Wrongful Death

by Lynda La Plante

  Harrow gasped, but said nothing and stormed off.

  ‘Was that true about the skin rash and pupils?’ Barolli asked.

  ‘As symptoms of atropine poisoning, yes, but the bit about the pathologist suspecting it, I haven’t read it anywhere,’ she admitted.

  ‘You sly thing, I bet he’s in his office right now searching it on the Internet,’ Barolli said.

  Anna remembered the mnemonic Blane had used.

  ‘They say atropine makes you hot as a hare, blind as a bat, dry as a bone, red as a beet, and mad as a hatter.’

  At first, Barolli didn’t make the connection. Anna tilted her head and grinned, then it dawned on him.

  ‘It wasn’t the bloody chicken! Holy shit, I could have dropped down dead.’

  ‘I suspect it was the spiced rum. Marisha didn’t know it was in there when she poured some into your coffee. Looks like she unwittingly drank some herself – that’s why she was odd in the interview with you and Dewar and had a heart attack.’

  Barolli closed his eyes and shook his head. ‘Oh, no, I knew I shouldn’t have done it . . .’

  ‘Don’t look so worried – you weren’t to know.’

  ‘No, not the poison. I told the council hygiene officers to raid the chicken place and shut it down.’

  Anna tried but she couldn’t stop herself from laughing out loud.

  At that moment the mortician returned with a cardboard box that contained Samuel’s belongings and Anna put on some protective gloves so she could look through them. The clothes were folded neatly and on top of them sat a large key ring with six keys attached in sets of two.

  ‘I bet these will be for Marisha’s, Esme’s and Josh Reynolds’ flats,’ Anna muttered. She picked up a black donkey jacket and started to check through the pockets, even though the mortician assured her that he’d already searched it. Politely insisting she’d like to check again as sometimes things got missed, she placed the coat down on a nearby table, opened it out and started to pat her hands all over the lining. Suddenly she felt a small bump and traced the tip of her finger over the shiny material to get a better feel.

  ‘Something’s in here,’ Anna said as she put her hand into the inside pocket and found that it had a deliberate scissor cut in it. She could feel some loose paper and, on pulling it out from the pocket, saw that it was five sheets of A4 paper stapled together. They were folded so that the fifth page was outermost, which was covered in something that resembled blood spatter.

  ‘I think this may have been on the sofa beside Josh when he was shot. It’s the right size to fit the void that Pete Jenkins spoke about.’

  She read the top page, and then looked at Barolli.

  ‘It’s Aisa Alleyne’s birth certificate.’

  ‘What are the other pages?’ Barolli asked.

  Anna told him that they were birth and marriage certificates that Samuel had ordered online and probably used to blackmail Gloria. As she spoke she flicked each page over so Barolli could see whom they referred to.

  ‘My God, this is dynamite, but how on earth did you know?’ He was so impressed he took a step back, shaking his head.

  ‘A colleague of one of the tutors at Quantico made some discreet enquiries in Jamaica, and sent me copies,’ Anna said diplomatically.

  She placed the certificates in a plastic property bag that the mortician gave her. ‘Let’s take this up to the lab so Pete Jenkins can get to work on a DNA profile of the blood.’

  As soon as she got to the lab, Anna gave Pete Jenkins a hug and a kiss to thank him for all his hard work. Pete laughed and she asked him what was so funny, so he told her that after her second call the previous evening he had commented to his wife that Anna was so worked up about the Reynolds case that it wouldn’t surprise him if she jumped on a plane and came home.

  ‘I found these in the lining of Samuel’s coat,’ Anna said, handing him the plastic bag containing the certificates. ‘Look at the direction of the blood – could this be what caused the void on Josh’s sofa?’

  Pete held the certificates up. ‘On a first glance, yes, it could, but obviously I’ll need to examine it closer, plus there’s DNA and fingerprint work to do.’

  ‘Did you manage to get a set of Samuel Peters’ fingerprints from the Border Agency?’

  ‘Yes, and I compared them to the set taken from the unidentified body at Fulham mortuary and they matched.’ He handed Anna a copy of Samuel’s visa application photograph and she confirmed it was the body they had just seen in the mortuary.

  ‘Okay, you’d better come on through,’ Pete said, handing Anna and Barolli lab coats and protective gloves to wear before leading them into the working area. Items of property were laid out on sheets of white lab paper. As they moved along the table Pete pointed to each one and gave them a run-down on the forensic results.

  ‘Money from Esme’s flat and Marisha’s freezer has Samuel’s prints on it, as do the paint tins over there.’

  Pete then indicated the bottle of spiced rum and on seeing it Barolli raised his eyebrows and shook his head. Pete grinned. ‘I heard you got pretty sick. It was probably from this stuff but I’m awaiting the test results. Samuel’s prints are all over it and of course Marisha’s.’

  ‘I thought she didn’t have a criminal record,’ Barolli said, remembering he had already checked this.

  ‘To be safe I got one of my guys to go over to the hospital to take a set off her for comparison and elimination. You were right, Anna, there was atropine in her system and your information saved her life. She’s still in a coma but stable and they think she will come round.’

  Anna was thrilled that things were falling into place, and even more elated when Pete told her that he had started work on the blood sample from Josh Reynolds and early indications showed traces of atropine. Further tests were needed before he could make a positive confirmation, but it looked promising.

  ‘Thanks, Pete, you’re an absolute star,’ Anna said.

  ‘I hope Mike Lewis is going to be okay about all this extra work as it’s going to cost a bob or two.’

  ‘I’ve spoken with Langton – he said to go ahead and do whatever needs to be done,’ Anna told Pete.

  ‘Bloody hell, is he not feeling well?’ he exclaimed.

  Anna smiled. ‘You can do the DNA familial comparison tests now.’

  Pete looked round the room and came closer to Anna and Barolli, ‘Well between us three, I lifted some DNA from the paint-tin fingerprint of Samuel Peters. The profile fits to him being Josh Reynolds’ father.’

  ‘What about Donna’s DNA? Is she Josh’s half-sister?’ Anna asked.

  ‘That’s going to take longer. Josh and Samuel’s comparison was easy, as I only had to look at the Y chromosome, which passes down from father to son. To say that Josh and Donna are related I have to create and look at their mitochondrial DNA profile, which is passed down by the mother to her children.’

  ‘That would only allow you to say they have the same mother but not who the mother is?’ Anna asked, and as Pete nodded she continued, ‘So to be a hundred per cent sure, you would need a DNA sample from Gloria Lynne for comparison as well.’

  ‘Easier said than done, I expect, but I’ll leave that for you to get,’ Pete told her.

  ‘I can’t wait, and I will also be getting one from Aisa as it looks like she’s wrapped up in Josh’s death and was having an affair with him.’

  ‘Fuck me, this case just gets more and more complicated,’ Barolli remarked, having hardly said a word as he attempted to take on board all the new information. Some of it was starting to make sense now, but he was still baffled as to exactly who’d done what, where and when. Plus everyone seemed to be jumping into bed with their brother or sister.

  Pete promised he would ring or text Anna as soon as he had any results to give her. She asked Pete if in addition he would take digital photographs of the certificates she had found in Samuel’s coat lining and he assured her he would get it done right away and e-mail them over.r />
  As they got in the car to leave the lab it suddenly dawned on Anna that there might just be an alternative solution to Langton putting his neck on the line for her. She’d use Aisa as a lure to get to Gloria. There was plenty of evidence to justify Aisa’s arrest, detention for interviewing and taking her DNA and fingerprints for comparison.

  Aisa would be Gloria’s Achille’s heel and her arrest would also entitle Anna to search the whole of Lynne House. Even if she didn’t find anything, Anna knew that Aisa would be the bait that would draw Gloria in and force her to confront Anna. She was certain that Gloria had never had to worry about Donna saying anything, simply because her elder daughter knew nothing. It was hard to believe, but Donna was the sacrificial lamb, and it didn’t worry Gloria a jot if she was arrested and charged with murder because she herself was then kept in the clear.

  Anna suspected that Josh would have shown Aisa the copy of her birth certificate and therefore hoped her prints would be on it. She was also certain, because of Aisa’s alibi, that Gloria now knew of Aisa’s affair with Josh and that she had left the Charity Ball to see him. Gloria had always been there to keep an eye on Aisa, to control and manipulate her, but sitting in a cell sweating it out, Aisa would crumble. Gloria would no longer have the physical power over her and the truth might finally come out. Anna mulled it all over, sitting beside Barolli, leaning back with her eyes closed. He had wrongly assumed she was having a little nap.

  ‘You want me to drive you back home to your place for a bit of a rest?’ he asked.

  At once, she shot bolt upright and clapped her hands.

  ‘Got it, I’ve got it. No, not home, I want to go to the Lynne Foundation offices to arrest Aisa Lynne,’ she announced assertively.

  Barolli hit the brakes. ‘Are you serious?’

  ‘Never more so, Paul, never more so!’

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  ‘I was hoping you’d come back, lying little cow is in her office,’ said Jane, the personal assistant at the Lynne Foundation.

  Barolli, who was slightly out of breath from struggling to keep up with Anna as she strode up the stairs two at a time, made the introductions.

  ‘Is there something you’d like to tell us?’ Anna said.

  Jane threw a glance towards the closed office door and lowered her voice. ‘Yes, I’ve been wondering what I should do because I heard about Donna’s arrest and the money she allegedly took from the charity funds. Donna’s no thief, but she is, Aisa is.’

  ‘Do you have any evidence to prove that?’ Barolli asked.

  Jane unlocked her top drawer with a key. ‘I spent all day Friday and this morning going through Donna’s accounts and checking the movement of the monies against the days she wasn’t here or I had her booked in for a meeting with someone.’

  She opened the drawer and removed a blue folder. ‘I’ve highlighted the specific thefts and they were all made at times Donna was out of the office. I always wondered why Aisa sometimes used Donna’s computer, but I never thought she was stealing thousands of pounds.’

  Anna glanced at the documents, impressed by how competently prepared they were, giving every detail as Jane had described. Anna thanked her, assuring her that she didn’t need to worry that Aisa would find out who had drawn up the documents.

  ‘I’m perfectly willing to make a statement and give evidence in court. She’s treated me like a skivvy ever since she started working here, so it’s about time she had her comeuppance.’

  ‘Are Aisa’s mobile phone bills paid by the company?’ Anna asked.

  ‘Yes, and if you’d like a copy I can put them in the folder with the other documents.’

  ‘A copy with the dialled numbers for all of 2012 will be fine, thanks.’

  ‘No problem, happy to help you, detective,’

  ‘It’s much appreciated, Jane, but for now I’d be grateful if you didn’t say anything to Lady Lynne about Aisa’s arrest or the paperwork.’

  ‘You can trust me implicitly,’ Jane, replied loving every minute of what was happening.

  Anne looked to Barolli and gave a small nod of her head.

  ‘Let’s do it,’ she said and asked him for his handcuffs, which he removed from the pouch attached to his trouser belt. Barolli was surprised by Anna’s request, and even more so when she just threw open Aisa’s office door without knocking.

  ‘Who the fuck are you?’ Aisa exclaimed as she jumped out of her seat.

  ‘Detective Chief Inspector Anna Travis, murder squad,’ Anna told her and in one move grabbed Aisa, spun her round, and before she knew it her hands were pulled behind her back and cuffed. ‘I am arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Joshua Reynolds, theft from the Lynne charities, perverting the course of justice, obstructing police and serious offences under the Coroners Act,’ Anna said forcefully and then read Aisa her rights.

  Aisa let out a loud screech as the handcuffs bit into her wrist. ‘Ow, you’re hurting me, you bitch! My mother will be livid when she finds out I’m being arrested for something I didn’t do. I’ve never stolen any money, Donna took it for Joshua and she bought him the car.’

  ‘What car?’ Anna asked innocently.

  ‘The blue Ferrari, you idiot! What other fucking car do you think I’m talking about?’

  Anna lightly squeezed the handcuff ratchet, causing Aisa to wince and squeal as the metal pinched her skin.

  ‘Come on, Aisa, behave yourself or they can go even tighter,’ Anna warned.

  Barolli was shocked, as he had never seen Anna behave as aggressively as this when making an arrest. He thought it was over-the-top as the handcuffs were not necessary for someone as diminutive as Aisa. Anna caught the look of surprise on his face and winked, at which point Barolli understood everything was deliberate and intended to put the frighteners on Aisa.

  ‘Is there a problem, Inspector Barolli?’ Anna demanded loudly.

  Barolli instantly was onto the fact she wanted him to play the good cop to her bad – an old trick, yes, but one that Aisa would not realize was being pulled on her.

  ‘No, ma’am,’ Barolli said nervously for Aisa’s benefit.

  ‘Have you spoken to Donna or her barrister Mr Holme about the Ferrari?’ Anna asked Aisa.

  ‘No, she’s been in prison. My mother spoke with Mr Holme but not me as yet. You’ve got this all wrong and you’ll pay for treating me like this.’

  ‘Tell me, Inspector Barolli, what colour would you naturally associate with a Ferrari?’

  ‘Red, ma’am, or maybe yellow, but a blue one, that must be a very rare sight indeed.’

  ‘So how do you know it’s a blue Ferrari?’ Anna asked, making direct eye contact with Aisa.

  The wide-eyed gawping look on her face clearly showed that the young woman knew she’d just put her foot in it as she visibly struggled to think of an explanation.

  ‘I overheard my mother speaking to Mr Holme about it on the phone. We were in the kitchen at the time, you can ask her, she’ll tell you it’s true,’ Aisa said nervously.

  ‘Well, if Lady Lynne says it’s true then it must be. I mean, Lady Lynne wouldn’t lie to protect you, would she, Aisa?’

  Anna asked with deliberate scepticism.

  ‘No, my mother would never lie for me, or anyone, for that matter.’

  ‘I would hope not, Aisa, a lady of her standing lie, now that would be unthinkable,’ Anna said sarcastically.

  Barolli was finding it all very entertaining and thought his colleague was giving a star performance.

  ‘I agree with you, ma’am, Lady Lynne wouldn’t lie,’ he added for good measure.

  Anna continued with the strategy. ‘On the night of the Charity Ball, when you became so ill and had to go and lie down, Lady Lynne told me personally how concerned she was for your well-being – she said she even left the ball to see how you were.’

  Aisa nodded.

  ‘That was so caring of her, wasn’t it?’ Anna asked with mock concern.

  ‘Yes, she checked on me a few time
s. It made me feel better so I went back downstairs to the ball,’ Aisa said, but she was not quite so confident.

  ‘Now that’s the thing, Aisa, the times your mother came to check on you, were they while you were out in Donna’s Mini, or maybe visiting Mr Reynolds at his flat when he was shot through the head, or do you have an identical twin your mother comforted in the hotel room?’

  Aisa grimaced despairingly as she realized that she had allowed herself to be trapped.

  Anna stared her straight in the eye. ‘I don’t think Mummy’s going to be too pleased, Aisa, do you?’

  Aisa’s face twisted with anxiety. ‘I want to speak to her and Mr Holme.’

  ‘Of course you can, with pleasure, as soon as we have finished searching Lynne House. From top to bottom this time!’ Anna said firmly.

  ‘Please will you take the handcuffs off, they hurt and I don’t want everyone in the building or street to see me like this,’ Aisa pleaded.

  ‘You should have thought of the consequences of lying about Josh’s death and framing your sister for theft. You’ve only yourself to blame now,’ Anna said.

  She picked up Aisa’s mobile and handbag from her desk, handed them to Barolli and told him to take her out to the car.

  Once they were out of sight, Anna returned to Jane to pick up the folder with all the documents and told her a tow truck would be collecting Aisa’s Lotus later to take it to the lab.

  ‘I was just wondering,’ Jane began. ‘Obviously, I won’t say anything if Lady Lynne phones, well I will, but I’ll say Aisa’s gone out shopping again. It’s just that I wondered what should I do if the press phone or come here?’

  ‘Good thought, Jane. Obviously, don’t say anything about what you’ve given us regarding the theft, but did you overhear what I arrested Aisa for?’

  ‘Yes, that will be imprinted in my brain for many years to come,’ Jane said with a big smile.

  ‘Well you can tell the press that’s what you heard the lady detective say,’ Anna said and smiled back, longing for the moment when the news of Aisa’s arrest went public and aspersions were cast on Gloria Lynne. She could see the headline now, in fact she wished she could write it herself: ‘Lady Gloria Lynne, Founder and Director of the Lynne Foundation, defends her daughter Aisa arrested on suspicion of murder, fraud and other related offences.’