Wrongful Death

by Lynda La Plante

  ‘You need to stop now, officer, the nurses and I need to tend to the patient,’ the doctor said but Anna ignored him.

  ‘Did Gloria Lynne give Samuel the money in your freezer?

  Marisha blinked three times as the doctor put his hand on Anna’s arm to escort her away, but she shrugged him off.

  ‘Did Gloria visit your flat the day Samuel disappeared?’

  Marisha’s eyes began to flicker uncontrollably as a rasping sound rattled through her chest and lungs. The doctor waved to the nurses, who stepped forward and pulled Barbara out of the way so they could get to the defibrillator. Suddenly, Marisha’s eyes opened wide and looked as if they were about to pop out of her head and she rapidly blinked three times. The doctor told Anna to get out of the room and forced himself between her and Marisha, but Anna moved round to the side of him, her gaze transfixed on Marisha’s face.

  ‘Did Gloria give Samuel the spiced rum?’ Anna asked in a raised voice. Marisha gasped in air, blinked once, then again before her bloodshot eyeballs bulged even further. The gurgling noise from her mouth sounded as if she was trying to force herself to speak; she blinked one more time and Anna felt she was saying yes to her question. Marisha opened her mouth and the rasping sound was a long slow, ‘Yes.’

  No sooner had she finished than Marisha flatlined. The doctor and nurses attempted resuscitation, but everyone in the room knew they were only going through the motions as the patient was clearly beyond help.

  Anna moved over beside Barbara. ‘Did you get it all?’ she whispered.

  Barbara rammed the phone into Anna’s hand with a look of disdain. ‘Does your obsession to bring Gloria Lynne down have no boundaries? Or is it just your ego?’ she asked, clearly distressed.

  ‘I had no choice,’ Anna protested.

  ‘Maybe, maybe not, but sometimes you need to respect people before they’re dead. I thought I knew you better, DCI Travis.

  It was clear that the doctor was not entirely happy with Anna’s conduct either, but he understood that she had a job to do and agreed to make a statement when he was off duty. She knew though that her obsessive behaviour had left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.

  Anna knew that Langton would be back at the incident room when she got there. She wondered if it would be an appropriate time to tell him about her fractious meeting with Walters and that she had recorded Walters stating coldly and calmly that he had shafted Langton’s career and was about to force him into retirement from the Met.

  Although she felt Langton had the right to know what Walters had done, and was going to do to him, she was worried that it would anger him so much he would be straight up to the Yard to have an almighty head-to-head with Walters. Anna knew she was being somewhat selfish in her reasoning, but she needed Langton to help her with Aisa and more importantly the arrest and interview of Gloria Lynne. For the time being, she didn’t want him distracted and came to the decision that it was best to tell him later and in private.

  Still, she felt that Langton would be pleased with the result from the hospital. Although in effect hearsay evidence, as Marisha could now never testify under oath, a ‘dying declaration’ was an exception to the rules of evidence in murder and manslaughter cases. There was no doubt that Ian Holme would contest the declaration, but Anna felt she had adhered to the rules and made the recording when death was imminent and Marisha was also fully aware of that fact.

  Entering her office, Anna saw Langton and Dewar sitting side by side on the sofa, both holding notebooks and pens. The whole of the coffee table and surrounding floor area were covered in documents, files and photographs, as was her desk. She greeted them both with a smile as she joined them and sat down in an armchair.

  ‘Interesting stuff, isn’t it? Even if Aisa sits there in stone-faced silence I think, after what Marisha indicated, that there’s enough to arrest Gloria for murder and a number of other offences,’ Anna said, pleased with herself.

  Langton shook his head and despairingly dropped his notebook and pen onto the coffee table and scooped up a handful of papers from the floor. He held them up, waved them at Anna and then spoke calmly but with authority. ‘Interesting is about right, Anna, and certainly this mountain of paperwork raises a lot of questions, but for me the most crucial one is . . . where’s the bloody evidence to arrest Gloria Lynne on suspicion of murder?’

  Anna could see from the look on Langton’s face he was being deadly serious. She had anticipated him being really pissed off about having to return to London so quickly, and even expected the usual heavy dressing-down about her ‘overzealous’ behaviour, but not this reaction. He had after all promised to back her up about Gloria Lynne.

  She was just going to tell him about Marisha’s dying declaration when he continued in the same vein.

  ‘And before you start, I am not interested in Xavier Alleyne or Lord Henry Lynne’s deaths as they didn’t even happen in this country.’

  ‘But the circumstances surrounding their deaths can be used as similar fact evidence so I—’

  ‘Don’t jump the gun, that’s only in a criminal trial and if the judge allows it, so please just stick to Samuel Peters’ death for now.’

  ‘Marisha Peters just passed away in hospital, but I managed to get a dying declaration from her and recorded it on my phone. The doctor is willing to make a statement,’ Anna said, desperate to defend her actions and get Langton back on her side. She pulled her iPhone out of her pocket and put it on the table.

  ‘This better be good, bearing in mind that she was no angel herself,’ Langton said and sat back to watch the recording.

  Anna had intended to explain that Marisha didn’t actually speak other than saying yes to the final question about the rum. But now she didn’t think it necessary as the video clip would show that Marisha understood everything that was going on. Anna watched the expression on Langton’s face as she played the recording but it gave nothing away.

  As the video ended he looked up at Anna, totally bewildered. ‘She doesn’t say a bloody word and when you asked the two most vital questions about Gloria visiting the flat and giving Samuel the rum all I could see was the bloody floor.’

  Anna quickly grabbed her phone and played back the last bit. She remembered the nurses had moved Barbara out of the way but only now did she realize it had prevented her from recording the whole declaration.

  ‘Shit, I don’t believe it. The doctor can confirm Marisha knew what I was asking and was able to answer both positively and negatively,’ Anna said, trying to be reassuring.

  Langton had so far remained calm but he was clearly not impressed by the video.

  ‘This is worthless. You’re clutching at straws, Anna.’

  ‘Marisha said – sorry, I mean indicated – that Samuel was blackmailing Gloria and the money in the freezer was the proceeds,’ Anna said.

  ‘Okay, so let’s say Marisha was being truthful, technically she’s just confessed to being involved in blackmail and clearly spent the proceeds on electrical goods. No judge in the world will allow this as evidence because Marisha just confessed to being untrustworthy.’

  ‘But we know that Samuel was blackmailing Gloria so therefore we can argue she was telling the truth even though she was dishonest.’

  Langton, becoming impatient, gave a loud sigh and stood up to stretch his legs.

  ‘Take Marisha out of the equation and tell me how you know that Samuel was blackmailing Gloria,’ he said sharply.

  Anna scrambled around the papers on the coffee table and floor, finally finding what she was looking for. She held it up. ‘These marriage and birth certificates, why else would Samuel order them online, pay with Marisha’s credit card and have them delivered to her flat?’

  ‘Maybe he was doing some genealogy, tracing his and Gloria’s family history,’ Langton snapped.

  ‘You’re just being totally negative now.’ Anna was annoyed with what she saw as an unnecessary and flippant remark.

  ‘Am I? You did the CID course to be
come a detective, didn’t you?’ Langton asked.

  ‘What’s that got to do with anything?’ Anna demanded, angry at being belittled.

  ‘So you were taught, just like everyone else, that blackmail is an unjustified threat to make a gain or cause loss to another unless a particular demand is met.’

  ‘Samuel told Gloria that he would expose the fact Josh was their son and in an incestuous marriage with Donna – oh, and I nearly forgot about her bigamous marriage to Xavier. It’s all here in the bloody certificates,’ Anna said and threw the papers down on the coffee table.

  Langton was now livid and Dewar, desperately not wanting to be stuck in the middle, stood up and said she just needed to run to the bathroom. But neither Langton nor Anna heard a word she said or even noticed her leave the room.

  ‘You need a bloody victim to report blackmail for a crime to have been committed and you don’t fucking have either. As for the bigamy, I don’t give a toss about that as it was over thirty years ago in Jamaica!’ Langton shouted as he paced around the room.

  Anna stood up to confront him further. ‘Neither do I, but what I’m saying is that Samuel used the bigamy and incest to blackmail Gloria. He knew she could never report it for fear of losing kudos in her high society world.’

  Langton took a deep breath and sat down again. In his heart he knew that Anna was probably right in everything she was saying, but he feared for her career and future if she arrested someone as powerful as Gloria with nothing more than what seemed to be circumstantial evidence.

  ‘There’s the phone calls to Gloria from Marisha’s landline and mobile, Josh Reynolds driving out to Weybridge and—’ Anna insisted, but he jumped in.

  ‘You can’t tell who made the calls or what was said, and you’ve jack shit to show he actually went to Gloria’s house, let alone Weybridge.’

  ‘If Gloria’s house or mobile phones show calls to Marisha’s phones, that makes the connection even stronger – how can Gloria explain that away?’

  ‘She doesn’t have to!’ he barked.

  Anna shook her head in fury. ‘What? So you think Gloria just decided to have a cosy little catch-up chat or two with Samuel the lowly fisherman after thirty years. Come to think of it, maybe that’s why he turned up at the Charity Ball . . . she bloody well invited him!’

  Langton sucked in his breath, determined to remain calm.

  ‘Joan got the results on Gloria’s phones and it was a big zilch, not one single call to either of Marisha’s phones. Yet again, where you thought there’d be evidence there is none!’

  ‘Because Gloria’s not that stupid, she will have used an untraceable pay-as-you-go phone to contact them.’

  ‘Jesus Christ, you have a bloody answer for everything, Anna. Your problem is you just can’t admit when you’re beaten.’

  ‘BEATEN, I am not beaten and you’ve lost your ability to see sense. Samuel, Marisha and Josh all had atropine in their bodies and one common denominator – Gloria Lynne!’

  Langton was at boiling point. ‘Your effing report says you think Josh Reynolds committed suicide!’

  ‘Because he was under the influence of the atropine that Gloria gave him, he didn’t know what he was doing.’

  ‘How many times do I have to say it: you’ve no evidence to prove Gloria Lynne did anything!’ Langton said, determined to convince her.

  ‘That’s why she needs to be arrested and interviewed!’

  Langton folded his arms. ‘Let’s stop shouting at each other, it’s pointless and getting us nowhere.’

  ‘You said you’d back me all the way,’ Anna pleaded.

  ‘I am, Anna, I am, but I can’t see you put your head on the chopping block like this. I’ve looked through all the paperwork and the evidence just isn’t there. I respect your gut feeling and normally I’d agree with you a hundred per cent, but this time you just have to let it go and move on.’

  She was close to tears. ‘I can’t believe you are prepared to give in so easily.’

  ‘It’s not just the lack of evidence, Anna, you’re talking about taking on one of the richest and most powerful women in the country. She mixes with prime ministers and royalty, so ask yourself, whose side will the top brass and courts be on?’

  Mimicking him, she folded her arms. ‘What about you? Fitzpatrick was rich and powerful, but that didn’t stop you hunting him down.’

  ‘That’s totally different and you know it.’

  ‘Is it? I always thought you believed that anyone who committed a serious crime deserved to be punished, no matter who they are.’

  ‘Sweetheart, you are in a no-win situation that isn’t worth risking your career for.’

  Anna didn’t know what to say. She simply couldn’t believe she had come this far to be knocked back by Langton, and realized there and then that he had lost the will to do what he did best, to fight to the end for what he believed in, even when others doubted him.

  She began to pick up the documents, unable to look at him.

  ‘Well then, walk away now and leave me to get on with my job. I’ll deal with Gloria Lynne with or without your help.’

  Langton sighed with frustration. She could make him so mad one moment yet so full of passion the next. He knew he was wrong and was letting her down badly when she needed him most. He was more than certain his career was at an end, and this would undoubtedly be his last case. Suddenly it dawned on him he had nothing to lose. He’d promised to help Anna and he knew that to break that promise would destroy everything they ever had together. She was angrily stacking the files, still avoiding looking at him, and he gave a soft laugh. She turned towards him, and he smiled.

  ‘Okay, okay, you win, and you’ll have my help, but first we interview Aisa and see if she’s willing to play ball. If not, we break her down until she does and then we screw Lady Gloria Lynne.’

  Anna instinctively grabbed him, squeezed him tightly then kissed him hard on the cheek before thanking him. Langton told her that Ian Holme had arrived nearly an hour ago and Joan had served him the disclosure papers. Anna offered to go and get Dewar, take her to the viewing room and see if Mr Holme was ready for Aisa to be interviewed.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said gratefully.

  ‘Yeah yeah, go on, let’s get this show on the road.’

  As the door closed behind her, he sat down heavily on the sofa, rubbing at his head. ‘That’s me fucked,’ he said to himself.

  As Anna took Dewar down to the viewing room to show her the layout, she explained that the video cameras were permanently on and relayed a picture to the TV monitors. The room was dark with no windows or natural light, but had a large table with two monitors and chairs at which to sit and write notes, or there were two comfortable armchairs. A cold-water dispenser, along with tea- and coffee-making facilities, stood in one corner of the room. Anna leaned over and switched on the monitors and turned to Dewar as the picture of the interview room came up onto the screens.

  ‘That’s about it – you can help yourself to drinks and it’s okay to bring in biscuits and sandwiches, as long as you clean up when you’ve finished.’

  ‘Is it wise to let Gloria speak with her daughter before the interview?’ Dewar asked.

  Anna thought that Dewar was suggesting it would be a productive move. ‘No way, I don’t want them anywhere near each other, that’s why I stipulated Aisa was to have no visitors.’

  Dewar leaned across to get a better look and pointed at the TV monitor. ‘Then why are they in the interview room together?’

  Anna turned sharply. Gloria Lynne was sitting next to Aisa, her back to the camera, her arm wrapped round her daughter’s shoulder and holding her close whilst whispering in her ear. Aisa was trembling and in floods of tears.

  ‘Shit, SHIT! Who the fuck’s let that happen?’ Anna exclaimed as she ran from the viewing room towards the custody area, leaving Dewar gazing at the monitor. Gloria slowly, almost eerily, turned to face the camera, her impassive face and piercing eyes appearing to stare straight
towards Dewar.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Anna was absolutely livid as the custody sergeant explained that he had received a phone call from Deputy Commissioner Walters instructing him that Lady Gloria Lynne was to be allowed to see her daughter. The sergeant said he had informed Walters that DCI Travis had left orders that Aisa was not to have any visitors, but Walters pulled rank and the sergeant was left with no choice but to comply. Anna asked if Walters had given a reason for his actions and the sergeant told her that his exact words were, ‘It would be beneficial to the investigation and may lead to a full confession.’

  Anna had a quick look at the custody record and saw that Ian Holme had been served disclosure and then had a twenty-minute consultation with Aisa. Gloria had been with Aisa for nearly an hour. Anna stormed off to the interview room and on opening the door she found Gloria standing next to Aisa, who was looking in an even worse state than before. On seeing Anna, Gloria leaned forward, put her arm round her daughter and started her act. ‘Don’t worry, my darling, Mummy is always here for you, but you must tell DCI Travis the truth about you and Josh.’

  Anna felt sick to the stomach knowing that Gloria had what she craved for, total domination and control over her daughter. She had an overwhelming urge to put Gloria up against the wall and tell her exactly what she thought of her sick, warped existence, but she knew that would be futile and playing into Gloria’s hands. So Anna fought back her anger, told herself to remain calm and forced a smile.

  ‘Sorry, I thought Mr Holme was with Aisa having a consultation. I was wondering if she was ready to be interviewed,’ she said as if nothing was wrong.

  ‘She will be shortly, won’t you, darling? I just need to speak with Ian to assure him that there will be no more lies from her, and then she’s all yours,’ Gloria said, as if Aisa were some form of commodity to be handed around. Anna held the door open as Gloria walked out of the room and followed her up the corridor.

  ‘May I ask what you said to your daughter, Lady Lynne, as she seems really upset?’ Anna forced herself to ask politely.