Above Suspicion (Anna Travis Mysteries Book 1)

by Lynda La Plante

  7. Does he use others? Is he a cheat? A liar? Does he lie for the pleasure of it, as well as for what he can get out of his lies?

  Anna was writing furiously in her notebook.

  8. Does he pursue instant gratification? Does he use others for his own self-aggrandizement?

  Langton whispered to Anna, “Buys a new car every six months!”

  She nodded and whispered back: “What about the furniture in his flat?”

  9. Has he demonstrated radical mood swings, such as from amicable to angry? Maybe even displaying a trace of violence?

  Parks turned over the page to start on a new sheet.

  “Now, it seems your suspect is not married and never has been. He appears to have had few long-term relationships. This is another symptom.”

  10. Few close friends. Frequently unsettled and agitated. Does not like to be alone. Becomes agitated in his own company.

  Mike Lewis shook his head. He brought up the fact they had all seen numerous photographs of Daniels surrounded by friends. Could they all have been just work colleagues?

  Parks removed his jacket, which showed sweat stains under his armpits, and continued, “Most sociopaths not only have superior intelligence, they are remorseless egocentrics. To them, people are only objects to be manipulated. If they do have a relationship, it is a very exploitative one. Do you understand? To them, people exist only to meet their needs. To them, a person is not a separate human being. He or she is just a means to an end.”

  Langton put his hand up. “What about sex?”

  Parks stared at him. “Go on.”

  “Well, these murders were sexual: rape and sodomy.”

  The profiler sucked in his breath. “Indeed. OK. While a sociopath can enjoy lustful sex, it’s never sex with any real intimacy. They are incapable of falling in love. Nor do they feel commitment: people are like Kleenex to them, easily discarded.”

  “Are they as inclined to kill as a psychopath would be?” Barolli asked.

  Parks nodded. “Yes. There are, however, two types of sociopath. One is a passive predator: the type that can con an elderly woman out of her pension and steal from a cripple. They have little remorse and can be just as callous, but the passive sociopath rarely kills. It is the aggressive sociopath that is the most dangerous. They show a complete lack of remorse and have the ability to depersonalize their victims. The victim is just another object.”

  Anna lifted her hand. “The suspect has not shown himself to be very aggressive; quite the opposite, in fact.”

  Parks nodded again. “Good point. However, you must understand that this aggression is very much under control. Though you may not have seen it, it’s there; when it surfaces—he kills.”

  Parks walked along the gallery of victims, tapping each photograph with his pen. “There will exist a reason for choosing these sad women, a hatred already in place. But with this young girl, Melissa…” He stared at her picture. “He seems to have made a mistake. She was in the red-light area. She was blonde with brown eyes. Even so, he didn’t control himself. Probably he thought: ‘What the hell? I’ll kill her, too.’ It is as emotionless as that. That is not to say that his method of killing up until then had not been calculated.”

  Anna passed her notebook to Langton, indicating something she had written. He handed it back, nodding his agreement. Anna had speculated that the fact that a nice girl like Melissa had climbed into Daniels’s car—a fact that had been confusing, not only to the police, but to her own family—was understandable if she recognized him.

  When Parks broke up the meeting, many of the team gathered around him to ask more questions. There was an undercurrent of tension in the incident room: Alan Daniels had regained prime-suspect status. There was an adrenaline rush, as if the hunt was closing in on the killer.

  Anna waited for Langton in his office. As he shut the door, he whistled: “I take back what I said about him. This time he pulled out all the stops.”

  “He had more to work with, too. That probably helped.” Anna checked her watch. “I should make that call.”

  “Yeah, I know. I’ve asked Parks if you and he could have a private talk in here. He can guide you through what you should say and how you should say it. But we have to be really careful this doesn’t come over as entrapment.”

  After what they had just listened to, Anna felt grateful for Langton’s idea.

  “But I wanted to have a word, before he comes in. I wanted to say that if you’ve changed your mind, Anna, if you don’t want to do this, then it’s understandable; all you have to do is say so.”

  “Thanks. I’m up for it.”

  “I’ll get him, then.”

  After a moment he returned with Michael Parks, who listened intently as Anna gave details of Daniels’s call to her home.

  “Right! He must be feeling very threatened to take such a risk, to make personal contact with someone in the investigation. He must also believe he can manipulate you. He must already believe that you are no threat. You must play him at his own game. If I am correct, this man has made a career of deceit and charm and he is using you; remember, at all times, never to lower your guard. The meaning of life for him is in the power to take whatever he wants. He is assuming that you trust him and he will continue to try to appear very trustworthy.” He looked up at Anna. “Would you mind recalling exactly what occurred at your first proper meeting with the suspect?”

  Anna described how Alan Daniels had shown her the photographs in his wallet; how he had seemed overly familiar, placing his arm round her shoulder; how he had kissed her hand when she was leaving.

  Parks nodded. “He is a chameleon. He has an ability to read your fragilities—anyone’s fragilities—and to become whoever you want him to be. He will behave in whatever manner he is certain will create an almost instant bond between you. From that first meeting, he knew he could be tactile with you, even though you were there as a member of the search team.”

  Anna’s stomach was churning; she suspected Parks was right.

  Parks continued: “He showed you something very private, the pictures inside his wallet. He drew you in by saying that he had never shown them to anyone else. He displayed his vulnerability: the poor, suffering little boy haunting the successful adult. He is saying, ‘No matter how successful I am, I can’t forget the wretched life I came from.’”

  Anna nodded. She had felt compassion for him, which he must have recognized. He had been confident enough to call her that same night. And if he had broken into her flat, he knew even more about her vulnerabilities now.

  “What does she watch for?” Langton asked.

  Parks hesitated.

  “Apart from the obvious, I mean. How should she interact with him to gain his confidence and use it for our benefit?”

  “It won’t be easy. He is an expert at conning and lying about himself. But there may be what I call a ‘leakage.’ If you can play him, draw him out, you just might get him to miscalculate, just go that bit too far—maybe by boasting, or telling a story about one of his more antisocial actions. At no time show you are disgusted, horrified, or repelled by what he tells you. Give no indication of what you really think. You might draw out of him something revealing.”

  Langton brought up the dental X-ray discovered at the flat. Parks believed it to be, without doubt, planted by Daniels himself. “If he had anything in the flat that constituted a risk to himself, I guarantee it would have been destroyed.” He would also have been audacious enough to have selected the photos that were later confiscated and now in their possession. “He probably left them on display.”

  Langton nodded. “They were easily discovered. But one photo shows the vehicle we are certain that Melissa Stephens was last seen getting into.”

  Parks shrugged. “Isn’t that the same vehicle that had been sent to the breaker’s yard? You see, even if there was a connection, it cannot be traced, or used. His ego is such that he believes he is above suspicion. He knows you have nothing but circumstant
ial evidence, which will not stand up in court.”

  Parks took a deep breath. “I believe he is very dangerous right now. He might be preparing to kill again and I don’t want to scare anyone, but it’s possible he’s focusing on Detective Sergeant Travis as his next victim. This possibility might excite him because of its danger and audacity. To commit a murder right under your noses would be a great turn-on. I cannot impress on you strongly enough how dangerous this man is.”

  “And you have no doubts about it being him?” Langton asked hesitantly.

  “None whatsoever. When we first met, I wasn’t really up to speed with the inquiry. But since then I have read all the reports and the evidence to date and lack of it. And I believe, as I am sure you do, that Alan Daniels is your killer.”

  Langton confessed unsteadily: “I have to tell you, I came to the opposite conclusion when I watched his TV interview.”

  Parks smiled reassuringly. “I’m not surprised. Unless you know what to watch for, those telltale signs I mentioned, it’s difficult to appreciate how clever he is. Only then do you glimpse what is behind the mask.”

  As both men turned their attention to Anna, she attempted a brave smile.

  “So, when Anna makes the call, exactly how should she handle him?”

  “Approach him with a secret,” Parks advised her. “You’ll have to make Daniels believe that you are seeing him without your superior’s knowledge. And that you believe him to be innocent. If Daniels has the slightest suspicion you’re acting on orders, he will not open up. He must believe you fancy him and for that to happen you’ll have to stroke his ego.”

  “So he’ll trust me.”

  “Exactly: gain his trust, but take it very slowly, let him draw it from you rather than blurt it out; you must not make him suspicious.”

  They spent another fifteen minutes closeted in Langton’s office. Anna virtually had a script to work from and she had agreed to make the call to Daniels at half past six. She returned to her desk; Parks and Langton remained together.

  As soon as Anna had left, Langton asked just how dangerous it was to use her. Parks shrugged.

  “I would have thought I had made that perfectly clear. She must not at any cost go somewhere alone with him, but stay out in the open. He will at first only want to pump her for information. I hope you get what you need before he wants to take the interaction a step further. I would also say the backup and surveillance must be exceptionally well orchestrated. Remember, you have had him in for questioning; he will recognize the officers he has seen here. You don’t want him to distrust her; if he does, he will try another tactic.”

  “Which would be what?”

  “Hard to say.”

  Langton was uneasy, but having come this far, he decided they would go ahead. After Parks had left, he contacted the Gold Group commander and asked for a meeting. He would need a new backup team unseen by Daniels and unknown to Anna. He would also ask for an extension on the inquiry, as he felt they were getting closer to making an arrest.

  Next Langton called in Mike Lewis and handed over the photo frame Anna had brought in. When he had told Parks earlier that there was a possibility their suspect had broken into Anna’s flat, he got yet another warning. Parks believed without doubt that Alan Daniels was targeting Anna; if they could prove he had illegally broken into her flat, they could arrest him and hold him in custody for breaking and entering. The hope was that because nothing had been stolen, the moving of the photograph might be the “leakage” Parks mentioned. It would be something to hold him for, but for how long? Langton was doubtful they would get a result, sure that if Daniels had broken into her flat, he would have worn gloves.

  Mike Lewis sent the frame over to the forensic lab. As Anna’s prints were already on record, as were those of all the officers, they could very quickly get a result. Langton would orchestrate lifting Daniels’s prints to make a match.

  To give Anna some peace and quiet while she made the call, she was given Langton’s office. The phone call would be taped and she had by now learned her script by heart.

  She sat at Langton’s desk, in his chair. He sat opposite, listening with a set of headphones, and gave her the signal to make the call. Daniels’s phone rang four times before he picked it up.

  “Yes?”

  “Alan, is this you?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s Anna.”

  “I know; I’d just about given you up. These tickets are really like gold dust. It’s Darcey Bussell dancing a special gala evening.”

  “I’m sorry, I just couldn’t get a minute alone.” She lowered her voice. “I’m still at the station.”

  “I see. OK, I understand. Well, it’s not Giselle, but Swan Lake.”

  “Oh, that’s fantastic.”

  “Yes, she’s brilliant. I don’t know if you read about it, but she hurt her ankle and so it’s been touch and go as to whether she would be dancing.”

  “Gosh! Do you know her?”

  “No, but it’s been in all the papers. We might be able to go backstage and say hello.”

  “Oh, heavens, what should I wear? Is it evening dress?”

  “Yes. Now, shall I pick you up?”

  “Oh yes, thank you. Should I wear a long dress?”

  “Well, they don’t dress up as much as they used to do, but it’s not casual casual. I’ll be wearing an evening suit.”

  “What time should I be ready for?”

  “Quarter to seven. Sounds early but there’s a champagne reception and I’ve booked a table at the Ivy so it’ll be quite a late night. Is that all right?”

  “I’ll have to ask if I can get off early, but I’m sure it’ll be all right.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “I won’t be able to tell anyone. I don’t think they would approve.”

  There was a pause; he laughed softly.

  “I understand—so what’s your address?”

  She gave it to him; he confirmed he would be there at a quarter to seven. “I’m looking forward to seeing you again, Anna.”

  “Thank you. Thank you for asking me.”

  He cut off the call. Langton removed his headphones as Anna took a deep breath and replaced the receiver.

  “Well done,” he said softly.

  She showed him her shaking hands and grinned.

  “Do you have a decent frock to wear?” he asked meaningfully.

  She laughed. “Frock? What’s that?”

  “I’m just saying, there’s no need for you to overspend your budget. We might be able to hire one for you from somewhere.”

  “Of course I have a dress,” she protested. “It’s not like I never go anywhere.”

  “The right dress? For a formal occasion?”

  “I don’t believe this! Yes, I have clothes for every occasion, sir!”

  “Don’t joke about this, Travis, and don’t think for a second that I like it. Now, be ready on time tomorrow. Don’t let him into the flat. You will have backup in the theater and in the restaurant. Scotland Yard are organizing a team. You will be protected.”

  “I only hope they’ll be able to get tickets. I’ve heard they’re like gold dust!” she joked.

  “Get out,” he said gruffly.

  When Anna returned to the incident room, there were quiet appraisals of her. Moira looked at her and gave her a wink.

  “I’ve got a great sequined job if you need it.”

  Anna grinned. “I doubt it’ll fit, Moira. I’m not that well endowed.”

  The fact that she was able to joke eased the tension in the room. They started to discuss Michael Parks and how much he had impressed them. Anna was grateful to have his script. She just hoped she would be able to put it into practice. She had never been undercover before, just as she had never been to anything as glamorous as a gala night at the Royal Opera House. Nor had she ever dined at the Ivy. She doubted that she would have to put on much of an act at being overawed. Whatever happened, this was going to be a night she would remember.

&n
bsp; By Wednesday morning, the lab had made contact. They had matched Anna’s prints easily. They verified that there were three other prints. One was too smudged to ascertain any identification but they were more hopeful of obtaining the other two. It would take more time, since the two prints were lying on top of each other.

  There was a new technology for lifting one print away from another, separating them into two clear prints. The method was a major breakthrough in digital enhancement of crossover prints but at first it had been deemed unacceptable in a court of law. Recently, this had changed as the benefits of the technique had proven significant. Unfortunately, the closest scientist qualified to use it was in Nottingham. She had traveled down on the early-morning train.

  By the time Langton arrived at the lab, the forensic scientist had treated the fingerprints with DFO. She explained it was a new chemical, similar to ninhydrin, which becomes fluorescent when exposed to a light source. After this was processed, the DFO would provide and improve ridge detail on the photo. It was, of course, the ridges of fingerprints that enabled identification to take place, as no person had the same ridges as another.

  The process was slow and when she removed one set from on top of the other set, the ridge detail appeared blurred, displaying poor general continuity.

  Langton sighed, certain they were wasting their time.

  However, the scientist wasn’t finished yet. She was becoming irritated by Langton’s impatient hovering and the way he constantly looked over her shoulder.

  “It’s going to take some time,” she warned him. “Now I need to use the photographs to start image enhancing and at each stage, the accuracy of the prints has to be documented.”

  “How long is it going to take?”

  “About four hours.”

  “Four hours?” he snapped.

  Her thin lips were being drawn into a thinner line by the minute.

  “If this is to be used as evidence, I can’t cut corners. Every print has to be documented through a photographic record listing each stage of the enhancement. As it is I’ve agreed to prioritize this for you, so you’ll just have to be patient.”