learn from each other.’

  Anna was impressed. Dewar was clearly a good speaker who knew how to use PowerPoint to not only get an audience’s attention but also get her point across. Anna could see members of the team nodding in agreement as the agent, it seemed, was winning them over. Anna, thinking that Dewar had finished, stepped forward to say a few supportive words, but Dewar suddenly brought up another slide showing a wide-angled photograph of Reynolds lying dead in his living room.

  ‘I have had the opportunity to read through the Joshua Reynolds file and record my observations regarding his death,’ Dewar said, and glared at Travis, who took a step back.

  Anna would rather have discussed Dewar’s ‘observations’ in private, but since the agent had their attention and Anna did not want to appear rude she gestured with a nod for Dewar to continue.

  Dewar pressed the remote and the word SUICIDE? came up on the screen.

  ‘I believe that the original investigation by DI Simms is flawed and the scene of Reynolds’ death may have been staged to look like a suicide,’ she said bluntly.

  As Anna looked around the room she could see that members of the team were instantly agitated at what they perceived to be an attack on ‘one of their own’, even though many of them had never worked with DI Simms. Upset by the remarks, many of the officers looked at each other in amazement and began to fidget in their seats.

  Barolli, standing next to Anna, leaned closer and whispered, ‘Might be best to stop her before the gloves are off and one of them says something.’

  ‘No. She wanted the floor so she can have it,’ Anna replied.

  ‘Reynolds’ death was assumed to be a suicide from the outset and because of this DI Simms sought, or conveyed, information that confirmed his belief.’

  ‘But the pathology and forensic reports both confirmed that Reynolds committed suicide,’ Barolli said.

  ‘As did the Coroner’s verdict. Are you seriously saying he was wrong as well?’ Barbara added in support of Barolli.

  ‘Confirmation bias is not necessarily intentional but it does affect us all and we don’t even realize it. We look for evidence to support our theory about what happened at a scene. This in turn causes us to ignore or miss evidence that opposes it,’ Dewar calmly replied and brought up a copy of Joshua Reynolds’ suicide note on the screen.

  ‘I’d ask you all to bear with me on this and read Reynolds’ alleged suicide note.’

  My Dear Wife, please forgive me for having left you all with the troubles that my death has caused you. I loved all of you very much and more than you can ever know. Everything had become too much for me and I have felt very depressed since mothers death and the money problems with the club.

  I know I have let you all down but your mother and sister will help you through this. Bye for the last time, and never forget that you were the best thing that ever happened to me.

  Love Joshua

  Dewar paused while everyone read the note.

  Anna, who was already aware of the dangers of confirmation bias in an investigation, wondered how and why Dewar was implying that someone else had written the suicide note.

  ‘The problem here is the design of the note is wrong. It’s set up for an audience rather than just the addressee and even that’s wrong. Can anyone tell me why?’ Dewar asked, but no one answered her.

  ‘My Dear Wife? Surely, Reynolds would write his own wife’s name. “Mothers” should be apostrophe “s” and there are other grammatical errors – this man was university-educated!’ Dewar said with conviction.

  ‘He was just about to kill himself. His state of mind must have been all over the place so that would affect the way he wrote the note,’ Barbara suggested, but Dewar ignored her and continued.

  ‘He refers to Donna’s sister and their mother yet he never once writes their actual names. Some of the note is written in the past tense. It’s as if he was already dead when he wrote it and that’s impossible.’

  ‘The toxicology results showed he was pissed. So that coupled with his state of mind would explain—’ Barbara argued, but was cut off by Dewar, who replied calmly but firmly.

  ‘I am not talking about his state of mind or how drunk he may have been. What I am saying is I don’t believe he wrote this note.’

  ‘Well, only Reynolds can tell us that and he’s dead,’ Barbara replied.

  ‘I understand what you’re saying. But th
ere’s no direct evidence that the note’s a fake. It is what it is,’ Barolli said, trying to be diplomatic.

  ‘This note was taken on face value for what it was perceived to be. It supported a suicide theory. The validity of the note was never challenged. Was a forensic linguist asked to examine it? Why leave it on a computer screen and not hand-write it? Did they check his computer for other notes? The answer to every question and many others I haven’t yet raised is, NO.’

  ‘So you’re saying if the note is a fake, the scene was staged and Reynolds was murdered,’ Barolli said.

  ‘Yes,’ Dewar replied, emphatically.

  Anna thought Dewar was conducting herself reasonably well and that she had remained calm and collected, even when challenged. She had raised valid points about the authenticity of the note, indicating that the contents should have been further investigated at the time. Anna knew this was something Dewar would tell Langton, meaning that she needed to discuss it as soon as possible with DI Simms.

  Anna looked at her watch. ‘Sorry to interrupt you, Jessie, but we’re running late for the Taylor interview.’

  ‘There are other observations concerning the crime scene that I’d like to bring to everyone’s attention.’

  ‘You and I can discuss them on the way to Belmarsh.’

  ‘It will only take a few minutes—’

  ‘Time is pressing and we really need to leave now,’ Anna said.

  ‘If you insist, DCI Travis.’ Dewar was clearly annoyed as she then picked up her laptop and walked off into Anna’s office.

  Anna asked Barolli for a quick word in private.

  ‘You give her the floor. She spouts a load of psycho-babble and because we don’t agree, she storms off,’ Barolli remarked.

  ‘At least you were tactful, Paul, unlike Barbara who wanted to go head to head with her,’ Anna replied.

  ‘Agreed, but Barbara’s comments were justified and as valid as Dewar’s.’

  ‘I’d like you to check over the house to house file, extend it beyond Reynolds’ block of flats and draw up a list of everyone who was close to him.’

  ‘Do you want full background and intelligence enquiries as well?’ he asked.

  ‘Keep it close to home to start with – the wife, his family, business associates . . .’

  ‘His wife already made a statement.’

  ‘It’s not very detailed and gives little insight into Joshua Reynolds’ lifestyle. To be honest, I only skimmed over it myself.’

  ‘Do you think Reynolds was murdered?’

  ‘As yet, no, but I can see Dewar stirring things up with Langton so we need to be one step ahead of the game.’

  Dewar hurriedly put down the desk phone as Anna entered her office, leading Anna to suspect that she had been speaking to Langton.

  ‘Everything all right, Jessie?’ Anna asked, knowing full well it wasn’t.

  ‘First names is fine between us in private but in front of the office, I’d appreciate it if you referred to me as Special Agent Dewar.’

  ‘I thought you gave an excellent presentation about the suicide note,’ Anna said, trying to soothe Dewar’s mood.

  ‘Really? Then why didn’t you back me up out there when I was being challenged by Maddox and Barolli?’

  ‘What you said has given me food for thought but as the SIO on this case I need to keep an open mind,’ Anna reminded her.

  ‘Well, if your DI Simms had kept an open mind last November, you’d have started a murder investigation then and there.’

  ‘Paul Simms is a good detective and, as you said, confirmation bias is not necessarily intentional.’

  ‘What’s with you guys? It’s all shock, horror because I show someone fucked up and then you get defensive!’ Dewar barked, waving her hands as if frightened.

  Anna shook her head in disbelief at Dewar’s theatrics.

  ‘It’s how you said it. The team took it as an attack on a colleague and thereby on the Met as a whole. You instigated the barrier, not them.’

  Dewar paused, looking at Anna, and sighed before continuing.

  ‘That wasn’t my intention. Sometimes my passion for a case leads to frustration, which makes me angry and then people misunderstand what I say.’

  ‘It would have helped if you had discussed your thoughts with me before the briefing.’

  ‘You only had to ask and I would have. If the suicide note is fake then the most likely person to have killed Reynolds is his wife.’

  ‘She was at the Savoy Hotel all night at a big charity do. DI Simms confirmed it,’ Anna observed.

  ‘She could have hired someone to do her dirty work.’

  ‘There were no signs of a struggle or forced entry.’

  ‘If I knocked on your door then stuck a gun in your face, you would do exactly what I told you. I shoot you in the side of the head, stick the gun in your hand and type up a fake suicide note.’

  ‘There was firearms residue and bullets for the gun in the wardrobe safe. Only Reynolds knew the code, so how did your killer get the gun out?’ Anna demanded, beginning to get bored with the conversation.

  ‘How do you know he was the only person who knew the code?’

  ‘Donna said so in her statement.’

  ‘Of course she would if she took the gun out and gave it to the killer or told him the code.’

  ‘This is all very interesting, but a lot of what you’re saying is conjecture.’

  ‘I like to think of it as an alternative proposition. It helps to work out the balance of probabilities.’

  ‘Any other alternative propositions?’

  ‘Not for the moment.’

  Anna couldn’t help but think that Dewar was rather self-opinionated, with an answer for everything, and in many ways wanted the pieces of the puzzle to fit together her way. The manner in which she presented her theory made it seem possible but Anna knew a story could be twisted. She felt that Dewar was biased towards Donna Reynolds being responsible for the murder, although there was not a shred of evidence to show that she was involved, and Dewar’s inflexible attitude worried her.

  Anna looked at her watch.

  ‘We’re running late. Grab your stuff, we need to get a move on,’ she said, picking up her briefcase and bag while Dewar did the same.

  ‘One other thing, if it was a suicide and the neighbours were in, how come no one heard a loud bang that night? The killer must have used a silencer of some sort.’

  ‘It was November fifth. No one would have noticed.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Guy Fawkes Night.’

  ‘What’s he got to do with it?’

  ‘I’m so glad you didn’t raise this in front of the rest of the office or they would still be laughing now.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘English tradition. Bonfires and fireworks. Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament with gunpowder.’

  ‘Shit, I know nothing about your history,’ Dewar said, and laughed loudly as they both left the office.

  Chapter Five

  Dewar had insisted on driving and Anna was beginning to regret letting her as it was very nerve-wracking. She was constantly over the speed limit, and on a few occasions verging onto the wrong side of the road. Dewar was very tense, her lips pursed as she muttered about the ridiculous road signs being outdated and dangerous. When Dewar ignored a red light and turned right into the path of oncoming traffic Anna had no alternative but to remind her that it was illegal to do that in the UK. Dewar grimly replied it was force of habit as it was allowed in the States.

  However, she seemed to relax as the journey continued and Anna gradually felt more at ease with her driving.

  ‘Have you known DCS Langton long?’ she asked.

  ‘Yeah, a while, he was over in Los Angeles on a case about an actor, be a few years back now, and we met up again recently at a homicide conference in Paris.’

  ‘LA, yes, I remember he went there once.’

  Anna had accompanied Langton to Los Angeles on t
hat inquiry but she was certain that she had not met Dewar before, and that he had never mentioned her name until two days ago when he referred to them meeting at the homicide conference.

  ‘In case you are fishin’ for information, my relationship with him is purely business. I know he has quite a reputation. Is he married?’

  ‘Yes, to Laura. His first wife died of a brain tumour, so it’s his second marriage. He adopted Laura’s daughter Kitty from a previous relationship, and they have a young son Tommy. He likes to keep his private life close to his chest.’

  ‘Well that was very concise. What about you, married or single?’

  Anna hesitated. She didn’t want to talk with someone she didn’t really know about the tragic death of her fiancé Ken or her past relationship with Langton.

  ‘Me? Footloose and fancy-free, apart from work, that is.’

  Dewar nodded and laughed. ‘Same with me. It’s hard in this job being surrounded by men, but I’ve never mixed work with sex. There are so many divorces and separations due to the pressures, not to mention the shagging around, but I live in hope.’

  ‘I’m really looking forward to the FBI course,’ Anna said, deliberately changing the subject.

  ‘Good. You’ll really enjoy it. No walk in the park though. It’s rare but some people do fail it and there’s no going back for a second chance.’ Dewar’s tone made Anna feel she was implying that was what she expected to happen to her.

  ‘I was on the Met’s accelerated promotion course so I know what hard graft is,’ Anna countered.

  ‘Jimmy said you were a degree entrant like me. I joined the FBI at twenty-three after completing my master’s degree in Forensic Psychology. After three years’ fieldwork I became the youngest agent ever to be asked to join the Behavioural Science Unit.’

  ‘You have done well.’

  ‘Within seven years I was promoted to supervising level. As well as profiling on live cases I now head up the behavioural profiling input on all the courses at Quantico. So you will be studying some of my cases,’ Dewar said in a rather pompous manner.