Wrongful Death

by Lynda La Plante

  ‘Good morning, Travis,’ said Langton. ‘Jessie here was in at half seven drawing up further lines of enquiry for your investigation.’

  ‘Well I’ve been busy completing my notes on the interview with Taylor.’

  ‘Interesting interview. Jessie was just telling me about it and her observations concerning the suicide note being fake. Opens up a can of worms, doesn’t it?’

  ‘Depends how you look at it,’ Anna said.

  ‘How do you mean?’ Langton asked.

  ‘Taylor could be telling a pack of lies and the suicide note could be genuine. As you’ve often said yourself, there can be many sides to a story.’

  ‘True. But I have to say Jessie has raised issues that DI Simms should clearly have considered at the time. If he made the wrong call at the scene then everything that followed is a total fuck-up. We could have a murderer out there who thinks they’ve got away with it.’

  ‘Hindsight is a wonderful thing but Paul Simms never knew about Delon Taylor back then,’ Anna replied.

  ‘He might have done if he’d dug a bit deeper and made some in-depth enquiries at the Trojan,’ Dewar remarked.

  ‘Why do you think Taylor’s lying?’ Langton asked Anna.

  ‘There may be elements of truth in what he said but that doesn’t mean Reynolds was murdered. He could be trying to use circumstances for his own benefit. He never came forward until he ended up on remand for robbery and assault.’

  ‘If I may interject, Jimmy,’ Dewar said.

  Every time she called him ‘Jimmy’ it grated on Anna’s nerves, but she knew it was perfectly possible that Dewar could have read the list of issues about her attitude to discuss, and was now attempting to turn things to her advantage. Anna was sorely tempted to give Dewar a piece of her mind, but with Langton on the FBI agent’s side she decided it was better to keep quiet and just let her drone on.

  ‘In my experience the behavioural actions of the person being interviewed can help to detect whether or not they are lying.’

  ‘Are you referring to Taylor?’ Langton asked.

  ‘Yes. I focused on his micro-expressions. I wrote a chapter about it in my published paper, “The Language of Lies”.’

  ‘So what exactly are micro-expressions?’ Langton asked, intrigued, and Dewar clearly knew it.

  ‘Movements that flash up on a person’s face for a fraction of a second. When someone is lying their eyes will move to the left or they may blink more rapidly.’

  ‘How interesting,’ Langton remarked.

  ‘We still don’t know what Taylor was actually thinking,’ Anna said, annoyed that Langton of all people was fooled by Dewar’s drivel.

  ‘It takes experience and understanding to spot the signs, Anna. Emotions that betray a liar are fear, guilt about lying. Taylor showed none of those signs and that is why I believe he was telling the truth.’

  ‘What about his emotional outburst and banging the table when you accused him of being Donna’s lover and doing her dirty work?’

  ‘I already told you I wanted to draw him out and see how he reacted to a statement that I had no evidence to support.’

  ‘I was going to update the team about our interview with Taylor but I wondered if you would like to do it. I’m sure they would be interested to hear about your micro-expression observations,’ Anna said, trying to force Dewar into an awkward situation.

  ‘As much as I’d love to I really don’t have the time at the moment. They can read the report I prepared.’

  ‘I think your next step should be an interview with Donna Reynolds,’ Langton said.

  ‘I agree, Jimmy. I found out this morning that Donna Reynolds is now living with her mother. Anna and I have an appointment to see her this afternoon. I also think we first need to revisit the flat where Reynolds died. Get a better feel for the scene before we interview his widow.’

  Frustrated that Dewar had just assumed she would be interviewing Donna and keen not to let Barolli down again, Anna decided to speak up. ‘I’ve told Paul Barolli that he can do the Donna Reynolds interview with me, so I think he should also come on the scene visit.’

  Dewar ignored the comment. ‘I had all the scene photographs blown up to assist us. As I said earlier, Jimmy, there are some things that don’t quite add up regarding the position of the gun and the blood distribution.’

  ‘Barolli’s got plenty to do here, so you two visit the scene then interview Donna,’ Langton ruled. ‘It seems more sensible as you both did the Taylor interview. Travis can ask her the questions while you observe her micro-expressions. See if there’s anything that indicates she’s lying.’

  Anna was unsure if Langton was having a joke, but felt she had been forced into a corner by Dewar and now had no choice but to agree, offering to ask Joan to get details of the new occupant of Reynolds’ old flat. Dewar said that she had already made some enquiries, and that the new owner was leasing the property. A Mr Dobbs from the letting agents would meet them there at midday.

  Desperate to get away from Dewar, Anna went to break the revised plan to Barolli. He was not pleased at yet again being left out of an important witness interview because of Dewar.

  ‘You have every right to be upset, Paul, and I should have been more forceful with Langton and Dewar.’

  ‘Don’t worry about it – while you and Langton are gone and I’m SIO, she’ll have to do as she’s told,’ Barolli, resilient as ever, remarked with a smile.

  Still keen to avoid Dewar, Anna then went to the ladies’ room. Having washed her hands and brushed her hair she was just opening the door to go back into the corridor when she caught sight of Langton and Dewar, with their backs to her, standing by the lift talking. Anna stepped back and held the door slightly open so she could eavesdrop on their conversation.

  ‘I’d like to speak with the forensic scientist who attended the scene and the pathologist,’ Dewar was saying.

  ‘That’s fine by me but let DCI Travis know as well,’ Langton instructed her.

  ‘Also, I’d like to sit down with DI Simms and go over everything in his report or more importantly, what he’s failed to put in it.’

  ‘I agree it wasn’t an in-depth investigation.’

  ‘A rookie could have done a better job.’

  ‘Go easy on Simms; he’s a delicate lad and as Travis said, hindsight is a wonderful thing. Don’t belittle him – that will only alienate everyone and you need the team on your side, not against you,’ warned Langton.

  ‘Well, I’ve not found it easy so far and Travis isn’t helping matters.’

  ‘In what way?’ he asked, clearly wondering what Dewar was implying.

  ‘Well, nothing directly other than a little hit list of things to discuss with me.’ Dewar tossed her head in irritation.

  ‘What did she say?’

  ‘She hasn’t as yet. I think she deliberately left it on her desk for me to find rather than confront me.’

  ‘Believe me, she’s not frightened of speaking her mind when she wants to,’ Langton said ruefully.

  ‘Her body language doesn’t help and the rest of them in the office can sense that.’

  ‘What about her micro-expressions? Langton asked, trying to make light of the situation.

  ‘Not funny, Jimmy. I made a casual quip about the prison staff yesterday and she nearly bit my head off.’

  ‘What the bloody hell did you say?’ Langton asked sharply.

  ‘I jokingly referred to them as pain-in-the-ass bureaucrats.’

  ‘She was engaged to be married to a prison officer who was murdered by one of the inmates,’ Langton said, clearly annoyed with Dewar.

  ‘She never said . . .’

  ‘She doesn’t talk about it but it still hurts her.’

  ‘I need to tell her how sorry I am.’

  ‘No. If she wanted you to know she would have said something there and then. As for her attitude, she wouldn’t bad-mouth you to the team, it’s not her style. Travis keeps things to herself because she sometimes
doubts her own abilities, but she’s one of the best detectives I’ve ever worked with.’

  Dewar, obviously embarrassed, was clearly wishing she hadn’t said anything about Anna’s attitude. ‘I didn’t realize you were so close.’

  ‘It’s more mutual respect now. She’s helped me through hard times and defended me when the top brass were breathing down my neck. After Ken was murdered she changed. The job became her lifeblood.’

  ‘She sounds like a good ally to have on your side,’ Dewar said sheepishly.

  ‘She is, and you can learn a lot from her, even in a short space of time,’ Langton said as he stepped into the lift.

  Anna closed the door quietly and stepped back to the washbasins. With mixed emotions she stood and took a good look at herself in the mirror. Although proud that Langton had spoken so highly of her abilities, she felt tainted with guilt. She knew when Langton mentioned her defending him against the top brass he was referring to Deputy Commissioner Walters’ internal investigation into the Fitzpatrick case, and she was only too aware that her old boss still had no idea that she had betrayed his trust. It pained her to think, Walters’ slyness aside, that she was part of the reason he had still not made Commander.

  ‘Hi, Anna. Paul Simms here.’ Anna had been on her way back to her office when her mobile rang. ‘Sorry I didn’t get back to you earlier. Brian and I have moved into a new house together and it’s been a bit of a nightmare trying to decide where to put everything. You’ll have to come to the house-warming.’

  ‘Thanks. Bring a bottle, I take it,’ Anna said.

  ‘Bring a man as well, if you like. He may never get out alive with half the gay police association here!’

  Anna laughed. Although she hadn’t spoken with Paul Simms for a long time he was still as cheerful as ever.

  ‘What can I do for you?’

  ‘It’s about the Joshua Reynolds case you dealt with last November . . .’

  ‘The guy who shot himself – it’s all done and dusted now. The Coroner’s verdict was suicide.’

  ‘I know, but I need to sit down and speak with you about it.’

  ‘Is there a problem?’ Simms asked, apprehensively.

  ‘There’s a remand prisoner who’s making spurious allegations about Reynolds’ death,’ Anna said, keen not to cause alarm.

  ‘So why’s the file with you and not back on my desk?’

  ‘It’s complicated, but nothing to worry about. What about I buy you breakfast tomorrow morning? You can choose the venue.’

  ‘In that case the Wolseley in Piccadilly. I’ll book it for seven a.m.’

  As Anna hung up she knew that going over Paul’s original investigation was going to be a delicate situation and that a delicious breakfast wouldn’t be enough to prevent her old friend and colleague getting hurt.

  Chapter Seven

  Anna decided it was her turn to drive as she and Dewar made their way to Reynolds’ old flat at Kingsborough Terrace, Bayswater. During the three-mile journey Dewar was noticeably subdued and didn’t speak. Anna wondered if she was thinking about the words of advice that Langton had given her or just feeling sorry for herself. Either way she just hoped there would be a change for the better in Dewar’s attitude towards her, the team and the investigation.

  Anna parked the car at the rear of the block of six flats. As they walked around to the front of the building Anna remarked that the flats looked fairly new and that property in the Bayswater area of London was very expensive. On approaching the entrance on the main road, they saw a man in his mid-forties, neatly dressed in a grey double-breasted pinstripe suit, repeatedly looking at his watch. Dewar asked him if he was Mr Dobbs from the letting agents. He confirmed he was and commented that they were late and he had a strict schedule to adhere to as he had other properties to show prospective tenants around.

  ‘I’m Special Agent Dewar from the FBI and this is DCI Travis. We are reinvestigating the death of Joshua Reynolds and we want to familiarize ourselves with the layout of the apartment. We will be here for as long as it takes,’ Dewar said, putting Dobbs in his place.

  Dobbs got the message and led them through the communal entry door, which was operated by an electronic keypad and intercom system. Flat two was on the ground floor and the front door opened into a short hallway off which there was an en-suite master bedroom on the left, a second small bedroom-come-study on the right and a guest shower room with washbasin and toilet next to it. The door at the end of the hallway led to a large living room with a four-seater sofa, matching armchairs, dining table and six chairs. Double-glazed bi-folding doors opened out onto a railed terrace area. Just beyond the terrace there was a grassed area and the residents’ parking bays. To the right side of the living room, behind large sliding doors, there was a modern fully appointed kitchen with integrated appliances. The property had new hardwood flooring and pristine white walls throughout. It was very modern and obviously well maintained by the letting agents.

  ‘When and for how much did Mr and Mrs Reynolds purchase the flat?’ Anna asked.

  ‘October 2011, for five hundred and fifty thousand pounds. The new owner paid five eighty for it four months ago,’ Dobbs answered.

  ‘So Mrs Reynolds made a profit,’ Dewar remarked.

  ‘Not really, as the price included all fixtures and fittings and it was sold at the current market value. Mrs Reynolds’ mother dealt with the sale due to her daughter’s distressed state at the sudden loss of her husband.’

  ‘It doesn’t appear to have changed much,’ Anna said.

  ‘The bloodstained carpet was replaced with hardwood flooring throughout and other than a new settee and armchairs the premises are in the same condition as when Mrs Reynolds left it,’ Dobbs said and looked at his watch.

  Dewar had brought with her the enlarged scene photographs in a long cardboard tube, and now took them out and laid them on the dining table. The top picture was of Joshua Reynolds lying in a pool of blood. Dobbs, visibly shaken, put his hand to his mouth and moved away.

  ‘Oh, my goodness, that’s awful. It makes me feel sick.’

  Apologizing to Dobbs, Dewar turned the photograph face down and suggested to Anna that he could go and deal with his other viewings. They could always lock the door after them and return the keys to the lettings agents’ office when they had finished. Dobbs said that was fine by him and he was out of the door like a shot.

  Dewar asked Anna to help her move the sofa and other furniture into the same positions they had been in when Josh’s body was found. Having done this, Dewar said that she had a copy of Donna’s statement and suggested they re-enact her arrival home and her discovery of Josh’s body. Anna agreed it was as good a place as any to start.

  They went back into the hallway and stood by the front door. Dewar started to go through the statement.

  ‘Donna returned home and used the Yale key to gain entry. There’s also a Chubb lock but no mention was made of it in her statement,’ Dewar observed.

  ‘Could be it was already unlocked therefore she only needed to use the Yale key,’ Anna suggested.

  ‘If it was unlocked then surely she should have expected Josh to be in – her statement says that whenever they went out their door would be double-locked.’

  Dewar had made a good point but Anna was worried that her sole intention was to find fault in Donna’s statement.

  ‘Do you mind me suggesting alternative propositions as we go along? It will help to prevent cognitive and confirmation bias,’ Anna asked, recalling Dewar’s earlier comments.

  ‘Not at all.’

  They walked down the hallway and into the master bedroom on the left. Dewar placed the photograph of the room down on the bed and looked at the statement. The furniture was still laid out as it had been at the time of Reynolds’ death. Upon entering, the bed was on the left with the fitted wardrobes and en-suite bathroom to the right. A chest of drawers and vanity table were up against the opposite wall.

  ‘In the photograph, the left
door of the fitted-wardrobe door is open,’ Dewar said and slid open the left wardrobe door, revealing an electronic-key-coded safe, which was bolted to the wall.

  ‘In this close-up, the clothing on hangers had been pushed to one side, clearly showing the safe. Strange, isn’t it?’

  Anna looked at the photograph, ‘I’m not sure what you’re getting at.’

  ‘Donna walks into the bedroom, unpacks her case, gets the dirty laundry from the basket in the bathroom yet never noticed the wardrobe and safe were open?’

  Anna checked the photographs again. ‘The makeup bag, evening gown and other stuff from her case are scattered on the bed so maybe she didn’t go near the wardrobe,’ she suggested.

  ‘Or she already knew what had happened to Josh and staged her actions to look like she was behaving normally,’ Dewar said, walking out of the bedroom into the living room and turning towards the kitchen on the right. She suddenly stopped then took two steps backwards and stood by the living-room door. Anna, who was following behind and writing notes at the same time, swerved to avoid bumping into her.

  ‘Question for Donna. Was the living-room door open or closed when she returned home?’

  Dewar then went into the kitchen and, glancing at the scene photographs, opened the integrated-washing-machine door and the cupboard under the sink.

  ‘She puts the dirty clothes in the machine then gets the laundry liquid and softener from under the sink. After starting the machine she walks back towards the bedroom,’ Dewar said, re-enacting Donna’s movements then stopping by the door to the hallway. ‘Only at this point do we get the shock and horror of finding her husband dead in a pool of blood.’

  ‘Why would she do all that if she already knew he was dead? It seems to me she was acting perfectly normally and wasn’t expecting to find Josh dead,’ Anna remarked, but Dewar said nothing.

  Anna watched fascinated as the agent walked around the living room deep in thought and talking to herself. She laid the blown-up photographs of Josh’s body and the blood distribution on the floor and on the sofa. It worried Anna that Dewar still seemed to have it fixed in her mind that Donna was in some way culpable. Anna felt that suggesting Donna left the Savoy, murdered her husband and then returned to the hotel in the early hours was clutching at straws.